The Demon Realm was now entering a new phase, and the level of tension was increasing. Hiei, who had called on Mukuro, one of the three powers that ruled the Demon Realm, had made his strength available, and was promoted to her number two man. Elsewhere, Kurama, who had been summoned by the second power, Yomi, proved himself exceptionally resourceful, and had obtained the position of military chancellor. Finally, Yusuke had been continuously training daily at the camp of the last remaining power, his father, Raizen. It had been nearly a year since they had each come to the Demon Realm, churned up with so much ambitious drive.

A Father's Last Words -
Memories of a Distant Day

Raizen is in agony, and after thinking about a certain woman, he screams out.

Outside, Yusuke is training with Hokushin and the others. Having trained for a year, Yusuke has gotten considerably stronger, and is able to defeat them all with ease. Not even Hokushin is a match for him any more.

As Hokushin hits the ground, Yusuke walks up and readies his spirit gun, jokingly pretending to fire it. Hokushin says they give up, and the others say that even with it being four on one, they were no match for him. Yusuke tells Hokushin his weakness is always ducking attacks straight away with his flexible body, leaving him vulnerable in other ways. Hokushin tells him that it would take someone as good as he is to work out where the best place is to strike. Hokushin can't believe that it just a year's time, their positions have reversed. Yusuke says he's going off to challenge his father. The monks aren't sure that's a good idea -Raizen nearly killed him a month ago!

Yusuke says he's better now. The monks really think Yusuke is Raizen's son. One of them says they've just noticed something odd -he can't hear Raizen's stomach rumbling. Meanwhile, Yusuke charges into Raizen's room.

He sees Raizen groaning, surrounded by a green aura. He suddenly charges across the room, grabbing Yusuke by the head. He slams him into a wall, with enough force that they explode out of the tower.

The monks see a green streak of light, and wonder what is going on. Raizen screams that he wants something to eat, as he and Yusuke smash into a forest.

He pins Yusuke down, but Yusuke is able to get him off. The two lock hands, but Yusuke thinks that whilst his father has lost himself, he isn't that strong. He doesn't think he's holding back, but his level of power is low. Raizen suddenly jumps up and appears behind Yusuke, and then bites him.

Yusuke throws him off. As Raizen starts to calm down, Yusuke tells him he's an awful sight to look at now. He asks him why he's doing this, as it's enough -he should eat something. If he can only eat humans, he'll go and get two or three of them for him. Otherwise, he's just going to grow weaker and weaker, until he finally dies. Yusuke tells him that now he's so weak, he won't be the least bit happy about beating him now. He wants to at least know why his father refuses to eat. If he doesn't convince him, he'll force some food into his mouth. Raizen tells him he's just like her, although they have different ways of thinking.

He says the woman he's talking about had a violent temper. It was around 700 years ago, when the lands were in chaos, and outlaws ran rampant. At the time, there wasn't any barrier between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. It was an era when, wherever humans made their living, evil spirits would join forces with them, to the point where a whole nation would team up with demons, employing them to repel foreign invaders.

At that time, Raizen had been classed among the humans as a man-eater. He used to feed as much as he liked, and the humans couldn't stop him. But it was then when he met a certain woman in the Human Realm. A pale and overly thin woman, with a particular foul scent of enchanter's incense about her. But he was taken by her eyes. It was the first time he'd ever met anyone who would stare at him, and look down on him.

One day, Raizen was on the run from a group of humans, who had injured him. He found a small house nearby, and crashed down the door. As he did, someone asked him who he was. He looked up to see a woman, who called him an evil spirit. She asked what led him astray, and why he's shown himself here.

Raizen didn't answer, but she could tell he was injured. As she approached him, he went to attack her, but stopped his hand just short of her head. She told him to let her see his injuries, so she could heal him. Raizen tells Yusuke that the woman was what you would these days call a doctor. It was said that they voluntarily swallowed strong poisons and pathogens, create immunities in their bodies, and then use their own flesh or blood as remedies, to heal any ailment on the spot. The woman healed Raizen, and that night, he sat there staring at her.

He approached her, and she asked him what was wrong -was he hungry? Raizen knew he could kill her, and was thinking about doing what he craved with her. But she suddenly got up, and asked if he was going to consume her -she found it interesting. As she removed her robe, she told him that the inside of her body was a vessel of poison. If he consumed her, his stomach would be infected before the morning came. If he's able to devour her, he should. Raizen realized he was unable to move, as this woman had completely overwhelmed him.

She put her robe back on and asked him what was wrong -is he not going to devour her? If he wanted to, he could just merely kill her. She sat down and told him to do it. But if he does, from that moment, he will have forsaken his pride and instinct as a man eater. Yusuke asks Raizen what he did next. Raizen says they made love.

He laughs and says he'd decided that she was the only woman for him. He felt that if he let her get away, he'd never reach her again. Yusuke asks if this means that the genetic compilation that results is himself. Raizen tells him he should be proud, as his lover was a good woman. He didn't press her for details about her past, but apparently, she hadn't been born into a family of doctors. She'd swallowed poisons of her own will, in order to save people wounded in battle, or those suffering from illness. Compared to her, he felt insignificant. It was at that point he'd made up his mind to not eat another person until the next time he saw that woman.

This was despite the fact that they'd never arranged to see each other again. He left the place without saying anything to her. Back in the present, Raizen says that the woman died soon after giving birth. Demonkin live a long time, so he thought that as long as he kept living, he may meet her reincarnation. That was all he could think about, as he lived on. But it appears that women like her don't get born all that often. The Spirit, Demon and Human Realms put together all make up one world, and are not separate. Not even those in the Spirit Realm know the final destination of the soul.

He tells Yusuke he is his son, but asks him if he wants to eat people. Yusuke says he does not. Raizen tells him he can't do it, even having inherited his blood. He's certain that a fraction of demonkin has undergone a mutation. Mukuro and Yomi started fighting out with only their emotions, but it's different now.

He thinks Mukuro might get along with Yusuke, as Mukuro likes the Demon Realm the way it is now, and won't interfere with the Spirit Realm or Human Realm. However he warns Yusuke to watch out for Yomi. Yomi plans on ruling both the Spirit and Human Realms, so he tells Yusuke that if he intends to team up with anyone, he should side with Mukuro. Yusuke asks him what he's talking about. Raizen says he leaves Hokushin and the others to him, and shuts his eyes.

Yusuke gets up and asks him what is he saying? But all Raizen says is that he's so hungry... which are his final words. His body turns white.

Yusuke heads back, and Hokushin and the others ask what happened. They want to know where Raizen is, but Yusuke tells them that Raizen is dead. He then asks Hokushin to show him the way to Yomi's place.

At Gandara, Yomi and the others discuss the fact that they can't hear Raizen's stomach rumbling any more. Kurama says there are two possibilities: Raizen could not bear the hunger any longer, and ate someone. Or, Raizen is dead. Kurama says if he has died, it's earlier than they expected. He thinks it's too early to judge which one it is. Yomi decides to observe the situation a little longer. Meanwhile, in a forest...

Mobile Fortress Centipede

Mukuro's mobile fortress starts moving. Using his evil eye, Hiei says there's no doubt about it: Raizen is dead. He asks Mukuro what she plans to do. She intends to repaint the Demon Realm how she wants.

Yusuke and Hokushin arrive at the outskirts of Gandara. Yusuke thanks him and says he can go back now, but he refuses, as if Yomi is aware of Raizen's death, Yusuke's life will be in danger when he enters Gandara. Yusuke is fine with that and says that's why he's going alone, but Hokushin says Yusuke is now their king. It's his duty to protect him. Yusuke tells him not to start anything, as all he intends to do today is talk. Hokushin says he's glad to hear that, and from here on, they should avoid any risky conversation. Since Yomi lost his sight, his ears and nose are that much sharper. Raizen had told him that Yomi could pick up on every person's conversation within his nation. Yusuke says he understands.

Yusuke then screams out to Yomi, and tells him they're coming there now -so put some tea on for them! He tells Hokushin they can go now. Hokushin thinks Yusuke is an eccentric person. He also asks Yusuke what he has in the bag, as he has a bad feeling about it. Yusuke says it's a secret.

As they jump down, they are being monitored. Yomi tells Kurama that his friend is quite an interesting character. Hiei tells Mukuro that Yusuke is on his way to meet with Yomi. Mukuro asks him what he thinks Yusuke could be up to. Hiei thinks Yusuke may be simple-minded, but he's also unpredictable. He can't even guess as to what he's going to do. Once he sees the result though, he's sure he'll be saying something like "of course, that's just like that idiot". Mukuro says that appears to be the truth. Hiei asks her what she means by that.

She says Hiei often lies, and asks him that if he meets with Yusuke, will he fight him? Hiei says he will, as from what he just saw of him, the two of them are about evenly matched. But both of them get still get stronger. He tells Mukuro that if she wants to kill them both, now is the time. Mukuro asks that if she fights Yusuke, who would he side with?

Hiei says he won't join either side, he'll fight whoever wins. Right now, Mukuro has a 100% chance of beating Yusuke. Mukuro says that's a half-truth. She believes that if they were to fight right now, he would join Yusuke. If her and Yusuke's powers were evenly matched, he wouldn't join either side -she's a little bit envious of that. She then asks for a course change, and her fortress heads to Gandara. She tells everyone to prepare for combat.

Following Raizen's death, the balance in the Demon Realm has crumbled. In this touch-and-go situation, what is Yusuke thinking of doing? Yomi and Kurama, Mukuro and Hiei -their various plots have become entangled in the turbulent Demon Realm!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

(Yusuke is speaking)

I hate saying so, for the dead guy's sake, but everything will be decided on the one action that I take. In this explosive situation, I'm getting excited for some reason. The whole Demon Realm will be caught up in this. If I don't do this, I'm not a man! Huh? What am I going to do, you ask? I'm not telling you! Next time: An Unexpected Proposal - A Change in the Demon Realm. This is starting to get interesting!