Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shiwo Komeyama
Translation: Mari Morimoto
What They Say
Tsukimiya has fallen directly into the hands of Arcana and Satsuki, but her enemies seem more interested in the mark she bears than in the half-blood herself. But what is Hinata interested in? The intentions of Tsukimiya’s former – albeit temporary – ally seem to oscillate between altruistic and self-serving as the would-be gods plot to use her as a living sacrifice! Betrayed, bloodied, and left for dead, Tsukimiya resolves to seek the truth of the curse on her own terms – and by any means necessary…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Forced to take the position of living sacrifice, our heroine finds herself in quite the predicament. Though she manages a crafty escape while preparations are being made, she soon finds herself before Hinata once again. Surprisingly though, he seems to show her the way out, but he takes a look at her mark first only for it to backlash, and she ends up getting knocked out in the aftermath. When Tsukimiya awakes the ritual to cheat towards godhood begins, but it ultimately fails, and she is left dying and without the book. Shockingly, Hinata gives her a friendly warning before departing, and she’s able to escape the precarious situation with the aid of her patron.
A ton of silly nonsense follows, up until the point that Nao goes on a hunt for a pure-blood demon. Of course, this ends up being a trap by Hinata meant to ensnare and kill Tsukimiya, but as she didn’t come along the two boys end up fighting instead. In the aftermath, Nao decides to become more assertive about his fate, tossing aside his passive demeanor. Both sides of the war then gather their own relics to bolster their strength for the coming fight, and we learn that the leader of Arcana is planning to become God himself.
Finally, the next battle of the Crusade begins, with the third, fourth, and fifth relics all appearing at once! Thanks to some planning our heroes are able to grab a lead by snatching two of the relics. But just what effect will the further crosses revealed have on this intense battle, with the players constantly flipping sides?
In Summary
Unfortunately, this volume feels a bit weaker than what came before it. The interesting arc from the previous volume sadly just kind of fizzles out, and there’s also a ton of bland, flat humor scenes taking up space here. At the very least the middle of the book offers a decent fight, and the end gives us an interesting setup for the next volume. The big draw of the volume is probably supposed to be the “surprise” reveal, but similar things have already happened so many times in the series that it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm regarding it. Hopefully things will get back on track with the next volume, as this one just feels like little more than wasted potential, nowhere near as interesting as it should be.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: September 23rd, 2014
MSRP: $11.99
