Episode 24--The Crown [of] Thorns II: The Road of Oath

[--The text of the title as seen on screen says "The Crown Thorns II. The Load of Oath". Technically, therefore, that should be considered the correct title. I've included the [of] just for form's sake. As for the rest..Lord of Oath? Road of Oath? Who can say? I've used "Road" because that's what Anime News Network has.]

Kate finds that the Iron Maiden's main cannon is blocked; William and Leon realize that the little spheres orbiting the Orden ship generate a self-renewing barrier. Hugue leaps into the air and slashes the barrier open with his sword, then starts slicing up the spheres. Leon notes that the spheres seem to fire at random and William says they can only target things with an electrical charge, not life forms. That makes it easier, grins Leon carnivorously, and leaping to a rooftop, unloads his bazooka and lets off a barrage. But his shots bounce off the barrier, and Isaak sighs, "annoying flies..."

William gets a radio message from Captain Spencer, who says the airship is using the magnetic shield that Methuselah call the Aegis. William observes that the Aegis can repel all outer attacks but needs to switch off for a shot to be fired from within. That gives them about one second per barrage to hit the ship; the Inquisition Twins grimly say they'll take care of the barrier.

On her terrace, Seth looks out over the night city. Abel-niisan is dead, she says to herself...it's your doing, Cain. She gazes into the sky. But niisan will definitely...

Sister Kate materializes beside Esther and tells her to go to Abel. She looks in surprise to Virgil, who nods and smiles.

Catarina and Astharoche talk of their hopes for the peace treaty, and Asta says that she's heard about the loss of a Vatican priest in Londinium. Yes, says the Cardinal; Father Nightroad, who worked together with you, fell yesterday. She asks where the Count of Memphis is; Asta doesn't have an immediate answer...

Isaak rhapsodizes about the matchless power the Orden is about to attain; all of life will be reduced to the world of nothingness that my lord desires, he says.

William and Hugue, Kate, the Inquisition, and the Albion forces coordinate. Kate hits the Orden airship with a magnetic pulse at a different waveform; it drops its shields to fire, and Petros rockets up into the midst of the spheres, blasting them to smithereens with his energy lance. Isaak's cool smirk is lost: what? he roars. At the same moment Hugue launches off the flying car and drives his sword into the belly of the ship, causing Isaak even more grief, and apparently giving Kate enough space to get in a shot; but the retaliating shot that follows drives Petros before it like a leaf, and Paula thinks he's lost.

Tres says "0100: Now executing the Duchess of Milan's primary directive. Mission start." He opens the metal briefcase, takes out the black tube Catarina took from Lilith's tomb, and pours a blue liquid into Abel's coffin. "Mission complete," he says calmly, just as Esther steps into the room.

"Father Tres? But that's--" Vital signs confirmed, says Tres precisely; distance 57.89 meters--then his digital eye flashes, and he whirls and begins firing as Cain walks toward him. The bullets zing harmlessly off Cain's shield; he smiles his sweet smile and suddenly darts at Tres too fast to see, pushes him back, smiling almost intimately. Move, he says. Tres stands his ground with all his machine strength; Cain tosses him aside, turns to Esther. What do you intend with Father Nightroad?--she demands. Don't worry, we’re going to become one, he explains gently; after all we were two in one to begin with, with the exact same genetic code. Now we'll be one forever: I'll have a perfect body, and he won't have to worry all the time. --What are you?--I'm a Krusnik, he says, a being that needs nothing, and therefore needs everything. Now, Abel--

--he reaches out his hand toward the coffin. Stay back!--she cries, but a spiraling blackness suddenly erupts up from it--Cain stares intently--the blackness swirls into shape: a crouching, black, winged figure with gleaming red eyes. It whips open its wings, streaks into the air, crashes through the stained glass window and is gone into the night. Cain's eyes glint red and he takes his Krusnik form, an angelic figure with four white-feathered wings. He opens his wings and ascends from the cathedral in a swirl of feathers and rose petals, leaving poor Esther beyond stunned.

So, OK. Super Demon Krusnik Abel and Super Angel Krusnik Cain now square off in a big aerial battle with lightning bolts and stuff. And no one has idea one what's happening, least of all me.

==[Flashback to kid Abel in space garb, staring out a portal overlooking Planet Earth. Lilith [seen at last] and chibi Seth enter; Lilith asks sympathetically if there was another fight. Leave him alone if all he'll do is complain, says little Seth. Cain walks in, and though he smiles Seth hides herself against Lilith. Kid Abel glares. Another, slightly later, flashback; kid Abel in some kind of solitary confinement, hugging his knees with his back to the wall: Lilith and Cain look in from outside. What have you done this time, Abel? asks Cain. If all those annoying fools disappear, the earth will feel much better, snaps Abel, I know it. That's terrible, Abel, scolds Lilith, they're as human as you are. Abel rises. They aren't the same! We're experimental subjects, you, me, Cain and Seth too--we were created as expendable goods for the Mars Colonization Project! What kind of future can we have? But Cain smiles sweetly and says he's happy to have been born into this world, that anyone with the will to do it can create the future they want. So, Abel--he asks encouragingly--what kind of future do you want? The kid's face clouds over. I...the future I want is...]==

The brothers continue to snarl and hurl red and blue bolts at each other. Esther watches in tears, thinking they'll fight for all eternity. SDK Abel takes a bad hit and plummets to earth.

The sun rises. Very, very slowly.

We see Esther's coronation as Queen of Albion, with all of AX in attendance (incluiding Petros, yay =). Alessandro blesses her reign and they both wish for a world of peace.

Under the end-credits, we see Abel walking though a rocky landscape, now in modified armor. Ion is waiting for him. Are you coming with me? Abel asks, icy stern; I won't let anything stop me from destroying him, no matter who suffers. Are you prepared for that? Ion tosses off his white cloak and shows he's dressed in red body armor. Now that I know Contra Mundi is real, I'll fight with you, he says, no matter what awaits me.

I cannot lose this battle, says Abel, his blue eyes reflecting the moon. Roll credits.

(Since you only get to see them for a second, here are the AX members in full ceremonial dress at Esther's coronation. Leon's having no fun. =)

...return to Trinity Blood Episode Guide.