#rukhnabad

[askrukhnabad]

Guess who’s back? 😎

#shady’s back #tell a friend #arslan senki #heroic legend of arslan #not an ask #rukhnabad

[innerchorus]

Okay, here's the reason I was poking around in Chapter 79. To share a theory! I remember seeing this moment for the first time and being amused at Zandeh panicking so much after being handed Rukhnabad that he couldn't get it back in its scabbard fast enough. But a while back I started wondering about an alternative explanation and I realised I never got around to sharing it.

What if this is Rukhnabad, upon sensing itself being transferred from Hilmes's hand to Zandeh's, essentially going 'no royal blood? lolnope' and briefly taking control of Zandeh's right arm to shove itself back home in its scabbard until someone else qualified to wield it takes it back out? Zandeh's 'wah' noises are because his arm is literally being moved by something other than himself.

Other evidence for this: the clanking sound effect and visuals of the jagged lines around Zandeh's shoulders and the blade of the sword itself seem to suggest unexpected/jerky movement, and also there's the fact that in the novel scene, Hilmes himself sheaths Rukhnabad and then throws it to Zandeh, so in the novel he never holds the sword when it's not in its scabbard, which makes me think Arakawa modified the scene not just to show us something about Zandeh (the moment of him closing Kaykhusraw's sarcophagus before running out with the scabbard was a great one) but also about the nature of the sword itself.

I like this because 1. it adds further evidence to the fact that Rukhnabad is indeed an item of magical nature/powers that helps seal the Snake King (and it's this belief which drives Zandeh to defy Hilmes and throw it back into the ground) and 2. it nicely complements my headcanon that Zandeh is spooked by magic (supported by his reaction to the mention of earth-travel magic in the novels) because even though Rukhnabad is an artifact he views in a more postive light and clearly respects it's still got to be fucking disconcerting to feel confirmation of its power like this.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #zandeh #rukhnabad #did i give the sword a tag before?

[tired-reader-writer]

Rukhnabad's glow, lkke lighting crackling in a stormy sky.

I wonder if it's like that with everyone who wields it, or if it'd vary with person to person. I can't wait for it to end up in Arslan's hands because I'm curious about how things will unfold.

Don't like that look on Hilmes' face though. But if I had to suffer through that then so do you!

My sons!

Zandeh <3

Pretty sure it's the joy of the Serpent King, Gieve. I doubt Kaykhusraw's still hangin around.

Also, couldn't crop out Zandeh.

Even the statues of the gods are toppling over.

He <3

Cool panel!

Zandeh knew exactly what he was doing, it wasn't a split-second decision made out of panic or fear. He debated, he considered, and even though he knew he'd earn Hilmes' ire (and what an absolute nightmare scenario it must be for Zandeh who adores Hilmes so much!) he did it anyways. He did it scared shitless but determined.

The anguish is really clear on his face.

I love Zandeh.

Oh, Zandeh. You did the right thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, even if that someone is your beloved Denka.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki reread #hilmes #jaswant #arslan #zandeh #gieve #rukhnabad

[daryun]

Has anyone ever read the script of OVAs? I have just found something interesting on the internet: 'spoiler In the Japanese version, they actually reveal that Farangis is supposed to marry Arislan and that Arislan isn't really royalty end spoilerOh! And then there's the screw up at the end of the first movie. In the English version, Andragoras dies and magically comes back to life (kind of like Stephano from Days of Our Lives. Is he still alive or did they finally just kill him?)'

Arslan Senki Spoilers regarding character backgrounds under the cut.

Hello!

(I found your blog post, too)

I have never read the 90's OVA as scripts, but I do watch the OVA every now again because I'm rather fond of it - both the sub and dub.

Is the English OVA dub cheesy? Most certainly.

Will I defend the stage actor delivery of every line? You bet on Daryun's shiny cloak clasp I will.

As far as I know, Farangis was sent to protect Arslan, which is expressed in the OVA, part I, around the 42 minute mark:

The English dub mentions a holy warrior and how Farangis was chosen to be that warrior. So I wouldn't know where the whole marriage thing would come from just watching the OVA alone.

(Farangis' backstory is covered in this post)

~~~

That Arslan is adopted and is not royalty by blood is worth looking at. Let's have a look what the OVA reveals to us without the context of any other Arslan Senki media.

(I already knew Arslan was adopted, but I'm not sure where I picked that up anymore. It was probably from the family tree in the Sachiko Kamimura artbook I bought, NOT from the OVA itself)

Admittedly, I first thought of part II when Bahman is killed, but the resulting conflict here is not that Arslan isn't of royal descent, but that Hilmes has a claim to the throne. The viewer is led to believe this is the narrative twist for a long time.

The English dub also just says "You musn't kill him, he is of royal blood."

So I thought about part III, 11 minutes in. But even here, the conflict is still Hilmes being Arslan's older cousin, having a claim to the throne.

The reason Gieve is sent to Mt. Damavand by Narsus is to find Rukhnabad not for Arslan's lineage, but just to strengthen his claim. Hilmes seeks out the sword for the same reason.

So where would a viewer in the 90's with not as much access to the world wide web as today get the info that Arslan is adopted?

There are hints that Arslan grew up outside of the palace with a nanny in his nightmare (part II, ca. 7 mins in), though I wouldn't call it conclusive.

But up until the end of part VI, when Arslan gets banished to Gilan everyone is still acting within the parameters that Arslan is of royal blood.

I could not find evidence of Tahamineh asking for her child in the OVA, which is another clue given to readers of the manga or novel.

EDIT: FOUND IT, part I, minute 47.

Sub:

Dub: “Wait, Daryun, Daryun don’t do this, let me speak. If you know what’s good for you you’ll join us. Pulsa will soon have a new ruler, stong and clever, he’s already in Ectabahana. Once he has killed Andragoras he’ll marry the queen and be crowned king!“

~(Pulsa forevaaaaaaa)~

In conclusion: if the dub OVA is all you have, you will not automatically work out that Arslan is adopted.

EDIT: Similar to how Andragoras’ death was declared at the end of part I (see below), I think this change was made because they didn’t want to introduce this plot line in the dub and then never be able to deliver on it.

~~~

"Andragoras III died of an illness, much to the disappointment of Hermes who could not carry out his vengeful threats" (end of part I, English dub)

Regarding Andragoras being declared dead in the English OVA dub, I do not think this was a mistake. We have to look back at the time:

The first four parts were dubbed by a UK studio. Parts 5 and 6 were dubbed in the US.

I think it is reasonable to assume that only the frst four episodes were sold dubbing rights first and as a person in the 90's there was a high chance that if you caught this on a VHS tape, per chance on TV(?), or at anime conventions as a cinema experience, these four episodes were all you were ever going to see of the anime.

So I can only assume they wanted to wrap up the story as much as they could to give the overseas viewer with no other context of Arslan Senki's whole novel story a bit of closure.

That parts 5 and 6 were later dubbed must have been unknown at the time.

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Stephano, I cannot help you with that one.

~~~

Completely unrelated to everything: Guts, is that you? (from part VI)

#Arslan Senki #the heroic legend of arslan #Farangis #Arslan #Andragoras #meta #OVA #fandom #kharlan #Tahamineh

[965cchikudasai]

Arslan Senki vol.16 Spoilers

So the final book of the Arslan Senki series was eventually published yesterday.

And so far it has received rather negative reviews.

Basically, most of the remaining mysteries were solved or at least addressed to some extent, but as many fans had feared, everything was too fast-paced and therefore extremely messy. Some people wrote on twitter that it was more like reading a summary rather than a novel x(

Anyway, more spoilers under the cut.

(Warning: NOVEL SPOILERS)

dead/killed:

Jaswant

Isfan (by the sorcerer)

Kubard (dies in a duel against Ilterish)

Merlaine (beheaded by Zahhak)

Kishward (by Zahhak)

Parafuda (by Zahhak)

Daryun (by Zahhak)

Arslan (dies in a duel against Zahhak)

Lucian

Hilmes (killed by Daryun in a duel)

Bruhan (executed by Merlaine)

Guiscard (by Merlaine & Farangis)

Fitna (by Gieve)

Leyla (by Zahhac)

Tahamine (by Zahhac)

basically all the villains (Zahhak, Ilterish, Grugan, Master)

survivors:

Elam (marries Aisha, dies at the age of 68)

Gieve (dies from disease 10 years after Arslan’s death)

Farangis (dies from disease 25 years after Arslan’s death)

Rajendra (the only winner)

Salima

Nasrin, Aiyar

Ofrur (dies from a fucking cold before she turns 20 wtf) 

Parizad

Plot:

All countries (Pars, Misr, Maryam, Turk and Turan) perish because all royals died (Arslan, Hilmes, Guiscard, Tahamine, Ilterish, etc). The only king who survived is Rajendra and thus Sindhura is the only country that continues to exist.

The kingdom of Pars becomes “Parstan” lmao

Zahhak suddenly turns out to be a Homunculus that was created through alchemy wtf (seems like Tanaka was inspired by Arakawa’s FMA lol)

Master’s identity was disappointing - he’s just one of the sorcerers/alchemists who created Zahhak (okay what were all these ominous scenes with him in the previous book about??)

The mystery of Andragoras & Tahamine’s daughter → there was no daughter in the first place lmao

Arslan’s last wish was to be buried together with Daryun wtf

When Daryun died, Arslan said “Daryun was like a big brother to me... no, he was more than that.”

no mention of what happened to Azrael, Shabrang and Kaivan (Isfan’s wolf baby) after their masters’ death

Out of the three survivors, it seems Gieve was the one who suffered the most from Arslan’s death (he could never really get over his death and died in his 30s)

Aiyar’s son (Kishward’s grandson) ROSTAM becomes the successor of Rukhnabad omg (”Rostam” is a legendary hero in Iranian mythology)

sort of a happy end in that when Elam dies a natural death at the age of 60-something, Arslan and all the others who died in the battle come to pick him up and the 16 Generals and their beloved master ride through the ‘endless heavenly shores’ (subtitle of this book)

in short, it’s a “and they all lived happily ever after - in Heaven” ending

in other words, Elam is Rose and Arslan is Jack

Bonus: The last words of the chracters

Hirmes:  “I'm coming to see you now, Irina”

Kishward: “Your Majesty... Nasrin... Aiyar...”

Daryun (to Arslan): “I, Daryun, was happy to be able to serve you”

Arslan (to Elam, Gieve, Farngis): “Thank you, everyone...oh btw, bury me together with my bro, ‘kay?”

#arslan senki #arslan senki novel spoilers #vol.16 #spoilers #I'm okay #everything is as expected #I f*cking told you that Elam will marry ****

[askrukhnabad]

#arslan senki #rukhnabad #don ricardo #heroic legend of arslan #sorry for low quality gif I’m new at this and also old

[tired-reader-writer]

“At this time of sunless snow The pale one presides over the glittering sky If there are to be misfortunes, then I humbly ask that you heed my pleas To love the unloved, To accept the unworthy Come to the earth, O child of the sky So that you may be the blade that cleanses this land”

I don't know what this is except for a prayer to Araya??? Maybe this was what Iumaka prayed so that a meteorite would fall and the metal inside of it could be used to forge the Rukhnabad...

#wolfpack au #winds of wolfsong #rotten egg's shitty writing #clan lore #araya (oc) #“the pale one” refers to Araya here #or the moon #(which is also Araya) #iumaka (oc) #Rukhnabad

[innerchorus]

Flashback to Hero King Kaykhusraw defeating the Snake King Zahhak with Rukhnabad (cutscene from the Arslan Senki Sega Mega CD game).

...just thinking about how much Kaykhusraw’s horned helmet looks like the one that Hilmes wears, or rather, the other way round, because Hilmes must surely have specifically chosen it because it resembles the one worn by his heroic ancestor.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki sega mega cd #kaykhusraw #zahhak #rukhnabad #hilmes

[innerchorus]

RUKHNABAD?!?!

(I haven't read it yet but what else could that be about?)

#that Andragoras face is terrifying #ANYWAY HERE I GOOOOOOO #(okay apparently i'm liveblogging this one in the comments)

[innerchorus]

Okay I'm gonna share more details later but if you just want some quick spoilers on whether Team Arslan got through this unscathed then click below.

TEAM ARSLAN ARE ALIVE AND WELL!

It's pretty much as I predicted; some of the Zot got chomped and there was some snake vs human combat but Team Arslan are all okay and Zahhak withdrew for now thanks to Don Ricardo (who somehow rallied enough mentally to realise that they all needed to gather around Rukhnabad and the snakes couldn't attack them).

#arslan senki spoilers

[tired-reader-writer]

Putting the drabble(?) under a read-more because I don't feel so confident in this one. This was just supposed to be an excuse and vehicle for the solar eclipse and the Pilgrim's Bells ringing so if all the other parts sound jank, that is why!

I apologize for this 😭

The sun blinks.

Hilmes stills.

The sun shines unwaveringly, bright and blinding. Clouds may block it, mist may dim it, and the skies may bring it to rest every dusk.

But the sun does not blink.

It goes against every common sense, the very nature of the sun, but—

It blinks, now.

It blinks and blinks, dims and lights up and dims again like a star, the rays almost blinding in contrast when the light returns.

Until it doesn't.

From the sky, vanish the sun's light.

The air turns cold, and shadows dance around them, like a heat haze, like a mirage, and the malformed creatures halt to look at them. As if captured. As if mesmerized.

Zahhak halts.

The moon, realizes Hilmes. It's the moon, the moon devouring the sun, the moon granting them a boon. A celestial of the night, entering the sun's domain.

The sky children.

He looks at the sword in his hand. Glowing silver, starlight on the earth.

Rukhnabad was forged from a fallen star.

He can move again, he finds. Where before he and his army were frozen by the Serpent King's snare, the moon has lifted the pressure from their mortal bodies— it drops like a rock, and in turn the lack of weight lifts them up.

He feels light. He feels as though he could float away.

He raises the sword, Rukhnabad, jabs it upwards to the sky like a beacon, a guiding light, a breath of hope in place of the sun.

“Hark ye, mages and riders!” he cries out, his voice returning to him at last. “Arise, arise! The wretched snake's curse has lifted!”

A collective cry answers him, relief and hope blends one voice to the other until he can no longer tell which voice was whose, and how many there remained.

It is fine. It's enough.

“Endure, we must! Prevail, we must! Zahhak has been defeated once, he will be brought down once again! By us, by our hands!”

He thinks of Kaykhusraw. The hero-king. The slave. The traitor.

His ancestor.

“And we have with us, what the hero king never did! The key to end this, once and for all!” More like what he foolishly threw away, but this is not the place to say it. I won't do it, he swears to himself. I will not selfishly discard what should be dear to me. Zandeh and Irina flash in his mind at once, but also Kharlan and Saam and Bahman, his followers, his men, all of them, even the ones whose names he knows not.

The mages.

The little bird.

Areyan.

“Remember your brother and sisters. Remember that aid is coming.”

The sound of bells shall reverberate, sang to him the old crone, Break the heavens like dawn over the mountains.

“The promise shall be fulfilled…” The promise of victory, no doubt they would think, there is that too, but his mind dwells on the promise of freedom.

The promise Kaykhusraw broke.

And true tomorrow shall arrive again.

“But for that—” He points Rukhnabad forward, lightning trailing behind it in a dance, casting the shifting shadows in a starker light. “For that we must fulfill our role. Remember! Remember what it is that we set out to do! Remember the work that needs to be done!”

There's so much. There's so much to be done. Here and now, against Zahhak the Serpent King, but also beyond that, beyond everything, even when peace is restored.

The work will be never-ending.

He can't wait to get to it.

He can't help the feral grin that graces his lips.

The sun starts to blink again. The eclipse is about to end.

They need to act fast.

“Loose the arrows! Clear a path so that the second squad can bind Zahhak. We must hold on until—”

That is when the bells ring.

The song, it comes from beyond the horizon, from the east, west, north, and south, around them, all around them, filling the air and overlapping, amplifying each other until naught could be heard over them—

The sky laughs and laughs and laughs.

Like an echo, like light, like dawn breaking over the mountain peaks and thunder in a storm, ripples spreading across still-waters, the swaying of trees in the strong winds.

Like the world comes alive, like all spirits were a single soul made solid.

“Now, now!”

The mass of people spring into action. People, and spirits too. He feels them. They rush through them, past them, wading through the army of men as though they too were part of the charge, all the while the earth trembles and shakes beneath their feet and the sun flick-flick-flickers above in the sky.

And the sound of bells would not stop. He can scarcely hear his men's voice above it, can scarcely hear his own heart.

Well, that is fine.

He is not alone, that much he can tell.

Everyone is here. Even the ones he had sent away to find what had been lost.

They may not be here in flesh, in these plains where the battle takes place, but…

Undoubtedly, they are present nonetheless.

He loses himself in the ever-rising song as he rides forth, and drives the treasured sword in Zahhak's chest as ghosts unseen rend him asunder.

And then all is white.

The darkness is no more.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #heroic legend of arslan #wolfpack au #winds of wolfsong #rotten egg's shitty writing #hilmes #zahhak #the bells THE BELLS #this took quite a while to write #this is NOT edited at all it's a first draft hahahahaha

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Chapter 127

The long-awaited encounter with Zahhak is here! I'm tagging my posts for new manga chapters with 'arslan senki spoilers' but here is your reminder to look away (and probably avoid my blog until you've read the chapter) if you don't want to find out what happens.

Turns out I was right about a few things and my suspicions about something else seem likely to be correct, too.

The chapter opens with the legend of Zahhak and his defeat by Kaykhusraw as the Parsians know it. The title page features Kaykhusraw's open sarcophagus with his wrapped body and Rukhnabad inside, inside the tomb. This is clearly from an earlier time (presumably his burial?), well before Hilmes ventured down there, and given the chapter title it feels... ominous. (And it's right to feel that way, as you'll see when you get to the end of the chapter.)

The legend is conveyed in the typical stylised carving/illustration style that Arakawa has used for mythological history before.

Look what appears as a decorative border to one of the panels!

It might just be a nod to the existence of these creatures in the novels, but I really hope that their presence here makes it more likely we might actually encounter them before the end of the manga... DARK TEMPLE PLUS CREATURES, ARAKAWA PLEASE

Very much has the feel of something that has been mythologised, the details probably don't match up exactly with how it really went down, but the main points are there...

...and 300 years later, the Snake King appears to have returned

Farangis's raishal reacting like this is a nice touch and shows just how extreme the presence of evil is here. (Also I didn't know it could do that so I'm filing this detail away very happily.)

Those snake heads are really very freaky, the fact that they are so humanoid yet totally animalistic and driven by instict and hunger for human brains. Top notch horror!

Daryun's warrior instinct comes to the fore and overrides his shock!

The Zot do their best but one gets chomped pretty quickly, sadly. I'll go ahead and say it now, the Zot being the only casualties in this encounter was exactly as I called it, but Arakawa does her best to ensure their deaths don't feel trivial, as we later learn the names of those who fell, and even though we never got to know them it's clear that they meant something to their comrades.

Some very exciting combat scenes follow and Team Arslan enter the fray and get to grips with their frightening new enemy! Some key details about Zahhak rapidly become apparent: his blood is corrosive, and his wounds can heal.

The key is to keep moving! Alfarid realises this; one of the Zot tries to encourage her to flee, but is struggling with his terrified mount, but thanks to Elam and Alfarid loosing arrows at one of the snake heads he is spared.

Don Ricardo is in abject terror, but his behaviour later this chapter was a surprise for me, in a good way!

Estelle saving Don Ricardo just in time, and putting her life on the line to stand before him even though she's trembling in fear! 👌👌👌

She's so brave!

She doesn't know that the snakes have spotted/sensed Rukhbanad... but Don Ricardo does! Let's hope he will now give that 'junk sword' the respect it deserves. Anyway this is the part where he surprised me, as he breaks out of his terrified state to call out to everyone to rally to him and gather round the sword! Remember when I said 'quick, everyone group hug Don Ricardo'?

Of course, he's speaking in Lusitanian, but Estelle translates in an instant... and Gieve quickly grasps why!

"Is it truly Zahhak...?" This is the line that makes me think I might be on the mark when I say that Zahhak, although freed from Mount Damavand, may not have returned to full consciousness yet. I think those head jars may have something to do with a final ritual to bring about his true return.

So, it's now a stalemate. Zahhak cannot attack them, but they can't attack it either. But there's an ominous shape in the mist (and you can take one look at it and just KNOW it's going to be fucked up and even take a pretty good guess at how)

Before Team Arslan can get a good look at it, Zahhak withdraws, whether due to the arrows they fired at it it because of some other unknown reason isn't clear... Team Arslan leave without even being able to spare time to bury the bodies of the fallen, which clearly weighs on them, but night is drawing closer and they can't remain safely.

(I wonder whether they will still continue to Mount Damavand? Perhaps Arslan will appeal to Kaykhusraw's spirit to seek his approval to wield the sword? Or maybe priorities will have understandably changed and they'll change directions. Personally I think we'll at least get a scene that indicates Arslan has the right to wield Rukhnabad!)

Anyway Zahhak's also in a hurry to get somewhere and although Team Arslan didn't manage to glimpse the true horror, we do!

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

Well, now we know what happened to Kaykhusraw's mummified body? I did think that Team Zahhak would use him as a vessel for the Snake King, thinking this might occur in Ecbatana, but nope, that looks to be the case already.

The torso ending in a cluster of snakes, ugh.

I wonder whether Kaykhusraw's spirit is aware of what has happened to his body now that it has been possessed like this?

I wonder whether the intention is for Zahhak to retain this form? Because at the end of the chapter you see the host body's brittle-looking arm disintegrate where one of Team Arslan's arrows struck it, and it looks different to Zahhak's snakes pushing arrows from their bodies and regenerating. So maybe this takeover of Kaykhusraw is a temporary thing, and Team Zahhak are planning to transfer Zahhak to a new body once he reaches Ecbatana? And that new body... who better than another descendant of the Parsian royal line? 👀

I feel like with any luck I might get my wish for Hilmes to come face to face with Zahhak and in a moment of horror realise exactly what the sorcerers have been using him for and what he's helped to bring about...

(I want Team Zahhak to be planning for Hilmes to be a host for Zahhak but I don't want for it to actually happen! I'd love it if Team Arslan managed to step in just in time... augh my brain is racing into visions of Hilmes captured for a head jar ritual below Ecbatana)

Oh and Zahhak really is heading towards Ecbatana as I thought, so it looks extremely likely that all final showdowns are going to take place there. I feel like this direction was actually hinted at when the corpse of Kaykhusraw was slithering towards the setting sun. It's a panel I really like, as it both indicates the sun (which represents the Shah) setting on the royal line and Pars alike, and as the sun sets in the west and Ecbatana is west of Mount Damavand, you can tentatively extrapolate where the Snake King is heading.

So now Team Arslan have seen the Snake King. One day soon, they will have to defeat him for good. And given that everyone survived this time, can we hope for the same to happen again when they next meet in battle?

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki spoilers #zahhak #team zahhak #arslan #daryun #estelle #don ricardo #kaykhusraw

[innerchorus]

Hilmes thoughts that I'm considering thanks to my fic. It occurs to me that Hilmes is basically... roughly the inverse of Kaykhusraw. To elaborate on that involves novel spoilers through to the end of the series, so consider yourselves warned.

Kaykhusraw: unified Pars under his banner with an army he raised himself Hilmes: invaded Pars under the Lusitanian banner as a 'guest general' of Lusitania

Kaykhusraw: defeated and sealed Zahhak using Rukhnabad Hilmes: attempted to take Rukhnabad and helped facilitate Zahhak's return

Kaykhusraw: first Shah of Pars Hilmes: never actually becomes king

Kaykusraw: betrayed and killed by his own son Hilmes: a son who was betrayed by his own 'father', who ordered his death

Kaykhusraw: founder of his dynasty, royal line began with him Hilmes: last of that lineage, the royal line died with him

Oof.

Am I using this pattern to inform my ever-growing set of personal Kaykhusraw headcanons? Yes.

Edit to add one more because I woke up and instantly thought of it:

Kaykhusraw: faced Zahhak on the battlefield and fought him Hilmes: came face to face with Zahhak on the battlefield and could only run in fear

(The more I think about this, the more convinced I am that it must all have been intentional on Tanaka's part. With that last point in particular, Kaykhusraw intentionally faced Zahhak, knowing full well who he was, and had the backing of an army. But when Hilmes runs into Zahhak during the final battle he does so unwittingly, as he was unaware that Zahhak had even returned, and at that point he has no army of his own and literally 0 followers.)

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki novel spoilers #hilmes #kaykhusraw #they are both my blorbos #sad hilmes feels today

[innerchorus]

Gieve in Chapter 126 (Part 1): "It'll be difficult to retrieve Rukhnabad. Look what happened to Hilmes, there was a terrible earthquake and the Snake King was nearly revived; all this happened to a claimant who was of royal blood. What if the sword rejects you? Are you prepared for this, Your Highness?"

Gieve in Chapter 126 (Part 2):

Ah, the truth came out. He was just playing devil's advocate with his questions in Part 1, and Arslan's answer just confirmed what he already knew in his heart. It was already evident when he offered to be Arslan's guide, to be honest.

As Farangis's thought bubble said, 'Gieve looks most pleased by this'.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki spoilers #gieve #don ricardo #poor Don Ricardo #you leave him alone! #(quoted dialogue is paraphrased btw)

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Chapter 126 (Part 2)

And unlike Kmanga you don't even have to pay twice for the privilege of having it split into two. SPOILERS for this chapter, I can't stress enough that the ending is a huge fucking cliffhanger so if you don't want to get spoiled please don't look.

That's a piece of the (Un)Holy Master's cloak...

Nicely dealt with by Andragoras!

Anyway, this is proper confirmation that Team Zahhak's clothing has magical properties / a life of its own and can potentially be dangerous even when separated from the wearer.

Given how fast the Master can dodge (or more correctly this is a teleportation style of evasion that I mentioned before where he reappears behind them) it's impressive that Andragoras actually landed a blow, though it's not even close to being a fatal one. Still, he looks like he's aiming to finish the job until the Master tries to regain control of the situation by attempting to blackmail Andragoras with the location of his child!

These panels of a shocked Hilmes in the background just watching all this drama unfold, lol

Anyway, it turns out Andragoras cannot be blackmailed and he'd rather renounce his child than be manipulated like this, which is... very on brand for Andragoras, regardless of what the truth about the child turns out to be in Arakawa's manga.

The Master: tch! Hilmes: Yikes

(Is anyone of the Parsian royal line a good father? Doesn't seem that way in recent generations. Hilmes, please reverse this trend with Irina by your side, I'd love to see you both happy with a family!)

Anyway GUESS WHO'S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR IN THAT LAST PANEL? THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S ZANDEH, PUPPY BOY TO THE RESCUE! And he's still got that little guy who was one of Kharlan's soldiers with him, and that warms my heart for some reason, I hope he gets to live.

Hilmes... 😭

I wonder what Zandeh thinks? It's clearly not 'nothing at all'.

Anyway this makes me really sad because where we saw Arslan open up to his followers and receive their support, Hilmes... can't bring himself to do that. Personally, I feel that at this point, Zandeh would support him regardless (as would Sam, who unbeknownst to Hilmes already knows the truth) but Hilmes can't bring himself to admit it, to admit the fact that he's based his whole life around a lie. Without his claim to the throne, who is he?

It's sad that he can't see that the right to rule and the qualities that might inspire loyalty and love are based on so much more. I'm not saying that he's a worthy ruler right now, unlike Arslan he hasn't even thought about how he'll govern the country for the better, but I do find it sad that his mindset leaves him so isolated here when it doesn't need to be that way.

(I'm going to need an Irina mention soon. At least show that Hilmes is thinking of her, even if he feels he can't speak with her.)

That's it for Team Hilmes content this chapter, anyway.

Who should Team Arslan bump into on the way to Mount Demavant but the Zot with a leashed Don Ricardo, still clinging on to Rukhnabad! So while Arslan did deliberately set out to get the sword, in the end it looks like it's going to happen via a chance encounter (well, if anyone can ever persuade Don Ricardo to let go of it).

Gieve recognising Rukhnabad is a great moment! Even he is so shocked that it seems like he's struggling to form the words as he processes what he's seeing.

I feel pretty sorry for Don Ricardo, he hasn't really recovered mentally from his encounter with Zahhak, he doesn't look to be in a great state, and while the Zot are merely intending to hand him over to Arslan, they can't communicate with him so presumably all he knows is that he's their prisoner, he has no idea what his fate will be and nobody to reassure him. Likewise, they don't know what he's been through.

Team Arslan try to figure it out thanks to Estelle, but Don Ricardo is too distressed, so they decide to find a village to stay the night. It's at this point that alarm bells started going off in my mind.

Narsus says "It's too quiet." (I start thinking of the village he stayed in with Alfarid where Arzhang had killed all the villagers.)

The horses start freaking out (we know they react this way to Team Zahhak)

Team Arslan find bodies of villagers with only their brain eaten (and who do we know of who has an appetite for brains?)

OH FUCK, OH SHIT, OH FUUUUCK

A weird mist begins to seep into the scene; Zahhak in the novels was described as exuding a miasma of sorts, I think it provoked fear in those who were close to it?

PANELS THAT FILLED MY HEART WITH PURE DREAD

Gods, I hope everyone survives this encounter. I don't know how it's going to go down but it strikes me that this could be it, this could be the actual deciding fight as far as Zahhak is concerned, because we have Rukhnabad on the scene right here, it could really be happening in Arakawa's manga right now, and I'm not sure I'm ready?

My head is ringing with questions. What does Zahhak's full form look like (we see the snakes clearly but not what they're attached to)? Is he fully resurrected or are the shoulder snakes just operating on the instinct of hunger? What happened to Kaykhusraw's body? Are any members of Team Zahhak here with the Snake King? If Team Arslan do fight Zahhak here, how do they go about it? One on one? As the strongest warrior, will Daryun take him on? Will Arslan (with Estelle's help) manage to persuade Don Ricardo to hand over Rukhnabad, and will he opt to take on the Snake King himself with the sword's powers?

Man I wish Kubard were here... I've always said he'd set everyone straight about the notion of taking on a being like the Snake King in single combat... Just kill it, any way you can.

Part of me feels like Zahhak won't be defeated yet and this encounter will serve its purpose mainly in showing Team Arslan that he truly has been unsealed, so now they'll know what the sorcerers were working towards and they'll know what they're up against. But will they come through this unscathed? I'm not ready for character deaths!

My working theory as of this post: Zahhak is not fully conscious and is mainly being driven by the snakes' hunger; he is heading for Ecbatana for some sort of ritual involving the head jars where he will truly return in full. The final confrontation will take place after matters in the capital with Andragoras and Hilmes have been resolved, and may involve entering Team Zahhak's lair beneath Ecbatana (ArAkAwA sHoW mE tHe DaRk TeMpLe).

Guys... I am utterly exhausted, this chapter has wrecked me. I'll keep an eye out for raws / somewhere to read the simulpub for free and post a link if I see it.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki spoilers #the master #andragoras #hilmes #team zahhak #zandeh #don ricardo #zahhak #arslan

[innerchorus]

Chapter 127 of Arslan is ahead… Forgive me for the cruel thought, but… Will anyone from Arslan’s squad die? This is the denouement. It will be strange if they all survive.

Well, as I mentioned in my initial thoughts on the chapter, I'm not convinced this is the final confrontation against Zahhak (I feel like the purpose here is to establish that 'oh fuck the Snake King is back' and the final fight will happen at a later point).

So in terms of what we might see in Chapter 127, I'm not actually expecting any major character deaths there! Perhaps we might see some of the Zot get eaten? But the snakes are already pretty well-fed, and if as I've theorised Zahhak isn't fully resurrected and conscious yet, the snakes are what's in the driving seat. (Consider the fact that from the views we've had of the snakes alone, it strikes me that Zahhak's body might actually be lying down/underground? Which gives more support to the idea that Zahhak's actions right now are solely the instinctive ones of the shoulder snakes. Hopefully they're full for now, and hopefully they'll sense Rukhnabad and be repelled by it once more. Quick, everyone in Team Arslan group hug Don Ricardo right now!)

But to leave that aside for the moment, do I think anyone will die during the final fight against Zahhak, whenever that happens to be? Honestly, it's possible. Those of us who are familiar with novel spoilers will know that many characters met their end this way, but I do think Arakawa will go about things a little differently.

It could be that, having now had warning that the Snake King is free, Team Arslan manage to disrupt whatever ritual the Master is brewing with those head jars that are probably beneath Ecbatana (my current working theory as that this is something necessary for Zahhak's true resurrection) and they kill Zahhak off at that moment. Or even though I don't think it's likely, because to me a resolution right now would feel rushed, perhaps they really will kill Zahhak now and get to throw that fact in the Master's face whenever they encounter him (because he surely has to die before the end, too). But if there is a dramatic battle against Zahhak at a later point, how will that go down? Who will face him in combat? Who, if anyone, will fall, and who will survive?

I keep wondering whether any of the other characters will be on the scene at that point. If it's post-whatever happens with Andragoras and Hilmes, maybe all of Team Arslan will be united once more. My main hope is that Kubard is around to tell them that the notion of fighting the Snake King one on one in an honourable duel is a really fucking stupid idea.

As should be obvious by now, this post covers some novel spoilers, and these are about to get more graphic because I want to talk about the characters who canonically died against Zahhak in the novels and what I think might happen to them in the manga. As such, I'll place this and some other thoughts about who else might die under a Read More.

Okay, I'll go through these in chronological order.

Don Ricardo (okay, known as Parahuda in the novels whereas in the manga he's not exactly a member of Team Arslan) — it feels a bit mean to kill him off now? He's so traumatised there's no way he'd be able to bring himself to fight against Zahhak in the near future anyway so I feel he's going to live, and maybe he'll go back to Lusitania with Estelle.

Merlaine — I don't think so. If he dies right now then there's more pressure on Alfarid to become Zot chieftain, and actually what I think we might see is a begrudging agreement by Merlaine at the end of the series that he'll shoulder this role, leaving things open for a relationship to develop between Narsus and Alfarid.

Kishward — slightly more likely than the previous two but again I really don't get that feeling like he's going to die? Arakawa's shown us his family, I think he'll get to live to see stability restored to the country where he can have an easier time of things and continue balancing his roles as Marzban and family man.

Daryun — it's hard to imagine him not fighting Zahhak, isn't it? He's Pars's strongest fighter, after all. I want him to do it while wielding a ji like he does in the novels! But I don't want him to die. I think he's more likely to receive a grave injury, and we've all seen how Arslan reacts when he thinks Daryun might die...

Arslan — I just don't think he's going to die. It doesn't seem like a possibility in my mind. As I mentioned I think in many ways Arakawa is steering us towards a brighter future than Tanaka, in terms of Pars becoming stable under Arslan's rule rather than falling into a dark age after his death, plus I really do believe she'll allow Hilmes and Irina to live happily in Maryam. (Maybe Daryun will even be able to visit Serica again!) Arslan dying at this point will not allow for a fitting resolution to the plot or his character arc, in my opinion. So I'm going to say he's safe!

Okay, those are the characters who were killed off in combat against Zahhak in the novels. Now let's look at some of the other casualties of Team Arslan and what I think their fates might be in the manga if they are involved in a fight against the Snake King.

Jaswant — this would be devastating but I could see him giving his life to protect Arslan. If it happens, I'll cry buckets. He's possible the most likely member of Team Arslan to die in Chapter 127 because he doesn't have the innate cultural fear of Zahhak that the Parsians do, so if they are paralysed for an instant he might react faster and do what it takes to save Arslan's life.

Kubard — before Book 16 was released I thought he was likely to die in it, and sure enough he did, but not against Zahhak. But honestly, I could see him dying here in a reversal of his point of view at Atropatene; rather than leaving a chaotic battlefield after an unworthy king has fled, he'll stand and fight alongside Arslan, someone he views as worthy. Kubard is undeniably brave but also not foolish so if someone does choose to fight Zahhak alone maybe he'll give them a helping hand. If he does die it had better be badass. His death in the novels was one that Tanaka got right, in my opinion.

Isfan — I don't think this is going to happen but if it did I'd never get over it, it's too unfair. I do worry about his reaction if he sees those head jars because if Zahhak or the Master happens to be there, he's not going to stop and think, he's just going to attack. (Please keep on looking out for him, Kubard. I say this because the thought of it is something I love, we've seen it in the manga already, and in the novels Kubard does intervene when he's going up against 'demon general' Ilterish in a highly emotional state after one of his wolves was killed). Again it's a situation where it just doesn't feel fair to think of him dying here. His death really fucked me up in the novels.

Hm, thinking about the others who died before Book 16 now.

Tus — not getting any strong feelings but how neat would it be to see him immobilise a shoulder snake with his chains?

Zaravant — honestly, if I had to pick one member of Team Arslan who didn't die fighting Zahhak in the novels but who might in the manga, it's Zaravant. Sorry to say it but I'm pinning the 'most likely to die' sticker on him. Especially because his death in the novels was Team Zahhak-related.

Jimsa — maybe, if he's around for the final fight then he might go for glory/reward, but I don't have a strong feeling that he'll die.

Narsus — now, if any of the 'main/central' members of Team Arslan were to die, I think it'd be Narsus. Yes, this would be devastating, and it would come with the shadow of Pars having lost its best tactician who has made so much possible for Team Arslan, but what final battle is without cost? If Elam were older and more experienced he'd be in a place to become his successor and it would be a pupil replacing teacher moment where the torch is handed to him, but realistically we're not at that point yet. My gut feeling is that Narsus will survive.

Alfarid — just can't see her dying, to be honest. Her and Narsus both get to live, maybe we'll get teased with the possibility of something developing between them when she's older, but I'm not sure it'll be confirmed in the manga.

Estelle — as I said, I think she'll return to Lusitania in the end. I'd love to see her grab a bow and shoot a snake, though. (Her snatching a petrified Parizad's bow to shoot a winged ape despite her horrible leg injury is my favourite Estelle moment in the novels!)

Now for the characters who survived the final battle and died later of unrelated causes.

Farangis — she'll live, I just feel it.

Gieve — yeah I don't think he'll die either.

Elam — also going to survive.

This post is super long but it was actually pretty fun to write! We'll see how wrong I am in the next few months, I guess. And if anyone else has thoughts of their own on whether we'll see any of Team Arslan meet their end in the manga, please share!

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arslan senki novels spoilers #zahhak #many character deaths discussed so beware! #place your bets now #i hope i didn't forget any characters 😅