Yan Qing
A Certain Chivalrous Man's Death
Narration:
...It crosses everyone's mind at one point or another.
Narration:
Am I really me? How do I know I'm not actually someone else's puppet?
Narration:
Maybe this world is fake, and I'm just a brain in a jar imagining the whole thing...
Narration:
Maybe I don't actually exist.
Narration:
My Legends... My Myths...
Those exist. I wonder why...
Narration:
...Who am I?
Yan Qing:
(Gasp, gasp, gasp)...
Narration:
The sky is muddied and dirty.
Even the water tastes foul.
Narration:
The scent of blood is everywhere.
Everything about this place is terrible.
Narration:
The bleeding won't stop.
There's nowhere left I can run.
???:
How does it feel to die?
Yan Qing:
...It sucks.
Narration:
I keep smiling, grinning, sneering,
like I don't give a damn.
Narration:
But even though this is the end for me, the same familiar doubt nags at the back of my mind.
Narration:
And when you get right down to it, I spend my entire life asking myself the same question.
Narration:
Who was I, really?
Narration:
I wonder if this guy has the answer.
Yan Qing:
Hey, do you know who I was?
???:
...
...
???:
You were–
Narration:
But before he could finish,
I closed my eyes and drifted off.
Fujimaru 1:
Never thought I'd end up back in Shinjuku...
Mash:
Our connection is holding strong, Master.
Let's go over the situation one more time.
Mash:
The Shinjuku Singularity has already been repaired.
Mash:
So no matter what might be going on here,
it won't have any effect on humanity...
Mash:
Still, we don't know why a single Servant decided to Rayshift here.
Mash:
The Assassin of Shinjuku. True Name: Yan Qing...
Fujimaru 1:
I wonder what's going on with him.
Mash:
I'm afraid all we know right now is that he Rayshifted here.
Fujimaru 2:
You're sure he came to Shinjuku?
Mash:
Yes.
Mash:
We were tracking his Spirit Origin up till he disappeared here.
Mash:
However, there were some, um, irregularities with the tracking data, so I don't know if we can trust it entirely.
Mash:
Hassan of the Cursed Arm and Geronimo have come along to serve as your guides.
Mash:
Thank you both for doing this.
Geronimo:
I am pleased to be here.
Cursed Arm:
Well Master, where shall we begin our search?
Geronimo:
We'll never find him without a plan. I think our only option is to follow his magical energy.
Mash:
I agree. And we do have tracking data that should help us with that.
Mash:
The problem is that Yan Qing's trail went cold here.
Mash:
Maybe he interfered with our observational equipment somehow, or maybe...
Cursed Arm:
Yes. He may have been injured or killed.
Cursed Arm:
Oh, sorry, my apologies.
Worry not, [♂ Lord /♀️ Lady} Fujimaru.
Cursed Arm:
Lord Yan Qing is as tough as they come.
Cursed Arm:
What's more, I imagine he feels especially at home in an urban setting like this. He will not die easily.
Geronimo:
Indeed. I don't even need to read his fortune to assure you that he is alive and well.
Cursed Arm:
All right, I'll begin by searching the perimeter.
Cursed Arm:
Once I have the lay of the land,
we can begin a thorough investigation.
Geronimo:
Very well then, we'll wait here until you return.
Geronimo:
I would like to resolve this quickly,
given Master's physical limitations.
Cursed Arm:
Haha, a good point.
Then I will be back as soon as I can.
Fujimaru 1:
See you later!
Fujimaru 2:
Be careful out there!
Cursed Arm:
You are too kind, Master. But worry not. We Hassans blend into shadows as naturally as breathing.
Geronimo:
All right, let's wait and see how–
Cursed Arm:
I found him.
Geronimo:
Wha...!?
Fujimaru 1:
Already!?
Yan Qing:
Yo, lady!
Yan Qing:
Can I get one of those mystery meat buns?
Yan Qing:
Thanks.
Fujimaru 1:
Yep, that's him...
Cursed Arm:
I could hardly believe my eyes.
I've never seen such a lazy Assassin.
Fujimaru 2:
What's he doing here?
Geronimo:
...We will just have to ask him once we've caught him.
Yan Qing:
Oh, hey Master.
What's up?
Fujimaru 1:
That's what I wanna know!
Yan Qing:
?
Yan Qing:
...Oh, yeah, right.
Guess I kinda left without saying anything, huh.
Yan Qing:
Sorry about that. And I'm sorry about this, too...
Yan Qing:
...but there's something I gotta do here,
and I'm not leaving till it's done.
A：Yan Qing (?):
So I'm afraid I can't let you bring me back!
Fujimaru 1:
You're using your doppelgänger power!?
A：Yan Qing (?):
You know it.
A：Yan Qing (?):
I can't let myself be caught, no matter what!
So you better believe I'm pulling out all the stops!
Fujimaru 2:
He transformed!
Cursed Arm:
Hmm, this could be a problem.
Now, what to do about it...
Geronimo:
It would seem he's quite desperate.
In that case...
Geronimo:
...the only way he'll listen to reason is if we knock some into him. Let's do this, Master.
Mash:
Okay everyone, prepare for combat!
--BATTLE--:
Yan Qing (?):
Sorry, the answer's still no.
Later!
Geronimo:
A smoke bomb...!
Cursed Arm:
He must have taken it from someone while we were fighting.
Mash:
N-now what do we do?
Mash:
He did say there was something he had to do here...
Cursed Arm:
...We can't let him do it, whatever it may be.
Let's go after him, [♂ Lord /♀️ Lady} Fujimaru.
Geronimo:
Oh? Does that mean you know what Yan Qing is up to, Cursed Arm?
Cursed Arm:
I do, for it concerns me personally.
Cursed Arm:
Now, let us be on our way.
We may not know what that way is yet, but no matter.
Cursed Arm:
We will just have to keep looking until we find it.
For a Hassan, it is, as they say, business as usual.
--ARROW--:
Narration:
I don't mind roaming around looking for what I have to do. That irredeemable thing I can't just wipe off my slate.
Narration:
If someone tries to stop me, I'll eliminate them.
After all, I know I'm doing the right thing.
Narration:
To get my chance at being a good person...I'll take my revenge on him.
Geronimo:
Going after Yan Qing is all well and good...
Geronimo:
...but how are we going to find him when he could be anyone here?
Geronimo:
Any ideas?
Cursed Arm:
Yes, actually. I snuck a cursed scent mark onto him during our battle.
Cursed Arm:
It has been passed down our clan for generations,
and should let me know when I'm drawing near him.
Geronimo:
Oho, you don't say. Quite clever.
Geronimo:
In that case, Cursed Arm,
I think it's best if you lead the way.
Cursed Arm:
Is that all right with you, Master?
Fujimaru 1:
Absolutely!
Cursed Arm:
...Hmm. It's faint, but I can smell the scent nearby.
Cursed Arm:
We may have tracked him down sooner than I thought.
Come, this way.
Geronimo:
In the meantime, let's think about what Yan Qing may have meant earlier.
Fujimaru 1:
What do you mean?
Geronimo:
I mean the thing he said he needs to do.
Fujimaru 2:
The thing he said he needs to do?
Geronimo:
That's right.
Geronimo:
What does he hope to accomplish by coming back to Shinjuku?
Geronimo:
What do you know about this, Cursed Arm?
Cursed Arm:
...Hmm.
Cursed Arm:
I'd rather not discuss it, but under the circumstances, I suppose I can share.
Cursed Arm:
You see, Lord Yan Qing actually came to apologize to me once, back when we were still at Chaldea.
Fujimaru 1:
You mean, about what happened in Shinjuku?
Cursed Arm:
Indeed. You have an excellent memory, Master.
Fujimaru 2:
What about?
Cursed Arm:
The incident in Shinjuku, most likely.
Yan Qing:
'Sup, Cursed Arm. Got a minute?
Cursed Arm:
Why, if it isn't Lord Yan Qing.
What brings you to my humble room?
Yan Qing:
Uh, I just wanted to say I was sorry.
Cursed Arm:
Sorry...? If you've done something to wrong me,
I can't say I'm aware of it.
Yan Qing:
It sounds like I did you a real disservice back in Shinjuku, so, you know.
Cursed Arm:
...Now I see. Yes, I do recall reading about that in the Shinjuku report.
Cursed Arm:
I looked it over after I heard my name was mentioned, and there is nothing for you to apologize for.
Cursed Arm:
Spies like us are quite used to disguises and betrayal. It all comes with the territory.
Yan Qing:
Yeah, maybe. And honestly,
I don't even remember doing it.
Yan Qing:
But there's this little voice in my Spirit Origin that keeps nagging at me.
Yan Qing:
Says I'll never be able to move on if I don't apologize to you first.
Yan Qing:
And that, if possible...I need to go back to Shinjuku and finish what I started.
Cursed Arm:
Finish what you started...?
Yan Qing:
Yup. You know what they say...
Yan Qing:
If you commit the crime, you gotta do the time.
Cursed Arm:
...But, have you not already done your “time” by fighting alongside Master?
Cursed Arm:
I see no reason why you need to seek further redemption in Shinjuku.
Yan Qing:
...Yeah, true. Fair point.
Yan Qing:
Now that I think about, I feel pretty damn silly!
Just forget I said anything, all right?
Cursed Arm:
...
Cursed Arm:
He never brought it up again after that,
so I never chose to pursue it further...
Cursed Arm:
But now that we're here, I'm reminded of how empty his smile seemed back then.
Cursed Arm:
I think Lord Yan Qing is still trying to make amends.
Geronimo:
Amends, huh.
Geronimo:
However, whatever the Assassin of Shinjuku may have done here, it has nothing to do with Yan Qing.
Geronimo:
No, I'll go further: it would be wrong if it did. That would mean the sins we commit would pile higher and higher every time we were summoned.
Geronimo:
The heroes from the Age of Gods may be able to endure such a burden, but that is far too much for an ordinary person.
Geronimo:
That is why our actions are recorded independent of our memories.
Mash:
As a Demi-Servant myself,
I don't have any of his memories...
Mash:
...but if I did, I agree that the mental burden of such a thing would be overwhelming.
Fujimaru 1:
But, Yan Qing's...
Cursed Arm:
...No more talk. We've found him.
Cursed Arm:
That Hornet over there is Lord Yan Qing.
Fujimaru 1:
Yan Qing!
Yan Qing (?):
Aw crap, you already found me!?
Geronimo:
Yan Qing.
Are you here to seek redemption?
Geronimo:
Or perhaps, retribution for your sins?
E：Yan Qing:
...It's not a matter of seeking it out, Geronimo.
I HAVE to be punished for what I did.
E：Yan Qing:
Otherwise, I won't be me anymore.
Narration:
...My head is pounding.
Narration:
These upstanding Heroic Spirit types don't know what it's like to live with this kind of pain in your soul.
Narration:
Just getting killed off isn't nearly enough.
I need to die in misery and agony.
Fujimaru 1:
Yan Qing...?
E：Yan Qing:
...Please just let me do this, Master.
Please... I'm begging you.
E：Yan Qing:
I have to die for what I did.
Cursed Arm:
I'm afraid that is a crude and contradictory way of seeing things, Yan Qing.
Cursed Arm:
You fight to take on sins that can only be paid for with your own life... That is a manner of thinking with which I am all too familiar.
Cursed Arm:
But you are woefully wet behind the ears if your only concern is wiping your regrets away, as mine once was.
E：Yan Qing:
...!
Cursed Arm:
What would you have us do, Master?
Cursed Arm:
If you are willing to accept his sins,
we can return to Chaldea right now.
Fujimaru 1:
I don't think that's a good idea.
Cursed Arm:
...Hehe, I see.
Fujimaru 2:
Let's just talk about this, okay?
E：Yan Qing:
Sorry, but I really don't have time to talk!
E：Yan Qing:
...Dammit, I shoulda known it'd come to this.
E：Yan Qing (?):
Sorry, Master, but if this is how it's gonna be,
I'm not gonna make it easy for you!
Geronimo:
Hmm, I see has no small skill in multiplying himself.
Mash:
Um, I think he just called in reinforcements...
Mash:
Ahem.
At any rate, entering combat mode...now!
--BATTLE--:
Geronimo:
He must have run off while we were fighting the other Hornets.
Geronimo:
Still... Hmm.
Are you sure about this, Cursed Arm?
Cursed Arm:
About what?
Geronimo:
Are we truly doing the right thing here?
Cursed Arm:
...Of course. That is why I came here, after all.
Fujimaru 1:
What are you talking about?
Fujimaru 2:
Wait. You don't mean...
Cursed Arm:
I will explain the next time we encounter Yan Qing.
Cursed Arm:
He needs to hear this just as much as you do.
--ARROW--:
Narration:
...Where is he?
Narration:
He's not here.
Narration:
He's not anywhere.
Narration:
That can't be right.
He's GOTTA be here.
Narration:
He's just gotta be.
Narration:
Oh man, my body's falling apart.
I can't maintain my Yan Qing Spirit Origin.
Narration:
The sky is muddied and dirty.
Even the water tastes foul.
???:
How does it feel to die?
Narration:
I turn around, and see Death standing there waiting for me.
Yan Qing:
There you are. I knew I'd find you here,
Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
Yan Qing:
That's right. You're the one I've gotta apologize to. You're the one I killed.
Yan Qing:
No... That's not right. You killed me.
Yan Qing:
...No, wait. Please, wait. My head...my memories are all a mess... I can't tell what's true or not!
Cursed Arm (?):
Enough of this.
It's time you accepted your fate.
Cursed Arm (?):
...
...
Cursed Arm (?):
We can't ever atone for our sins.
Yan Qing:
...That voice...
No, wait...
Yan Qing:
Are you me?
Cursed Arm (?):
Let me answer your question with one of my own.
Cursed Arm (?):
Who do you think you are?
Fujimaru 1:
Hassan wasn't Hassan...?
Fujimaru 2:
Yan Qing...!?
C：Yan Qing:
Hey there, Master!
Sorry 'bout this!
C：Yan Qing:
I definitely meant to trick you,
but not like this!
Geronimo:
Hmm. It would seem you are the real Yan Qing.
Geronimo:
And yet, your Spirit Origin is indistinguishable from this Yan Qing.
Geronimo:
...That can only mean one thing.
Geronimo:
The other Yan Qing is a doppelgänger.
A：Yan Qing (?):
Ah...
A-ah...
E：Yan Qing (?):
Aaahhh!
C：Yan Qing:
Whoa, whoa, calm down, other me! Ah crap.
I knew it was too soon to pull back the curtains!
Mash:
Is that...a Servant? No, now they're...Christine?
And Hassan, and Yan Qing...
Mash:
They keep transforming into all sorts of different enemies!
C：Yan Qing:
It doesn't matter who he turns into.
We just gotta get him to calm down, Master!
Fujimaru 1:
You mean beat him down.
C：Yan Qing:
You got it!
Fujimaru 2:
So, basically...
C：Yan Qing:
We hit him real hard!
Geronimo:
Well, that's certainly straightforward.
C：Yan Qing:
All right, lost other me, it's time for us to go back where we belong.
C：Yan Qing:
There's no one left here you need to make amends to.
C：Yan Qing:
So if we don't put an end to everything here...
we're both gonna be left behind for good!
--BATTLE--:
Cursed Arm:
Khh...
Assassin of Shinjuku:
We've got you now, Hassan-i Sabbah.
Cursed Arm:
...So it would seem.
Very well, go ahead and take my head.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Your head? Oh no, I don't want you dead just yet.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
I need to copy your Spirit Origin first.
Otherwise it'd be such a waste of material.
Cursed Arm:
...!
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Yep, that's right. I'm gonna use your form to pull the wool over those Chaldea chumps' eyes whenever they manage to get here.
Cursed Arm:
...So, you are plotting ahead to ensure you can fully deceive your quarry. You truly are an Assassin born.
Cursed Arm:
Very well then. If that is how it is to be, I will not go down without a fight. I can do no less after being summoned here.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Oh? You want a piece of me?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
What an honor, facing off with one of the biggest names in the assassin world.
Cursed Arm:
I thought I was about to die,
powerless to do anything...
Cursed Arm:
...but it is exactly when one can do nothing that new options open up.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
What...?
Cursed Arm:
...Zabaniya!
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Hah, nice try! But there's no way you can copy my heart and crush it before I can stop you!
Cursed Arm:
Indeed, I cannot. Which is why it is fortunate that I have no need to copy you.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
What...!?
Cursed Arm:
Hehe... Good. It worked.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
You crushed your own heart? Why?
Cursed Arm:
You know exactly why.
Cursed Arm:
If Chaldea comes to save this city,
as I trust they will...
Cursed Arm:
...then it is my duty as a Servant to help them however I can.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Wha... Huh!?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
You're freakin' nuts!
What the hell are you thinking!?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
You're just throwing your life away for these people without even knowing for sure they're coming!?
Cursed Arm:
Of course.
Cursed Arm:
I was summoned here as a Rogue Servant.
Cursed Arm:
It is therefore my obligation to try and save this city.
Cursed Arm:
It was my fate...nay, let's just say my duty.
So I have no qualms about laying down my life.
Assassin of Shinjuku:
...!
Cursed Arm:
With me dead, your imitation of me will be imperfect.
Cursed Arm:
...A small stone laid upon your path,
but one you may well trip over.
Cursed Arm:
Farewell, savior of this city, whomever you may be.
Good luck!
Assassin of Shinjuku:
D-dammit!
Assassin of Shinjuku:
The hell was that guy's problem!?
The hell was wrong with him!?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
It'd be one thing if he was dying for his master,
but for someone he'd never even seen...!?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
How the hell could anyone go out like that!?
Assassin of Shinjuku:
Dammit, dammit, dammit!!!
Narration:
...
It was a shock to my whole Spirit Origin.
Narration:
I might've betrayed some of my other masters at the last moment, but I still considered myself a faithful servant.
Narration:
That's why I knew, beyond any doubt...
Narration:
...that the sacrifice this Assassin was willing to make wasn't something just anyone could do.
Narration:
What a miserable way to go out.
I've never been more jealous.
Narration:
Oh God, it hurts.
I can feel my body tearing itself apart!
Narration:
Master! My master! Why did you go throw your life away with such reckless abandon!
Narration:
You were so smart! So intelligent! Why did you die for such meaningless, insignificant glory!?
Narration:
Why can't I figure out why you sacrificed yourself!?
Narration:
...I didn't get it at all.
I had never been so scared in my life.
Narration:
I had no idea how I should go about repaying my master for saving my life.
Narration:
I couldn't think about...anything...anymore...
Yan Qing:
...So that's how it is.
That “me” both is and isn't me.
Yan Qing:
He's my doppelgänger.
A Phantom Spirit who wasn't even supposed to exist.
Yan Qing:
That's why it was so easy to track him down.
Yan Qing:
Especially since he's been haunting me.
Yan Qing:
Cursed scent mark?
Sorry, I was just bullshitting you.
Geronimo:
Does this mean...you and he did not originally share a body then?
Yan Qing:
Nah, he's pretty much just a copy of me.
Yan Qing:
I used to be the Assassin of Shinjuku, using my doppelgänger power to turn into anyone and anything.
Yan Qing:
...But I gradually forgot who I really was,
and ended up losing to Master.
Yan Qing:
This guy's just the remains of that version of me, but he ended up sorta linking with the version of me that got summoned to Chaldea.
Yan Qing:
...Yeah, that's it. We were linked. Connected.
Yan Qing:
That's why you heard I'd Rayshifted here.
He got all mixed up.
Yan Qing:
He started thinking he was, well, me,
and decided to come back to Shinjuku.
Yan Qing:
That's why I couldn't forgive myself for what I'd done.
Yan Qing:
Instead of a gangster who took over Shinjuku, I ended up reverting back into the chivalrous vigilante I always was.
Yan Qing:
I mean, you've seen for yourself how surprisingly strong my sense of justice is, right?
Fujimaru 1:
True, you're the most upstanding vigilante I've ever known.
Yan Qing:
Wahahaha. Thanks for playing along, Master!
Fujimaru 2:
I thought you were a vigilante of darkness.
Yan Qing:
That's cool, I guess. They're both badass!
Yan Qing (?):
Ahh... Ahhh... I can never atone...
I can never make amends...
Yan Qing (?):
I've always survived by...piling up regret after regret... I hate that...about myself...
Yan Qing:
That's why you wanted to die,
and why you tried to kill us.
Yan Qing:
Because you thought trying to kill us would end with you getting killed instead. Am I wrong?
Doppelgänger:
I... I... I'm everyone...and no one...
Doppelgänger:
I can be anyone at all, since I lack a core self...yet I also can't be anything, since I have neither goodwill or malice.
Doppelgänger:
I'm nothing more than a hapless wraith who can only survive in the space between darkness and rumor...
Doppelgänger:
Which is why...I at least wanted to make amends...
Doppelgänger:
And yet...I didn't want it to cost me my life...
Doppelgänger:
So now...I don't know what to do...
Yan Qing:
Come with me then. Hell, that's the whole reason I'm here: to invite you to join me.
Geronimo:
Oho. So you want to add a Phantom Spirit on top of all your other personalities?
Geronimo:
Sure about that?
It might do some damage to your sense of self.
Yan Qing:
Nah, I'll be fine. I know who I am.
Isn't that right, Master?
Fujimaru 1:
I think you can probably handle it.
Yan Qing:
Right!?
Fujimaru 2:
I can't say I'm not concerned, but...
Geronimo:
Once he has made up his mind,
there is no stopping him, huh.
Doppelgänger:
A-are you sure? Is it really okay...
if I come with you?
Yan Qing:
Sure. You'll help make me stronger.
Yan Qing:
Just don't forget how you feel right now.
How desperately you're longing for justice.
Yan Qing:
Long as you hold onto that, you'll make a great chivalrous vigilante yet.
Doppelgänger:
A vigilante...
Doppelgänger:
People who are loyal and considerate to a fault, but with strong enough senses of morality and self to even defy a king...
Doppelgänger:
That's what I...want to be...
Mash:
I've confirmed that the doppelgänger has...not vanished, but became part of Yan Qing.
Mash:
His Spirit Origin readings are stable.
Yan Qing:
See? Told you I'd be fine.
Geronimo:
Even so, this is quite unusual.
Geronimo:
You should have Da Vinci take a look at you as soon as we get back.
Yan Qing:
Yup, will do!
Geronimo:
...
...
Geronimo:
A doppelgänger who did horrible things in Shinjuku,
all because he lacked a personality of his own...
Geronimo:
...yet who also attempted to do the right thing once he finally had one...
Geronimo:
It's a miracle that he existed. No doubt it was only made possible thanks to humanity's current precariousness.
Geronimo:
So I hope you will remember him,
Master, even if no one else does.
Geronimo:
It is through your observation that his small tragedy and struggle will live on forever.
Geronimo:
And for him, there could be no greater honor.
Yan Qing:
Yeah.
Yan Qing:
Thanks for believing in me right to the end, Master.
I appreciate that.
Yan Qing:
As long as I'm here, Fujimaru...
I'll keep fighting for you and you alone!