Complicated Connections (Episode)

"Complicated Connections" (交錯するカンケイ) is the second episode of Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya, fourteenth episode of the first season, and fourteenth episode overall of the Seraph of the End anime.

Synopsis
Yoichi eliminates five horsemen with one attack, and Yu begins the next step of his training. Yu battles against Asuramaru in his mind and defeats Asuramaru by asking to become friends with him.

At the Progenitor Council meeting, Ferid discusses the battle at Shinjuku and has Mika present a video showing Yu's transformation. Krul strikes at Ferid and intentionally misses. Ferid explains that she cannot kill him.

Kimizuki struggles in battle against Kiseki-ō and faces memories where he was told to kill his sister. He breaks free and is victorious by remembering Yu's feelings for Mika, who are family even though they were not related by blood.

Kimizuki and Yu show off their new techniques, and Shinoa and Mitsuba learn that the files of the three boys have been erased.

Summary
At night Yu, Shinoa, Kimizuki and Mitsuba train their demon weapon affinity outside amongst the abandoned building in Shibuya. Yu asks Asuramaru to possess him, which he does at the lowest level, greater levels require blood.

Yoichi is atop a lamppost above them remaining alert for danger. His range allows him to detect the incoming threat of five Horseman of John. Yoichi demonstrates his proficiency with Gekkōin by dispatching these foes with a powered archery manifestation. He explains that by talking to his demon in his sleep can enhance his powers and curse control. The squad draw their weapons as Yu suddenly instructs his sword to drink his blood; his eyes turn red from demon possession, and Yu faints with the team standing watch whilst he faces the demon within.

Whilst Yu is unconscious, Kimizuki presses Shinoa for answers as to why he and Yoichi were interrogated for information regarding Yu by the Hīragi family. Shinoa does not that deny she may be manipulating her teammate Yu, and though not fond of the idea, in the interests of keeping his sister safe, Kimizuki is prepared to follow orders even if he disapproves of Shinoa’s methods. With Yoichi’s response, Shinoa rejects keeping secrets, since this could drive them apart, and promises to share what she knows once Yu regains consciousness.

In young Yu’s mind, he finds himself in his home before he was orphaned. He see’s his sobbing mother saying that he should never have been born, and his father tells him that he is the devil’s child, a monster. His eerily calm, deba knife wielding father advances to him and with his parents intent clear, Yu panics and runs. He makes it out of the apartment to come across the empty clothes of his orphanage family, lying in their deceased positions outside. In shock, Yu could not escape his father who stabs Yu with the knife. He states that Yu should have died along with the others, rather than run away like a coward.

In Yu’s mind, Asuramaru truly has his teeth sunk deep into Yu’s neck, willing him to fall apart with this illusion he is subjecting him to. Aware, and regaining composure, Yu questions Asuramaru whether he thinks this memory will cause him to break. With the determination to keep a promise, Yu overcomes this memory to face an apparition of young Mika standing opposite him. Walking to him and intertwining their fingers, Yu awakens to face Asuramaru in his mind. Yu feels he can over come Asuramaru’s attempts to tear him down with his desire to do whatever it takes to help those he cares about. Yu throws his sword down when Asuramaru moves to attack him with shadowy extensions. Yu did not come here to fight against, but fight alongside Asuramaru to help save and regain Mika. When he asks what’s in it for him, Yu offers Asuramaru his friendship, being able to relate how it feels to be alone. Asuramaru was surprised by this development; he contemplates it and Yu regains consciousness in the real world. Yu states that he knew he was not on his own because he has his team alongside him. Within Sanguinem, Ferid was taking part in a meeting with Krul, and members of the Progenitor council itself. They communicate via working telecommunications to discuss the incident that occurred during the battle of Shinjuku. Ferid summons Mika, to Krul’s discomfort, to deliver a recording that shows Yu’s agonising transformation into the twisted single black-winged creature that appeared on the battlefield. Some progenitor council members express shock at this sight, and Ferid announces that what they had witnessed was the humans successful attempt to weaponize the Seraph of the End. Krul responds to a council member that she did indeed put an end to the Seraph of the End experiments eight years ago by slaughtering everyone, researchers, children and all. One screen reveals council member, Lest Karr, a third progenitor of Europe, and he enquires how if that were the case the research could have come so far. Not liking the direction of the conversation topic, Krul attempts to silence him, but unfazed, he simply suggests that he becomes the next ruler of Japan over Krul, declaring himself the stronger of the two. Ferid calms the tension by focusing on how they should respond to this threat. Krul sticks with her current strategy to send her strongest units in to destroy the Japanese Imperial Demon Army gathering in the North. Lest Karr seems satisfied with this course of action and the meeting ends, though not before a council member asks Ferid on whom the young boy standing behind him is. With the meeting over, a livid Krul slices through the stone floor itself in fury that Ferid had brought Mika to the Progenitor council meeting. Ferid responds that if he were to die in Krul’s hand, then all the information he collected on her would bring Krul down as well. However, noting that he would also be punished if the progenitor council were to find out he was the one to let Yu escape, he concludes that with their shared secrets, they have no choice but to be allies, a prospect he relishes to his delight and Krul’s anger.

After one success in Yu, the team do stick with the plan to next train Kimizuki within the same night, though his possession is proving to be somewhat tougher. Kiseki-ō, the demon he made a pact with, taunts Kimizuki before stabbing him through the body with his own weapon, before drinking blood from him. Whilst in this state, Kimizuki is haunted by memories of him and his friends having to leave through lack of food, since this would necessitate leaving an ailing Mirai behind due to the illness she had.

One of the boys offers him a switch knife, telling him that’s what Mirai wanted. Horrified such a thing could even be contemplated, Kimizuki pushes the other boys aside then runs into his apartment locking the doors behind him, before going to the balcony to guard.

‘Mirai’ is conscious and simply asks her brother to kill her. She darkly tempts him that he would be free to live his life however he wanted, to Kimzuki’s despair. The demon taking on Mirai’s appearance in this illusion can hear his inner thoughts, including the ones on what it would be like to be rid of her. Kiseki-ō is aware that Kimizuki notes that he was just a kid too, and feeling weary of looking after and ailing Mirai, and contemplating that she is holding him back. Mirai rises from the bed; walking normally as she embraces him from behind and cheerfully thanks him for finally putting her out of her misery.

Kimizuki thinks of Yu, and how he would risk his life to protect the people he cares about, even if they were not a family related to each other by blood. He does not like that this quality may very well make Yu a better person than the one he is. The incarnation of Mirai is greatly shocked to behold Kimizuki turning the knife on himself, rather than his sister and he is returned to facing his demon who backs away from him before he slices across a surprised Kiseki-ō completing this trial through sheer power. Kimizuki wakes up with his demon power enhanced swords drawn and challenges Yu with this upgraded weapon. Yu is ready, and demonstrates his strengthened demon power as an arc of floating katana swords, much to Kimizuki's surprise. He deflects the airborne swords propelled at him, some of which explode on contact with surrounding objects. In turn, Kimizuki wields his greater power, being capable of summoning a levitating coffin that eerily counts down from the count of nine to zero, at which point it will open. Yu backs away from this manifestation, and Kimizuki notes that it was his perspective of Yu which was what helped him overcome his demon. Shinoa notes that all three black weapon holders are capable of conjuring their weapons above what their skill levels should allow. Indeed, Shinoa notes that Yoichi could have done it without any real training, and wonders where Guren found them.

Later, both Shinoa and Mitsuba view their files and history, both of which have been deleted. They suspect Guren is hiding their details from the higher-ranking officers within the army, but also because of the possibility of human experimentation that may have occurred. Shinoa is concerned that something bad is about to happen and that they were unprepared for it.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:

Gallery
Anime images provide a visual overview of the events of Episode 14 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world, scenarios, artistic style among other areas.