Livestock Revolt (Episode)

"Livestock Revolt" (反逆するカチク) is the fifth episode of Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya, seventeenth episode of the first season, and seventeenth episode overall of the Seraph of the End anime.

Synopsis
Shinoa and Narumi Squads discuss their mission to exterminate Fifteenth Progenitor, Lucal Wesker. Meanwhile, Shinya and Yoichi wait from their sniping point, and Shinya calms Yoichi's nerves.

Lucal Wesker and his servant, Esther, discuss Krul Tepes's orders and debate whether they should obey. Sensing an attack, Lucal Wesker throws Esther in the way to use him as a meat shield to protect himself, and Esther perishes.

Shinoa and Narumi Squads attack with Yu taking the lead. They battle, and Kimizuki was able to taunt Lucal Wesker enough to make him run to them. They severely injure him, and Yayoi Endo attempts to finish him off. Taking her sword, Lucal Wesker refuses to die in a human's hands and kills himself instead.

Underground, Ichinose Squad struggles to defeat Nineteenth Progenitor, Mel Stefano, but eventually win. Private Kusunoki reaches them and reveals that all forty-five soldiers at City Hall were defeated by Crowley Eusford. Nineteen of them were killed, and the remainder were held hostage. Goshi provides a comforting illusion for Kusunoki as Kusunoki passes away.

Summary
Guren delivers a speech to rally the hundred person strong crowd of combined vampire exterminations units, and the Moon Demon Company where he declares that they are to come back from their mission with victory.

Having arrived in Nagoya, both Shinoa squad and Narumi squad prepare for the ambush on fifteenth progenitor, Lucal Wesker. Narumi rounds everyone together for a final check on strategy, Shūsaku Iwasaki explains that this is part of a wider overarching mission to simultaneously eliminate eight vampire nobles using an ambush of concentrated assaults. Rika expresses doubts that Shinoa squad is dependable to have their backs in this high stakes plan against vampire nobles. Yu asserts that he is serious and states whilst there is no point in remembering the name of someone you’re going to kill, he will remember the names of people he has to protect, namely all of them. Shinoa affirms that they will not drag anyone down. Yayoi then informs them when the target will arrive.

From the vantage point of a radio tower, long-range combatant Yoichi is calmed by Shinya in preparation for the battle. Using his cursed gear, Yoichi spies on the unsuspecting vampires below and Shinya spots the noble himself. The noble in question, fifteenth progenitor Lucal Wesker appreciates a glass of blood from number 58: female, age four. With his servant Esther Lee, they discuss orders from Krul to annihilate the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. Their conversation turns to whether they should comply with Krul’s orders considering that they themselves are a part of rivaling third progenitor, Lest Karr's faction. Glass still in hand, and without warning Lucal seizes a surprised Esther, and swings him into the ranged sniper attacks from Shinya and Yoichi.

With the combined sniper fire of Gekkōin and Byakkomaru signalling the start of the assault, both teams take the curse enhancement supplement. Lucal nonchalantly tosses Esther’s remaining severed arm aside and orders his sword to pierce and drink his blood. He swings it and sends forth a horizontal slice of red energy that glides straight through the tower where Shinya and Yoichi fired from, cutting it apart entirely. Unharmed, but on a crumbling tower, they continue to fire upon as many regular vampires as they can whilst the structure collapses. Their sustained cover fire allows the rest of the two squads to close the distance to the noble vampire target. Yu offers to head in first to test the target's strength, Narumi supports this move. Lucal notes that his assailants are humans, and Yu makes the first move telling Lucal he’s going down quietly. Lucal effortlessly fends off Yu’s attack with his weapon, before moving in response to Kimizuki attacking as well. Without looking, he simply grabs Shinoa’s scythe as she attacks him from behind. His next move is to clutch the blade of the scythe itself and swing it and Shinoa along with it into Narumi’s checkmate move of attacking Lucal with his trident cursed gear. Yu intervenes to block Narumi’s weapon that was on course to strike Shinoa. Lucal moves in to attack Yu, who he marked from the start. Mitsuba summons Tenjiryū to defend Yu. An uncertain Lucal cuts apart the demon apparitions and repels Yu along with the force of the counter measure. Kimizuki charges forward and fights evenly with this vampire noble, very briefly, before being disarmed of his right sword. Lucal calmly prepares to bring his sword down upon Kimizuki, before he is instantaneously struck through the back and right arm with the swords of both Tarō, Rika and Yayoi. Shūsaku then activates his cursed gear to conjure Akahebi, a spectral red chain to bind Lucals left arm, which keeps him bound firmly whilst the three sword wielders can get some ground between them and him. Yu and Narumi attack systematically to try and finish the battle, but Lucal reluctantly yet without hesitation slices his chain bound arm off at the elbow and rapidly jumps away. The squad maintains formation, resolute in not allowing Lucal to join any of the other nobles around the city. Lucal realises that these are the humans Krul was talking about and acknowledges their power. Kimizuki hatches a cunning plan to lure Lucal into their formation, which he does successfully by taunting Lucal and by stabbing his missing arm laying at Kimizuki's feet. Lucal calmly warns him not to get him angry. Unperturbed, Kimizuki continues to poke the deteriorating limb. He then makes the suggestion that Lucal should beg for his detached arm back. The calm façade is replaced by cold fury as a furious Lucal springs, deflecting Mitsuba’s attack and he hones in on Kimizuki. This is before Lucal notices the rest of the squad, namely marksman Shinya and Yoichi have joined them on the ground. He stops in his tracks, his sword enduring the closer ranged double barrage but once the smoke has faded he fails to defend against a strike from Yu and Lucal falls to his knees with a burning slash mark across his chest.

Refusing to fall to humans, Lucal Wesker, the fifteen progenitor snatches the finishing sword attack from Yayoi firmly in his hand and throws her defenseless to the ground. With a missing arm, sustained damage to his body, outnumbered and out flanked, Lucal smiles for the first time as he declares that he won’t fall to livestocks. He uses Yayoi’s own sword to stab through his chest, savouring the fact that he fell to his own hand rather than that of humans as his body disintegrates in front of Narumi. With a successful plan carried out and a victory over a vampire noble, Team Shinoa and Team Narumi commend one another for their tactics in winning the most challenging battle yet. All are bolstered that they have the means to and can in fact defeat the vampire nobles themselves. Whilst they wonder how the other squads are doing, Gurens’s squad are single handily taking on a vampire noble Mel Stefano with just them. The fight comes to a close with Guren defeating him. Exhausted by this engagement, Guren drops to the ground and notes how close the fight was. Sayuri is concerned but Guren notes that everything is going to plan. At that point Eita Kusunoki appears, bleeding heavily. He reports that their mission failed with nineteen soldiers killed out of the forty five sent for the mission. The rest have been taken as hostages to lure Guren specifically into a trap. Kusunoki’s wounds are too severe and Goshi uses his illusion magic to help put him at ease. Guren tells him he can watch them win from heaven as Kusunoki passes away. Mito is aware of the obvious trap and suggests they don’t go, but acknowledges it is where they will be going anyway. Guren says they will join Narumi and Hīragi’s squad to launch a combined attack on thirteenth progenitor, Crowley Eusford.

Crowley Eusford has taken up residence in what appears to be a government building. Outside, there are hostages tied to wooden crosses. He hums to himself as he reads documents, knowing full well that his trap is to be successful.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:

Gallery
Anime images provide a visual overview of the events of Episode 17 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world, scenarios, artistic style among other areas.