Ishura - Volume 8 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Thank you for your support. Keiso here. While this may be a bit boring to chronicle in the afterword eight volumes in, I would like to explain the origins behind this series, Ishura, up until it was published by Dengeki’s Shin Bungei imprint. Ishura was originally serialized on the web novel site Kakuyomu, and the printed edition of Ishura is a significantly retouched and revised reconstruction of this web novel. The end.

You could get the general match results and story itself up to the seventh volume from reading the web novel (though with significantly less content). As such, the story in this eighth volume is a brand new part of the story that hasn’t been fully released anywhere else. I was able to successfully deliver the story that laid beyond the web novel thanks to all you readers who have supported this work, to Kureta for always providing the most badass illustrations that perfectly match what I’m looking for, to my editor Satou who is always ready to give me his advice no matter what state I’m in, and to the all the other people in involved with publishing and advertising the series. I am truly grateful to you all.

Also, as a new policy starting from this volume, I’ve created a new Q&A corner concerning the worldbuilding of Ishura, as proposed by my managing editor. Some areas will spoil the story in the volume itself, so I hope you’ll enjoy it as a nice extra after finishing the rest of the book, and to prep yourselves for the Ishura anime beginning in January.

There is another new experiment I wish to try. A spaghetti aglio e olio peperoncino recipe. Regarding this dish, while I don’t really think there’s much new in regard to the recipe itself, what I’d like to present to you this time is version that doesn’t use actual peperoncino, but wasabi instead.

Spaghetti aglio e olio peperoncino is said to be challenging because of how simple it is, but if I’m just eating it at home and not showing it to anyone, as long as it tastes good, I don’t particularly care about if I’m good at it or not. Spread a layer of olive oil enough to soak two cloves of garlic in a frying pan and cook them on low heat. During that time, boil the spaghetti in the microwave. I’ve been boiling pasta in a microwave cooker for a long time now in these Ishura afterwords, but a microwave cooker is especially important for this spaghetti aglio e olio peperoncino recipe. This time, please set the cooking time to be about two to three minutes less than what you normally use to boil the pasta. I’ll explain why further on.

Once the garlic’s turned a golden brown, take it out and place it in a dish, while in the same pan, fry chopped bacon in the garlic-infused oil. This is where you also add salt, but a scant teaspoon should be plenty. It might be better to adjust the amount to match the saltiness of your bacon and the amount of spaghetti. When the bacon has been browned nicely, turn the heat off.

Once the spaghetti is finished cooking, add it to the frying pan along with all the pasta water left over in the microwave cooker. Turn the heat on once more and mix everything together, emulsifying it until all of the pasta water has boiled down. We needed to shorten the initial cooking time earlier since this will heat up the spaghetti even further.

Once it’s completely boiled, mix it up well with the garlic in the dish to spread the flavors, put in your preferred amount of wasabi, and it’s finished. The wasabi version of the dish has a bite and freshness to it that’s slightly different from the peperoncino’s spiciness, and wasabi paste in a tube is much easier to use and prepare than peperoncini. I encourage you to try it out as it’s a simple, yet novel, dish.

Even now that the story has gone past the scope of the web novel, I still have more and more intense plot developments planned. I hope you’ll continue supporting the new Ishura going forward as well.

In-depth Ishura Analysis! Here’s what Keiso-sensei told us!

All of a sudden, we find ourselves with only five matches left of the Six-ways Exhibition. While more and more of the shura are dropping out, this work still has a fathomless and enormous amount of worldbuilding concealed within.

Even the managing editor hasn’t been given the full picture…and with that in mind, I conducted a Q&A with Keiso-sensei to find out more!

Q1: What sort laws and principles are behind the phenomenon called “Word Arts” within the world of Ishura?

Truth be told, even within the world of Ishura, Word Arts aren’t actually strictly defined.

Currently, even just what’s referred to as “Word Arts” in the story covers a wide range, from the more broadly defined Word Arts that point to the laws of nature that establish the existence of dragonkin, beastfolk, and constructs, to the narrower definition referring to the techniques of the five Word Art systems—Heat, Force, Craft, Life, and Soul—that interfere with the world, with all of them, as well any mechanics of the world that aren’t included within the verifiable laws of physics, being collectively referred to as “Word Arts.”

However, the perception of life is undoubtably concerned with many of these mechanics, and it’s believed that, for example, the Word Arts that establish life continue as long as the perception of that lifeform does, and the Word Arts that work on the principles of the outside world must function through a language that expresses the lifeform’s perception.

To go further, the currently widely known classification of the five Word Arts systems is nothing but a provisional one propagated for practicality by the people, and the types of beings who reach the realms of the shura or the self-proclaimed demon kings utilize Word Arts that are an advanced composition of several systems, or aren’t contained within these systems whatsoever.

Q2. Conversely, are there any mysterious phenomena within the world of Ishura that aren’t from Word Arts?

There are. The supernatural abilities that enchanted swords and magic items possess, and which are believed not to have any cognitive abilities themselves, are one example of a phenomenon that would be unsuitable to be called Word Arts, under the above definition.

When Uhak experimented during his journey with Olukt, Uhak’s supernatural ability was depicted as nullifying other supernatural abilities besides just Word Arts, and it is likely that when they did, they also experimented with if he could erase the abilities of enchanted swords and magic items as well.

However, there are conflicting theories on this point, and there’s the undeniable possibility that enchanted swords and magic items with special powers possess a perception that can utilize Word Arts in and of themselves. Toroa the Awful, being able to read the notions of his enchanted swords, may have been living proof to corroborate this theory.

Also, it can be said that the world-deviating powers that visitors possess, while impossible to verify, are very unlike to be Word Arts. This is because these supernatural abilities were powers that they’ve displayed without any change from when they lived in a world without Word Arts.

In which case, by that same principle, wouldn’t it negate the Word Arts theory around enchanted swords and magic items, that are also transported to the world of Ishura like the visitors? While this is something to consider, that is not necessarily the case.

This is because, for enchanted swords and magic items, no one is able to prove that their world-departure was due to their abnormal abilities. Essentially, one explanation could be that a vessel without any special abilities in its original world was capable of world-departure by possessing its own perception, and was then able to gain its special abilities, Word Arts, from said perception.

Also, the terror of the True Demon King can be considered an exception that isn’t included in any of the established classifications. It’s something that is completely without cause, and Word Arts, of course, are not a world-departing power, either.

Q3. If Rosclay had defeated Soujirou with a win by default, what strategy was he estimated to use to win the tournament afterward?

Rosclay’s semifinal opponent if he had beaten Soujirou would have been Psianop, but having lost Qwell, Psianop is currently without a sponsor, and he would have to get a new one to back him if he wished to continue his participation in the Sixways Exhibition.

Since on top of claiming victory over Soujirou, the grand coup d’état would have eliminated the hostile forces against Rosclay within the Twenty-Nine Officials, almost no matter who became Psianop’s sponsor, it would have been possible to make them act in line with Rosclay’s intentions.

In terms of the final, he hadn’t established a concrete strategy from the very beginning. The mental taxation that would come from controlling exactly who among the eight in the other bracket would advance was tremendous, and he thought it more logical to acquire information through the ongoing Sixways Exhibition itself while building a strategy.

However, at present, the hero candidates on the other side of the bracket who are left are Kuze, Zeljirga, Shalk, and Uhak. For Kuze, the hostage strategy employed by Nophtok would be effective. While Zeljirga had run away from the Sixways Exhibition, Shalk’s weakness lay in his sponsor, and Uhak’s sponsor was dead as well.

No matter who among them advanced to the final, Rosclay could attack the weak points of them all.

Q4. What are the Twenty-Nine Officials’ jurisdictions over the governmental ministries and agencies?

They’re all as laid out below. For those who have left their position, the government officials below the Twenty-Nine Officials act as heads in their stead.

First Minister     Grasse the Foundation Map Internal Affairs Ministry 

Second General     Rosclay the Absolute Personnel Bureau (Underneath Internal Affairs Ministry) 

Third Minister     Jelky the Swift Ink Trade Ministry 

Fourth Minister     Kaete the Round Table Industrial Ministry 

Fifth Official     Iriolde the Atypical Tome (Vacant) Foreign Affairs Ministry 

Sixth General     Harghent the Still Air Defense Bureau (Underneath Defense Ministry) 

Seventh Minister     Flinsuda the Portent Health Ministry 

Eighth Minister     Sheanek the Word Intermediary Education Ministry 

Ninth General     Yaniegiz the Chisel Police Agency (Underneath Internal Affairs Ministry) 

Tenth General     Qwell the Wax Flower Fire Defense Agency (Underneath Health Ministry) 

Eleventh Minister     Nophtok the Crepuscule Bell Order Bureau (Underneath Education Ministry) 

Twelfth General     Sabfom the White Weave Disaster Prevention Bureau (Underneath Construction Ministry) 

Thirteenth Minister     Enu the Distant Mirror Construction Ministry 

Fourteenth General     Yuca the Halation Gaol Public Safety Bureau (Underneath Internal Affairs Ministry) 

Fifteenth General     Haizesta the Gathering Spot Inspection Bureau (Special Organization) 

Sixteenth General     Nofelt the Somber Wind Geographical Bureau (Underneath Construction Ministry) 

Seventeenth Minister     Elea the Red Tag Information Bureau (Underneath Defense Ministry) 

Eighteenth Minister     Quewai the Moon Fragment Technology Agency (Underneath Trade Ministry) 

Nineteenth Minister     Hyakka the Heat Haze Agriculture and Forestry Bureau (Underneath Trade Ministry) 

Twentieth Minister     Hidow the Clamp War Damage Reconstruction Agency (Underneath Internal Affairs Ministry) 

Twenty-First General     Tuturi the Blue Violet Foam Communication Bureau (Underneath Defense Ministry) 

Twenty-Second General     Mizial the Iron-Piercing Plumeshade Physical Education Bureau (Underneath Education Ministry) 

Twenty-Third Official     Taren the Punished (Vacant) Frontier Development Bureau (Underneath Foreign Affairs Ministry) 

Twenty-Fourth General     Dant the Heath Furrow Palace Guard Bureau (Special Organization) 

Twenty-Fifth General     Cayon the Thundering Transport Agency (Underneath Trade Ministry) 

Twenty-Sixth Minister     Meeka the Whispered Justice Ministry 

Twenty-Seventh General     Haade the Flashpoint Defense Ministry 

Twenty-Eighth Minister     Antel the Alignment Finance Agency (Underneath Trade Ministry)