| Battle 22 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Volume: | 4 |
| Chapter | 22 |
| Total pages | 45 |
| Released | 1993 |
| Story Arc | Motorball Arc |
| Chapter Navigation | |
| previous Battle 21 |
next Battle 23 |
Ars Magna (アルスマグナ Arusumaguna?) is the twenty second chapter and the fifth and final chapter of the fourth volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita.
Cover[]
Alita and her challenge team, along with Jashugan, watch the motorball get launched and start their championship match.
Summary[]
As the motorball is launched in the air, Jashugan inwardly asks Tiphares if it can see him and vows to continue fighting as champion until his death. Jashugan dodges an attack from Tiegel and goes after Alita's teammates; Tiegel ends up knocking himself unconscious against the retaining wall from the attack and both Armblessed and Ajakutty are torn apart within a matter of seconds. As the motorball comes within the reach of Zafal Takié, Jashugan slices her in two with one of Armblessed's chains and takes possession. Seeing him defeat her teammates so quickly, Alita tries to attack him too only to get slammed against the track. He mocks Alita and demands she demonstrate her fearsome Panzer Kunst against him.
As Alita angrily prepares to strike him, she finds herself on the surface of Mars. She turns around and sees an individual who addresses her as Yoko, while admiring how she has conquered his training. As Alita tries to process what is going on, she shifts several times between Mars and the motorball track; Alita's fears and thoughts about not knowing who she really is returns and she vows to find some kind of proof.
Alita returns to her senses as Jashugan barrels towards her; she is able to deflect the blow and slices through the champion's helmet, much to his and the crowd's surprise. Discarding both his shattered helmet and the motorball, Jashugan smiles and acknowledges that it is not what either of them seek in life. Alita smiles in return and the two prepare to face off in a one on one duel. As Ido looks on, he reveals to a sleeping Shumira that he procured two bottles of Zalemite wine from the black market, one for Alita and Jashugan each; he vows to have a toast when everyone returns back from the race.
Alita and Jashugan trade blows while the crowd stands in awe how the two are evenly matched. However, Jashugan notices his vision starting to blur and fade; he fights against his brain to give him more time and this sudden burst of power catches Alita by surprise and pins her to the ground; as one unruly fan in front of him yells for Jashugan to kill Alita, Ido knocks the fan unconscious by smashing one of the wine bottles over his head.
As both Armblessed and Ajakutty are towed away to the pits, Tiegel is hooked to a crane and pulled out from the wall; as the crews prepare to take him back, Tiegel suddenly springs back to life and breaks free from the crane. He saves Alita by ramming Jashugan against the retaining wall, catching him by surprise. As Alita begs Tiegel to flee, the latter refuses and proclaims that not even the champion can break through his shell; however, steam begins to emit from the cracks and Tiegel catches fire. Undeterred, Tiegel continues dragging Jashugan against the wall and states how happy he is to have stayed in the sport and even went up against the champion himself. Tiegel then dies after being engulfed by an explosion and fireball coming from his motorball body and damages Jashugan from shrapnel and debris.
Alita then ferociously attacks Jashugan in a fit of rage, pummeling him with numerous blows that the champion is unable to defend from. Ido hears another fan in front of him cheering Alita on to kill Jashugan; catching himself before destroying the final wine bottle, he instead pulls out a pipe and hits him on the head with it. Jashugan finds his arms no longer responding and has a vision of both his body and mind disintegrating; Alita finishes her attack by landing Hertza Haeon on his chest and he flies into the inferno coming from Tiegel's destroyed body. Seeing Shumira's charm necklace flying away, Jashugan grabs it and his ki manifestation emerges; this catches Alita off-guard but her former master mentions how she can access the powerful art known as Ars Magna. When she goes to attack Jashugan again with it, he strikes Alita in the chest and with one punch, destroying the chest of her motorball body and rendering her unconscious.
As Umba revives her, Alita panics and asks where Jashugan is; Umba directs her attention to Jashugan's calcified body. She smiles and thanks him for awakening her and her hidden abilities with his final attack; as the crowd becomes somber at the champion's passing and disperses, Ido pours himself a glass and toasts to Alita's return and Jashugan's sacrifice.
Trivia[]
- Alita's actual name is revealed to be Yoko
- Several powerful techniques of Panzer Kunst are demonstrated or mentioned for the first time, including Hertza Haeon and Ars Magna.
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