Episode 21

The Lawless City (無法都市) is the the first episode of the second season and twenty first episode of The Eminence in Shadow anime adaptation. It aired on 4th October 2023.

Synopsis

 * -|English= Cid and his sister Claire venture to the huge slum known as the “Lawless City.” There, Cid gets caught up in the commotion caused by the Red Moon.
 * -|Japanese= 吸血鬼を退治するというクレアに連れ出され、巨大なスラム「無法都市」にやってきたシド. だが早々にクレアとはぐれ、「赤き月」が引き起こした大騒動に巻きこまれる.

Summary
Shadow Garden has received a report that a large amount of money is being transferred to Lawless City, a notorious slum that is outside the jurisdiction of any kingdom. This coincides with the appearance of the Red Moon, a sign that Elizabeth the Crimson Blood Queen, one of the three rulers of Lawless City, is about to awaken from her long slumber. Elizabeth is a powerful vampire who has terrorized the land for centuries. Cid, the leader of Shadow Garden, decides to investigate this matter, as he has been planning to visit Lawless City for his own reasons. He arrives at the city with Claire, a Dark Knight who has been assigned to hunt down vampires and who has dragged Cid along with her. They see Goldy and Quinton, two of Cid's opponents from the Bushin Festival, who have been defeated and captured by White Devil, a ruthless killer who serves as Elizabeth's loyal guard. Goldy and Quinton are sold to a slave trader by White Devil, who returns to Elizabeth's tower. Meanwhile, the vampires of Lawless City unleash their ghouls, mindless creatures that feed on human flesh, to cause chaos and destruction in the city. Cid is separated from Claire and encounters Mary, an ancient vampire hunter who has been hunting Elizabeth for a long time. Cid is delighted to meet Mary, as he considers her to be a new character in his role-playing game. He introduces himself as Shadow, his alter ego and the legendary hero of Shadow Garden. Elsewhere, Skel and Po, two students from the Midgar Academy, are also attacked by ghouls. They have come to Lawless City hoping to find some women to lose their virginities to, but they end up fighting for their lives instead. Cid saves them from the ghouls and also rescues Marie, a prostitute who works in Lawless City. Claire meets Mary and learns that Cid has been taken by her. She misunderstands Cid's description and thinks that he is a sacrifice for Elizabeth's awakening. She decides to follow Mary and rescue Cid from the vampire queen. Cid also saves some of the Dark Knights who have survived the ghoul attack, while the others have fled in fear. He leads them to Elizabeth's tower, where he plans to confront her and stop her evil plans. However, he also has to deal with the other two rulers of Lawless City: Yukime, a white fox spirit who controls the eastern district, and Juggernaut, a black tyrant who rules over the western district. They are both powerful and ambitious beings who want to take over Lawless City and challenge Elizabeth's authority. They start a war against each other, but they are interrupted by Cid's arrival.