Episode 22

The Haven (安息の地) is the second episode of the second season and the twenty-second episode of The Eminence in Shadow anime adaptation. It aired on 11th October 2023.

Synopsis

 * -|English= The moon is red. The frenzy has begun. Shadow is introduced to power players in Lawless City. Meanwhile, Mary and Claire run into Juggernaut.
 * -|Japanese= 紅の塔に続々と集まる血の女王を狙う者たち. シャドウは白の塔と黒の塔の支配者ユキメ、ジャガノートと鉢合わせし、一方のクレアたちはシャドウガーデンのベータに遭遇する.

Summary
The White Demon, a serial killer, terrorizes the populace by killing indiscriminately, asserting that it's the very purpose of his life. In search of more victims, he ventured into Lawless City, where he confronted Crimson and suffered defeat, ultimately becoming a watchdog for the Crimson Tower in the city. One day, while standing guard, the Red Moon triggers a frenzy among all the ghouls in Lawless City, causing chaos and transforming people into ghouls. Witnessing this, the White Demon yearns to break free and exploit the opportunity to kill both people and ghouls. However, his inability to do so forces him to resort to waiting for unsuspecting individuals to approach. During his wait, three individuals approach the gate of the Red Tower. They are Juggernaut, the tyrant and ruler of the Black Tower, Yukime, the spirit fox and ruler of the White Tower, and a mysterious man dressed entirely in black, whose power remains inscrutable. With a single mighty swing of his massive cleaver, Juggernaut breaks through the artifact gate of the Crimson Tower and strides inside, with Yukime following closely. The man in black trails behind them. The White Demon decides to attack the man in black, after deeming the other two beyond his ability. In an instant, he witnesses his body being severed in half, collapsing to the ground. It's at this moment that he realizes he has gravely erred by provoking someone he should never have crossed.

In the Crimson Tower, Beta is engrossed in a book in the vampires' library when she hears a door open. Her attention shifts to the source of the sound, where Claire Kagenō and Mary suddenly tumble in. Claire demands that Beta disclose their identity and purpose in the tower. Beta explains that she is affiliated with Shadow Garden and that they are there to investigate a theory about the connection between the possessed individuals and the vampires' blood. Their objective is to obtain a sample of the progenitor's blood. Mary becomes defensive when Beta draws a parallel between the vampires' blood and the possessed. Claire proceeds to inquire about the possibility of curing demon possession, but Beta reassures her that there is no cause for concern. Claire then informs Mary that they need to act swiftly to rescue her brother, who was kidnapped by the followers of the Blood Queen. Hearing this, Number 666 expresses concern and immediately interjects, inquiring about the well-being of Claire's brother. Beta orders Number 666 to stand down, and Claire and Mary depart, agreeing not to interfere with each other's plans. As they exit, Beta queries Mary about the potential for reestablishing a haven, but Mary remains silent, leaving the library with Claire.

As Claire and Mary ascend the Crimson Tower, they fend off vampires together. During the battles, Mary shares her knowledge about vampires to aid Claire. However, Claire becomes suspicious of Mary and questions her loyalty, especially regarding vampires. Mary deflects Claire's inquiries about possession and urges her not to pry into her secrets, promising the same respect in return. Feeling a surge of magical energy, they investigate and witness Juggernaut engaging in combat with high-ranking vampires. Realizing the danger, they attempt to escape but are intercepted. Juggernaut attacks, striking Claire and causing her to bleed profusely through her mouth. Mary also gets sliced across her abdomen, losing a lot of blood. Claire attempts to heal Mary's wound, but Mary, in an act of desperation, sucks the blood off Claire's mouth, gaining vampiric powers in the process. With her newfound abilities, Mary holds off Juggernaut momentarily. Just as Juggernaut is about to deliver a fatal blow to Claire, Shadow intervenes, kicking Juggernaut off the Crimson Tower. After Shadow departs, Mary decides to reveal the secrets she had been concealing to Claire.

More than a thousand years ago, vampires thrived during a golden age, hunting and feasting on humans like animals. However, this changed when humans discovered their vulnerabilities:

1. Vampires turned to ash when exposed to sunlight.

2. They could not regenerate if they lost their hearts.

3. Without consuming human blood consistently, they would lose all of their vampire abilities.

The tides changed and the vampire population rapidly declined. During this period, Elisabeth, their ruler, chose to coexist with humans, ruling over a small territory which she referred to as the Haven. She and her subjects refrained from drinking blood, allowing them to endure sunlight, albeit with reduced powers, except for Elisabeth herself. One fateful night, when the Red Moon appeared, Crimson secretly added blood to Elisabeth's meal. This caused her to go into a frenzy, leading to the massacre of humans and the destruction of their haven. Elisabeth then went on to wreak havoc in three other countries. Mary pursued her and found her after the Blood Moon had set. Elisabeth pleaded with Mary to scatter her ashes into the ocean to prevent her revival and further bloodshed. She stabbed herself, but did not turn to ash.

Lacking the courage to either revive or end Elisabeth's existence, Mary made a solemn vow to watch over her remains for eternity. Shortly thereafter, Crimson absconded with Elisabeth's body, with the intention of resurrecting her during the next Blood Moon, a thousand years later, to restore the vampires to their former glory.

In response, Claire opens up to Mary about her own history with possession. She explains that when she was younger, she displayed signs of demon possession, and now she lives in constant fear of one day transforming into a monster. Claire reveals that her primary wish is to assist her brother in accomplishing something significant before she potentially succumbs to the possession herself. This is why she brought him to the Lawless City. With their newfound understanding and connection, they resolve to press forward in their quest to locate the Blood Queen.

Meanwhile, in the tower's treasury, Cid contemplates which treasures to loot in order to finance his shadow activities. After careful consideration, he settles for gold coins, given their high value and ease of transport. He proceeds to fill his slime suit with one thousand gold coins, which amount to a hundred million zeni, before embarking on his mission to confront the Blood Queen.

Atop the tower, Crimson commences the ritual to resurrect the Blood Queen. As he positions Elisabeth's heart for the sacrifice, Shadow suddenly enters, interrupting him.