Mao (2026) s01e10 Episode Script
Taizanfukun
You'll be fine, Nanoka.
I will be at your side.
You promise?!
No!
I can't do this! I'm scared!
They're gross!
Nanoka.
You can do it.
Try it again.
No!
NANOKA KIBA - MAO
Keep your eyes on them.
Focus your energy and aim for the tanden.
Thrust!
He turned back into a human.
Water? Where's it going?
Mao!
Okay, another one.
Okay!
That's it, Nanoka.
Keep going like that.
Got it! Stay by my side, okay?
Don't leave me!
Where'd he go?!
The water they coughed up
is running away.
Where is it going?
HYAKKA
It's them!
HYAKKA
Those shikigami are the source of all this!
They're getting away!
Huh? They didn't change back!
Why?! So creepy!
Okay. That's enough.
What's up with that girl?
OTOYA
Miss Nanoka is actually a pretty good fighter.
Eww!
What are you doing?
Thanks to you,
the shikigami coughed out
its cursed talisman.
What does it say?
I bet it's an order to hunt us down
and kill us, right?
Can I see?
"If Mao is alive, capture him alive
and bring him to me."
That's what it says.
What? Only Mao?
What about me?!
It's a good thing they didn't want you.
You're not suited to
fighting Water spells.
Damn it!
Who could it be?
Otoya. A brush.
Yes.
Mao?
Swallow this.
Return to your master.
H-Hey!
Are you just letting them go?
Even if we destroy the shikigami here,
I have a feeling more
will keep coming.
We can't continue with this.
What is this place?
My lower belly hurts
That's why
I've set a trap.
MAO
TAIZANFUKUN
Before the big earthquake happened,
Byouki was hiding in this hole.
Those shikigami were ordered
to capture me alive.
Not to kill me.
It means that someone wants to see you.
But that was a pretty rough invitation.
It doesn't seem like they wanted
to have a peaceful chat.
Whoever controls those shikigami wasn't
targeting me, but most likely Byouki.
What?
More specifically,
they're after a spell from the secret
BYOUKI
scrolls that Byouki devoured.
The secret spell of Taizanfukun?
Taiza What?
A spell for manipulating
human lifespans.
The ultimate secret art of Onmyodo.
That is Taizanfukun.
TAIZANFUKUN
That is Taizanfukun.
Oh, so that's what it's called?
Hyakka, you believed I was working
with Byouki, didn't you?
Right.
And I haven't forgotten!
He completely forgot.
And he came to us for help.
It means others are thinking
the same thing.
Including whoever is behind this attack.
That is why we're luring them to us.
I get it, so this is a trap
That's why you fed the shikigami
a new command?
That's right.
What did you write?
"We found Mao,
but he resisted capture.
The most we could do was
confine him to a single location.
Master, we need you to go there yourself."
Huh?
What's the matter?
What is that?
Was that a whale?!
No, it looked way stranger!
How're you feeling today, Nanoka?
Here are the notes from
the classes you missed.
HARUKA - HITOMI - YUI NAKAGAWA
I took notes for you, just in case.
HARUKA - HITOMI - YUI NAKAGAWA
Thank you! That's so helpful!
Thank you! That's so helpful!
Good thing we're an integrated
middle and high school.
No entrance exams to study for.
They're all so sweet!
SHIRAHA
By the way, Nanoka,
SHIRAHA
that part is going to be on the test.
TAISHO DEMOCRACY
The Taisho period shows us
Compared to them, Mao is so
It'll take a few days before
the shikigami's master gets here.
I don't mind you going back home,
but I want you to come back here
as soon as you can.
Are you telling me to fight alongside you?
Of course.
You need to gain experience.
That guy has absolutely no intention
of protecting a frail girl like me.
That kinda hurts my feelings.
That settles it.
I'll take some time off for a few days.
Oh, I know.
I'll have Shiraha look up that
Taizan something or other spell
that Mao was talking about!
So what's the story
about that girl Nanoka?
It's hard to explain
She's like me.
We were both cursed by Byouki.
Cursed, huh?
Byouki possesses human bodies as vessels,
moving from one host to another.
Nanoka is being targeted
as its new vessel after me.
Byouki escaped to Nanoka's world.
That is why I want
to teach her how to fight
so she can protect herself
even when she's alone.
I don't really get it.
You don't?
Will this do for a katashiro,
Master Mao?
Yes.
Oh
I'm setting up a decoy in my place.
This hole is still charged with
Byouki's yokai energy.
I see.
And when the enemy comes
and peers into the hole
Yes, once we confirm who they are and
determine if they have evil intentions,
we'll use your dynamite
to cave the hole in
and trap them underground
for the time being.
I can't wait to see who shows up.
I can think of several senior apprentices
who can cast Water spells.
But was there anyone who would
resort to such aggressive tactics?
Looks like they're here.
Wasn't it a bit soon?
Let's take cover.
What is that sound?
What is that?
Good question.
That's
Who the hell is that?!
It's filled with fish.
Master Mao
It knows my name?!
Hey, Mao! You have an idea
of who's controlling that monster?!
Master Mao.
MOKUZU
You could have told me to get the water.
You could have told me to get the water.
Mokuzu.
Master Mao.
All I ask for is one spell.
Pardon?
Won't you teach me just one spell?
We've already discussed this.
I'm in no position to teach you,
and the Master has
strictly forbidden it.
I thought that if I served in
an onmyoji compound,
I might learn at least one spell.
Do you want to become
an onmyoji, Mokuzu?
Well, of course.
It's something I've always dreamed of.
Don't you think
the resemblance is striking?
Mokuzu, the servant?
Ah, yeah.
That guy used to beg me
to teach him spells too.
Not that I ever did.
Mokuzu wasn't a sorcerer.
Did someone teach him those spells?
Master Mao
Whatever the case,
this thing isn't human.
Let's do this!
Ignite!
Just as it was looking down into
the hole, the dynamite exploded
Everything seems to be going
according to plan.
Exactly as planned!
It's turning into a giant fish pond.
Master Mao.
Please teach me
The secret spell of Taizanfukun.
So that was his objective,
just as I suspected.
But
Are you Mokuzu?
The secret spell of Taizanfukun was known
only to a select few at the compound.
Why do you know about it?
Secret spells are passed on
to the rightful successor.
Huh? Who the hell is
the rightful successor?
Master Mao, you ought to know
After all, you did become one with Byouki.
The only reason you're still alive now
is that Byouki's power sustains you.
So please
For my sake
What the hell is this guy talking about?
The one who transformed
Lady Sana's cat, Haimaru,
into Byouki was
me, Mokuzu!
Run, Otoya!
MAO
Hyakka!
We're inside Mokuzu's body?
Master Mao, I shall take you to Kyoto.
Master Mao!
I can't breathe
Mao
HAIMARU - LADY SANA
You'd better stay away from Mokuzu.
Lady Sana.
Has he done something wrong?
For some time now,
Mokuzu has been pestering various
apprentices to teach him onmyo spells.
But ever since you were chosen as
the successor, he's been behaving strangely.
I would often notice him staring at me.
Staring at you?
I can't quite describe it,
but his eyes were
It was like
SOMEONE ELSE WAS WATCHING ME
someone else was watching me.
Someone is pulling Mokuzu's strings
No one has ever escaped after
being trapped inside my body.
That's Mokuzu
It would be pointless if you died here.
While you sleep in the belly of the shark,
I will take you to Kyoto.
What?!
Master Mao.
Mokuzu
Who taught you these spells?
Master Hyakka.
Otoya, how's Hyakka?
He drowned, and he's dead.
I'm the one they're after,
and yet I dragged him into this.
Master Mao
You haven't changed.
You were always a kind person.
There's no need for you
to blame yourself.
If others get involved,
I was ordered to kill them as well.
Others?!
Does he mean the senior apprentices
who were summoned to the Goshikido?!
So I was collateral damage?!
He came back to life again
Damn! I thought I was going to die.
No, you were actually dead.
Mokuzu
You mentioned that you were the one
who turned Lady Sana's cat,
Haimaru, into Byouki.
Was that someone else's order too?!
Yes.
I asked the apprentices at
the compound to teach me spells,
but all of them turned me down.
Except that person
You'll teach me?
Thank you very much!
Yes, of course!
If you teach me,
I will do anything you ask!
I did as I was told.
I secretly took Haimaru away
and tossed him into the kodoku pit
that had been dug there.
The pit was filled with venomous insects,
snakes, wild dogs, and boar, but
Haimaru killed and devoured them all.
That's how he became
the deadliest kodoku
Byouki.
For what purpose?
So that's it.
Someone is using Byouki
to curse us to death.
Mao?! Your eyes!
I will explain later.
But then, Byouki devoured the secret
scrolls of Taizanfukun
and became one with you, Master Mao.
When that happened, I worried that
I would not be taught any spells,
but as you can see
I have become a fine onmyoji.
No, Mokuzu.
You're already
It appears he was dead
from the beginning.
Mokuzu had no ulterior motives.
He was simply a man obsessed
with learning spells.
So someone took advantage of that
and turned him into a pawn.
Yes. Most likely.
But
Haimaru hates being touched
by anyone but me.
Haimaru never took to anyone
besides Lady Sana and me.
So why would Haimaru go along quietly
instead of running away?
Something doesn't add up.
TAIZANFUKUN
I found it in one try.
TAIZANFUKUN
Taizanfukun.
What?!
This is what you're looking for, right?
TAIZANFUKUN
Taizanfukun
Wow
A spell for manipulating
human lifespans.
The ultimate secret art of Onmyodo.
The way he said it,
I thought it would be
a secret shrouded in mystery.
Since you asked me to look into it,
I summarized the main points.
Shiraha, you're the best!
To begin with, Taizan is a sacred
mountain in China.
Taizanfukun is a Taoist deity
that predates even Jugondo.
It's said that Taizanfukun governs
human lifespans and souls.
Governs human lifespans?
In Japan, Taizanfukun was
especially revered within Onmyodo,
and the Taizanfukun Rite was
one of its central rituals.
It was a secret rite performed
only within the Imperial Court,
reserved exclusively for the nobility.
Okay, so
According to this source
There is only a single recorded instance
in which the secret technique of
Taizanfukun was actually used.
When a high priest fell gravely ill,
his grief-stricken disciples tried every
prayer they could, but he didn't recover.
So, they summoned Abe no Seimei,
the leading master of Onmyodo at the time.
Abe no Seimei?!
So he's real?
He actually existed.
Oh
I only know him as
a character in games and stuff.
In preparation for
the Taizanfukun Rite,
Seimei asked if any disciple
would offer their own life
in exchange for their master's.
While others hesitated,
one monk stepped forward.
Seimei wrote the monk's name onto a prayer
text that was dedicated to Taizanfukun
and offered it in the rite.
Then suddenly,
the master's illness began to improve.
Did the monk who offered his life die?
No, he didn't.
Huh?
Both the master and the disciple
lived long lives.
Why?
Perhaps Taizanfukun, the deity himself,
took pity on the monk who
offered up his life for his master
and spared him.
I see
The monk was praised
and later rose to prominence.
It kind of has a happy ending.
Yeah.
Halfway through, it starts sounding
like a Buddhist sermon.
So Taizanfukun is
a life-substitution spell,
and exchanges one life for another.
It seems to require
another person's life.
Byouki manipulates human lifespans
Please eat, Nanoka.
- By using someone else's life?
With all that's happened,
it's a good thing
Miss Nanoka wasn't here.
Yes.
Oh, Mr. Kuchinawa,
will you be leaving us already?
Yes.
Thank you for the stay.
Things never slow down, do they?
And here I am in Kyoto
for the first time in ages.
Beniko, did you find anything?
KAMON - BENIKO
KAMON - BENIKO
Yes, I did, Master Kamon.
There's a daughter
of an aristocratic family.
An aristocrat's daughter
Very good.
She was critically ill, but the family
called a spiritual healer.
She is completely recovered now.
Next time: "Blood Bond."
I will be at your side.
You promise?!
No!
I can't do this! I'm scared!
They're gross!
Nanoka.
You can do it.
Try it again.
No!
NANOKA KIBA - MAO
Keep your eyes on them.
Focus your energy and aim for the tanden.
Thrust!
He turned back into a human.
Water? Where's it going?
Mao!
Okay, another one.
Okay!
That's it, Nanoka.
Keep going like that.
Got it! Stay by my side, okay?
Don't leave me!
Where'd he go?!
The water they coughed up
is running away.
Where is it going?
HYAKKA
It's them!
HYAKKA
Those shikigami are the source of all this!
They're getting away!
Huh? They didn't change back!
Why?! So creepy!
Okay. That's enough.
What's up with that girl?
OTOYA
Miss Nanoka is actually a pretty good fighter.
Eww!
What are you doing?
Thanks to you,
the shikigami coughed out
its cursed talisman.
What does it say?
I bet it's an order to hunt us down
and kill us, right?
Can I see?
"If Mao is alive, capture him alive
and bring him to me."
That's what it says.
What? Only Mao?
What about me?!
It's a good thing they didn't want you.
You're not suited to
fighting Water spells.
Damn it!
Who could it be?
Otoya. A brush.
Yes.
Mao?
Swallow this.
Return to your master.
H-Hey!
Are you just letting them go?
Even if we destroy the shikigami here,
I have a feeling more
will keep coming.
We can't continue with this.
What is this place?
My lower belly hurts
That's why
I've set a trap.
MAO
TAIZANFUKUN
Before the big earthquake happened,
Byouki was hiding in this hole.
Those shikigami were ordered
to capture me alive.
Not to kill me.
It means that someone wants to see you.
But that was a pretty rough invitation.
It doesn't seem like they wanted
to have a peaceful chat.
Whoever controls those shikigami wasn't
targeting me, but most likely Byouki.
What?
More specifically,
they're after a spell from the secret
BYOUKI
scrolls that Byouki devoured.
The secret spell of Taizanfukun?
Taiza What?
A spell for manipulating
human lifespans.
The ultimate secret art of Onmyodo.
That is Taizanfukun.
TAIZANFUKUN
That is Taizanfukun.
Oh, so that's what it's called?
Hyakka, you believed I was working
with Byouki, didn't you?
Right.
And I haven't forgotten!
He completely forgot.
And he came to us for help.
It means others are thinking
the same thing.
Including whoever is behind this attack.
That is why we're luring them to us.
I get it, so this is a trap
That's why you fed the shikigami
a new command?
That's right.
What did you write?
"We found Mao,
but he resisted capture.
The most we could do was
confine him to a single location.
Master, we need you to go there yourself."
Huh?
What's the matter?
What is that?
Was that a whale?!
No, it looked way stranger!
How're you feeling today, Nanoka?
Here are the notes from
the classes you missed.
HARUKA - HITOMI - YUI NAKAGAWA
I took notes for you, just in case.
HARUKA - HITOMI - YUI NAKAGAWA
Thank you! That's so helpful!
Thank you! That's so helpful!
Good thing we're an integrated
middle and high school.
No entrance exams to study for.
They're all so sweet!
SHIRAHA
By the way, Nanoka,
SHIRAHA
that part is going to be on the test.
TAISHO DEMOCRACY
The Taisho period shows us
Compared to them, Mao is so
It'll take a few days before
the shikigami's master gets here.
I don't mind you going back home,
but I want you to come back here
as soon as you can.
Are you telling me to fight alongside you?
Of course.
You need to gain experience.
That guy has absolutely no intention
of protecting a frail girl like me.
That kinda hurts my feelings.
That settles it.
I'll take some time off for a few days.
Oh, I know.
I'll have Shiraha look up that
Taizan something or other spell
that Mao was talking about!
So what's the story
about that girl Nanoka?
It's hard to explain
She's like me.
We were both cursed by Byouki.
Cursed, huh?
Byouki possesses human bodies as vessels,
moving from one host to another.
Nanoka is being targeted
as its new vessel after me.
Byouki escaped to Nanoka's world.
That is why I want
to teach her how to fight
so she can protect herself
even when she's alone.
I don't really get it.
You don't?
Will this do for a katashiro,
Master Mao?
Yes.
Oh
I'm setting up a decoy in my place.
This hole is still charged with
Byouki's yokai energy.
I see.
And when the enemy comes
and peers into the hole
Yes, once we confirm who they are and
determine if they have evil intentions,
we'll use your dynamite
to cave the hole in
and trap them underground
for the time being.
I can't wait to see who shows up.
I can think of several senior apprentices
who can cast Water spells.
But was there anyone who would
resort to such aggressive tactics?
Looks like they're here.
Wasn't it a bit soon?
Let's take cover.
What is that sound?
What is that?
Good question.
That's
Who the hell is that?!
It's filled with fish.
Master Mao
It knows my name?!
Hey, Mao! You have an idea
of who's controlling that monster?!
Master Mao.
MOKUZU
You could have told me to get the water.
You could have told me to get the water.
Mokuzu.
Master Mao.
All I ask for is one spell.
Pardon?
Won't you teach me just one spell?
We've already discussed this.
I'm in no position to teach you,
and the Master has
strictly forbidden it.
I thought that if I served in
an onmyoji compound,
I might learn at least one spell.
Do you want to become
an onmyoji, Mokuzu?
Well, of course.
It's something I've always dreamed of.
Don't you think
the resemblance is striking?
Mokuzu, the servant?
Ah, yeah.
That guy used to beg me
to teach him spells too.
Not that I ever did.
Mokuzu wasn't a sorcerer.
Did someone teach him those spells?
Master Mao
Whatever the case,
this thing isn't human.
Let's do this!
Ignite!
Just as it was looking down into
the hole, the dynamite exploded
Everything seems to be going
according to plan.
Exactly as planned!
It's turning into a giant fish pond.
Master Mao.
Please teach me
The secret spell of Taizanfukun.
So that was his objective,
just as I suspected.
But
Are you Mokuzu?
The secret spell of Taizanfukun was known
only to a select few at the compound.
Why do you know about it?
Secret spells are passed on
to the rightful successor.
Huh? Who the hell is
the rightful successor?
Master Mao, you ought to know
After all, you did become one with Byouki.
The only reason you're still alive now
is that Byouki's power sustains you.
So please
For my sake
What the hell is this guy talking about?
The one who transformed
Lady Sana's cat, Haimaru,
into Byouki was
me, Mokuzu!
Run, Otoya!
MAO
Hyakka!
We're inside Mokuzu's body?
Master Mao, I shall take you to Kyoto.
Master Mao!
I can't breathe
Mao
HAIMARU - LADY SANA
You'd better stay away from Mokuzu.
Lady Sana.
Has he done something wrong?
For some time now,
Mokuzu has been pestering various
apprentices to teach him onmyo spells.
But ever since you were chosen as
the successor, he's been behaving strangely.
I would often notice him staring at me.
Staring at you?
I can't quite describe it,
but his eyes were
It was like
SOMEONE ELSE WAS WATCHING ME
someone else was watching me.
Someone is pulling Mokuzu's strings
No one has ever escaped after
being trapped inside my body.
That's Mokuzu
It would be pointless if you died here.
While you sleep in the belly of the shark,
I will take you to Kyoto.
What?!
Master Mao.
Mokuzu
Who taught you these spells?
Master Hyakka.
Otoya, how's Hyakka?
He drowned, and he's dead.
I'm the one they're after,
and yet I dragged him into this.
Master Mao
You haven't changed.
You were always a kind person.
There's no need for you
to blame yourself.
If others get involved,
I was ordered to kill them as well.
Others?!
Does he mean the senior apprentices
who were summoned to the Goshikido?!
So I was collateral damage?!
He came back to life again
Damn! I thought I was going to die.
No, you were actually dead.
Mokuzu
You mentioned that you were the one
who turned Lady Sana's cat,
Haimaru, into Byouki.
Was that someone else's order too?!
Yes.
I asked the apprentices at
the compound to teach me spells,
but all of them turned me down.
Except that person
You'll teach me?
Thank you very much!
Yes, of course!
If you teach me,
I will do anything you ask!
I did as I was told.
I secretly took Haimaru away
and tossed him into the kodoku pit
that had been dug there.
The pit was filled with venomous insects,
snakes, wild dogs, and boar, but
Haimaru killed and devoured them all.
That's how he became
the deadliest kodoku
Byouki.
For what purpose?
So that's it.
Someone is using Byouki
to curse us to death.
Mao?! Your eyes!
I will explain later.
But then, Byouki devoured the secret
scrolls of Taizanfukun
and became one with you, Master Mao.
When that happened, I worried that
I would not be taught any spells,
but as you can see
I have become a fine onmyoji.
No, Mokuzu.
You're already
It appears he was dead
from the beginning.
Mokuzu had no ulterior motives.
He was simply a man obsessed
with learning spells.
So someone took advantage of that
and turned him into a pawn.
Yes. Most likely.
But
Haimaru hates being touched
by anyone but me.
Haimaru never took to anyone
besides Lady Sana and me.
So why would Haimaru go along quietly
instead of running away?
Something doesn't add up.
TAIZANFUKUN
I found it in one try.
TAIZANFUKUN
Taizanfukun.
What?!
This is what you're looking for, right?
TAIZANFUKUN
Taizanfukun
Wow
A spell for manipulating
human lifespans.
The ultimate secret art of Onmyodo.
The way he said it,
I thought it would be
a secret shrouded in mystery.
Since you asked me to look into it,
I summarized the main points.
Shiraha, you're the best!
To begin with, Taizan is a sacred
mountain in China.
Taizanfukun is a Taoist deity
that predates even Jugondo.
It's said that Taizanfukun governs
human lifespans and souls.
Governs human lifespans?
In Japan, Taizanfukun was
especially revered within Onmyodo,
and the Taizanfukun Rite was
one of its central rituals.
It was a secret rite performed
only within the Imperial Court,
reserved exclusively for the nobility.
Okay, so
According to this source
There is only a single recorded instance
in which the secret technique of
Taizanfukun was actually used.
When a high priest fell gravely ill,
his grief-stricken disciples tried every
prayer they could, but he didn't recover.
So, they summoned Abe no Seimei,
the leading master of Onmyodo at the time.
Abe no Seimei?!
So he's real?
He actually existed.
Oh
I only know him as
a character in games and stuff.
In preparation for
the Taizanfukun Rite,
Seimei asked if any disciple
would offer their own life
in exchange for their master's.
While others hesitated,
one monk stepped forward.
Seimei wrote the monk's name onto a prayer
text that was dedicated to Taizanfukun
and offered it in the rite.
Then suddenly,
the master's illness began to improve.
Did the monk who offered his life die?
No, he didn't.
Huh?
Both the master and the disciple
lived long lives.
Why?
Perhaps Taizanfukun, the deity himself,
took pity on the monk who
offered up his life for his master
and spared him.
I see
The monk was praised
and later rose to prominence.
It kind of has a happy ending.
Yeah.
Halfway through, it starts sounding
like a Buddhist sermon.
So Taizanfukun is
a life-substitution spell,
and exchanges one life for another.
It seems to require
another person's life.
Byouki manipulates human lifespans
Please eat, Nanoka.
- By using someone else's life?
With all that's happened,
it's a good thing
Miss Nanoka wasn't here.
Yes.
Oh, Mr. Kuchinawa,
will you be leaving us already?
Yes.
Thank you for the stay.
Things never slow down, do they?
And here I am in Kyoto
for the first time in ages.
Beniko, did you find anything?
KAMON - BENIKO
KAMON - BENIKO
Yes, I did, Master Kamon.
There's a daughter
of an aristocratic family.
An aristocrat's daughter
Very good.
She was critically ill, but the family
called a spiritual healer.
She is completely recovered now.
Next time: "Blood Bond."