Baccano! Manga Chapter 018

The title of Chapter 018 is "Archnemesis."

Official Blurb
A battle between immortals means trouble for everyone else! Maiza urges Firo to run away, and in his escape, Firo runs into a familiar face...

Characters in order of Appearance

 * Maiza Avaro
 * Szilard Quates
 * Firo Prochainezo
 * Randy and Pezzo
 * Ennis

Synopsis
Maiza Avaro urges the Martillos to flee Alveare, as Szilard Quates is only after him. Firo Prochainezo confirms that Szilard, in killing Maiza's brother and friends, must be Maiza's enemy—which means he is the Martillos' enemy, and Randy and Pezzo lead the executives in firing several bullet rounds into Szilard's body.

Though the bullets meet their marks, Szilard remains standing. Again, Maiza urges his companions to run to no avail. Szilard kneels to open a long suitcase; Firo, alarmed, charges forward and attempts a flying kick—but Szilard blocks it and sends him flying back. Maiza catches him and, as his contaiuolo, orders him to flee and alert the boss and secretary about the situation.

Firo protests but ultimately relents, and dashes for the back door. Szilard fires at him with his machine gun, but Maiza leaps between them and blocks the bullets with his body. Firo successfully escapes, leaving the Martillos to shoot another round of bullets at Szilard in revenge for Maiza, who stands bullet-ridden and pain-addled. Undeterred, Szilard guns all of them down—and Maiza presses his hand to his face, grief-stricken.

As soon as Firo bursts into the alleyway, Ennis—having been ordered to stand guard and intercept Maiza should he try to flee—lashes out her heel at him, assuming he is an enemy. Though they both recognize each other, she is prepared to fight him—however, she wonders what she would do if Szilard ordered her to kill Isaac & Miria. The thought distracts her enough for Firo to slam her into the ground and demand explanations: whether she is connected to the old man; why the old man is at Alveare; why getting shot does not kill him; and who she is.

Realizing that he is genuinely in the dark, and sympathizing with his frustration over a lack of knowledge, she asks if he truly wants to know and if—after he releases her—he is not afraid she will run away. He assures her not to worry about it: he is simply dumb.

Inside Alveare, Szilard watches Maiza regenerate and muses that he should have stolen the knowledge of the Grand Panacea from Maiza back on the Advena Avis—even if it meant killing him. Maiza, from where he is kneeling on the floor, says that the demon would have likely gone 'home' if he had died; Szilard notes that he is speaking as if he and the demon are friends, but then demands Maiza explain why he decided to seal the method for making the liquor of immortality. He further remarks that Maiza seems to loathe immortality.

Standing, Maiza reminds him of immortality's 'flaw': that one's immortality ends when one is devoured by an immortal with the same power. The demon had called it a system of 'kindness', but Maiza believes it is a 'dmeonic' system instead. He also believes that if immortality spread throughout the world, ethics, religion, and law would forever be changed. While he does not mind if such a thing happens naturally, he does not want to be the cause—he likes this world well enough.

Szilard assures him that he does not intend to give the elixir to the "thick-headed masses," but Maiza then gives his primary reason for sealing the knowledge away: because people like Szilard exist.

Trivia

 * This chapter depicts the second of two total instances in which Maiza's eyes—in this case, one of his eyes—have ever been drawn open in official art. The first may be found in Chapter 13 of 1935-B Dr. Feelgreed.