“Silence” (
Summary[]
Chihiro emerges from Sojo's laboratory carrying Char on his back. However, the strain from using Nishiki's power is evident as Chihiro visibly struggles, panting and wincing with each step. It is then revealed Chihiro's prior usage of Nishiki had not been used to strengthen Chihiro's movements as it usually had; rather, it was used to support Chihiro's movements, lessening their physical strain; but Chihiro's physical state was still somehwat affected. Char notices Chihiro's injured left hand and asks him to give it to her. Focusing intensely, the little girl recalls a flashback revealing the Kyonagi Clan's unique ability to heal based on their desire to not be hurt. Char then uses her powers to alleviate Chihiro's injury, rending it usable to an extent.
As the two enter the courtyard, Shiba arrives. Sensing an impending issue, Chihiro asks Shiba to look after Char, simultaneously noticing the recovered state of his left hand and asking if Char healed him. In response, Char merely tells Chihiro not to die, and Chihiro thanks her. As Shiba teleports away, Chihiro prepares to face an unseen adversary, unsheathing and activating Enten, with the multi-coloured goldfish of Nishiki appearing behind him.
Some time prior, Sojo's battle with the Kamunabi is shown to still be ongoing. After his Mei was transferred uselessly through the water, missing the Kamunabi, Sojo makes use of the water in the air to expand the reach of his ensuing Yui's ice spikes. Ikuto notices a crackle of lightning flicker over Sojo's face and calls over Kugara, who is confused but flies down to him from his mid-air position. Uzuki and Makoto track Sojo, dodging out of the way of the ice spikes. Uzuki takes note of Kou and Yui's synergy and launches two short poles down that land behind Sojo. On a nearby platform, Kazane is anxious over not being able to join his comrades, but Shiyumi tells him to stay calm, as he is their secret weapon.
As he lands, Makoto enlarges his hands and grabs onto Sojo's Cloud Gouger-wielding arm, as Uzuki throws two more poles in front of Sojo. Sojo then crackles with lightning, shocking Kugara, who notices it hasn't yet been 10 seconds and asks Ikuto if they'll change their plans. Ikuto mentally notes that this may be Cloud Gouger's 'True Realm' and responds to Kugara in the negative, instead ordering him to prepare his iron transformation. With a cast of Jikai, Ikuto and Kugara decide to make use of the lightning radiating off of Sojo and launch Kugara like an electromagnetic cannon. As they do so, Uzuki casts Jobaku and the four poles release binding energy to restrain Sojo, who can only watch as Kugara slams him off the edge, landing a devastating blow. Makoto catches Cloud Gouger in his (now normal-size) hand, and Ikuto exclaims with the blade taken care of they should have an easy time dealing with Sojo, and prepares to jump in with Uzuki.
At that moment, Sojo is shown with lightning still sparking off of him, and he casts Mei, Cloud Gouger responding and also crackling with lightning. As lightning attracts lightning, Sojo is sent flying upwards to his blade, eviscerating much of Kugara and Makoto's sides, and catches Cloud Gouger in his mouth. Ikuto shouts to Kazane that they're entering Phase 2 and Kazane needs to 'use it', and as Kazane casts Kaichi Sojo flies from the air to his position, slicing off Kazane's arm and thereby cancelling the attack, and also gashing out the side of Shiyumi's head. The ensuing battle is unseen, but the result is; Kazane kneeling on a beach, the pieces of ground crashed in the ocean, and several bodies dotting the landscape.
The scene changes to show Sojo confronting Chihiro in the courtyard, the Datenseki-containing briefcase placed next to him. Sojo muses that as his understanding of the blade deepened the more he used it, he was unsurprised that the cooldown time of Mei had shortened. What he was surprised at was what happened next, as he tried 'cloaking' with Mei instead of releasing it, inspired by Chihiro. Chihiro refused to respond, and though he sensed the Kamunabi's demise he remained focused and concentrated. Sojo is puzzled over how Chihiro is still able to move but notices he's also gained a deeper understanding of his blade. Despite wanting to inquire about various matters from Chihiro, Sojo feels that the current situation isn't conducive to such discussions.
It is stated both Chihiro and Sojo had suffered grievous wounds and were exhausted, and both had enhanced their understanding of their blades. Both of them also realised how much time they had left to act, and coincidentally that amount of time was the same: 12 seconds. The battle would therefore only last a mere moment, and Chihiro and Sojo leapt into motion with activations of Nishiki and Mei.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Chihiro, after rescuing Char, experiences visible strain due to using Nishiki's power, indicating the physical toll of his abilities.
- The Nishiki used previously is revealed to have been a new usage that supported Chihiro's movement rather than augmenting it, helping to somewhat stem its physical toll.
- Char's ability to heal through her thoughts and emotions is revealed, aiding in relieving Chihiro's pain.
- Kugara, Uzuki and Kazane's abilities are further elaborated on:
- Kugara's ability to harden his hands in fact transforms them into iron, giving them hard metallic properties and the ability to synergise with Ikuto's magnetisation.
- Uzuki's sorcery involves throwing down multiple short engraved poles before activating them with a chant of Jobaku, the poles unleashing energy able to bind even the physically strong Sojo temporarily.
- Kazane's sorcery, Kaichi, was deemed potent enough for Kazane to be deemed the squad's 'secret weapon', though Kazane was unable to harness it due to Sojo severing his arm before he could do so.
- Sojo ultimately defeats the Kamunabi through harnessing his 'true realm'. As his connection with Cloud Gouger strengthened, Mei's downtime decreased below 10 seconds.
- Taking inspiration from Chihiro's Nishiki, Sojo manages to 'cloak' himself in Mei, giving him the properties of lightning.
- After the Kamunabi separates him from Cloud Gouger, he again takes inspiration from Chihiro, this time his explanation of lightning rods, in order to create a force of attraction between himself (still cloaked in lightning) and his blade (whose lightning he activated remotely).
- Upon reclaiming his blade, he effortlessly triumphs over the Kamunabi and returned to the site of his lab.
- Sojo acknowledges Chihiro's deepened understanding of Cloud Gouger but postpones further discussion in favour of engaging each other once again.
- Insights into the health conditions of Chihiro and Sojo, along with their growing mastery of their sacred blades, provide a deeper understanding of their abilities and the stakes involved.
- Both of them are stated to have twelve seconds of activity remaining.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
 |
Takeru Hokazono |
| |