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Summary[]
Tree branches burst out of the Korogumi boss's body.
Shiba unties the bound hands of the victim, the young man expressing his gratitude. Meanwhile, Chihiro questions the yakuza boss about the Hishaku, Shiba joining Chihiro and cautioning the boss to listen to Chihiro's questions. Chihiro consolidates that all they knew thus far was that their activity had first emerged four years ago and rumour had it they were a small group of elite sorcerers. To the side, Shiba begins walking the ex-hostage outdoors. As the boss is about to respond, his facial expression suddenly distorts, eyes moving upwards and the rest of his face shifting downwards, before in a matter of seconds his face explodes, large tree branches exploding from his head and rapidly filling the room.
Chihiro yells at the two to run as the branches begin hitting anything near them, Chihiro with Enten drawn and fending off one. More begin to approach the ex-hostage but Shiba grabs him and teleports out of the warehouse using sorcery. The ex-hostage is surprised, Shiba realising he is unfamiliar with sorcery, before he grows nauseous due to the sudden teleportation. Shiba then returns inside to check on Chihiro, who was unharmed. Chihiro asks about the ex-hostage and is glad to hear he is unharmed, before stating the tree branches had emerged when the yakuza boss was about to talk about the Hishaku. Shiba surmises they likely put a spell in his body, and it was likely the handiwork of a high-level sorcerer.
The two decide to return to Tokyo, and Chihiro stumbles as he walks out of the warehouse, Shiba supporting him, noting he had used a lot of energy that day. Internally, Shiba considers how Chihiro had no combat experience three years ago and acknowledges that he had come a long way, even though he had not began mastering Enten's true realm of potential yet.
The aftermath of the Hishaku's attack on the Rokuhira residence.
In the past, the Rokuhira residence was shielded by a barrier set to alert Shiba to any interference. On that day three years ago, Shiba sensed something amiss and hurried to their location, finding Chihiro sitting in a burning ruin and cradling Kunishige's lifeless body. Shiba was horrified as he approached Chihiro, glad he was okay, and in a shell-shocked state Chihiro recounted that three sorcerers had suddenly appeared, and the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was his bloodied father lying on the ground while he himself was trapped in the house.
When he awoke, the six Enchanted Blades his father had crafted had been stolen, their house lay in ruins, and his father lay lifeless on the ground. During the Seitei War Kunishige had forged the six Enchanted Blades, and had secured them in the cellar of his workshop afterwards; and now all six were stolen. Despite the loss, Shiba was relieved to find that Chihiro had survived, albeit injured.
Kunishige introduces Chihiro to the Enchanted Blades.
Some time ago, Kunishige had introduced Chihiro to the Enchanted Blades, each possessing unique abilities, and Chihiro commented they were the kind of katana he should make. However, Kunishige emphasized that the Enchanted Blades weren't necessarily the correct option, encouraging Chihiro to see the world from his own perspective and consider what kind of katana the world truly required and why; a thought Kunishige himself pondered every day. Kunishige smiled as he told his son that day by day, they would figure out that thought together. Chihiro agreed, though light-heartedly suggested that Kunishige should wear a more serious shirt if he intended to convey serious thoughts.
Now, Kunishige lay lifeless on the ground, bearing visible injuries, while Chihiro wept and questioned the identities of those responsible, wondering if they understood his father's deep attachment to his katana. Amidst the destruction and the overwhelming thoughts about his father, Chihiro cried and repeatedly questioned why this had happened. Shiba expressed his regret for not having arrived sooner, wondering how the attackers had located Rokuhira's residence. Fueled by anger, Chihiro asserted that those responsible needed to understand his father's beliefs and vowed to confront them and cut them down.
Chihiro, currently at Tokyo.
The katana Chihiro now wields, Enten, is the one Kunishige dedicated years to crafting after the war and ultimately sacrificed his life to protect. In the present, Chihiro internally notes that since his father's death there had been no reliable information regarding the Hishaku, the group responsible for his father's death and the Enchanted Blades' theft. As he sits by the window and gazes out at Tokyo, Chihio contemplates the unsettling thought that someone might be using his father's swords for nefarious purposes, determined to locate the Hishaku and the Enchanted Blades as soon as possible. He unsheathes Enten, and three small goldfish float around the blade.
Shiba walks in and informs him that they had come to Tokyo right on time; there had been a sighting of one of the Enchanted Blades. Chihiro immediately states they should leave.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Shiba frees the hostage and Chihiro begins interrogating the Korogumi boss regarding the Hishaku.
- As the boss is about to reveal information a large number of vines erupt from his body, killing him and rapidly filling the room, forcing the three out.
- Chihiro and Shiba decide to head back to Tokyo.
- The circumstances behind Chihiro's path of revenge are revealed.
- Three years ago, Shiba was alerted by the barrier placed around the Rokuhira residence, which he had set to notify him if it was interfered with. Upon arriving, Shiba saw a destroyed house and Chihiro cradling his father's lifeless body and a decorated katana.
- Upon approaching and consoling Chihiro, Shiba is told by Chihiro what had happened: three sorcerers had appeared and attacked the residence, killing Kunishige. Chihiro himself had lost consciousness within the broken house.
- Shiba discovered the six Enchanted Blades Kunishige had made during the Seitei War and taken back afterwards had been stolen, but was grateful Chihiro is alive.
- Chihiro recalled the importance of the Enchanted Blades and what they mean to him through Kunishige and broke down in tears, before gritting in determination that he had to find the attackers and show them the importance of his father's values; consolidating a desire to exact revenge and take the Enchanted Blades back.
- It is revealed Chihiro's blade, Enten, is Kunishige's seventh Enchanted Blade, crafted after the war.
- In an apartment in Tokyo, Chihiro notes he and Shiba have not uncovered any concrete information on the Hishaku or the blades after that day.
- Shiba walks in the room and informs him an Enchanted Blade has been spotted. The two immediately head out.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
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