Reunion (
Summary[]
Seven minutes prior to Chihiro's transportation from the theater, Moku carries Hakuri as Uruha, Samura, Hakuri and the Masumi walk out of the eastern gate. Sumi reminds Hakuri that he should rest after she had given him first aid, as pushing himself too hard would be dangerous. She thanks Hakuri for his assistance in retrieving Tobimune and assisting Samura, as the group begin chatting about their next move. Seeing there is no danger, Hakuri lets himself falls asleep.
Not long later, Hakuri abruptly wakes up face-down on the floor, noticing the unconscious figures of the monks and the Masumi around him. Looking ahead, he sees Uruha sitting in a room angrily questioning Samura about his actions. Samura notes they haven't had a proper chance to talk yet as he sits down, and comments that even if they hypothetically retrieved all the Enchanted Blades, the problem wouldn't be solved, as in that case Kunishige would not have needed to lock the blades away.
As his right hand holds his blade, Samura reminisces on how it had been 18 years since he had wielded Tobimune in order to defeat evil and protect the weak in Kunishige's name. Uruha reminds him that he needs Tobimune to fight the Hishaku, being the evil ones that had killed Kunishige. Samura counters that there is an evil worse than the Hishaku which had to be punished, even if collaborating with the Hishaku was necessary, shocking Uruha and Hakuri.
Samura declares his goal of eliminating the blade wielders
Samura rigidly states the blade wielders were the true sin, and 18 years ago they had covered up their heinous actions in the Seitei War and were passed off as 'heroes' alongside Kunishige for the benefit of society. However, younger individuals such as Fuura had died to protect the wielders, and Samura reckons the deaths of the misguided to be unfavourable compared to simply delivering the wielders their just desserts. He declares his ultimate mission: to kill the five remaining wielders from the Seitei War, including himself.
Seeing Uruha has no response, Samura adds he will avoid killing the guardians of the wielders, unlike the Hishaku. Overtaken by concern, Uruha shouts that if Samura were to kill him, the Hishaku could use Kumeyuri. Samura retorts he will only allow the Hishaku to use the Enchanted Blades temporarily until the "Master Swordsman" was killed, and he would eliminate them afterwards, preventing them from doing harm with the blades. Samura reveals his partnership with the Hishaku will be a convenient way to identify the blades' locations.
Internally, Uruha reluctantly admits it would be nearly impossible to defeat Samura with Tobimune, and he reckons Samura's goal to be attainable. Standing back up, Samura declares they will deal with the matter of the Enchanted Blades themselves without getting younger individuals involved, with only evildoers ending up dead. Uruha explains as he stands up that while he understands Samura's goal, he refuses to simply die without a fight. To the side, Hakuri panics, frantically worrying that Uruha will be killed because he transported Tobimune and not Kumeyuri as well, and rapidly switches to attempting to transport Chihiro to Senkutsuji.
Samura defeats Uruha
The two wielders walk to a nearby bridge, Samura setting down Tobimune and taking a standard katana as Uruha readies his own. The two ready their blades, before rushing past each other in one swift motion. His expertise on full display, Samura lands a devastating slash on Uruha's left side, while Samura himself is left unharmed. Accepting his defeat, Uruha weakly asks if Samura will go on his path alone. Samura replies in the positive, believing no one else should endure the hell of his goal, before drawing Tobimune and slashing Uruha again to finish him off.
In his last moment of consciousness, Hakuri transports Chihiro to the bridge. Acknowledging their reunion after four years, Samura frowns as he notes Chihiro is covered in the stench of blood, while Chihiro looks on in horror at the sight of Samura standing over Uruha's corpse, black feathers present in the air.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Seven minutes prior to Chihiro's transportation, the Masumi, Uruha, Hakuri and Samura are walking out of Senkutsuji's Eastern Gate.
- Hakuri falls asleep.
- Samura knocks every monk in the vicinity out along with the Masumi, with Hakuri excluded as he is asleep and Uruha excluded so Samura can talk with him.
- As Hakuri wakes up on the floor, Samura tells Uruha of an evil more severe than the Hishaku; the blade wielders themselves, and the sins they had committed in the war.
- Samura announces his objective is to kill the five remaining wielders from the Seitei War, including himself.
- Samura's alliance with the Hishaku is primarily to kill the Master Swordsman, and afterwards Samura plans to eliminate the Hishaku before they can make use of the blades.
- Uruha understands Samura's motive and acknowledges his plan is sound but refuses to simply die without a fight.
- The two duel with ordinary blades and Samura kills Uruha.
- Hakuri witnesses the entire conversation and transports Chihiro as the murder happens before losing consciousness.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
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