Become the Samurai (ビカム
Summary[]
Sumi takes a brief motion to throw the sheath of Chihiro's newly acquire katana to him, and Iori looks back at him briefly before the motorcycle speeds off once more. Kuguri announces his intention to have a proper sword bout; but while he wants to enjoy the fight, he also has a job to do in capturing Iori. He slashes forth again but Chihiro holds him off, the latter identifying Kuguri and Toto as not being present at three years ago. Chihiro then remembers how Samura had stopped his path of revenge, and Chihiro himself had acknowledged he had lost his right to pursue revenge.
Sometime prior, in the cafe, Chihiro announced his intention to Ro that they solve the situation before Hakuri recovered, which Ro agreed to. Chihiro noted that he was weak, having let Hakuri carry much of his burden, eventually leading to him ending up in a heavily damaged state. Ro told Chihiro he was overplaying the issue while Moku handed him food. Chihiro then voiced that he had noticed the large gap in swordsmanship ability between himself and masters like Uruha and Samura.
Chihiro clarified that similar to how certain sorcerers used their spirit-energy-enhanced physical abilities as their primary weapon with sorcery as an addition, spirit-energy-based swordsmanship relied on properly channeling spirit energy to one's sword to achieve maximum effect. While Chihiro had used Enten for far longer than the Seitei War sword bearers had used theirs (3 years compared to 1 and a half), the sword bearers were already renowned prior to the war for their swordsmanship ability, and Chihiro commented it was obvious the sword bearers had a more advanced mastery of the Enchanted Blades compared to himself. While his own synergy with Enten was top-notch, it was his swordsmanship that needed work; no one had taught him swordsmanship in the past.
Hence in order to enhance his abilities with Enten, Chihiro viewed it as mandatory to improve his swordsmanship, and he prepares to face Kuguri without Enten. Abruptly, Kuguri vocally complains about something distracting him, being his desire to fight overpowering his sense of duty. He rears back a strike that Chihiro spots and blocks, but as Chihiro attempts to side-step Kuguri, Kuguri's blade stays locked with Chihiro's, Chihiro having to reposition himself and bracing both hands against Kuguri's attack. Chihiro notices the impressive force and speed of Kuguri's attacks.
A nearby watching Ro identifies that Kuguri has thus far not used sorcery and only used spirit-energy-enhanced swordsmanship; a fitting yet difficult first battle for a Chihiro looking to improve his sword skills. Kuguri abruptly stops mid-blade-clash and demands to know who taught Chihiro how to use swords; Chihiro responds no one has done so. Kuguri agrees, having observed that Chihiro's spirit energy isn't lining up correctly with his attacks, before growing peeved at Chihiro's apparent lack of development. Chihiro responds he will learn swordsmanship technique on the spot, causing incredulity to emerge on Kuguri's face at the thought of Chihiro attempting to improve his skills through direct combat experience.
Kuguri then recalls some time ago when Yura asked him to train Hiruhiko in sword combat. While he had agreed, Hiruhiko refusd to listen to his instruction, preferring to learn himself. Reminded of the prior situation, Kuguri in the present grows enraged and shouts that if Chihiro cannot respect the art of the sword he shouldn't bother trying to use it. All satisfaction from a sword fight completely lost, Kuguri drives Chihiro back and resumes his pursuit of the motorbike. While disappointed, Kuguri is ultimately grateful he can focus on his mission once more. Ro moves to stop Kuguri while Chihiro stares at his shaking hand.
IAI WHITE PURITY STYLE
Chihiro sees the distance between them is already too far and knows he is paying the price of relying on Enten for so long. While he knows he cannot master sword techniques in an instant, he begins readying his katana in a specific stance. It is noted that while Chihiro lacks technique, his foundation is exemplary, and since he cannot readily apply spirit energy well in any kind of sword attack, he restricts himself to using specific kata; specific forms. Using Samura's model of his technique and remembering Uruha's words that his technique involved building up and containing spirit energy within the in order to explosively release it into a burst of speed upon unsheathing, Chihiro readies his katana in the Iai White Purity Style stance.
Spirit energy bubbles around the scabbard as Chihiro unsheathes the katana and in one incredibly swift motion immediately speeds to Kuguri's location, forcing the taller swordsman to block. Despite Chihiro's lack of skill in using iai, Kuguri is greatly impressed by Chihiro's decision to properly execute sword techniques and thus respect the art of the sword. He is once again trapped in decision paralysis as he balances his desires with his work, remembering how he had left Toto behind under the car in order to pursue Iori. Even so, his memory of Hiruhiko refusing to listen to him and Yura supporting Hiruhiko tips Kuguri over the edge as his desire to fight overrides everything else, and he shouts he can't hold back anymore as Sumi and Iori speed away.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Kuguri voices that his desire to engage in a proper sword fight is warring with his duty to capture Iori.
- Prior, at the cafe, Chihiro voices that one of his primary aims is to hone his swordsmanship in order to improve his skill with Enten; while his connection with the Enchanted Blade is top-notch, his sword skills are inferior to that of the Seitei War sword bearers.
- Kuguri identifies that Chihiro lacks skill with using swords. Remembering an earlier time when Hiruhiko had rejected his teachings in favour of learning his own way and hearing Chihiro say he will learn in battle, Kuguri shouts his disgust with Chihiro's refusal to respect the art of the sword and refuses to fight any longeer, chasing after Iori.
- Remembering Samura's use of the Iai White Purity Style and Uruha's words of advice regarding the style, Chihiro successfully partially emulates the style and catches up to Kuguri in one swift motion.
- Kuguri is impressed by Chihiro's decision to follow his words and attempt to use a proper sword technique, thoughts of his mission set aside as his desire to fight overwhelms him.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
 |
Takeru Hokazono |
| |