Enten vs. Cloud Gouger (
Summary[]
Sometime before Chihiro's encounter with Sojo, Azami and Shiba sit in a car. Azami voices his shock at Sojo having Cloud Gouger, discussing that Sojo's recent uncharacteristically bold actions suggested he was intentionally baiting the Kamunabi, which made sense given his wielding of an Enchanted Blade. He advises Shiba to have Chihiro keep a low profile regardless of his rapidly increasing combat prowess to avoid the sight of a battle between Enchanted Blades. The two notice an exhibit on Kunishige Rokuhira outside commemorating the 18th anniversary of the Seitei War which had been last week, and Azami notes the children of the modern era would see Kunishige as a hero. He adds while Kunishige and his blades were seen as a hero, the sight of the blades battling in public would shatter that image.
In Cafe Haru Haru, Chihiro and Enten face Sojo and Cloud Gouger. Chihiro's mind is overwhelmed by a myriad thoughts from the Hishaku to Shinuchi to Char, but his primary priority switches to his father's blade right in front of his eyes. Sojo is internally impressed that Chihiro had come out practically unharmed from the lightning attack he had unleashed earlier with Mei, and asks how Chihiro came to possess a seventh Enchanted Blade. Chihiro refuses to answer and dashes out of Cafe Haru Haru, wondering why Sojo is more focused on his Enchanted Blade rather than Char but accepting the situation. Sojo follows suit and the two begin leaping across rooftops.
Sojo unleashes Yui, prompting Chihiro to counterattack with Kuro. Chihiro remembers Cloud Gouger has three abilities, the previously used Mei being lightning and Yui being ice, just as a wave of ice spikes rear up from a nearby rooftop at Sojo's command. Chihiro's flying slash carves through the ice and slashes at Sojo, who takes note of the ability and parries. Chihiro then throws his wakizashi at Sojo and dashes behind him, but Sojo blocks the attack and pushes Chihiro back, Sojo's strength even in an awkward position surprising Chihiro. Nevertheless, Chihiro is glad that Hinao and Char should be able to escape, which they are seen doing.
Chihiro is acutely aware of the power difference between him and Sojo, who hadn't shown any signs of fatigue, suggesting he hadn't even been using his full speed yet. Chihiro realises his best option is Nishiki, but given his fatigue he would only have one chance to employ it and wouldn't last long with it active.
"I truly love Kunishige Rokuhira."
Unexpectedly, Sojo expresses his admiration for Kunishige Rokuhira, Chihiro's father, praising the excellence of the weapons he crafted. Eager to feel a closer connection to them, Sojo had extensively researched Kunishige and recently acquired Cloud Gouger, which was a dream come true for him. He then questions Chihiro about the Enchanted Blade he possesses, which was not one of the six he recognised, demanding to know where it came from. Chihiro refuses to provide details, and Sojo decides to ask about Chihiro's motivation for wielding his sword instead, wanting to judge whether he was worthy of wielding it. Reflecting the lessons he had learned from his father, Chihiro responds that he fought to defeat evil and protect the weak.
Sojo is visibly dismayed, voicing that only he truly understood Kunishige. He laments that the books keep labelling him a hero, which he considered an insult, and comments that there was only one reason to make weapons, stating to Chihiro that he didn't understand anything. A cloud dragon shifts into form as Sojo backflips off of the roof, proclaiming that he would tell Chihiro what Kunishige really wanted. Lightning crackles around the cloud dragon as Sojo shouts that the Enchanted Blades are the ultimate weapons of mass destruction, and their sole purpose was for killing. Chihiro is shocked and rushes down, just as Sojo lands in the midst of a crowd of civilians and begins charging Mei, the cloud dragon dissipating into mass amounts of lightning crackling around Cloud Gouger.
Still in the car, Azami states if the Enchanted Blades were to clash in the city, civilian casualties would undoubtedly result, and Kunishige Rokuhira's heroic reputation would be irreparably tarnished.
Sojo praises the power of Kunishige's craftsmanship as 'truly sublime' and calls Mei, aiming to devastate the nearby civilians. Chihiro thrusts Enten forth, the red shade of Aka manifesting on Enten's blade right before a massive boom fills the sky. As the dust settles, Sojo sees a crater pointing diagonally off to the side towards where a visibly heavily electrocuted Chihiro is standing. He sees the civilians are unharmed and are now running away, and is confused, curiously asking for an explanation from Chihiro. Chihiro replies he applied the same principle as a lightning rod, using lightning to attract lightning as a lightning rod emitted electricity (having unleashed the Mei he had absorbed using Aka in Cafe Haru Haru).
Sojo ponders if Chihiro's blade also has the ability to fire lightning and also realises Chihiro used himself as the lightning rod, taking major damage in the process. Condemning Chihiro's attempt to save the civilians, Sojo attempts another Mei, a cloud dragon manifesting and shifting into lightning, but it abruptly disappears. Chihiro coldly states that after Cloud Gouger releases a high-powered Mei, it requires a 10-20 second interval to recharge, and asserts that Sojo was the one who didn't understand anything.
Sojo is aggravated and retorts that Chihiro's tough act was belied by his body's obviously weakened state. Assessing the situation, Chihiro believes 10-20 seconds is enough for people nearby to escape, especially as the Kamunabi should be approaching the area soon. However, before their arrival, remembering Sojo's ideals completely contradicting what he and his father stood for, Chihiro intends to defeat Sojo, swaying on his feet before catching himself in a kneeling position and activating Nishiki.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Shiba and Azami ride in a car and discuss Sojo's uncharacteristically brazen actions. Azami notes Chihiro needs to lay low as if the Enchanted Blades were seen battling in public, Kunishige Rokuhira's status as a hero would disintgerate.
- Chihiro realises Sojo is concentrating on Enten rather than Char and leads the fight outside to the rooftop.
- Sojo reveals his admiration for Kunishige's works as weapons of mass destruction for slaughter and is disgusted when Chihiro tells him he uses his blade to defeat evil and protect the weak, as his father would've said.
- Sojo lands in the streets and charges Mei, aiming to massacre the nearby civilians. Chihiro rapidly uses the Mei he had absorbed earlier using Aka to attract the lightning towards his own lightning, taking the entire attack himself.
- Chihiro knows the Kamunabi will be arriving soon, but his disdain towards Sojo leads him to want to kill Sojo immediately, and he activates Nishiki
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
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