The Twelve-Second Duel is a battle between Chihiro Rokuhira and Genichi Sojo. Having both become aware of the 'true realm' of their Enchanted Blades and suffered heavy injuries in the process, Chihiro and Sojo prepare to give everything they have in one final duel in front of Kaburato Castle. Their remaining time of activity is twelve seconds.
Prologue[]
Following his arrival in the courtyard of Kaburato Castle, Sojo sets down his Datenseki-containing briefcase, Cloud Gouger clutched in his right arm. Sojo summons forth a cloud dragon, recalling to Chihiro how as he became more in tune with the blade, Mei’s cooldown had decreased, but that was not what had surprised him. What had surprised him was his success in attempting to cloak with Mei rather than attack with it.
Chihiro summons the tri-coloured goldfish from Enten and sinks into concentration, despite acknowledging the casualties among the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces. Sojo is surprised at Chihiro’s condition and how quickly he had recovered, and sees Chihiro has also found a new level of understanding with his Enchanted Blade; but while he wishes to converse with him further, he senses that it would be better to communicate through the clashing of their blades instead.
Both combatants were exhausted from battling. Both had deepened the understanding of their blades. Both activated their cloaking, Nishiki and Mei. Both had 12 seconds of activity left as they sped off to begin their final bout.
Battle[]
The duel begins
12:00
The two speed into the air, dashing in the direction of the castle.
11:52
Sojo rears down from above, lightning crackling from himself and his sword as his blade meets Chihiro’s. Rather than communicate through words, the clashing of their blades does the talking for them; represented as the two sitting in a tearoom on two sides of a table, atop which sit two cups of tea and two plates with tricolour dango on them. Sojo expresses his fondness for the taste for dango, and offers some to Chihiro as a sign of his respect. Coldly, Chihiro responds he dislikes sweet food. Let down but unsurprised at Chihiro’s bloodlust, Sojo reveals his desire to talk further with Chihiro, and states that although he originally didn’t want to, he acknowledges Chihiro's altruistic beliefs, no longer dismissing them.
However, Sojo simply believed in his own values more, to wield Cloud Gouger as a weapon of mass destruction. Chihiro vehemently refuses, having worked with his father every single day. Sojo shuts him down, though is momentarily captivated by the chance to learn more about who Kunishige truly was but rejects it in favour of maintaining his own agenda on the Enchanted Blades. Sojo eats a piece of dango as he reveals Cloud Gouger accepted and harmonised with his desire to slaughter, just as Enten harmonised with Chihiro's desire to rescue Char.
In reality, the two combatants are evenly matched. The two zip away from their locked position and Sojo sees an opportunity to attack and slashes down, but his arm is stop by Chihiro’s leg. Chihiro attacks with his own slash and Sojo tosses Cloud Gouger to his left arm while he moves his head out of the way, rearing in with a slice. Seeing no way to avoid the attack, Chihiro decides to let it slice off his non-dominant right arm to buy some time to manoeuvre out of the way, the two once again disappearing into two circling blurs.
09:04
Sojo realises Chihiro’s tactic of sacrificing his arm, and finds his speed has drastically increased compared to their first battle. Chihiro, on his part, notes Sojo’s lightning-cloaking lets him harness a speed faster than Nishiki’s cloaking.
Within the mental tearoom, Sojo concludes that their previous belief that only they could speak for Kunishige was wrong; in fact, anyone can speak on behalf of Kunishige's vision for the blades, which is what gives their battle meaning.
07:68
Sojo consolidates his knowledge on Chihiro's abilities: other than Nishiki, he had observed long-distance slashing attacks (Kuro), a defence ability that neutralised Mei (which he inferred from their first clash in the café, in reality Chihiro having used Aka to absorb it) and the charge he used to act as a lightning rod during when they battled in the streets (which in fact was Chihiro reusing the Aka he had previously absorbed). With Kou and Yui useless at his current speed, Sojo decides maintaining his lightning-cloaking and going for a surprise attack would be his best option, though it would solidly lock him out of any other options. He decides to proceed without any more arrogance or trickery.
06:00 → 03:00
Sojo increases the amount of spirit energy present in the lightning cloaking him to twice his body's limit, doubling his power but halving his remaining time to 3 seconds. Sojo’s new level of speed allows him to surprise Chihiro, rapidly circling him before slicing in from behind.
Within the tearoom, Chihiro picks up a stick of dango.
In reality, Chihiro manages to dodge the attack, even launching a counterattack that Sojo himself barely evades, Chihiro ending up in the air above Sojo.
In the tearoom, Chihiro eats all three pieces on the stick of dango he had picked up, grimacing at the taste. He ponders his father's words that Chihiro would have to make his decisions through seeing the world himself, and ultimately not only acknowledges Sojo's beliefs but also understands them; but refuses to show Sojo any respect, and will simply cut Sojo down with even thicker bloodlust.
Back in reality, Chihiro slashes downwards, slicing off Sojo's left arm, Sojo quickly realising Chihiro had increased the spirit energy cloaking himself to triple his body's limit, Chihiro now capable of out-speeding Sojo.
01:47
Chihiro circles Sojo and swerves in again from behind but Sojo predicts his move and strikes Cloud Gouger behind him. However, Chihiro had predicted Sojo would react this way, and cancels Nishiki to slow himself down, keeping himself out of Sojo's reach, a move not unnoticed by a shocked Sojo.
00:89
The duel concludes
As Chihiro prepares a point-blank Kuro at 0.89 seconds, Sojo immediately catches on to how lethal such an attack would be from such a short distance, and attempts to parry and charge one last Mei, but Chihiro's resulting attack not only deals severe damage to Sojo, gouging through much of his side, but bisects Cloud Gouger, cancelling the lightning attack.
Aftermath[]
Sojo collapses, fatally wounded, not only injured by the attack but also exhausted by over-coating his body with spirit energy. Chihiro is barely standing, exhausted for the same reason. Sojo begrudgingly mutters the Enchanted Blades must have chosen Chihiro. Chihiro admits they chose Sojo too, and as he moves to continue the scene transitions to Shiba teleporting in to support a collapsing Chihiro. Near the courtyard entrance, a fedora-wearing Hishaku sorcerer takes the briefcase Sojo had brought, disappearing before Shiba notices him. The Datenseki within would later be given to Kyora Sazanami by the Hishaku leader.
In the meantime, Sojo crawls away towards the castle's interior, and Shiba suggests finishing him off, but Chihiro deems it unnecessary. Char insists on healing Chihiro's severed arm, but she fails and is dismayed, Shiba quickly assuring her she most likely does not have mastery over the ability yet and Chihiro reminding her that her healing of his arm allowed him to defeat Sojo.
Meanwhile, Sojo drags himself into the laboratory, and grabs onto the Datenseki, believing his knowledge of the Enchanted Blades sufficient to use the mineral. However, as Sojo inputs spirit energy into the stone, it rebounds onto Sojo's arm, confusing him as he frustratedly wonders what he's doing wrong. The words Chihiro said to Sojo are then revealed; that no matter whether the blades accept Sojo or not, he will not even come close to measuring up to his father. Sojo tries one last time to use the Datenseki, screaming Kunishige's name, and the castle violently erupts in a great explosion, Shiba teleporting the three out of the explosion radius. Chihiro would later take possession of the pieces of Cloud Gouger.
After the Kamunabi verify Sojo’s death and discover Cloud Gouger was not present, they would receive Kazane Machi’s report that Chihiro was responsible and would dispatch Hiyuki Kagari and Tafuku Mihara after him to retrieve Enten and Cloud Gouger.