Battle 552 is titled "Kiyoi Kidō"
Summary
Kenichi, Miu, Niijima, along with Sakaki and Akisame go to meet Kiyoi Kidō and arrive at a large house. Upon hearing that they are from Ryōzanpaku, Kiyou Kidō has said she wanted to meet them though the masters are alert for any signs of a trap. As they enter Kenichi and Miu note that she sounds like a regular woman through the intercom and Sakaki does not feel the aura of a master.
They meet with Kiyoi Kidō, who is revealed to be blind, and she says that she has heard from her older brother that Ryōzanpaku is the only force able to fight against Yami. Her older half-brother is revealed to be Rin Tachibana of the Hachiō Executioner Blade, upon hearing this the others put on their guard thinking they had entered the enemy's territory. Kiyoi Kidō tries to stop them to explain and Kenichi and Akisame believe her intentions are good.
Kiyoi Kidō begins her story and says that she has heard all about Ryōzanpaku from her brother, and that her way of thinking has been influenced by them. She is very thankful to her brother for allowing her to live a comfortable life but that is the reason why she wants him to be stopped. She receives a warning from her brother to flee the country because Yami is planning to destroy particular countries to rupture the balance of the world, with Japan being one of them.
Akisame asks if she means the Eternal Sunset and Kiyoi Kidō confirms his suspicions, adding that she wants to stay in Japan to witness everything. While she does not know the exact details of Yami's plans she knows that Rin always follows through with his words and that is why she wants Ryōzanpaku to stop him. Akisame asks how she is communicating with her brother and she answers that he contacts her with a one-way satellite phone.
Over at the Yami base Shigure is seen instructing the scientists of the weapon team. The head scientist asks what is going on and a scientist responds that they have failed to make weapons despite perfectly copying her procedure, concluding that they need to train their spirits to learn the secret of the truth of steel. The head scientist reacts that the others are suffering reverse Stockholm syndrome: the scientists are indeed improving their technique in making weapons but they are also beginning to think that making killing weapons is wrong.
At nighttime a guard passes through Shigure's cell and confirms everything is normal. Shigure's bonds are shown to be cut in half as she escapes from them and goes through a hatch that has been cut through her cell. As she continues her escape it is announced that the Hachiō Executioner Blade has returned and the soldiers are assembling to report to them.
Tōchūmaru beckons Shigure as he has found a satellite phone, which seems to be the one that Rin uses to contact Kiyoi Kidō. The Hachiō Executioner Blade are seen arriving and Seitarō Raigō asks where Shigure has gone, while a confused Shigure wonders how to use the satellite phone.
Characters that Appeared
- Chikage Kushinada (cover)
- Kenichi Shirahama
- Miu Fūrinji
- Shio Sakaki
- Akisame Kōetsuji
- Haruo Niijima
- Kiyoi Kidō
- Shigure Kōsaka
- Tōchūmaru
- Rin Tachibana
- Mihai Știrbey
- Raki Hoshinano
- Seitarō Raigō
- Marmaduke Brown
- Edeltraft von Schiller
- Mildred Lawrence
| Return to Japan Arc | The Eternal Sunset Arc | Epilogue |
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