Chapter 124: Shadow of a True Desire

Misao: Now the tables are turned! Beat 'em up, Kaoru!

Kaoru: Wait, Misao. Kamatari... will you surrender? You can't win now, without your scythe. There's no point in any further.

Misao (boiling mad): Hey wait a minute!! I'm not going to agree to that! Not only did that freak humiliate me, he broke my ribs!!

Kamatari (to Kaoru): You make me laugh. (waving at the broken bokutou) You can't win either, can you?

Kaoru: That's not true. The essence of the Kamiya Kasshin school is the sword that protects life. The idea is not to kill your opponent, but to control him. (Holding out the bokutou, now only a foot long) Therefore, one can fight without a blade, even with only a hilt.

Kamatari (raising the bladeless staff): You don't sound like you're bluffing. But I've got a broken-weapon technique too.

Misao (thinking): He's not smiling anymore. (aloud) So Kaoru finally got you to take us seriously.

Kamatari: What are you talking about? I took you seriously from the start.

Misao: LIAR!

Kamatari: It's true. You can't be a transvestite half-heartedly. No matter how hard I wish, I can never have a woman's body, so I'll never be able to compete with Yumi of the Night. And no matter how hard I train, I'll never be as good as Soujirou, the best of the Ten Swords. As a man or as a woman, I'll never be Lord Shishio's favorite, I'll always be the odd one out. Since it's all I can do, I fulfill my duties perfectly. With all of my heart. Fighting for Lord Shishio is all I have! I can't let anything stop me!

(He drives the barbed end of the staff into the links of the chain and twists, pulling it up into a windmill and hurling it at Kaoru.)

Honshuu-style Great Scythe techniques Benten Mawashi!

(Kaoru dives in under the chain.)

Kamiya Kasshin school Tsuka no Gedan--Hiza Hijiki!

(She breaks the bokutou across Kamatari's knee, crushing the kneecap.)

Kaoru: I'm sorry... but I promised to go back to Tokyo with Kenshin and everyone, and I couldn't let anything stop me either. It's over. Tell your troops to draw back. Those who are hurt and cannot move, including you, will be treated...

Kamatari: You must be joking. (holding a tiny stiletto up to his throat) I could never go back to Lord Shishio in such disgrace.

(Misao whacks him across the head with her wrist guard, and he falls unconscious.)

Kaoru: Misao...

Misao: I hate him, and I really don't get this cross-dressing thing... But wanting to fight for the one you love--that I can understand.

Kaoru: Sympathy.

Soldiers: This is insane... First Lord Henya, and now Lord Kamatari, one of the Ten Swords, is defeated by two girls...

Captain: Don't lose your heads! There's still the Round Demon! Lord Iwanbou's going to fight!

Soldiers (chanting): Lord Iwanbou, Lord Iwanbou!

Iwanbou (turning to look at them, with a goofy look on his face): Gufu?

(They step back, aghast.)

Soldiers: No--he's too stupid!! Run for it!!

Iwanbou (finding himself alone): Gufu.

(He turns to look at Okon and Omasu, then Kuro and Shiro, then Misao and Kaoru.)

Misao: His--his head just turned one-eighty degrees...

Kaoru: It's gotta be some kind of illusion.

Iwanbou: GUFU!!

(He bounces up over the rooftops and away.)

Okon: Hey, he ran away!

Okina: Don't bother chasing after him. Our goal is achieved. Good work, everyone. We've won.

(Suddenly, a massive shadow falls over them.)

Saitsuchi: So you routed Kamatari and the others. All the better, then.

(A huge sword cuts through the building opposite the Aoiya. Saitsuchi appears, riding in the hand of a giant fully twice as tall as the buildings.)

Saitsuchi: That means we have you all to ourselves!