| abstract | - The barehanded Yomi face off against the armed division to the surprise of the Shinpaku Alliance. Hyōgo states that the unarmed division has finally crossed the line and declares a hunt for the barehanded team as they attack. Hyōgo is forced on the defensive by Bersker's attacks as his fellow kodachi disciple backs him up but she is forced away by Hermit. Rachel, Boris, and Lugh fights off the disciples of Marmaduke and Rin as the Shinpaku Alliance wonders what is happening. Chikage replies that they will be supporting the Shinpaku Alliance, albeit temporarily, in order to protect their masters' pride. Over at the masters' battlefield Mikumo is telling Chikage to return to their strategy of overwhelming the Katsujinken and to follow her order. Chikage replies that in the time she spent in Kōryō High School she has learned that there are times when going against someone's will works out for their sake; she has decided that fighting unfairly will end up ruining their pride as fighters and so Chikage is doing what she feels is right, adding that Kenichi has showed her that path. Mikumo grits her teeth angrily because of her disciple's behavior and asks her fellow masters to control things at the disciples' battlefield. Cyril Rahman uses his headset and talks to Ethan Stanley who replies that he owes a debt to Kenichi and his master realizes he feels that their strategy may be wrong. Tirawit Kokin talks to his master and asks for instructions on what to do "for the pride of Muay Thai" and Agaard smiles that his disciple is considering pride in this battle. Deciding that it would be better if she went to the other battle herself, Mikumo seeks to end the battle against the Ryōzanpaku masters. She causes an opening for the armed division to land a fatal blow on each of the masters but Akisame unleashes his true strength and manages to catch all the weapons before they land. However Seitarō Raigō appears behind Mikumo and aims to stab Akisame, who is unable to dodge the attack. Kagerō Kii regains consciousness and blocks the kodachi with his hoe and lands a punch on Raigō as well. Kagerō says that he was revived by the voice of a weird old guy (the Elder) as he prepares to attack. The Yami masters take their stances against Kagerō and Kensei Ma warns him to stop because of his injuries. Kagerō laments that he was born as a Satsujinken and that he was a killer but that he had changed when the hoe showed him the "warmth of the earth". A flashback shows Kagerō tending to a birdnest that had fallen to the ground. He replaced the nest up on a tree and had fed the birds with a smile on his face. One day he sees an injured bird and runs to the nest, finding it has been attacked by a snake and the birds have been eaten. As he walks away from the tree he suddenly sheds a tear, to his surprise. Kagerō says that he cannot be redeemed as he has taken too many lives but he would still like to be of some help to the Katsujinken's fight, as well as save the pride of the Satsujinken. Mikumo kills Kagerō before he manages to strike, which angers the Ryōzanpaku masters and they resume their battle. Edeltraft attacks Ma Kensei, who manages to catch the strike but is struggling to defend. Sōgetsu Ma looks on as Edeltraft tells him to finish off Ma Kensei as his headset turns on and he receives communication from his disciple. Hermit tells him that he wasn't able to save his sister in the end but that it's not too late for his master. Sōgetsu Ma strikes Edeltraft with his fist and wine gourd, saving his brother, as he grumbles that he has such a noisy disciple.
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