Chapter 44 Summary
So they have the raws of chapter 44 out (it's the latest chapter), and Suzuna and I spent a couple of hours the other day working through it -- because this chapter is ridiculous. When I finally canon-update it's probably going to be something like canon-updating from early Tsubasa chapters to later, ho ho. (At least no one's lost an eye yet. Though someone almost did! Edit: actually we now suspect someone may have been blinded in both eyes. Uh.)
So, here's a summary -- raws are up on various manga websites if you really want to see the pretty pictures/Kagura's many, many trauma faces (sob).
Disclaimer: we are amateurs, there may be mistakes, though I think we did okay.
Kagura and Yomi are trying to make a getaway on Byakuei. Okama is chasing them on the black spiritual beast, and taunting them that there's nowhere for them to run to. Yomi gets angry and goes to use the large spear thing she's carrying and Kagura calls for her to wait and not use it yet. Okama basically tells Yomi it's up to her to choose the fate of the world.
An old man appears in front of them suddenly. He tells them everything ended and began thousands of years ago, and Kagura panics and tries to stop Byakuei, but they're moving too fast and just plough right through the old man -- who dissipates, being a spirit... thing... and all.
He tells Kagura to remember, she knows about everything, because she saw it with him the day she became the Kyuubi. Cue freaky vision of thousands of screaming deformed spirit things! Kagura clutches her head and screams, and Byakuei returns to its cute and tiny form, sending the two girls tumbling across the ground. A giant monster just picks of the chunk of ground they're on and lifts it. Yomi crouches protectively in front of Kagura, who is huddled on the ground still. Okama comments on how it looks like Kagura finally had a talking-to.
Cue Tsuina and Kensuke on the train, apparently being updated on the Kagura/Yomi situation. They hitch a ride on a helicopter to intercept the giant monster, which is predicted to be heading towards "naraku". Kensuke wonders if the monsters they've faced before weren't, from the very beginning, trying to bring "Izumi" to "naraku". Cue the old man! He pops into the helicopter, scaring the crap out of Tsuina and Kensuke. He tells them when the black miko goes to "naraku", the end of the world will begin. Tsuina and Kensuke try to kill him.
He tells them he can't be killed! He's like a tengu or kyuubi. He is a "spirit form" born of the ancient earth, called "Tochigami" (earth god) since the time of the ancient peoples. Tsuina and Kensuke are kind of shocked by this. Kensuke accuses him of being a demon, to which Tochigami counters that he's neither ally nor enemy, just a part of the system behind the "extinction plan". He tells them everything is up to the two miko (with an image of Kagura and Yomi shown). The black miko determines the fate of the world, the white miko's duty is to protect and guide her, and it's their duty (I assume he means Kensuke and co.) to protect them.
Kensuke has a minor crisis and wonders what he even came here to do. We go back to the giant monster heading towards "naraku". And... zoom out! Shizuru and Noriyuki are back! (Yaaaay!) And they have no idea what they're looking at. Nori decides to do a little investigating and releases his fox spirits.
Back to Kagura and Yomi. Yomi is still squaring off against Okama, and Kagura isn't looking so good collapsed on the ground behind her. Okama sends dark energy at Yomi and asks her to remember being the evil spirit possessed by the sesshouseki, but Kagura calls her name and she repels the dark energy. She tells Kagura to take a good look at her, and declares that they'll be free. This is the final battlefield, so be glad of it and let's die together, Kagura! (lolol Yomi).
Kagura recalls again the world's hatred and darkness that had been stored up in the sesshouseki and has another freak out. She says that, at that time (when she first saw the darkness Tochigami shared with her), her heart... died.
She starts wishing for someone to save her. And, of course, the helicopter arrives! Kensuke and Tsuina leap out and... snowboard? (for lack of a better word?) on the tanuki's giant iron wall form down the snow monster to where the others are. Kensuke yells at Okama to stay the hell away from Kagura and attacks him, cracking his sword, which Okama seems to find amusing -- he compliments his swordsmanship. Kagura starts to remember what happened when she became the Kyuubi, and Nori's fox warns Kensuke to get down -- Shizuru explodes the monster with the lightning attack from her spiritual beast, sending everyone flying. Kagura is clutching Yomi (who seems to be unconscious) and remembers that Kensuke was always with her. She calls for "Ken-chan" for the first time since the events with the Kyuubi, and takes his hand. The three of them fall together. There's some pessimistic narration there, and Nori, Shizuru, Okama and Batman (OKAY HE'S NOT BATMAN but hell he looks like it) look over the others. Nori says only "Yomi..." and... the end.
SO UH I'm pretty sure that "Tochigami" was basically trying to completely break Kagura through mindrape there to ensure that she doesn't stop Yomi from choosing to destroy the world. Ha ha o canon. Just. Sob.
p.s. app Yomi and Nori and Shizuru and KEN-CHAN/KENSUKE-KUN and a Tsuina is fine too.
AND. REALLY. EVERYONE GOT 100x HOTTER AND MORE BADASS IN THIS CHAPTER except Kagura who spent most of it huddled in a ball traumatized :|a
So, here's a summary -- raws are up on various manga websites if you really want to see the pretty pictures/Kagura's many, many trauma faces (sob).
Disclaimer: we are amateurs, there may be mistakes, though I think we did okay.
Kagura and Yomi are trying to make a getaway on Byakuei. Okama is chasing them on the black spiritual beast, and taunting them that there's nowhere for them to run to. Yomi gets angry and goes to use the large spear thing she's carrying and Kagura calls for her to wait and not use it yet. Okama basically tells Yomi it's up to her to choose the fate of the world.
An old man appears in front of them suddenly. He tells them everything ended and began thousands of years ago, and Kagura panics and tries to stop Byakuei, but they're moving too fast and just plough right through the old man -- who dissipates, being a spirit... thing... and all.
He tells Kagura to remember, she knows about everything, because she saw it with him the day she became the Kyuubi. Cue freaky vision of thousands of screaming deformed spirit things! Kagura clutches her head and screams, and Byakuei returns to its cute and tiny form, sending the two girls tumbling across the ground. A giant monster just picks of the chunk of ground they're on and lifts it. Yomi crouches protectively in front of Kagura, who is huddled on the ground still. Okama comments on how it looks like Kagura finally had a talking-to.
Cue Tsuina and Kensuke on the train, apparently being updated on the Kagura/Yomi situation. They hitch a ride on a helicopter to intercept the giant monster, which is predicted to be heading towards "naraku". Kensuke wonders if the monsters they've faced before weren't, from the very beginning, trying to bring "Izumi" to "naraku". Cue the old man! He pops into the helicopter, scaring the crap out of Tsuina and Kensuke. He tells them when the black miko goes to "naraku", the end of the world will begin. Tsuina and Kensuke try to kill him.
He tells them he can't be killed! He's like a tengu or kyuubi. He is a "spirit form" born of the ancient earth, called "Tochigami" (earth god) since the time of the ancient peoples. Tsuina and Kensuke are kind of shocked by this. Kensuke accuses him of being a demon, to which Tochigami counters that he's neither ally nor enemy, just a part of the system behind the "extinction plan". He tells them everything is up to the two miko (with an image of Kagura and Yomi shown). The black miko determines the fate of the world, the white miko's duty is to protect and guide her, and it's their duty (I assume he means Kensuke and co.) to protect them.
Kensuke has a minor crisis and wonders what he even came here to do. We go back to the giant monster heading towards "naraku". And... zoom out! Shizuru and Noriyuki are back! (Yaaaay!) And they have no idea what they're looking at. Nori decides to do a little investigating and releases his fox spirits.
Back to Kagura and Yomi. Yomi is still squaring off against Okama, and Kagura isn't looking so good collapsed on the ground behind her. Okama sends dark energy at Yomi and asks her to remember being the evil spirit possessed by the sesshouseki, but Kagura calls her name and she repels the dark energy. She tells Kagura to take a good look at her, and declares that they'll be free. This is the final battlefield, so be glad of it and let's die together, Kagura! (lolol Yomi).
Kagura recalls again the world's hatred and darkness that had been stored up in the sesshouseki and has another freak out. She says that, at that time (when she first saw the darkness Tochigami shared with her), her heart... died.
She starts wishing for someone to save her. And, of course, the helicopter arrives! Kensuke and Tsuina leap out and... snowboard? (for lack of a better word?) on the tanuki's giant iron wall form down the snow monster to where the others are. Kensuke yells at Okama to stay the hell away from Kagura and attacks him, cracking his sword, which Okama seems to find amusing -- he compliments his swordsmanship. Kagura starts to remember what happened when she became the Kyuubi, and Nori's fox warns Kensuke to get down -- Shizuru explodes the monster with the lightning attack from her spiritual beast, sending everyone flying. Kagura is clutching Yomi (who seems to be unconscious) and remembers that Kensuke was always with her. She calls for "Ken-chan" for the first time since the events with the Kyuubi, and takes his hand. The three of them fall together. There's some pessimistic narration there, and Nori, Shizuru, Okama and Batman (OKAY HE'S NOT BATMAN but hell he looks like it) look over the others. Nori says only "Yomi..." and... the end.
SO UH I'm pretty sure that "Tochigami" was basically trying to completely break Kagura through mindrape there to ensure that she doesn't stop Yomi from choosing to destroy the world. Ha ha o canon. Just. Sob.
p.s. app Yomi and Nori and Shizuru and KEN-CHAN/KENSUKE-KUN and a Tsuina is fine too.
AND. REALLY. EVERYONE GOT 100x HOTTER AND MORE BADASS IN THIS CHAPTER except Kagura who spent most of it huddled in a ball traumatized :|a