Oh, no! A huge Dragon Spot!
There are more Kegare coming out than I can count!
They've finally come.
Can there really be that many Kegare?
Let's go, Benio!
No need for that.
Didn't I explain?
If the broken branch of the Ame-no-mihashira is restored,
the Dragon Spots will never open again.
You won't even need to exorcise the Kegare.
If she chooses to return to her place, everyone will be saved.
How about it, you two?
If what you're saying is true...
What'll happen to Sae when she goes back?
Nothing special. She'll just return to her true self.
But...
Then her current form...
She won't be able to turn back, no.
So you want to sacrifice Sae?!
There's no way we can agree to that!
Well, it's the best solution...
I'm sorry, but—
You realize her current appearance is irregular in the first place, right?
Even so...
To us, she's just Sae-chan!
And what does Sae-chan think?
Still can't remember your past?
I don't know.
Well, don't worry.
We're not gonna force you.
That would just make the barrier unstable, and even more fragile.
Well, I guess we'd better use the second method.
There's another way?!
Soon, the Twelve Guardians will be gathered.
Once we all perform the Heavenly Blue Earth Ritual, it should fix the branch.
There's a ritual like that?
That should've been the plan all along!
Don't involve Sae for no reason!
Her returning would still be the best way.
If you remember, come on back, okay?
Stop it!
Instead, let us help with this ritual.
If it works out, then Sae doesn't have to do anything, right?
Well, then...
Forever Smiling Lovely Smile Forever
Y-You've gotta be kidding me!
A Dragon Spot that huge...
That's a true Dragon Spot.
So many Kegare...
When it first opened, we all performed a ritual.
The same one you two use Resonance to do.
One to patch the holes in the barrier.
That seemed to solve it at first,
but smaller Dragon Spots began opening all over the place,
no matter how many we closed.
And nothing we've done all this time solved the problem,
because the barrier has been incomplete all along.
After realizing that, Arima-sama asked us to look for the root cause,
and we finally found it.
And it was...
where that branch is broken?
Yep.
To restore it,
the Twelve Guardians needed to go to six different spots to perform a ritual.
Once the power gathered at five points of a star is combined into one,
the broken Ame-no-mihashira branch will be doused with it...
But they're bound to attack in an effort to stop the ritual.
So we decided to have two Guardians at each point: one to carry out the ritual,
and the other to fight off the incoming enemies.
But...
Right now, the Twelve Guardians...
Yep.
We're missing one.
Seigen...
The idea was to have Tenma-han hold out on his own,
here at the center of the ritual, but...
Could the two of you protect him in Seigen's place?
The two of us,
standing in for Seigen?
Please, let us do it!
They'll be here any moment.
You'll have to keep exorcising and not stop for anything.
Right!
Do you like those two?
Yeah, I love them!
I see. Well, take good care of them, then.
Okay!
Y'know...
I love the beautiful city of Kyoto, too.
Bye-bye!
Even after reaching the Ame-no-mihashira, she still doesn't remember...
I never imagined her human girl form would take such a strong hold.
We probably can't use her.
That means everything comes down to our ritual.
Subaru-sama!
Tatara-sama!
It's Arima-sama!
What happened to him?
While I was running an errand,
he was attacked.
I believe it was most likely Kuranashi himself.
There's been no word from him since.
I've tried to receive an oracle about his whereabouts,
but no matter how many times I try, the results deny his existence.
What?
Are you saying...
You think Arima-sama might be dead?!
I hate to butt in, but that could never happen. Not to him.
It must be some kind of mistake.
I'd even gamble on it.
You would?!
Seriously?
You're right...
Arima-sama was to receive the power that Tenma-han was going to channel.
Tenma-sama and the remaining Twelve Guardians will return soon.
Together, perhaps they can...
We've got no choice.
Rokuro...
The ritual is probably going to take a fair amount of time, right?
Most likely... Not that I'd know.
In that case...
Never mind.
I'm picking up Kegare around the corner!
It's gotten this bad?!
Come on, Benio!
Right!
Kinako, watch Sae!
I know already!
You can do it, Papa! Benio!
Hey, Kinako...
This is really bad, huh?
It sure is.
This might be HQ's territory, but your average exorcist
doesn't fight armies of serpents and true serpents every day.
That's why they're all so desperate.
Benio, what were you gonna say back there?
The damage is worse than I thought...
And the circumstances leave us no time to spare.
So maybe, as exorcists, the right decision would have been
to convince Sae-chan to return to the tree...
Benio!
But...
I can't do that!
You're all here.
I'll explain the details later, but this ritual's gonna take quite a while to pull off.
So we'll perform it while trying to seal off the miasma from the Dragon Spot.
I'm counting on you all.
Om!
Sumbha!
Nisumbha!
Hum!
Vajra!
Hum!
Phat!
Om sumbha nisumbha hum vajra hum phat!
The Dragon Spot...
Looks like the ritual is working!
We need to stay on our toes!
By now, the branch should've grown back, and the Dragon Spot should be gone...
Arima-sama's absence is really slowing things down.
Born from darkness, lurking amid the light,
let this steadfast pitch black become your tomb.
When the Dragon Spot disappears, it will begin...
The destruction of you exorcists.
There's Papa and Benio!
You okay, Benio?
Fine...
We won't go down here!
Kinako...
What is it?
Why do Papa and Benio try so hard?
Well...
I think it's to protect what's important to them.
What's important to them?
That's right.
What's important...
Look! The true Dragon Spot is starting to vanish!
The ritual's over!
Let's finish up here, too!
Yeah!
Okay!
Benio, this is it!
Right!
Resonance!
Crimson Meteor Smash!
Crimson Meteor Smash
Benio-sama!
You did it!
Papa! Benio!
That was really...
...exhausting.
You're done working?
Yeah.
I finished working, too!
Working?
What do you mean?
Well...
The Dragon Spot's closing!
All right!
The Twelve Guardians have done it!
Yes!
This is great, Sae! Now you can stay with us!
We'll get to tour Kyoto's ohagi spots!
Hey, imp!
Quit hugging her like it's nothing!
Do you want to join us, Kinako?
Huh? Well...
It's okay. Come on.
Yay!
I'm so happy, Benio-sama!
Benio-sama!
That Tenma guy...
How long is he gonna stand there?
What is this sensation?!
The miasma hasn't diminished at all!
What is the meaning of this?!
You're too loud. Pipe down.
This sky...
It's not the real sky!
What in the world...
Y-You can't be serious!
The Dragon Spot's back again?!
What the hell is happening?!
The worst case scenario.
The spell power for the ritual was used against us.
Who're you?
My name is Mikage. I'm Arima-sama's aide.
What exactly is going on here?
What looked like the Dragon Spot closing was all an illusion,
most likely caused by the exorcised true serpents coalescing into miasma.
Their concentrated form created a stealth effect.
And now they've sucked up the Twelve Guardians?!
Since they've already been exorcised, we can't do much to them with spell power.
Thanks to the ritual done by Tenma-sama and the others, the miasma's effects
are weakened, so they can resist their restraints...
But as long as new miasma is coming from the Dragon Spot, it's a wasted effort.
If we can just close that Dragon Spot,
Tenma-sama and the others will come back...
Can you ask the branch to return?
Huh?! What're you—
We'll do it!
Papa... Benio?
Sae-chan, you don't have to do a thing!
Resonance!
Cleanse! Purify!
Impure Legion Banishment, come forth at once!
Benio-sama!
That's the spirit! Come on! Come on!
Show them what you've got!
We're at the limit... of our spell power...
Hang in there!
Who cares about limits?!
We're going to protect them!
This town,
the people,
the Twelve Guardians...
and Sae!
That's right...
We can't fall in a place like this!
Resonance!
It can't be...
Our spell power...
The Dragon Spot...
Why?
We weren't able to...
Sae.
Sae!
Sae-chan!
This can't be...
Sae-chan!
Benio!
Papa... Benio...
Sae...
What are you doing, Sae-chan?
No! Come back!
Come back right now!
I remembered everything...
This is where I always was.
From here,
I protected the smiling people...
The people I loved.
That's right...
Papa...
You really are my true Papa.
What are you saying, Sae?
Watching you two
made me want to protect what's important to me, too.
That's why I came here.
If I'm a branch, I think I can protect Papa, Benio, and everyone.
Look... I did it!
All the things I hold dear...
I protected them!
Sae-chan...
So...
I'm really happy.
Dummy!
Sae-chan, you dummy!
We made a promise!
We said we'd eat ohagi together!
I was going to show you the best places in Kyoto!
Benio...
No...
No, no!
I don't want this!
Benio!
You know, I'm really glad that
I got to meet the two of you.
Papa...
Benio...
I love you!
The little gal went back...
Rokuro...
Present
This...
Did Sae...
To The People I Love
Art by: Sae
Today, Ohagi Man and I went on patrol together.
And then, a really big Kegare appeared!
But a moment later, the big Kegare turned into light and disappeared!
That's right!
Because Papa and Benio beat him!
As thanks, Ohagi Man turned a lot of his body into ohagi for them to eat!
When it comes to restoring lost nutrients, Ohagi Man D is new-tritious!
I love Kinako's smile!
I love Papa's big, happy smile!
I love Benio's...
No, I love Mama's kind smile!
Let's always smile together!
To The People I Love
Art by: Sae
Sae-chan...
S-Stupid Rokuro!
If you cry, you'll make Sae-chan sad!
I don't wanna hear that from you!
You have to smile.
Smile!
I...
won't cry, either.
Next Episode
Jean Paul said, "Memory is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away."
Memories, eh?
I was a hot high school girl in a sailor uniform when the Kyoto Olympics were on...
Because I'm With You Wai Wa Kinako Ya!
Here's a picture.
Whoa! Super cute!