Today is the fourth day since a gigantic aradama
never seen before in recorded history has appeared.
The damage at the center of Sagami Bay has expanded.
According to the Special Religious Military Unit,
the death toll is currently at 1,089, while 864 remain missing,
and 15,246 are injured.
I repeat, the death toll is currently at 1,089,
while 864 remain missing, and 15,246 are injured.
It has been a approximately an hour since the
Special Religious Military Unit's special unit began their attack.
Nee-sama...
Katana Maidens
Episode 8 Day of Disaster
What should we do?
Yukari, behind you!
Th-Thank you.
Yukina-chan!
Yukina!
It's no good, she can't use her utsushi anymore.
Yukari-sama...
Yukina...
Minato, Yuzuki-senpai, Ema, Iroha-senpai, Sana,
you five take Yukina and retreat!
No, please!
You can't order a retreat because of me. Please just let me die here!
Yukina-chan!
I don't want anyone else to sacrifice themselves.
Kagari?
That may be, but it'll be a little difficult to retreat, don't you think?
She's right!
We have trouble ahead of us and trouble behind us. We might as well go forward!
We're so close to it, though.
No, we're not.
Huh?
The main body is likely deeper inside.
Then let's go and destroy it.
No, Yukari-sama and I will go on our own from here.
What? Why?
Wait, hey, what do you mean?
The aradama and Toji have been fighting each other for over 400 years.
In all that time, there have been three recorded
instances of massive disasters caused by the aradama.
Each time, a member of the Origami family, along with only one other person,
suppressed them using an inherited technique.
A way to suppress them?
There is one?
There is.
I just need Kagari's help.
This is the first we've heard of it.
Why didn't you tell us, too?
There's no time to explain. We will follow orders.
Yuzuki-san...
I will take command of the squad from here.
We will protect Yukina and retreat as quickly as possible.
No, Yukari-sama... Yukari-oneesama!
Kagari...
Minato, take the lead and secure an escape route.
Sorry, Yuzuki-san. I'm gonna go back them up.
Wait! There's nothing you can do if you go.
Ema, take care of things for me.
Minato!
Yukari and Kagari are both exhausted.
I can at least serve as the outrider.
Got it. Leave everyone to me!
Ema!
You know how Minato is, don't you, Yuzuki-senpai?
Exactly, it's a waste of time to try and stop her.
Then I'm going, too.
Sana-chan, things are pretty bad here, too.
Okay!
Are you okay?
Kagari, behind you!
Minato-senpai?
Why?
I don't understand how, but you can suppress that thing if you get to it, right?
Then...
I'll back you up until you do.
Are you crazy?
Do you have any idea why Yukari-sama had everyone go back?
If you have time to talk, save your breath.
Why are you always like this?
Kagari, Minato is right. Focus on the fight.
Frankly, you saved us.
But disobeying orders is a serious offense.
Aw, but it all worked out in the end, didn't it?
Across the bridge!
Minato...
The Great Disaster of Sagami Bay.
Twenty years have passed since that day.
It passed in a flash.
Hi, Sana-sensei!
President Maniwa from Osafune Girls' School?
You're Juujou Hiyori and you are Etou Kanami, correct?
Yes.
I can still remember that day as if it was yesterday.
I am here today because of both of your mothers.
Both of us?
That's right.
On the day of the disaster,
three members of our unit headed to Okutsumiya to suppress the great aradama.
One of them was my older sister, Yukari.
Another one was Hiyori-san's mother, Hiiragi Kagari.
And the third was Kanami-san's mother, Fujiwara Minato.
Eh?!
Oh!
Seriously?
Hiyoyon's mama was Kagarin, and...
Kanami-chan's mother was Minato-san?
Yes.
Why didn't you tell me?!
Well, you didn't ask me.
Besides, Fujiwara is her maiden name. She goes by Etou Minato now.
But she's your mother, right?
Didn't you ask her about her time as a Toji at all?
My mother never talked about those things.
But I get it now. My mother was a Toji.
Wasn't your mother your first sword instructor, Kanami-chan?
Yeah, she worked me hard every day, ever since I was little.
Minato-senpai was really strong.
She was the best I ever knew, and even stronger than Origami Yukari at the time.
Is that true?
Yes, Minato-senpai and Kagari-senpai were both incredible Toji.
The real heroes who suppressed the great aradama
at the Great Disaster of Sagami Bay were your mothers.
And we were never able to repay those heroes.
Kanami-chan...
There is something else I need to tell you all while we are here.
We have not yet completely vanquished the great aradama that appeared twenty years ago.
Furthermore, the great aradama has gained far more power since then,
and become much stronger.
We believe that it could cause a great disaster like it did twenty years ago
at any time.
Could that great aradama be the one that Kanami-chan saw?
Yes. Princess Tagitsu...
Who is now my older sister, Origami Yukari.
Nee-sama, you're all right!
Nee-sama, where are Kagari-san and Minato-san?
When the huge aradama that had possessed Enoshima disappeared,
the government and the Sword Administration declared the incident over.
They hid the existence of Prince Tagitsu, who was in Okutsumiya.
They concluded that the existence of an aradama
with such high intelligence would lead to confusion for the masses.
Of course, that was just the alleged reason.
Since one of the people making that decision
was none other than Origami Yukari herself.
That is why the tale of the vanquishing of the great disaster
that you all know is not the truth.
We were taught in school that it was vanquished by the six members
of the special unit consisting of the head of the Origami family, Yukari-sama,
and the current presidents of the five schools.
Yes, Hiiragi Kagari and Fujiwara Minato's names
were removed from the special unit's roster, which should have listed eight members.
Princess Tagitsu...
She never told us how she suppressed it.
Two years after the great disaster,
Yukari ascended to the head of the Origami family.
And those of us in the special unit
were installed as the presidents of the five schools,
since we were the heroes of the great aradama vanquishing.
Even then, Minato-senpai and Kagari-senpai weren't included.
They both had their lives, but they never returned to being Toji.
But they each made a family for themselves, and they lived their days in peace.
Shortly thereafter, the Sword Administration
and Special Religious Military Unit organizations grew much stronger
under Yukari's control.
As a result, damage by the aradama was minimized,
public opinion improved in polling, and new technologies were developed
one after another in cooperation with other countries.
But no one realized what was left behind twenty years ago.
Spirit Lantern
The significance of the situation...
It was seven years ago when Minato-san passed away that I realized the truth.
When she found out that Minato-san had passed,
Kagari-san blamed herself, saying it was all her fault.
Upon hearing Kagari-san's words,
I was determined to discover the truth of the great aradama vanquishing.
The method that Yukari used at the great disaster...
The calming ritual was only passed down to a small portion of the Origami family.
I was able to locate it with clues from old books.
That method would have dragged Princess Tagitsu into the netherworld
in exchange for the life of Hiiragi Kagari.
To the netherworld? In exchange for a life?
Is that even possible?
It is.
Toji use the power of their okatana,
and use the power of various layers of the netherworld,
but rarely, there are those with the power to reach the depths of the netherworld.
Kagari-senpai's jin'i was one such power.
Jin'i uses a layer of the netherworld to change the flow of time.
It's an accelerating technique.
The further you dive into it, the more you accelerate.
But what do you think happens once you reach the theoretical limit?
A moment becomes an eternity and time becomes infinite.
And you won't be able to come back.
That's right. Kagari-senpai had the ability to reach infinity.
Pierce your opponent with your okatana,
and, theoretically, perform your jin'i at the maximum speed.
And then drag your opponent into the netherworld.
Goodness...
A double suicide move, huh?
Kagari-senpai bore the burden of such a duty.
She was prepared from the very beginning
to give up her own life to suppress the aradama.
But Kagari-san survived.
That is because Minato-san just barely managed to save her.
My mother did?
Even so, we believe they literally shortened their own lives.
They lost their powers as Toji, and after some years, they also lost their lives.
Then that was the cause of their passing?
How strange.
If they chased Princess Tagitsu back into the netherworld,
then what is Origami Yukari?
My mother wasn't able to suppress the great aradama.
She only took away its power temporarily.
It most likely escaped extinction by possessing Origami Yukari.
And after twenty years, it is trying to revive itself.
Wait, then what happened to who she used to be?
She's been gradually worn away by the aradama.
That's right.
Ever since that day, that thing was no longer my sister.
I saw her myself in the hall of worship two years ago.
She was talking with something lurking inside.
I was convinced that it was Princess Tagitsu,
the aradama who was vanquished in the great disaster, in the form of Yukari.
I wrote those details down in a letter, and implored Kagari-san for her help.
Juujou Kagari-sama
You have read that letter, haven't you?
Hiyori-san, Kanami-san, here is what I believe...
Had Yukari's plan succeeded on that day twenty years ago,
and Minato-san and Kagari-san not come back,
you two would not be here.
I cannot help but wonder
if it was their true wish that you both be here right now.
Myself, along with the members of Mokusa here, will do something about Yukari.
So...
Professor, how's that ampoule coming?
It is being analyzed for now, but it may be impossible for our facility to deal with.
In that case, I would like for you to take it to your friends at Osafune.
Understood.
If the ampoule is what we think it is,
we can finally shed light on the injustices
the Origami family and Renpu have been carrying out.
This is the precious thing
my granddaughter and her friends obtained, heedless of the dangers.
I won't let it go to waste.
Please praise me!
All right, good girl, good girl, good girl.
Hooray!
I'm expecting a bonus for this.
The more you succeed, the busier I'm going to make you.
Hey...
Chidori and Kogarasumaru were the okatana
each used by Minato-san and Kagari-san, respectively.
And now they have been passed down to their daughters.
Could there be some kind of link between these two swords?
Nothing. It was just my imagination.
We only just got here, and that was a lot to take in.
What should I do now?
What? Just act normal.
I can't do anything except fight,
but I want to be useful to everyone.
Sayaka-chan...
Hey, Hiyori-chan.
It's kind of strange, isn't it? Sleeping with everyone like this.
Having obtained that ampoule, the members of Mokusa
might be able to actually make a move against the Origami family.
All of these things are the result of your actions.
Your hard work wasn't a mistake.
Kanami, do you really plan to just leave it all up to Mokusa like Origami Akane?
I didn't say that.
You two are so noisy! Especially Hiyoyon!
Wha?
Be quiet and go to sleep.
Our Mokusa senpai are going to have us train tomorrow,
even though we didn't ask for that.
They're really going to work us hard.
Okay.
I see, you heard all that from Sana.
So you are my mother from back then.
But even still, I don't have any memories from beyond the age of 17.
I think your mother was a different me, but it's kind of complicated.
I get it.
The friend I mentioned before is Kagari-san's daughter.
Her name is Hiyori-chan.
Wow! So Kagari actually got married?
I guess I did too, though.
Hey, you'll have to tell me how we got together next time.
Okay.
Oh, but I forget everything about this place when I wake up.
I see...
Does that mean you've forgotten all the techniques I've taught you so far?
My body seems to remember them.
Does it? That's great. What a relief!
Then today, I'll teach you my trump card.
Okay! Please do, Mother!
Stop that! I'm not old enough for that yet.
Minato, then!
Master.
Master Minato!
Hey, what was I like when I was your mom?
You were no different at all! Exactly like this!
Figures!
Okay, come at me!
My mother used to change how she held her sword like that, too.
Is it a habit? Does it have some meaning?
What, this?
Well, it depends on the situation, but you don't need to copy me.
Fighting an aradama requires teamwork.
Keep a close eye on who's attacking, defending, and commanding.
That's enough!
How disappointing.
You're all decent enough on your own, but together, you're hopeless.
If you command the team timidly, it will not function.
You can see through things, so have confidence in yourself.
Okay...
Now, what should we do? Do you wanna go one more round?
No, I can't take anymore.
One more please.
Saaya, you're so full of motivation.
I'm beat. I need water.
That's the S Equipment Ellen-chan and Kaoru-chan were wearing before, right?
That kind of equipment didn't exist during my mom's time, did it.
If it did...
You think your mothers might not have passed away?
Fine—Friedman.
Though they can use special powers like utsushi and jin'i,
Toji are still just girls.
The number of Toji saved by this technology will increase.
That's not the only benefit of the netherworld technology.
The world as we know it will change completely as development progresses.
Just like in my native country, there are many people who think
they want this technology, even if they have to enter another person's property.
But why did Origami Yukari bring about this technology?
I study this technology every day.
Because I thought that I could figure out Origami Yukari's motivation that way.
And once I did find it, I came to a simple conclusion.
It seemed to me that it was just a way for Toji
to effectively hunt aradama and to quickly recover noro.
Developing this technology is no more than making tea to her.
The opponent we are trying to face now isn't just an ordinary aradama.
She may be more like a god.
Well, then, I will report in once we are finished analyzing it at Osafune.
Please do, and take care of yourself.
You, too.
I've found you, Akane.
Next Episode After the Festival