Taishou 15 New Year's Day
d (1926)

Everyone is gathered together in the Theatre to celebrate the new year.

Reni quietly gives everyone her regards, which causes Orihime to joke that she hasn't changed since the last year. Kanna jokes that a quiet, graceful girl is preferable to a noisy one-- the irony of which is not lost on Sumire, who calls out Kanna.

Kohran proposes a Mochi pounding party, and Oogami begs her to to easy on everyone with the explosions in the new year, which causes Kohran to ask if maybe Oogami should be the one getting pounded.

Kaede asks everyone if they've thought of new year's resolutions.

Kanna says she's going to get stronger. Iris says she's going to become more of an adult. Orihime questions that as a resolution since obviously that's going to happen anyway. Sakura resolves to practice more with the sword so she can have a stance like her father's, that has no opening. To that end, she wants to go home to Sendai to practice.

Sumire says she wants to go home as well, and Kanna wants to go to Okinawa to see her father's grave. Maria says she will go see Count Hanakoji, who has helped her in the past and give him New Year's greetings.

Kohran wants to go back to Kobe to thank someone who's helped her, and Iris is excited that her mother and father will be coming to visit.

Orihime joyfully reports her mother is coming from Italy to see her father. Oogami is happy that they'll finally be reunited.

Later, doing his rounds he runs into Tsubomi, whose resolution is to finally overcome her clumsiness. He finds Reni, who says she is going to go with Kaede for the first shrine visit of the new year.

After his rounds, Oogami goes back to his room and is greeted by Kayama, who's wearing a snappy suit.

Oogami goes by train to see Sakura's Mother in Sendai .

They take a stop by the tree that had been hit by lightning when Sakura was a child (the one that led to her having a fear of lightning) and there they meet her childhood friend Matsumoto Takeshi, who had been injured when lightning hit the tree. He has decided to become a doctor.

Oogami goes to the ancient Shinguuji home and meets Sakura's mother Wakana.

Oogami is allowed to lodge in Shinguuji Kazuma's room, and there he sees a picture of Kazuma with the others in the Anti-Kouma Interception Squad.

Sakura remembers how gentle and strong her father was. Wakana has Oogami wear Kazuma's old Yukata.

Wakana speaks with Oogami privately, explaining that she feels a little jealous of Sakura, who got to go out and live her life, as opposed to herself who lived a conventional home life.

The next day, at her mother's urging, Sakura takes Oogami to see the graves of her father and the rest of the Shinguuji clan-- which she says are never shown to outsiders.

They tell her father they are fighting to protect Teito just as he did, and then Oogami's Kinematron goes off. The enemy has been sighted in Ouji and the Shogeimaru is coming to pick them up. Wakana sends them off and urges them to be safe.

Elsewhere

A voice declares that now that the Majinki-- the last things that would impede his dominion-- are lost it is time to begin.

Summoning Tsuchi-Gumo, Kongou, and Oni-ou, Kyougoku Keigo -- who is somehow still alive-- prepares his advance guard of "Kouma Heiki".

These Kouma are corpses of the Kouma that the army collected behind the scenes in secret during the Kouma War.

Having the spiritual energy separated from their construction, their and reconstructed bodies mechanized, the army made them into ultimate weapons.

He commands Tsuchi-Gumo and Kongou to go redeem themselves from their dishonor at Akasaka. He sends them to the place with the final seal, Ouji, where the final seal is in place... and then "Musashi" will be revived.

When Oogami and Sakura get to Ouji, they're shocked to not see the rest of the troupe.

Oni-ou, Kongou and Tsuchi-Gumo appear before them, shocking Oogami and Sakura, who blurt that they say them die at Akasaka.

Oni-ou replies that until their ambition is realized, they will not die.

Kongou laughs, saying that they've "paid back" the others for their prior defeat as well.

To their horror, Oogami and Sakura see the other members of the TKD trapped in pillars of ice.

Kongou says he wants to fight rhem, but he has orders to wait.

Oni-ou tells the Kagekidan to "Look well... Upon the moment that the final seal of the Hachi-Kimon-Fuumajin is cast open~"

Oogami gapes in shock and demands to know what "Hachi-Kimon-Fuumajin" is. Oni-ou explains it is the gates which seal in the cursed power of Teito... gates they are going to open.

Oni-Ou incants "Blood vessels of evil that flows through this earth! The eighth gate that seals Teito......Open and reveal your form before me!"

A giant shrine gate rises from the chasm behind him and giant Kouma appear.

Kaede relays orders-- rescue the others but by all means defeat the enemy.

As the battle begins, Sakura wonders how these Kouma can be here since they should have all been destroyed in the battle with Aoi Satan.

They notice the Kouma have been augmented with machines, and Oni-ou declares proudly that this battle is a perfect testing ground for the Kouma Heiki. He tells them how in the battle two years ago the army seized the wounded Kouma and Kyougoku managed to develop them into a weapon in secret with Mokujiki's help, though the latter's death slowed things down.

Eventually more and more members of the Kagekidan are freed, and they turn the tide on the Kouma Heiki, wiping them out.

Eventually they corner Oni-ou, who gleefully declares that it's too late, "the time is coming". The time when everything will be as "that person" desires.

From behind him, someone thanks him for his hard work, and tells the Kagekidan it's been a while.

Kyougoku appears before them.

They demand to know how he survived after taking his own life after the failed coup.

Kyougoku quite reasonably explains that was a body double, and that the coup was nothing to him, he had much larger ambitions.

Oogami demands what he's up to, and he replies that when he removes the final seal, the power of a vengeful spirit sealed deep beneath Teito will be released, and will purify the Imperial Capitol, changing it back to its rightful form.

Sakura declares she won't allow this, and moves to attack Keigo, but Oni-ou draws his blade determined to cut her down, and Sakura recognizes the stance...

She recognizes her father's stance, and realizes Oni-ou.. is her father.

Oogami can't believe this could be true, and demands the truth from Oni-ou, who remains silent.

Thus distracted, they don't realize Kyougoku has managed to undo the final seal.

"Teito!" he screams, "reveal now your true form! All of that suffering and anger of yours, I, Kyougoku, shall accept!! Reawaken, Musashi!! Come, and show your power to me!!"

The earth splits wide open.

Massive bursts of evergy lance out from the area, striking key points across Tokyo.

Energy screams into the sky and from the dark clouds above a shadowy colossus descends....

The vague outline of a flying temple can be seen looming over the city.

As the Kagekidan watches, they see the gigantic structure float into view.

Kyougoku continues his incantation, yelling out " Musashi.....Great cocoon to return the accursed Teito to its rightful form! Thou Insolent power released from Teito, drink up everything and, awaken the the great will that sleeps in its womb for this Kyougoku's sake! False Teito......That accursed mask, you may now tear off! The time for everything has begun to move. The accursed Teito erases its form -- and the true Teito finally reawakens! "

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