Episode 11: The Greatest Battle Strategy above the Earth

plot

Kyougoku continues to chant as Kouma swarm over the city, and he commands them to burn Teito to the ground. He declares that everything will be consumed by the vengeful spirit of Musashi, and they need to consume the power he's releasing in order to pay the way for the birth of the "real Teito".







In the Command center, Kaede remarks that she never would have believed that Kyougoku was still alive, but it appears true that the man who died after the end of the Coup d'etat was a stand-in.

Yoneda realizes that the coup was just a distraction to allow Kyougoku to move himself;f further underground and resurrect Musashi.

Kohran adds that to make matters worse many of the Kokkikai are still alive, and Maria adds that Oni-ou was actually Sakura's father.

Sakura remains silent, processing all this.

Yoneda tells everyone to remain calm, that now, more than ever it's important to think things through and sort through their information so they can find a way forward.

Oogami asks what the "Hachi-Kimon-Fuumajin" are that the Kokkikai mentioned.

Yoneda takes out a map of the battles where the TKD have fought the Kokkikai and points out that if you connect the locations, they form an octagon.

At each point of the Octagon, there is a common item-- a Torii. (Shrine Gate) . After each battle, one of those has appeared.

Yoneda explains that the Hachi-Kimon-Fuumajin appears to be a means of releasing the energy of Teito and the battles were a means for the Kokkikai to erect the Torii.

Kanna is upset they hadn't noticed the pattern before.

Oogami then asks what the "Musashi" is, but Yoneda replies that he has no idea-- the only thing he does know is that you can sense an enormous malevolence from it, and Iris says she feels sick whenever she looks at it.

Yoneda says that whatever it is, it's likely more horrible than the Seimajou which appeared two years ago. He believes the only way to deal with the situation is to capture Kyogoku and make him explain what the Musashi is.

Kaede reports that the Moon Division has discovered that Kuoygoku comes from a long line of "On'you" experts -- people who can manipulate occult forces.

Oogami asks what the nature of these new Kouma are that they've been seeing and Yoneda replies that he'd heard of experiments where the army had captured Kouma from the Kouma War and were using experiments to try and make man-made Kouma, as Kouma combined with machinery would know neither fear nor fatigue and be undefeatable via conventional weaponry as well as having the ability to be mass-produced.

Yoneda believes both Yamazaki's death and the coup were just covers to advance this true objective.

Everyone worries about how they will fight such a monster, and Yoneda reassures them that their largest trump card still sleeps under the city-- the aerial battleship Mikasa.

Sumire protests that the Mikasa was destroyed in the last battle with Aoi Satan, but Kaede replies that while the forward part of the vessel was destroyed and remains in Tokyo bay as a memorial park, the main body of the ship was recovered and repaired in absolute secrecy.

This new vessel, the "Shin-Miskasa" is undergoing final preparations for launch. Once that's done, the counter-attack will begin.

After the briefing, Sakura steps outside with Oogami to talk about her father. She says that Oni-ou's stance was unmistakable. She worries and asks Oogami what she should do.

Oogami tells her that the only thing to do is reawaken Kazuma's heart, that since he was reborn thanks to the same dark arts that brought back Yamazaki, Kyougoku probably is controlling him. So that spell needs to be broken. Thus the key is to defeat Kyougoku.

Sakura says she vows to fight her father, and through their crossed blades she will reach his heart and re-awaken him.

At that moment they hear the unmistakeable sound of Kouma, who have come to attack the Theatre.

Sakura and Oogami realize they can't fight them off alone, and Oogami tells Sakura to leave him behind and warn the others, but Sakura refuses to leave his side.

Oogami knows they both can't stay behind and get word to the theatre in time-- but luckily at that moment Kayama and the moon division appears to deal with the Kouma, and he tells Sakura and Oogami to get to the others while he and his forces hold off the enemy.

Oogami and Sakura make it to the Mikasa, where they ask if it's ready for launch. All checks are good and civilians have been evacuated from the launch area.

They await Yoneda's orders. He tells them that they're going to launch their greatest offensive ever, and orders the Mikasa to launch.

The mighty battleship's segmented sections are locked together and a massive maw opens up in the center of the city as the giant ship blasts into the sky and rights itself.

Oogami rejoices as the Mikasa takes flight, but Yoneda tells him it's too early for that-- all they've done is risen into the arena-- now it's time to fight.

He orders course set for Musashi.

Elsewhere in the city, Count Hanakoji and Navy Cabinet minister Yamaguchi discuss the situation. Yamaguchi laments that the Imperial Army is no match for the Kouma, serving as nothing more than "a lamplight against the wind" and that it's only a matter of time before the city falls.

Hanakoji replies that in that case the only people who can stand against Kyougoku are the TKD and the battleship Mikasa.

On the Mikasa, Oogami devises a daring head-on strategy. Using the ship's main cannon, they'll blast a hole in it, and then ram it, landing the Mikasa inside and attacking the enemy with the goal being to destroy it from within.

No sooner has this plan been decided than alarms go off- Kouma have attacked the Mikasa, trying to breach the engines, apparently planning much the same thing as the Kagekidan.

Oogami leads one half of the Kagekidan to attack the invaders, and the other half will move out to continue the rest of the battle plan.

In the engine room of the Mikasa, Oogami's squad encounters Tsuchi-Gumo and a contingent of Kouma. She says she wants to dearly repay them for their last encounter, but she has her orders-- to take out the Mikasa first. After all, "when aiming to bring down one's prey it is best to go after their vitals."

Kaede explains there are seven components to the Mikasa's engines, and it can run with just one of them operating, but if all 7 are destroyed the ship will crash, so they must defeat the enemy and keep at least one of the components intact.

The battle rages in, and as Tsuchi-Gumo's mecha takes damage it begins to change color- the reveals that the more hits it takes the stronger it gets.

They defeat all her Kouma, but she escapes. Returning to the bridge, Oogami and the others see that now the Kouma have decided to attack the deck of the vessel en masse.

They aim to attack the airflow intake vent on the ship, which Yoneda says has to be defended until the Mikasa can achieve a high enough altitude.

There are so many the massive guns of the Mikasa can't shoot them all down--the weakness of a massive weapon-- so the Hanagumi work on intercepting the Kouma on the flight deck while protecting the vent and the Mikasa's anti-aircraft guns.

After driving back more of the Kouma, they encounter Tsuchi-Gumo again, who is bound and determined to bring down the Mikasa.

Sumire tells her she's only being used by Kyougoku, but Tsuchi-Gumo replies that even if she's a discarded piece in the game, if she can kill all the human enemies and bring forth the true Teito, she'll gladly sacrifice her life.

As the battle wears on, the Hanagumi realize their heads are starting to hurt and the Tenbu are starting to malfunction. Iris seems to be the most affected. Nonetheless, they defeat Tsuchi-Gumo, and Sakura asks her why she hates humans so much.

Tsuchi-Gumo replies that despite her looks, she's human, but she was always hated and detested for her "Grotesque body". The only one who believed in her anbd gave her strength was Kyougoku. She says if she can avenge herself against the humans she won't mind dying, and that he refuses to die at human hands. She will die by her own hands for Kyougoku's will and watch Teito change into a city of death from hell.

She self destructs her mecha.

After she dies, the others are more determined than ever to deal with Kyougoku, but they're still worried about what's happening to their Tenbu and Iris.

On the bridge, Kohran explains what's happening. The Tenbu are malfunctioning because of the way they're designed. Normal spirit armor uses the spirit power of the pilots alone to effect their movement, so the stronger the pilot, the stronger the armor.

To get a power boost, the Tenbu also pulls in the natural energy of the Earth and adds that to its own power. Because of what Musashi has done, there is a lot more energy released and it's overloading the Tenbu, and eventually that feedback would overload the pilots as well.

The only solution then, is to rely on the Koubu-kai, which have been loaded into the Mikasa as well. They'll just have to gamble that pilots have grown in strength over time to compensate for the losr offensive power afforded by the Tenbu.

In the hangar bay, Orihime and Reni are also given Koubu and Hanagumi fighting uniforms.

Oogami says with these uniforms and their Koubu, Reni and Orihime have finally truly become part of the Hanagumi.

Maria replies that with one uniform, one type of Spirit Armor and one heart, they Hanagumi has finally become united through sheer will.

Yoneda recalls everyone to the bridge and tells them that it's about time for the final battle plan to commence-- in one hour the Mikasa will ram Musashi at full speed and they'll forcibly board it.

He says the probability of success is quite low. Iris asks if this means they could die, and he says yes, but that if it's the Hanagumi he's sure they can pull it off somehow.

The risk is making Kanna quake with excitement, and the others are ready as well.

Kaede draws Oogami aside and asks him to talk with all the Hanagumi members before the battle to help calm them, as she's sure that despite their confident looks they must be quite worried about what is to come.

Oogami talks to Sakura, who worries because she thinks that the last two times they fought her father, he was holding back due to having let his giard down slightly, but that this time he's definitely going to be coming in for the kill. She says that she has to defeat him, in order to free his soul, because right now he's not Kazuma Shinguuji, but rather Oni-ou.

Oogami reassures her she can do it, and tells her to go to her room and prepare, that he'll be with her for a long time and they'll all make it back together.

Going to Kanna's room, Oogami asks if she's been training. Kanna says she has been because she can't sleep, but for some reason her body isn't moving all that well-- she's too nervous.

Oogami reassures her that everything will work out fine, but that she does need to get some rest before the battle. Kanna agrees.

Moving on, he finds Orihime in the main hall. She guesses he's going around trying to cheer up the Hanagumi. He confirms she's right, and that she's gotten to know him quite well. Orihime then says it's his turn to guess.

Oogami initially guesses that Orihime was sitting there eating something, but she replies that she was actually waiting to cheer him up.

She tells him that she believe he'll give the right orders when the time comes and that the Hanagumi has become a very important place to her, and that everyone there is her friends and she wants everyone to come back together.

Oogami thanks her for her encouragement and tells her to get some rest.

He then sees Iris at the observation deck. She's been looking at the sky above the clouds, and says that she thought the area above the clouds was heaven... but where they're going isn't heaven, is it?

Oogami agrees, and then Iris asks where people go when they die.

Oogami says he doesn't know, but that's good because if we knew where it was, everyone would go there and it would be overloaded.

Iris replies she's read that it's said Heaven is filled with happiness, and she feels happiest when she's with Oogami. She says she feels better for having spoken to him and leaves.

Oogami then meets Maria in the ready room. She asks him if he thinks the Hanagumi can win this battle, and he says he feels the enemies may be tougher than anything they've ever faced before, but if the group stays together they can.

Maria agrees and further they both agree that victory alone is not enough, everyone must come back alive.

Oogami and Maria part ways and Oogami heads to the hangar, but doesn't think anyone is there, until Kohran calls out to him.

She appears out from under a Koubu and says she's doing some last minute checkups on them before the battle.

Oogami thanks her for her hard work but tells her not to push herself so hard. She replies that she's only truly at ease when working with machines, and that making adjustments on the Koubu makes her feel better than just resting up in her room.

Oogami leaves her to her work after encouraging her that they'll all do their best to make it back, and meets up with Sumire who is in the main hall looking through a magazine.

Sumire says she was so engrossed in the swimsuit catalogue that she didn't hear Oogami approach, but he looks over the magazine and says it just looks like a clothing magazine.

Seeing how distracted Sumire is, Oogami asks her if she's nervous, and says that isn't like her.

Sumire asks what he thinks she's supposed to be like, and that if she always has to be firm of spirit. That even she can get nervous.

Sumire apologizes for showing him such a sight, and says that talking to him has calmed her a bit. She takes her leave.

Continuing his rounds, Oogami finds the entire state and seating area of the Theatre suspended upside down. Tsubomi explains that the entire theatre is stored and secured in the battleship as well and that she's helping out the Wind Division by preparing tea and emergency rations as she's not ready fro bridge work yet.

Meeting Reni in her room, he listens as Reni says that despite not undertaking physical activity, her palms are sweating, and her pulse is faster. She's wondering if something is wrong with her, and at the worst possible time before the battle.

Oogami explains that nothing is wrong with her, just that she's nervous.

Reni reveals that she's been thinking about what would happen if they lost, or she were to die, and it caused her pulse to race. She'd never thought of such things before.

Oogami explains that the same would happen to him if he thought about such things, because he doesn't want to be parted from those who are dear to him.

Reni admits that she doesn't want to lose, or die, or be apart from everyone.

Oogami replies he'll protect everyone in the Hanagumi, and Reni without fail.

Reni listens to his words, and reports that the symptoms have subsided.

Oogami jokes that he came in useful for something, and tells Reni to rest a bit before the battle.

Oogami them makes his way to the bridge and lets Yoneda know he's spoken to everyone and morale is good. The others come to the bridge.

Maria observes that there must be a huge amount of kouma massed inside Musashi, and wonders how they'll break through a swarm like that.

Yoneda says they've thought of a solution. Kaede elaborates, saying it's a ceremony called "i-ken Ni-tou no Gi", which is the ultimate evil-sealing technique using the four swords passed down from the days of old-- Chief Yoneda's 'Shintou-Mekkyaku', Major Yamazaki's 'Koutou-Mukei' , Colonel Shinguuji's 'Reiken-Arataka', and Ayame's 'Shinken-Shirahadori'.

Oogami realizes the wielders of all four swords were members of the Teikoku Kagekidan's predecessor, the Anti-Kouma Squad.

Apparently the squad had first been formed based on the four people to whom the swords had descended.

During the Kouma war they tried the technique on the Kouma but their power wasn't strong enough, so Kazuma had to use the Blood of the Destroyers of Evil to seal it away.

Yoneda continues, stating that currenty Oogami holds his Shintou-Mekkyaku and Sakura holds the Reiken-Arataka. He then says he will also entrust the the other two swords to them as they are the only sword wielders in the Kagekidan. Somewhere in the Musashi there should be a source of mystical power, and they can use the Ni-ken Ni-tou no Gi to seal it.

With the plan in place, they prepare for the final offensive-- the Mikasa will bombard Musashi with its cannon, then ram it-- from there GoRaigo will launch into the Musashi.

After that, the Mikasa will withdraw and the Hanagumi will penetrate the core of the Musashi and destroy it.

Firing on the Musashi and ramming it, they successfully penetrate the enemy stronghold.

<

Kanna grins, it's finally their turn to attack. Everyone-- the Kazegumi, the Baragumi and Yoneda, say they will support the Hanagumi from the bridge.

Kaede asks Oogami what his intentions are for this battle, and he says he wants to defeat Kyougoku and get everyone out alive. Kaede is happy, and says he passes.

She remarks that in the battle two years ago her sister gave her life to end things, and a sacrifice of such magnitude must never be allowed to happen again, because the suffering of those left behind is too much.

"Oogami," she asks, "you must return alive, with the others without fail. You must not die-- you must not even think you can die. You will promise me, won't you?"

Oogami promises her he will return.

Kaede thanks him, and gives him her sword, "Shinken Shirahadori".

The board the Goraigo and exit the Misaka, plowing into the heart of Musashi.

As the Koubou eject from Goraigo and land in Musashi, Sumire remarks that the aura coming from it feels like that of a living creature . As th

re battle begins, everyone remarks how powerful the Koubu Kai feel, despite being older than the Tenbu units they had to stop using.

After destroying many enemies, Kongou comes to challenge them again, calling himself the "Leader" of the Kokkikai Gogyoushu. Everyone else has fallen, leaving just him, and he wil avenge Suiko, Mokujiki, Kasha and Tsuchi-Gumo.

Kongou releases a high amount of ki that causes the Koubu to malfunction and move slowly, but they persevere and defeat him.

As his mecha explodes he cries out to Suiko that losing is mortifying, and tells the Kagekidan not to get cocky, that Kyougoku is incredibly strong. He says he'll be watching them from hell as he finally dies.

From within Musashi, Oogami reports that they've defeated Kongou and are penetrating the center of the Musashi, and because they can't make further transmissions from within, this will be their final broadcast.

Tsubaki worries that they won't be able to hear the voices of the Hanagumi any longer, but everyone comforts her and reassures her that they will absolutely return.

Yoneda tells Oogami to believe in himself, in his own will and his own strength and to come back alive.

NEXT TIME:

To be Continued





Secret File

The Hangar Bay onboard the Mikasa

Crew Quarters onboard the Mikasa

The Baragumi and their Quarters onboard the Mikasa





Quotable Quotes


"Clothing that doesn't look good on me doesn't exist in this world! - Orihime





Acknowledgements
These episode guides are based on the Translation FAQs by Kayama. All images and FMV copyright SEGA, Overworks and RED company.