Maria reports they've made it deep into the Musashi.

Sakura is startled as she senses a presence.

Oogami asks her what's wrong, and she says that the feeling reminds her of-- no it is her father.

Oni-ou appears before them in his mecha, gravely stating that he can't let them pass.

Oni-ou declares that if they want to go any further in, they have to defeat him. Sakura calls out to him, identifying herself as his daughter and asking why he, who had gone so far as to sacrifice his own life to stop evil, would do this.

Oni-ou is unmoved, asking her if that's all she has to say. He declares that his sole mission is to protect Kyougoku, and anyone who interferes with that ideal will be cut down.

Calling him Colonel Shinguuji, Oogami asks him if he's truly forgotten his daughter.

Oni-ou simply replies that if they won't come out to face him, he will go in after them.

Reni asserts that Oni-ou has lost his mind to powerful magic, and that to free him they need a stronger magic, but right now they don't have time to look for a cure-- all they can do is fight.

Oogami hates this turn of events, declaring it horrible, but Sakura declares that she will fight, and show him that she can defeat him.

Oni-ou says that he will fight with all he has to kill everyone, and Sakura confidently declares to her father that they will not lose.

Maria points out what appears to be the heart of the Musashi, and Sumire chimes in that if they can destroy that, they'll be able to seal off the evil. Orihime points out that without beating "That Carnival-masked man" Oni-ou first it will be too dangerous.

Sakura warns the others to hide behind Pillars when Oni-ou attacks if the attacks are the ones she's familiar with.

During the battle, Oni-ou calls upon the powers of the other slain Kokkikai members to bolster himself.

Sakura continues to try and reach him, exhorting him to remember her grandmother and mother who are in Sendai and that he is her father.

After the Kagekidan finally manages to wear him down, he finally utters his name, declaring "I am... Shinguuji Kazuma..."

Weakened, he acknowledges the Kagekidan and Sakura.

Tearfully, Sakura tells him that his sword technique survives within her, and she's inherited it.

Oni-ou's mask breaks and falls away, revealing the face of Kazuma Shinguuji.

Defeated, he falls, and Sakura races to catch him, begging him to hang on.

Kazuma remarks on how Sakura has grown, but he's weakened, and dying.

Sakura asks how such a thing could have happened, and Kazuma replies that his life, which was lost eight years ago, was summoned back by Kyougoku's magic, the Hangon no Jutsu, and while it was strong, the Kagekidan has broken it.

Proudly he says it is what he would expect from Sakura, that she's done well and gotten stronger.

Just then, Kyougoku arrives, declaring that Oni-ou's usefulness is at an end. That now, with the Musashi revived, puppets like Yamazaki and Shinguuji are no longer necessary.

Angrily, Oogami declares that he's had enough of Kyougoku playing with people's lives.

Kyougoku angrily tells him to know his limits, that there must always be sacrifices made before someone can afford have high ideals. he declares that this is the end for "the insects who have ruled Teito in the name of false justice."

He sends out a massive blast of energy to kill Sakura and the others, but Kazuma leaps in front of the blast and takes the hit.

Angrily, Kazuma declares he won't let Kyougoku kill his daughter or do as he please any longer.

He reveals to everyone that the large crystal in the room controls the Kouma Heiki, and if they use the Ni-ken Ni-tou no Gi they can destroy the crystal and seal off the evil, and then after that in the room beyond, the Room of the Great Pillar, they need to destroy... the Great Pillar and smash Kyougoku's ambition.

Mortally wounded, Kazuma asks Sakura to let him see her face once more, and tells her to live strong. He tells her she's got a good sword technique that never loses its way, and it was good to speak to her as her father.

He asks her to send his regards to her mother, and passes away.

As Sakura cries out in grief, Kyougoku is angered that Kazuma was strong enough to cast off the spell that he put on him.

Kyougoku withdraws for the moment, his power depleted. He tells the Kagekidan they're lucky, but the next time they meet, they will be destroyed.

Oogami runs to Sakura, who is grieving.

She declares that she will live. That she will treasure the life she was given by her mother and father and live strong.

She resolves to carry out the Ni-ken Ni-tou no Gi with Kyougoku.

Bringing together Yoneda's Shintou-Mekkyaku, Yamazaki's Koutou-Mukei, Ayame's Shinken-Shirahadori and Kazuma's Reiken-Arataka, the four swords of the original Anti-Kouma unit, Oogami and Sakura pour their wishes and power...

....and destroy the crystal in the center of the room, clearing the way forward.

Sakura vows to her father she will continue living strong.

The Mikasa gets reports that all the Kouma invading Teito and defending the Musashi have ceased activity, giving the bridge crew hope that things are going well.

Yoneda tells them to not break out the champagne yet as the Musashi is still in the air. He observes a moment of silence for Kazuma, and then tells everyone to hurry up and get the Mikasa ready.

Meanwhile, the Kagekidan breaks into the pillar room and finds... lots of Pillars.

Reni surmises they control the Muasahi's energy, and Orihime strongly urges that they destroy them at once.

Kyogoku's voice rings out and he declares that hre won't let them, and cries out that the Musashi absorbs the suppressed energy of Teito, and he will use it to bring down the hammer on the false Teito,

He summons an army of Kouma, much to Kanna's surprise, since the Ni-ken Ni-tou no Gi should have cleared them out.

Kyougoku proudly declares that the spirit power of the Ni-ken Ni-tou is nothing compared to the energy of the Musashi, and this is where the Kagekidan will die.

The interior is laid out such that eight smaller pillars feed power to a central, massive pillar.

Kohran notes that the small pillars are constantly banking and discharging energy, and if they can be destroyed at the moment they are suffused with power, it would have a tremendous destructive impact that could take out the Kouma around it as well.

With that stratagem in mind the Kagekidan begin targeting the smaller pillars.

Eventually, they take out the pillars and make their way to the great pillar.

Everyone attacks, putting their feelings into it, and the flow of energy from the pillar stops.

Still, Orihime senses something is amiss. Sumire senses evil energy.

Oogami warns them the battle isn't over yet, and they need to watch their guard.

On the Mikasa, Kasumi reports that the Musashi has begun to move, leaving the airspace over Teito and heading for the Pacific Ocean.

Kaede confirms it's losing control and decides to pursue it with the Mikasa so that they can rescue the Hanagumi.

Yoneda silently asks Oogami to not get himself killed in there.

Inside the Musashi, the Kagekidan finds a strange, ominous chamber.

Greeting the Kagekidan, Kyougoku emerges into the chamber ensconced in a giant mecha, which he calls "the throne of the ancient Emperor God that protects the Musashi, 'Shinnou!'"

He declares that with the Shinnou he will kill them all for the sake of his ideal, which they could not possibly understand.

Oogami angrily replies he has no time to listen to Kyougoku's ideal.

Kyougoku says he underestimated the Kagekidan, but he will not merely kill them, he will drag them to hell with him.

Oogami declares he will never forgive Kyougoku, and Kyogoku dismisses him, telling him to keep prattling, asking what an insect like himself, who has no ideas would know, declaring that there is only "Justice through might! Justice through winning! Justice through the spilling of blood!"

Oogami just tells Kyougoku that it's his loss, that without love, there is no justice. He exclaims that for the sake of Teito's future, and the future of the Kagekidan members, they'll defeat him. He asks Sakura to lend him her strength,

Sakura adds that she will, for Teito, for everyone, and for her father. She asks everyone to help show Kyougoku the Kagekidan's justice.

Maria tries attacking the Shinnou, but her attack is having no effect. Its arm effectively blocks any attack, so they have to work their attacks around it.

Eventually they manage to beat the mecha, but Kyougoku laughs and declares that now they will see the Shinnou's true power, and the mecha draws Kyougoku fully into itself, absorbing him.

The Kagekidan renews its assault, determined to win and stop Kyougoku's terror once and for all.

They destroy the outer shell of the Shinnou, which just causes Kyougoku to laugh with glee. Then they destroy both arms, and Kyougoku beckons Sakura closer, saying that he acknowledges her, and that it's her power that he desires. He invites her over to the Shinnou, and she retorts that it's only because of the people that are with her that she's able to fight with such power. She asks Oogami and the others to show him their power.

They then defeat the Shinnou fully, and Kyougoku laments that his ideal should fall in such a place.

Oogami lectures him, saying that trying to destroy everything that belongs to the people living in Teito is wrong, and that defending their future is the Kagekidan's justice.

Kyougoku roars that they don't understand anything, that defeating him means nothing, that Teito is meant to be destroyed and purified, and that one to inherit his will will no doubt appear, and for the sake of that day, he'll bring everyone to hell with him.

Together the Kagekidan declare:

"As long as we are in Teito, evil will never prosper! No matter how difficult the battle may be, believing in our own power and a loving heart, we will fight! And until we grasp victory, we will never be defeated! That is what makes the Teikoku Kagekidan! We are justice!"

The ceiling immediately begins to collapse, and Maria notes they have to hurry and escape lest they be buried alive. Orihime doesn't think they can make it out in time and Iris worries that they'll die in the Musashi. Kanna tells her not to worry, that they'll make it out.

Suddenly, there's a massive explosion, and a giant steel door appears in the middle of the chamber-- the hatchway to the Mikasa.

Yoneda greets them, and the doors open-- with Kaede welcoming them home.

The Mikasa pulls away from the Musashi with the Kagekidan on board as the Musashi "sinks" by rising back into the heavens.

Yoneda decides to have a party to welcome them back, to Kanna and Kohran's glee,

The victory pose!

And with that, the Mikasa heads back towards Teito, and home.

Oogami relates the aftermath: "The battle has ended. The evil menace has departed...and spring has once again visited Teito. Everyone has taken their smiles right back. There are few cities that were destroyed, but they're undergoing sound reconstruction.

The usual everyday life has come back to Teito. The days continue, busy with preparations for the spring performance, 'Yume no Tsuzuki,' (The Continuation of the Dream) to come.

And finally, the day for the curtain to rise came to call... I too took my Ticket-clipper's scissors into my hands for the first time in a long while.

The performance, from the first day, continued to be met with standing room audiences only for days...

From the audience seating to the lobby, the theatre overflowed with a full house of return guests.

The spring performance, filled with the feelings of everyone in Teito...

Even the stage itself...is now truly welcoming the finale. The gala performance for everyone in the Hana-Gumi, who sung together and fought together this past year...

Above the stage, everyone's smiles, shining with no bounds, must surely bring even to the audience their dreams, their hope and courage. The applause that would not cease even after the curtain had fallen echoed...forever and ever, in this beautiful spring sky over Teito."

After the spring performance ended, Oogami enjoys a well-deserved day off.

He gets a visit from Sakura who invites him out later.

Oogami then does his rounds of the theatre, and meets Kayama, who is doing well, and says he'll meet Oogami again before leaving.

He meets Shiro (the puppy) and tells him things sure have changed in a year, that who would have guessed a puppy like him would be flying in an aerial battleship. Truly, Shiro has become a member of the Kagekidan as well.

Oogami marvels that the theatre can transform and become part of the Mikasa as he sees the stage, noting that even the battle is over the work of the Kagekidan has no end.

He meets Tsubomi, who reveals she's going back to the HAnagumi training school.

He meets Reni, who is gazing up at the theatre, saying it makes her feel calm. She realizes that this is where she belongs. He meets Kohran, who is tuning up the e Kobu and Tenbu, and realizes that even they need a break sometimes.

Finding Yoneda in his office, Yoneda tells him that he did a great job out there and that now even Kazuma's soul can rest.

Finally he meets Kaede, who thanks him for making good on his promise to bring everyone back alive. She then tells him to go see Sakura.

Oogami wonders how she knew, and Kaede laughs, replying that she's the vice commander.

Going to see Sakura, Oogami sees her with a bike. She confesses that after all the fighting is over, she'd like to go out on a real date, to restaurants, shopping and such. She admits she's happy having him at her side. He is excited to go on a bike ride with her.

She asks him if he's ready to get going. He says yes. She then asks him to hold onto the back of the bike.... as in, to stabilize it.

Oogami realizes that her request was to help her learn how to ride a bike.

She takes a tumble and Oogami catches her.

They share a laugh under the springtime sun.

NEXT TIME:

In this Episode Yoneda points out the swords have been passed down for generations, and mentions that the Musahi is an evil that has risen after 300 years.

One of the abandoned games for the Sakura Taisen World Project-- Sakura Himenishiki Emaki would have taken place in the Sengoku era, which was about 300 years ago (1467-1603)-- and would have dealt with people fighting Kouma only with swords. Could they have dealt with Miyamoto Musashi, who was alive in that period (1584-1645)? If you look closely at the temple, it does appear to have the figure of a man bound to it on the underside-- and among the myths surrounding Miyamoto Musashi was that his swords had dark, demonic properties.

Going even further down the rabbit hole, Musashi wrote the Book of Five Rings, which was his last work, and that book plays a large part in [SPOILER] the life of Gemini Sunrise and the other members of the New York Star Division[END SPOILER]