It would be fair to say that this is the point where the Kyoto Arc transitions from buildup to execution. The shit is going down now, both in Kyoto and Osaka. The two principals meeting face to face – not for the first time, but for the first time in true conflict – is certainly the headline. But with Shishio, everything is the strings he pulls. He may not be the most honest boss around, but he certainly knows how to delegate. Expendable or no, every part of his army is essential to the audacious plans he’s set in motion.
This is now a two-front war (though the essence of Shishio’s gambit is to take the battle to Tokyo). As Kenshingumi II races towards Osaka at all speed, Kenshingumi I, the Oniwabanshuu, and the fortified police gear up for the inferno to come. Megumi (anime-originally) prepares to do her part, employing modern triage science in her planning. Misao’s foot soldiers fan out across Kyoto warning the locals and spying on the enemy. The two who find the Juppongatana mountaintop stronghold are spotted by Iwanbou, but manage to escape the second-biggest villain in the capital and race back to warn their new leader.
“Diversion” is a word that keeps popping up as these events unfold. In essence that’s what the whole fire thing is anyway. But it’s also what the Juppongatana are called on to provide after the presence of so many officers foils the shock troops’ initial attempts to ignite the conflagration. Even if the fire is not the endgame for Shishio, it’s still vital to his larger plan that it happen. Usui is unsurprisingly keen to start massacring people randomly; just as unsurprisingly Anji resists him. A large army of Shishio’s foot soldiers attacks the police, but are about to scatter when they realize how vastly outnumbered they are.
That’s when Lady Kamatari takes the field. He’s a cheerful sort, even when massacring those trying to flee, but his scythe is quite the effective motivational tool. Outnumbered or not these “pawns” can certainly keep the rozzers occupied, making it easier for the arsonists to do their jobs. But that’s where the Oniwabanshuu come in. They’ve already done a big part of their job, making sure the choumin are ready for a long night of vigilance. And the Oniwaban group has clearly built up a large cache of trust and affection from the people of Kyoto.
Over in Osaka, Houji is a little concerned at not seeing a rosy glow from the north, but Shishio seems quite unfazed. Yumi speculates that he might be feeling emotional about the place of his torment going up in flames, and lingering to see it happen – he speculates that she might be drunk. There’s no hurry, he assures Houji, as no one is headed their way in any case. But when one of his watchmen spots a carriage approaching, it doesn’t take the former hitokiri long to figure out why this part of his plan didn’t go according to plan.
Having arrived in time, Kenshin immediately points out what’s likely Shishio’s ship (the one belching smoke). But having arrived in time is only the first step. Sano suggests using the bombs he’s brought with him, the newfangled no fuse variety. Saitou mocks; Ken points out gently that diving underwater with bombs is not going to do much for their effectiveness. His plan: dive and swim up to the ship, slicing it beneath the waterline. But that’s before Shishio fires his Armstrong cannon (state of the art for the day) and reveals the true nature of the Rengoku – she’s an ironsides, the ship he spent “about three-fifths” of his fortune on. And not even Kenshin can slice through iron underwater.
Plan B? A diversion, naturally. Kenshin and Saitou that is, drawing the Rengoku’s cannon fire while Sano finds a small boat and tries to sneak up to the ship and attach his explosives. But Sano is convinced that would take too long, and decides to use what Shishio has already provided for him. Shishio is visibly shocked and annoyed (a rarity indeed) to see that “nobody” Sano has somehow learned Anji’s Futae no Kiwami. But he dispatches Aoshi to deal with Kenshin, who’s arrived on-board with Saitou in tow. For now, facing his predecessor is not the priority – and Shishio is rational enough to stick to the plan.
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