"We're finally here..." "You should be aware of who is waiting for you." "Who is it?" "Sojiro the Tenken..." "That young man broke my previous reverse-blade sword, that he did." "Kenshin..." "But now..." "I have the principle forge of the reverse-blade sword the ultimate attack, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki and this time, I can't afford to lose, that I can not." "Welcome, Mr. Himura..." "It's been a while, Mr. Himura." "I'm glad you could make it out here safely." "So this is the guy..." "I was expecting him to be a brute but he looks every bit as wussy as Kenshin..." "I am grateful for your polite greeting..." "But I don't have the time to spend on idle chitchat, that I do not." "I would first like to ask stand aside, or fight?" "Time..." "Oh, you mean about the Aoiya." "In that case, it's all right." "We just got a telegraph saying that we lost." "What?" "Mr. Houji was very surprised about it too but the facts are the facts." "But now, it is we who are short on time..." "I have to do the work of all ten of the Juppongatana by myself." "I can't spend too much time on just you, Mr. Himura." "And so..." "Just like in Shingetsu Village, a contest of Battoujutsu." "It is finally about to begin..." "All right!" "Why are you so happy?" "It's just one little crack, they're basically even!" "Oh?" "It doesn't look any different, but this time around, you have a great sword." "My favorite sword, the Kikuichimonji Norimune, is going to be worthless." "The Kikuichimonji?" "The legendary sword that surpasses even the Nagasone Kotetsu?" "The sword is top-notch, and its user is first-rate too." "Inside this fortress, one crack can mean a big difference in skill." "No matter how the battle went before..." "Kenshin Himura is one step quicker in terms of Battoujutsu." "He can do it!" "You've gotten better, Mr. Himura." "You were strong to begin with, it's amazing that you got even stronger." "But it's strange..." "I just don't understand how someone like you can be so strong." "Oh well." "Even then, it's still no match for Mr. Shishio." "And if I put my mind to it, I can beat you too." "T-This footwork!" "I see..." "This is the skill of the young man who assassinated Lord Okubo from inside a moving carriage!" "Oh, I missed?" "I guess I messed up a little." "Oh well, I just have to get him with the next shot." "He's fast!" "That speed was equal to Kenshin's god-like speed." "No, if my eyes aren't screwed up..." "It was just a bit faster than Kenshin..." "No, that can't be!" "There can't be anyone out there who can move faster than Kenshin!" "Hey, what was that move he just did?" "l-I don't know." "You've been yapping that he's so strong, so strong!" "I just said that because Lord Shishio said so!" "This is the first time that I've seen the boy fight, too!" "Well, that's careless of you!" "How can you be so confident?" "I don't want to hear that from you!" "Shukuchi..." "That was a form of speed that goes even faster than god-like speed Shukuchi, that it was." "Oh, you know?" "Nothing less from a top-rate swordsman." "I didn't know that it was called that, until Mr. Shishio told me." "Shukuchi?" "So that's Sojiro's third skill, in addition to the Tenken and his lack of emotions?" "Yeah." "With powerful footwork, he reaches top speed from the initial acceleration." "It's a legendary martial arts move to bring the enemy within reach instantly." "They call it Shukuchi because it seems as if the user performs some magic to get rid of the distance as if he teleported." "In other words Shukuchi is a speed that's faster than the eye?" "That's not it." "That describes Battousai's god-like speed." "Sojiro's super god-like speed, Shukuchi is so fast that you can't see it no matter what." "In the first place the Battousai's strength comes from reading into the opponent's emotions and thinking ahead." "However, Sojiro lacks feelings completely, so the Battousai is unable to predict his movements." "Then add Shukuchi, the super god like speed that can't be seen at all..." "In other words, the possibility that Battousai will live..." "Zero." "But Mr. Himura, that actually wasn't Shukuchi." "It was about three steps shy of Shukuchi." "You were able to see it and evade, right, Mr. Himura?" "Judging from your speed against Senkaku in Shingetsu Village I thought that it might be enough." "I'm sorry, I was taking you a little lightly." "This time, I'll be two steps shy of Shukuchi." "Don't stop, Kenshin!" "You'll be a sitting duck!" "What?" "Not only is he fast on his legs, he is quick to maneuver as well." "On top of it, because he lacks emotions, I can't predict him and so it feels even faster." "I shouldn't be fooled by the opponent's speed..." "I'll use the speed to my advantage, and counter attack straight on." "With the technique I gained along with Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki..." "Kuzu Ryu Sen." "He did it!" "No, we're just getting started." "Kuzu Ryu Sen is supposedly impossible to evade or block..." "He evaded it..." "So this man, Sojiro is faster than myself, no, the Hiten Mitsurugi Style itself!" "Kenshin!" "I've never seen someone faster than Kenshin before..." "This is the first time I've seen anyone cut Kenshin across the back." "Not good..." "This is really not good!" "He can do it!" "The boy no, Sojiro the Tenken, is walking all over Himura the Battousai." "One more attack." "With the next attack, he is sure to finish him off!" "Huh?" "That's funny..." "I thought I should be able to properly finish you off that time..." "There really is something wrong here." "What?" "Putting the first attack aside..." "This time I struck Mr. Himura while he was vulnerable after his attack and I still couldn't finish him." "This is strange..." "Get him, Kenshin!" "He's really vulnerable right now!" "Come on, boy!" "You can think about that later, just hurry up and finish him off!" "I didn't make any mistakes..." "In the end, only the fittest survive in this world." "If you are strong you live, and if you are weak you die." "I want to drag Battousai the Manslayer from the recesses of Kenshin Himura's mind." "The Battousai is not only strong, but..." "What's wrong, why are you spaced out?" "Such a silly thing..." "Silly?" "Rude boy, who's silly?" "At least I know more of the world than you do!" "Oh no, I didn't mean you, Miss Yumi." "Then, what?" "It was so strange for Mr. Senkaku to say something like that..." "Senkaku?" "Hey, who's this Senkaku?" "Senkaku?" "Come on, boy, what are you thinking now?" "Sojiro..." "Can I ask one thing?" "Why did you attack him with Ryu Shou Sen back then?" "Ryu Shou Sen?" "You went that far to show Mr. Shishio your abilities..." "You must be pretty dumb to not understand why." "I bet Shishio said he would kill Senkaku if he lost without getting Kenshin to use one of his attacks." "So, Kenshin showed him one of his moves to save Senkaku's life." "He gives mercy even to his enemy..." "That's the kind of man Kenshin Himura is!" "Sano..." "You should have killed Mr. Senkaku back then." "Because you acted so strangely by not killing Mr. Senkaku started to say peculiar things..." "Peculiar things?" "Oh, I was about to waste more time." "This time, I will make sure to finish you off." "He's coming, Kenshin!" "Make sure to finish him off this time, boy!" "One step shy of Shukuchi." "Fast!" "But, compared to before, his sword-speed is inconsistent." "Why?" "You should have killed him." "You were supposed to kill Mr. Senkaku back then." "Because you acted so strangely by not killing..." "Because..." "I'm surprised." "You actually escaped!" "S-Sojiro..." "Hello, Mr. Senkaku." "You're going to slay me?" "Mr. Shishio said that he hadn't told you anything important so you weren't worth killing." "That's what Mr. Shishio said, but..." "But why are you still alive, Mr. Senkaku?" "You lost against Mr. Himura..." "He didn't kill me." "Without his mercy I would have been killed by Lord Shishio already and be floating in a pool of blood in hell." "But now I can bask in the sun like this again..." "I'm thankful." "The Battousai is not only strong..." "He's completely different." "It's different from Shishio, who makes people bow to him using terror." "Why is it?" "I don't get it." "Not killing." "Kenshin Himura." "Not killing..." "Himura..." "In the end, only the fittest survive in this world." "If you are strong you live, and if you are weak you die." "Mr. Shishio is not mistaken." "Mr. Himura, you are the one who is mistaken." "Kenshin!" "He did it!" "I missed again..." "Kenshin, are you all right?" "What in the world is troubling you?" "The slight variation in sword speed..." "I can't help but think something is caught in the back of your mind." "Are you saying you can see into my deepest thoughts?" "It's just that I don't understand..." "Why you are fixed on something worthless like not killing." "Think about it." "In the end, only the fittest survive in this world." "That is the truth." "I've had just about enough of listening to you..." "You little idiot!" "You might be top-notch in your skills..." "But on the battlefield of life you're just a young kid with a blue butt!" "The weak will die?" "Look at Kenshin!" "He's been fighting so that the weak can live happily!" "He's risking his life!" "Fighting so that the weak can live happily?" "You sure say strange things..." "Boy..." "I can't understand that." "I can't understand you, Mr. Himura." "To protect the weak." "To not kill." "The reverse-blade sword." "Everything about you." "What?" "You certainly jump at everything we say, Sojiro, that you do..." "Could it be an emotional response to all our talk about not killing?" "Someone who can slay a man without hesitation usually doesn't show interest in such words..." "Deep inside your heart..." "You..." "That color in his eyes..." "Can it be anger?" "Impossible..." "Anger shouldn't exist inside Sojiro." "Don't you think you talk too much, Mr. Himura?" "Something is different." "I'm sure something is different from the usual boy, but why?" "I will go now." "I won't do something as silly as not killing." "So this time, you will meet your end." "What's wrong, boy?" "I'm sorry." "Mr. Himura, please wait a bit." "A strap from my waraji has broken, feel free to rest." "Let's see..." "My replacement waraji is..." "Why aren't you attacking, Kenshin?" "Right now, it wouldn't be unfair even if you attacked." "That makes you sound like Saito, that it does." "What was that?" "When someone is that defenseless it makes it difficult to do anything." "But first, I want to tend to my wounds right away." "Oh..." "That hurts!" "Miss Kaoru, you bandaged me so tight that I thought I was going to die!" "It's all right, it's not too bad." "Right?" "I've fallen so, to get treated by the enemy like this..." "Don't worry..." "Everyone gets their wounds treated when they get injured." "In the end..." "I couldn't win against Sojiro." "I can never be Lord Shishio's right-hand person now..." "These are horrible wounds..." "Anyone but you would have passed out by now." "Sano, what do you think?" "That young man..." "Do you think he really lacks all emotions other than happiness?" "O-Oh..." "First, I figured I wasn't going to be able to understand what he was thinking." "But now, it's seems obvious that his feelings are fluctuating." "Perhaps it isn't that he lacks emotions, but he has a reason for sealing his emotions up at the bottom of his heart..." "Sealing away?" "Subconsciously, without even realizing it himself." "What do you mean?" "Just how my match with Saito broke the seal and turned me back into Battousai the Manslayer..." "Perhaps now, in his battle with me Sojiro's seal is starting to break..." "Then, you're saying that emotions he has locked up are starting to return?" "Hey, why didn't you finish him off?" "You were so close!" "There's no time for you to tie your waraji!" "It's strange..." "Why did it end up like this?" "What Mr. Himura is saying is a mistake..." "Boy..." "Because he told me that in this world, only the fittest will survive..." "Back then..." "Back then..." "Back then..." "I..." "The darkness hidden inside Sojiro's heart..." "The start of his journey with Shishio and, the ideology of survival of the fittest that motivates Sojiro." "It all began with a wakizashi, and the events of one rainy night." "Next time..." "Look forward to it, please!"