The Sword of Kaigen

Content Warning: This section contains depictions of graphic violence, the murder of a child, sexual assault, rape, and suicidal ideation.

Misaki wakes with Setsuko standing over her and realizes that she only passed out. Setsuko asks if Misako killed all the soldiers in the house. Ashamed, Misaki nods and waits for Setsuko to be horrified and disgusted, but instead, Setsuko thanks her for protecting them so well.

Suddenly, the fonyaka whom Misaki previously knocked unconscious attacks again. Misaki tackles the man, but she is weakened by her injuries, and he pins her against the floor. He is about to kill her when a blade suddenly cuts through his neck. Misaki looks up to see Hiroshi holding Siradenyaa. Hiroshi strikes again, killing the man and telling his mother that she is safe now. Misaki is unnerved by his emotionless demeanor but hugs him.

Outside the numu village, Mamoru falls, incapacitated by his wounds. He buries his hands in the snow, and the world “snap[s] into focus [as if his] fingers [are] the snow. They [are] the rivers, reaching all the way down the mountain to sink into the ocean and grasp the power of gods” (331-32). Though no one will ever know, Mamoru becomes the youngest person to master the Whispering Blade and defeats the Dragon Killer with a single strike.