Kaoru heads
outside to watch over Yahiko. Neither Yahiko
or Otowa have moved for a while. A standstill
has been taking place for quite some time.
Otowa decides to begin attacking by drawing
a sword he calls Bishamonken. The sword and
Yahiko's shinai clash. The result is below
Yahiko's expectation. Otowa's blade is poor,
as it could not cut Yahiko's shinai like a
finer sword could do, nor has a decent reach.
Yet, Yahiko is underestimating his opponent.
Otowa hurls
a small jar at Yahiko's shinai as the boy
charges forward. The jar cracks open upon
Yahiko's weapon, covering his body with some
kind of dust. It is an item that works with
the Bishamonken, a special powder known as
Bishamonpun. Suddenly, Otowa's Bishamonken
strikes Yahiko hard and quickly. Kaoru watches
on and quickly learns Otowa's secret after
seeing how his skill has drastically changed
from novice to expert when handling his sword.
The Bishamonken is magnetized by its scabbard,
and since iron fillings are in the Bishamonpun,
the handler is able to hit his opponent no
matter how fast he is.
Although Kaoru
warns Yahiko, Otowa feels it will make no
difference in their fight. Both combatants
strike past each other. It is Otowa who gets
the hit by slashing Yahiko across the cheek.
With Yahiko down on the ground, Otowa plans
on finishing him off, but Yahiko reveals that
he had outsmarted his foe. Yahiko raises the
Bishamonken's scabbard above him, attracting
the special sword to its base. When the two
had crossed each other, Yahiko managed to
swipe the scabbard, thanks to his old pick-pocketing
skills.
Yahiko throws
the Bishamonken and its scabbard away from
Otowa's reach. The Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu student
then leaps into the air, preparing for an
imitation of the Ryu Tsui Sen. Otowa panics,
but then remembers he has a hidden weapon
handy for such a situation. As Yahiko comes
down, he is caught by Otowa's Rokudouko, the
six blade-like objects worn on the Human Weapon's
back.
