Chapter 27

## Awakening

**Chapter 27** is titled "Awakening".

## Short Summary

Thanks to Hachimaru, Kotsuga is defeated and detained while the fight between Daruma and Benkei rages in Kenka's orbit. Daruma's cat body begins to lose stamina as Benkei unleashes a variety of abilities against him. He manages to overcome Benkei's barrage and push him back, so Benkei unleashes his strongest acquisition. Pushed to the limit, Daruma summons a gift from his master that empowers him to continue the fight.

## Long Summary

Hachimaru destroys the computer controlling Benkei's Anti-Samurai Holders, and Kotsuga is still confused at how he can put on a brave front. Remembering when Daruma told him that Samurai make their own decisions, he explains that behaving that way is what makes one a Samurai. After he is cuffed, Ryu demands to know how Kotsuga knows Benkei. He explains that Benkei worked for his father. After his death, the Samurai became his guardian and teacher. Hachimaru is indignant that he would learn to become a samurai from someone like that, so Kotsuga clarifies. Benkei teaches him not about the ways of a Samurai, but about how to make money.

Kotsuga asks Hachimaru what Daruma is to him. He explains that even though he gives long speeches that he doesn't fully understand, he thinks of him as a master, who wishes to make him a proper Samurai. Though Daruma has to nap a lot thanks to his cat body causes trouble at important times, he trusts him to resolve things when he wakes up. After hearing this, he warns that Daruma has not slept the entire time Kotsuga was among them, which will cause trouble against someone as strong as Benkei.

In the upper atmosphere, Daruma narrowly gets away from his Horse Holder as Benkei smashes it. Seeing his Holder rendered useless forces Daruma to admit that Benkei has formidable skill and power, which he must overcome before he falls asleep. Benkei resolves to see Daruma use his full power by unleashing his own secret weapons. He reveals his secret: his ability to use techniques from all four of the main Samurai Schools at once. Using a technique from each school, he alters his weapons and armor to increase his power.

Benkei paralyzes Daruma with an Gundari Style electrical blast, stabs him with his Gozanze Style enhanced Samurai Soul, and blasts his armor apart with guns created using Kongo-Yasha Style. Benkei expresses displeasure at the idea of damaging his target's Key, only to be caught off guard when Daruma appears behind him. He realizes that Daruma used **Kongo-Yasha Style: Dog Paddle** to propel himself to safety at the last second. Daruma goes on the offensive, switching from Dog Paddle to **Kongo-Yasha Style: Sword Sphere**. Benkei's armor and Holder are destroyed by Daruma's barrage, along with the scroll he carries around. The scroll breaks open, revealing dozens of Samurai Keys tied together, allowing Daruma to see why Benkei is so powerful. His Key is so weak that he cannot acquire a license, so he steals Keys from stronger Samurai and bind them to his so he can use their powers.

Exposed as a weakling and a coward, Benkei counters that the two of them are the same: he used Hachimaru's training as an excuse to win a cash prize. Daruma admits - to his shame - he is partially right, but there is a critical different between them. Unlike Benkei's inorganic connections, he bond with Hachimaru is alive, troublesome, but invisible to the natural eye. An annoyed Benkei decides to go all in and begins reshaping his miniature planet - revealed to be a Holder - around him. Benkei reveals that his ship is the infamous Oniwakamaru, and has the Holder attack with enough force to reach Kenka's surface. The slash heavily injures Daruma, and Benkei gloats over his advantage over his target: since dodging his attacks would kill everyone planetside, he is out of moves. Daruma is confounded that Benkei has the legendary Yoshitsune's Holder, and his AI alerts him that he has one minute before his body enters sleep mode.

On the planet, everyone is rocked by Oniwakamaru's attack, which lands dangerously close to them. Kotsuga recognizes what Benkei is up to, and the other samurai are shocked to hear that Benkei stole the Holder of the legendary Ship-Jumper. Ryu is unfamiliar with the name, so a Samurai explains that Yoshitsune was renowned in this part of the galaxy for being able to cut
entire planets apart. Ann worries that Daruma might not be able to handle it, but Hachimaru believes he can prevail, unless he falls asleep. In space, Daruma begins falling asleep, so reminds Benkei that his ally is still on the planet, but he is unconcerned: he believes being unable to kill allies is a sign of weakness.

This reminds Daruma of a conversation he had with Yasha after he was trapped in his cat body, in which she told him that he was overpowered. She state that the Ususuma targeted him with such persistence because of that power. It is why they stole his Holder, turned his student against him, caused his Princess' death, and trapped in his cat form. Daruma loses his composure, reminding Yasha of what he was like before he met. She reminds him that a Samurai should never lose their cool, but he counters that his losses warrant emotion. Yasha gets disappointed at her student complaining about his weakness. Exposing her Samurai Soul, she tells him that a Samurai's calling is only a calling because it is difficult. She decides that since Daruma earned his Kongo-Yasha license, he is ready to learn to use the *mind's eye*. She then breaks off a small piece of her Samurai Soul for Darume to wield.

In the present, Daruma pulls Yasha's Soul fragment from his body, recalling the instructions for using it. When she gave it to him, Yasha explained that stabbing himself with the fragment will reawaken his "true self" for ten minutes. The drawbacks are that the stab wound will never regenerate and that the side effects will immobilize him for a time afterwards. As such, it should only be used if he has a trustworthy student who can support him. Daruma tries to stab his hand with the fragment, but he falls asleep and drops his Handle Bone. As he drifts off, he recalls Yasha's reminder that even the mighty Lone Wolf is imperfect. She challenged him to find a new student, and to use long and comprehensive lessons like the ones she uses on him: they're the key to building a strong connection. Before he is left helpless, he hears Hachimaru call out to him: his student managed to catch his Handle Bone and return it to him. Stirred by his student's voice, Daruma catches the Bone and stabs himself with it. He then becomes enveloped in light as his cat body reshapes itself to resemble his original, human body. Daruma, now restored to his original form, is happy that he is feeling awake again.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Hachimaru
* Kotsuga
* Ryu
* Ann
* Hayataro
* Daruma
* Benkei
* Ushiwakamaru
* Oniwakamaru
* Yasha (Flashback)