Chapter 42

**Chapter 42** is titled "The Next Shooting Star".

## Short Summary

With the epiphany given to him by Nanashi, Hachimaru manages to achieve the same state of being as Fudo Myo-o. Using newfound powers, he possesses all seven of his brothers and uses their bodies to confront Ata. The Peerless Samurai counters with a trump card from Kala, backing Hachimaru into another corner. Refusing to give up, Hachimaru reaches out to Ann for the strength to make a comeback.

## Long Summary

Within the Inner Space of the Seven Spare Keys, Ikkaku through Nanakaku see the cubes representing their minds merge into one larger cube. Ikkaku realizes that instead of draining Hachimaru's power, Hachimaru is somehow draining *them*. Back in Hachimaru's cell, Nanashi is panicking at the fact that Hachimaru has become a Locker Ball, meaning that he is dead. However, he freezes when a strange feeling overtakes him.

Hachimaru awakes to the voice of Fudo-Myo-o telling him that he has made it to a dimension few are able to reach. He opens his eyes and sees that he now looks similar to Fudo-myo-o. The higher being explains that Hachimaru became a perfected Incarnate Body: he has left his physical form and become a spiritual being. Hachimaru doesn't get it, so Fudo-Myo-o clarifies. Discorporation, the true process of a Samurai dying, is not actually death. It is actually the process of losing one's physical form and becoming a mass of information. Hachimaru realizes that he now become, in a sense, a second Fudo-myo-o.

Fudo-myo-o explains that spiritual beings are made of H-particles, but their mind and feelings persist as they become a part of the universe itself. As most Samurai who die don't understand their minds can persist after death, their consciousnesses vanish. Hachimaru is one of the few to realize the truth. Hachimaru explains that from his perspective, it was nothing fancy. Nanashi's words made him realize that Ann's brother was dead, but his will to protect her lives on inside of Nanashi and himself; one who has the same name and another who has the same Calling. Ann was unknowingly aware of this truth, which is why Hachimaru reminded her of his brother. These thoughts made him realize that even without a physical body, his life can persist through his bonds with other people. Fudo-myo-o congratulates him on completing this process, and warns that he has an important role in what is coming. He then tells Hachimaru to continue making others' dreams come true in his place and reminds him that he has infinite possibilities.

In the seven brothers' Inner Space, a list of stats appear that they don't recognize. One of them hears a voice saying that they are his stats. As the brothers' hair turns white, the voice corrects himself; it is *their* stats. In the physical world, Ata sees the hair of all seven brothers turn white and yin-yang tattoos appear on their foreheads. As they open their eyes, Ata demands they explains what happened, but one of them then draws their Samurai Soul and hacks the arm holding Ann off. He is then taken off guard as the other six brothers all stab him in concert. Ata then catches on: Hachimaru has possessed all of his brothers. Hachimaru confirms this as he frees Hayataro, and explains to a confused Ann that he turned all of his brothers into himself.

Ata then hears his master Kala speak to him telepathically, to warn that Hachimaru has become like Fudo-myo-o. The Ususama leader orders him to scrap their plan with the piece of his Samurai Soul he gave to him. Ata complies and opens the mask over his face to reveal a pitch black Samurai Soul. Hachimaru spots it, but fails to react as Ata slashes the six bodies pinning him down, discorporating them all. The bodies do not turn into Locker Balls, and Ann explains to Hachimaru that instead of Locker Balls, Samurai from the Cube Sector of the Universe are created from Locker Cubes. Hachimaru realizes that his brothers are gone forever since they didn't have time to achieve the enlightenment he did. Ata reveals that Kala's Samurai Soul can forcibly discorporate whatever it touches upon contact. He then moves to give orders to Ryuki, but the Dragon Holder isn't responding to him. He then sees that Hachimaru's original Key is infusing to the floor, recognizing that something unprecedented is happening.

Ata readies Kala's Soul shard and declares that he will start the Spare Key plan from scratch after he kills the two of them. Having Ann pray for him, Hachimaru clashes with Ata as his blade turns white. As their blades meet, he sees Ata glance in Ann's direction, so he breaks off to shield her from an shockwave that slashes through him. He realizes that when Ata readied Kala's Shard, he used **Kongo-Yasha Style: Silent Slash** to attack Ann without him noticing. Hachimaru falls as his body begins to discorporate, and Ann begins to tear up in shock. Hachimaru realizes that Ann genuinely cares about him, and he also recognizes that he has genuinely fallen for her. He recalls that when he realized that Ann was only being nice to him because she saw her brother in him, he was still happy about it. He then asks her to pray for him and believe in him even after seeing his true self. She responds by simply saying things are fine. Hachimaru asks for clarity, and she responds with a simple smile. Seeing the message in her smile, he agrees to try. He realizes that his love for Ann might be a result of her love for her brother and his desire to fulfill his promise to his father. Regardless of why he loves her, he resolve to use all the power his bond affords to protect Ann. He then corrects himself out loud: rather than try to protect Ann, he **will** protect her. Ata then beholds something that shocks him, and within his Inner Space, Hachimaru's *Heroism*  stat changes from eight to infinity.

## Fights and Events

* Hachimaru achieves enlightenment and becomes the same kind of being as Fudo Myo-o.
* Ata kills six of his students, marking the failure of the Spare Key Project.
* Locker Cubes are introduced.
* Hachimaru vs Ata