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Summary:
Many years ago, Katumau led Karura and Derihourai to a passage out of the castle during an assault. In order to protect her little brother, Karura had Katumau take Derihourai ahead while she held off the soldiers. Back in the present, Derihourai leads his troops in an assault on another Na Tunku camp. He’s backed up by all of Hakuoro’s girls who kill a lot of the soldiers and send the rest on the run. Derihourai wants to give chase, but Karura stops him. On Hakuoro’s advice, Derihourai and company withdrawal, having won the battle. They setting up camp that night by the river, and Hakuoro, Derihourai, Karura, and the others have a strategy session. Derihourai wants to keep fighting, but Karura and Urutorii remind him that his men are tired and wounded. After Derihourai agrees to move the injured, the women, and the children, a commotion starts up outside. It seems that white flowers are flowing downstream from the enemy castle. After picking one up, Karura announces that she knows a secret route into the castle through a waterway. When Derihourai wants to know why she knows of such a path, Karura claims that it’s because she was a slave, so she knows the secret paths very well. He’s still not sure if he can believe her, so she tells him that that judgment is something he has to make as a leader.
Derihourai does decide to trust her, but there’s still a problem. The passage can only accommodate a small amount of people and then they’ll be right in the middle of the enemy. In the end, Derihourai’s men volunteer to be decoys to draw out the enemy away from Derihourai and Hakuoro’s small force. Later that night, Derihourai asks a favor of Hakuoro: when the fighting is over, he’d like Hakuoro to hand over Karura. Of course, Hakuoro isn’t about to treat Karura like some thing to be traded. Derihourai admits that Karura reminds him of his sister even though he feels that the two of them are exactly opposite. He describes his sister as gentle, graceful, and lovely, saying that he’s never met a woman better than her. Later that night, Hakuoro finds Karura staring into the distance. He asks her what she’s going to do after the battle tomorrow, and her reply is that she’s going to return to Tousukuru. Karura says that as long a person has food, can rest, and can listen to the insects, that is enough. Hakuoro asks her if it’s alright for her to throw away her past, but she doesn’t answer, instead reminding him that he doesn’t know his own past. Hakuoro recalls that someone once told him that not knowing his past doesn’t change the fact that he’s here – that’s why he lives. Karura decides that she’s the same way.
The decoy assault on the castle begins early morning as Derihourai’s troops charge. Karura leads Derihourai, Hakuoro, and the others through the passage and into the castle. They reach the throne room and find it filled with white flowers, the same type that was floating down the river earlier. However, Eruru notices that there are human bodies in the water under the flowers. At the front of the room are Suonkasu and a horde of his guards. Suonkasu seems to know Karura and says that he cultivated these flowers for her sake. Derihourai leaves the talking for later and attacks the enemy soldiers. And while Hakuoro’s group is quite powerful, Suonkasu’s guards keep coming. Suonkasu seemed to have only had one goal, and that was to get Karura to come back to him. He created this garden for that purpose. To Derihourai’s surprise, Suonkasu addresses Karura by her full name Karurauatsuurei. Karura figures out that in this rebellion, it must have been Suonkasu’s plan in the beginning to lure her out. Suonkasu says that if she returns to him, she can live an even more luxurious life than when she was a princess. Karura replies that the life of royalty is too formal and boring. Everyone else meanwhile had heard the word princess and Derihourai now finally realizes who Karura really is. Suonkasu decides to take Karura back by force with his troops, but they are not match for Hakuoro or his girls.
Derihourai charges at Suonkasu, but Suonkasu stops him with a dart to the leg. Karura defends her brother and gets him to stand back up. Suonkasu comments on how this is just like that time – Derihourai is useless. Karura breaks his illusions by raising her weapon and smacking aside all the men directly guarding Suonkasu. Derihourai then goes and punches Suonkasu several times, throwing him into the water. With the fight now over, Derihourai turns to his sister who’s he’s wanted to see again for such a long time. Karura tells him that he’s mistaken her for someone else, and instead reminds him of all his comrades outside who are still fighting. If he has things to say, they can talk about them later. Derihourai makes her promise not to go anywhere and then runs out of the throne room. But as soon as Derihourai is gone, Karura prepares to go home. Eruru objects because of the promise Karura just made and because that would make everything too sad. She calls Karura an idiot, and Karura just agrees with her. After Karura thanks Eruru, the group leaves. Outside, Derihourai announces to everyone the defeat of Suonkasu and the founding of the country of Karurauatsuurei.
With everyone back at Tousukuru, life returns to normal. With Oboro watching them from nearby while he cuts wood, Kamyu comments on how Oboro hasn’t left Yuzuha’s side since she came back. Yuzuha whispers something to Aruru and Kamyu and the girls decide to go somewhere together. Oboro tries to follow them, but then becomes embarrassed when they reveal they’re going to the bath. Meanwhile, in the castle’s throne room, Derihourai and an entourage have arrived to give thanks to Tousukuru’s leader. It is not until Hakuoro steps out that Derihourai realizes who that leader truly is. Hakuoro refuses their gratitude because he had originally planned to abandon them, but there had been a woman who had requested that he save them. Derihourai realizes who this person is and asks if she’s doing well. Hakuoro says that she’s so energetic that she’s causing him worries. It is after Derihourai leaves that Hakuoro finds Karura staring off at the distance again. He tells her that there’s still time for her to go with Derihourai, her only family. Karura tells Hakuoro that he’s mistaken. The person in front of him serves her master – she is just a woman named Karura. As her gaze returns to the sunset, Karura says goodbye.
Preview:
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I was rather disappointed with Suonkasu this episode. He was basically had no special powers and was just obsessed with Karura. She should have just used her weapon and cleaved him in half, but I guess she had to let her little brother prove himself and fight his own battles. Still, it was fun watching Hakuoro’s harem defeat the Na Tunku troops so easily. Heck, even Aruru (on Mukkuru) and Kamyu got into this one. And then Oboro got shafted at the end yet again; such a hapless fellow, but at least his scenes are pretty funny.
So I admit that it took every ounce of restraint I had not to name this entry “Shadow Warrior Chronicles – 19.” 😉
I still think it’s a horrible name (and hopefully it won’t stay). But rest assured, Shadow Warrior Chronicles not only has shadows and warriors, it also has giant robots! (that’s from the preview for next week).
