"Ah yes, that pathetic fool who thought he could assassinate me," the daimyo smirked as he deflected Tatsuya's attacks. "Too bad his Hunter friend couldn't even save him from the hands of my Yako!"

Tatsuya lost it. It was the last straw. Filled with blind rage, he began to overpower the daimyo. But his enemy had a few tricks up his sleeve. He reached for a small bag in his pocket, untying the knot as he hurled it at Tatsuya's face. It produced a thick cloud of powder to temporarily blind his opponent. The daimyo tried to strike Tatsuya when he was distracted, but an arrow struck him in the arm. Turning around as he pulled the arrow out, the daimyo saw that it was Higure, the same archer who saved the prisoner Rai earlier that day. With Tatsuya still trying to recover his sight, Higure kept the daimyo at bay by launching arrow after arrow.

The daimyo however was up to challenge, managing to evade them. Seeing that he had a numerical disadvantage, he once again reached for his bag of tricks. He threw a small explosive in between Higure and Tatsuya. The impact sent the two warriors flying and knocking them out temporarily. Without Higure to defend him this time, the daimyo once again inched closer to Tatsuya with his sword raised. But before the daimyo could land the killing blow, someone burst into the room from out of nowhere and kicked him out of the way. The daimyo turned and saw that his attacker was a tall monk with a sturdy, muscular frame like a bear. His skin was dark like the bark of a mighty tree, and he had a thick, bushy beard that gave him the aura of an immortal. It was one of the allies Higure mentioned to Rai earlier, although this man had a reputation of being a skilled fighter. So much so that the daimyo recognized him and smirked.

"Well, who do we have here?" the daimyo scoffed. "Uesugi Kazan, the shadow monk, in the flesh."

"So, you have heard of me," Kazan the monk replied. "Then you should know that this would be your doom!"

With a mighty swing of his iron bo staff he struck at the daimyo, who was barely able to evade the blow. As soon as the weapon hit the ground, the floor melted into a pool of boiling lava. The daimyo smirked as he jumped away from the burning spot.

"So, I see you are a Hunter," the daimyo said. "The staff of the mountains, if I'm not mistaken."

"You are unworthy to speak of it," Kazan spat.

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with the likes of you," the daimyo snarled, snapping his fingers.

The palace guards immediately pulled a lever, which resulted in the throne moving to the side and revealing a secret room. Hidden in that room was a bound Okumade, a giant centipede with an appetite for human flesh. The daimyo motioned for the guards to set the monster free while he made his escape. The poor soldiers had no choice but to obey, wherein they were gobbled up almost immediately by the starving centipede. If the daimyo thought he could just abandon his men and get away, he was dead wrong. Tatsuya and Higure were now back on their feet, and they will stop at nothing to get in his way. Seeing this, Kazan shouted battle orders.

"Tatsuya!" he barked. "Leave the creature to Higure and I!"

"Right," Tatsuya nodded. "That damn daimyo is mine."

As Tatsuya crossed blades with the daimyo, Higure quickly ran over to Kazan with his arrow drawn.

"What's the plan?" the archer asked.

"These creatures are weak to saliva," Kazan replied. "I will go and distract it. Meanwhile, coat the tip of your arrows with your saliva and shoot it down."

"Consider it done," Higure replied.

Kazan charged fearlessly at the monstrous centipede, using a hit and run tactic to attract its attention. At the same time, Higure would draw an arrow every time and spit on the tip. After which he would find a clear shot and let loose his arrows with deadly precision. Riddled with arrows, the monster began to stagger. Yet it would not go down so easily. It thrashed its tail wildly, enraged at the warriors who hurt it. Kazan knew he had to do something to give Higure a better shot. He noticed that the throne room's ceiling was being held up by pillars. If he could somehow lure the beast close to the pillars, then all he had to do was strike them down so that the roof collapses on the monster. This will trap it in place enough for Higure to get a clear shot.

"Get yourselves out of here!" Kazan yelled. "I'm bringing the ceiling down!"

"Are you insane?" the daimyo growled trying to stop him, but Tatsuya kicked him out of the room.

Tatsuya ran after the daimyo trying to strike him when he was down. Higure followed behind him. Now alone with the centipede, Kazan swung his staff with such force. This knocked the first pillar down, making rocks and other debris crumble at the monster. The monk then proceeded to attack the other pillars without hesitation. Higure knew what he had to do, but he also realized that Kazan would not make it out alive if he didn't intervene. He had to act quickly. First, he fired three arrows at once at the creature's chest to finish it for good. Before Kazan could get buried in the rubble, Higure recited an incantation and rapidly fired another set of arrows this time aimed at the rocks. The magic of the arrows heated the rocks, turning them into tiny meteorites that bounced off Kazan harmlessly. Higure quickly ran to help the monk stand. Both of them were already out of strength.

Seeing his companions barely able to stand, Tatsuya knew that it was up to him to put an end to this. The daimyo was a skilled swordsman himself. Tatsuya knew that he would have to prove that all those duels weren't for nothing. Was he the unstoppable swordsman that struck fear in the hearts of his opponents or was he a fluke? As he remembered his roots, he saw the daimyo get back on his feet. The daimyo then returned his sword to its scabbard and taunted Tatsuya to come forth. Tatsuya understood his meaning. He was challenging him to end this with a single draw. Nodding, Tatsuya as he accepted the challenge. The two warriors were silent for a moment, exchanging glares. Then in a flash, they lunged at each other. Then there was a thud. The daimyo's lifeless corpse fell on the ground, the body was separated into two pieces. The head, neck and parts of the daimyo's right shoulder were detached from the rest. Almost immediately, the corpse caught fire as Tatsuya wiped the blood off the blade before returning it to its sheath. Tatsuya could barely catch his breath when he saw Mizuchi arrive, calling his attention.

"Quick! We have to get away from these pursuers!" Mizuchi cried.

A small detachment of the daimyo's most loyal soldiers was heading their direction, seeking to avenge their master. While they are normally not a threat to the Hunters, they were all exhausted and at the end of their strength. Rai was barely able to fend them off while Mizuchi was calling Tatsuya's attention.

"This way!" said Higure. "I know a secret passage to the docks!"

The four men followed Higure through the shortcut, yet they were barely able to create some distance. The pursuers were still hot on their tail. When they arrived very close to the docks, Kazan stopped in his tracks and told his companions that he'll handle it. As the others boarded the ship, Kazan began walking slowly towards the pursuers. As the soldiers drew closer, he held out his magical bo staff and started reciting an incantation. Then, with a loud voice, he roared:

"By the power of this staff, I command you to stop!"

The black monk struck the ground with force, sending out powerful shockwaves that fractured the earth. The pursuers found themselves caught in an earthquake of such magnitude that the entire army was tossed around as if they were nothing. Their bones were all shattered and their heads cracked open. Blood oozed like a river, and the loud battle cries of the pursuers were turned into groans and whimpers of men in agonizing pain. The sight of their comrades annihilated in one fell swoop was enough to convince the other Hibiki soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender.

Just like that, the Hibiki’s reign was no more.