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As the volume opens, Kyo and Sasuke Sarutobi continue their confrontation with Shihodo, the strange guardian of the "latrine level" of the city-sized Mibu palace/temple complex. It's far from clear whose side Shihodo supports, but through flashbacks we learn a lot more about her history - and Kyo's. Escape from the Stygian depths of the Onmyo Palace will eventually hinge on whether or not Kyo can truly master his Muramasa-forged sword, Tenro - which turns out to have a very strong mind of its own.
Meanwhile, Bontenmaru, Akira, and Benitora become the unwilling guests of the unpleasantly impish Tokito, whose idea of fun and games is on level with that of Kami-sama in Saiyuki. Although three of them will join Tokito in spooky Tsukikage Castle, only two will emerge afterward.
In the final chapter, Kyo and Sasuke meet up with Akari and Yuya - and make a terrifying discovery about the fate of Yuya's brother that will affect them all.
This volume suffered from being rather betwixt and between: the incident in the final chapter is the set-up for the next sub-arc, and although the other two incidents were interesting - and provided some valuable puzzle pieces - their emotional impact is simply not as great as some of what has already happened. I also miss the characters who didn't appear: Yukimura, obviously, but also Hotaru and Shinrei. And although Yuya and Akari make an appearance, they don't get to do much. The same is true of the more intriguing villains: Fubuki and Yuan give the intro and then pretty much disappear, while Hishigi gets nothing but a few lines in the Shihodo flashback and two frames of editorial comment right near the end. And there's far too much Tokito ... but that's just my opinion!
The artwork's a little odd in this volume: everyone continues to be very elongated and leggy (not just Shihodo, who's meant to be that way), and yet the faces seem even more rounded and childish than usual. But there are some very cute drawings of Kyo and Akira in the various flashbacks (Akira-chan is rather more believable as a child than Kyo-chan, who looks more like a Kyo-chibi from one of the extras).
( Read more ... with spoilers! )