A debilitated Akio explains why he betrayed the Kagemori clan to a bewildered Natsuki. Nearby, Mountain God's relics explode without warning, allowing Akio to flee captivity and unite with his enigmatic new companions from western Japan. Hana is subsequently summoned to a clandestine meeting of Higashi Village agents, where the same hostile force that attacked the Kagemoris has planted another set of bombs!