Kaioh has ended his incantation, but he's still in total command of the fight as he throws Kenshiro into a wall. He floats down and then lands at a high speed...



...to stomp on him. He says Raoh must have been humiliated to have been beaten by someone as weak as him. He then decides to finish Kenshiro off for good but as he does his last strike, Kenshiro disappears!



As Kaioh hits the ground there is a quick blue flash in front of his face. As he stands, he notices part of his helmet break off and he sees that Kenshiro is using the most powerful Hokuto Shinken technique. He congratulates Kenshiro on using it, as it will take a powerful technique like that to beat him. Kenshiro says that with this move, no-one can catch him off guard and he picks up energy from nothingness. This is the ultimate technique of Hokuto Shinken:


HOKUTO SHINKEN KYUUKYOKU OUGI: MUSOU TENSEI

(North Star Divine Fist Ultimate Secret Technique: Nil-Thought Rebirth)



Kaioh watches Kenshiro, but then says he will destroy the nothingness he uses. He raises his hand and then some of his demonic aura blasts out of it. Kenshiro suddenly finds...



...that what happened earlier in the battle is happening again! He can't position himself and Kaioh easily picks out where he is. Kaioh hits him with enough power to send him flying back into a wall where Lin is.



Nearby Shachi is watching. He says to himself that no matter who wins this battle, the land of Shura will change. Kaioh is disappointed with Kenshiro, as it seems Hokuto Shinken is no match for him. He picks him up and then squeezes him so hard that blood spurts out of his body. He goes on to say that the people of Shura are stupid enough to believe in the legend of the savior, but as long as he, Kaioh, is around, that savior will never appear -Hokuto Ryuuken has no equal!



Kaioh says that there is no way he can be defeated -not unless the Hokuto spell is lifted. Kenshiro doesn't know what that means. Shachi hears this, but he doesn't know what it means either. But Kaioh gets angry just talking about it and he says that it is a disaster which must be kept locked away.



Meanwhile, Jukei stands over Hyo, who is still in pain from the spell Jukei used to try and restore his lost memories. Hyo wants to know why his master would do this to him, but Jukei says that he is too soft. Just like he was as a boy. This is to remind him that the location of Hokuto Soukei's secrets is in part of his lost memory.



Decades a go, young Hyo was kneeling before Jukei. He apparently knew where Hokuto Soukei's secrets were, but he refused to reveal it's location. Jukei wanted to know so they could find it as it would ensure the survival of Hokuto, so he used a spell to make Hyo talk. He would be put into greater and greater pain if he didn't.



However this plan backfired when Hyo hit pressure points on his neck. He had attempted to kill himself! He told Jukei that the secrets are for Kenshiro only, it is the least he can do for his lost brother. He passed out and Jukei clutches to him, saying sorry as he didn't realise his brother meant that much to him.



Back in the present Jukei tells Hyo to hit the pressure point on his own forehead to completely restore his memory. Hyo looks up and then yells that he'll never forgive Jukei for betraying Hokuto Ryuuken, and stabs him in the chest!



But this isn't enough to defeat Jukei, who decides to hit the pressure point for him. Hyo screams but then calms down. It seems that what Jukei did worked properly this time, and Hyo begins to think back...



He sees his younger self on some kind of bridge. Raoh and Toki appear, and Raoh passes across a glowing object. As Hyo reaches out for it, he realises that it has a baby inside it! The baby reaches out with one of his arms, and Hyo holds his hand.



Back in the present again, Hyo holds his head in his hands as Jukei tells him how sorry he is. The wound he has received from Hyo was fatal, but giving up his life was the least he could do so all of his memories would return. At first all seems well, but suddenly Hyo starts to groan and an aura surrounds him.



Hyo is becoming like Kaioh -a demon! Jukei realises that Kaioh must have had something to do with this. The new, evil Hyo states that it Jukei hadn't removed the seal, then he wouldn't have become a Majin (demon). But he's glad he did.



Kaioh tells Kenshiro that he was the one who put the seal on Hyo, to prevent him from become a demon. But if the spell is broken, he will become one. Ken doesn't doesn't seem interested in his words however and concentrates on the fight. He says that Hokuto Shinken never gives up hope and goes to punch Kaioh in the face!



But his punch fails to connect. Kaioh tells him that Hokuto Shinken is nothing compared to Hokuto Ryuuken. Kaioh's matouki absorbed all of the power of Kenshiro's punch. He cannot hit him. Kaioh has now had enough of Kenshiro, and blasts him back.


HOKUTO RYUUKEN ZETSUGI: ANMA MAKAKYOKU HA

(North Star Lapis Lazuli Fist Last Stance: Dark Demon Great Zenith Destruction)



Dark projectiles repeatedly hit Ken and cause him to bleed heavily. His blood rains all over Kaioh, who laughs and says that the land of Shura is where the strong survive and the weak, like masters of Hokuto Shinken, die. All Lin can do is watch as Kenshiro suffers.



Meanwhile Jukei sees that Hyo has become a demon, like Kaioh, and has been taken over by the evil side of Hokuto Ryuuken. Hyo says that this is the end and strikes him down.



Having heard all of Hyo's troops suddenly start cheering, Leia and Tao rush in only to find Jukei has fallen. He tells the two that he has failed to rectify anything and that without Hyo's help, Hokuto Soukei's secret weapon has also been lost. Kenshiro will never be able to defeat Kaioh and it means that the world will enter a new, terrible age under Kaioh's command. He dies soon after saying this.



Hyo seems to have calmed down and bids farewell to his master. He tells Leia that he'll leave the funeral arrangements to her before walking away. Meanwhile, Kaioh's troops erect a giant crucifix shaped like the big dipper as Kaioh levitates Kenshiro up to it. He knows what he wants to do with the so called savior.



He places Kenshiro on the structure and nails his hands to it. He then announces to his troops that the execution of the savior will take place when the sun sets, that way the big dipper will be seen via the stars in the night sky, which just makes it even more perfect. He then gives a speech saying that Kenshiro has lost and that Hokuto Ryuuken is now the superior Hokuto style. But he also has a terrifying message for Lin...



"Daughter of the Emperor, Lin..."



...you shall bear my children..."



Lin's reaction to that says it all and as the troops cheer, Kaioh laughs manically. Is this really the end?


NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Jukei is dead, Kenshiro has been defeated and Kaioh reigns supreme. Who can stop him now? Find out in "Kenshiro on the Execution Stand! The Heaven has Unleashed the God of the Sea!!"