Ken wants to know why Lin and Bat have followed him. Lin says she's sorry, but she just had to. She wants to go with him. Ken seems to forgive them, something Bat is happy about as he thought Ken would be angry with them. Shuu says they're brave children.



At that moment, one of Shuu's troops arrives to say that part of Souther's army has invaded a nearby town. Shuu tells Ken that they will meet again and then he and his brigade head out to the town. At the town, Souther's troops have indeed attacked and kill all adults they come across. They just want the children, and they corner two women with a few of their kids. One guy decides to slice the women up...



...but before his sword hits them, he is killed when arrows are shot through his head. Shuu and his resistance have arrived, and get into a fight with Souther's army. Many of the Holy Emperor's troops are killed, but then Belga, their Captain, has a good idea: He has one of his men grab two kids and threatens to have them both crushed if Shuu's force doesn't stop fighting.



Shuu isn't sure what to do and can only look on, but then the soldier drops the kids and explodes. Kenshiro has arrived to help out. Belga has some of his guys attack him, but Ken only has to strike them each once to take them out. When Belga sees them explode, he realises that this man uses Hokuto Shinken, so he must be Kenshiro.



Displaying intelligence not usually seen in minor villains, Belga immediately orders his men to run away. They drive or run for it, as Shuu explains to Ken that those guys with troops of the Holy Emperor, a man who is getting children to work on his Holy Cross Mausoleum. The folks of the town appear and are all upset because most of their children have been taken -and children are their future! Shuu of course wants to get them back, but he doesn't actually know where Souther's men may have taken them.



Lin has the bright idea of saying she will go out as bait to get captured and taken to the stronghold. She guilts Bat into going with her, and she says Ken and Shuu will be with them, so there is no need to worry. The stronghold is in the ruins of a baseball stadium. At the stadium, a bunch of tied up kids get told to stop whining, as nobody is going to come and save them. They will soon have the honor of working for the Holy Emperor, Souther.



Belga has decided that they will wait here for a while, as other legions of Souther's army will be attacking different villages, meaning Shuu's resistance will move away from the village they were just at. When that happens, they'll head back and get the kids they missed. Meanwhile, Bat and Lin are out trying to get captured, but they are driving through a sandstorm -Bat thinks that they should just go back as Souther's troops surely won't come looking for them in these kind of weather conditions. But some troops on bikes soon appear and take the two of them back to the stadium.



Their plan backfires however when one soldiers recognises the pair -they were both with Kenshiro at the village! Belga says that this is too suspicious, and orders one of his men to execute Bat and Lin immediately.



Before they can have their heads cut off, something leaps out of Bat's car and throws a large blue sheet over the soldier with a sword, who then receives a Ganzan Ryouzan Ha in the face. With his face split in half he falls over and dies, as the rest of Souther's troops realise that they've really been had. Ken tells Belga to go back to Souther and get him to build the Holy Cross pyramid himself.



Belga orders for all of his mean to kill Kenshiro and as a fight breaks out, Bat and Lin rescue the other kids. When Belga sees how easily Kenshiro is defeating all of his men, he decides to get out of here whilst he still can.



Unfortunately for him, Shuu and his force appear and block the exit, and Kenshiro soon appears behind Belga. Belga calls them all a bunch of worthless resistance idiots and then goes to attack Shuu with a sword. Before he can get close, he gets sliced to pieces.



Shuu yells at the remains of Belga that he never would have forgiven him, as he was trying to deprive the children of their bright futures. Ken suddenly remembers something: he remembers those words from somewhere before! It was many years a go, before the nuclear war, at a Nanto Seiken training ground...



Kenshiro was in something called the Nanto Junin Kumite (South Star Ten Man Tournament), which involved Ken fighting ten Nanto masters. As he fought, he was watched by Souther and Raoh. Souther thought Kenshiro was talented, but a little young. He hoped Raoh had taught him the laws of battles between the North and South stars. Raoh said he had. Souther wondered what Roah's plan was: did he plan to make Kenshiro stronger? Or to just get him out of his way now? Raoh said nothing, so Souther asked if he was fine with the idea that Kenshiro would die if he lost. Raoh said he was.



Ken defeated the seventh opponent. Shuu was also present, and Souther said to him that things had gotten interesting. Shuu said nothing and just kept watching.



Kenshiro defeated his eighth opponent. Shuu then decided to test Kenshiro, and sent forward a large wave of his own strong ki towards him. Kenshiro reacted to this and stopped it, just as his ninth opponent got angry for being ignored. As he charged, Ken punched him in the face and knocked him out.



Shuu then decided to get involved. Raoh asked if he was good enough, but Souther said that Shuu was the second strongest Nanto master, with only himself being more powerful. Shuu told Ken that he would be his 10th and final opponent, and he should attack him with everything he has. Kenshiro tried a flying kick, but Shuu blocked it with one of his hands.



Shuu used a rapid hand stabbing technique, and hit Kenshiro in his chest. This was enough to defeat him, and he crashed into the ground. Souther reminded everyone that in fights with other schools, the loser may not leave alive. He told Shuu to kill Kenshiro.



Ken thanked Shuu for being his last ever opponent and for also showing him how intense his fighting style was. This clicked something in Shuu's mind and he hesitated, which made Souther wonder if he could actually kill Kenshiro. If he can't, he'll still have someone else kill him anyway and a few guys moved in, armed with spears. But Shuu then said that Kenshiro shall not be killed, as he can feel that he has a stronger, fiercer potential than anybody else, and nobody will deprive him of his bright future.



Souther states again the law of Nanto, but Shuu says that he knows he cannot just let Kenshiro live and not pay for it. So before anyone can stop him, he uses his own fists to blind himself -giving up his light in an exchange he hopes Souther finds acceptable. Souther was quite shocked at what Shuu just did to himself, as was everyone else in the room.



Shuu picked Ken up and left the room. As they left, Souther mumbled about how he forgot that Shuu is the star of benevolence, and that he will bring hope to others through his own kindness. Raoh was looking at the bigger picture though -Shuu's actions have set into motion the future of Hokuto Shinken, and his own personal goal.



As the flashback ends, Kenshiro realises that the guy in front of him right this moment is the same person who saved him all those years a go. Shuu has always remembered Kenshiro and tells him not to worry, as on that day when he gave up his vision, he was able to bring out Ken's strong, fierce light.


NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Souther's Holy Cross troops have set up a trap for the resistance! Tune in next time for "Love on the Battlefield! Will this era tear love apart!!"