After committing seppuku and unfurling the mysterious ritual, Mifune shouted, "Kaishaku!"
Zatoichi's hand gripping his sword trembled.
Kaishaku... was the cruel ritual in which a samurai beheaded one who had committed seppuku to ease his suffering!
Zatoichi demanded, "My disciple... why must you do this!!!"
Kibutsuji slowly spoke four words: "Death. Luo. Observance."
Mifune smiled tragically. "You really do know..."
Zatoichi said, "What exactly is Death Luo Observance, and what does it have to do with your seppuku and kaishaku!"
Kibutsuji said, "'Death Luo Observance' is a forbidden ritual of the Sōbichi Clan. Legend says that seppuku initiates the ritual, kaishaku completes it, the one committing seppuku is sacrificed, and the one performing kaishaku receives the blessing of mysterious power!"
"During the later stages of the Takamagahara Melee, to contend with our clan after we gained the formidable power of the Divine Tree, the swordsmen of the Sōbichi Clan once turned the tide through the ritual of Death Luo Observance. But in the end, the overall situation was beyond saving, and they were wiped out by our clan..."
"But the source of Death Luo Observance's mysterious power has always remained a mystery..."
At this, Kibutsuji looked at Zatoichi. "Legend says that once the ritual of Death Luo Observance begins, both flesh and soul become sacrifices to invoke that mysterious power and vanish forever. Your disciple is willing to go this far just to help you, his teacher, defeat me. Old sir, will you answer his resolve? I will not stop you. The choice is yours!"
Mifune said, "Master! Please perform kaishaku for me. Do not let my resolve be in vain!"
Leaning on his sword, Zatoichi walked forward. Every step was incomparably heavy.
"Mifune, do you intend to make your teacher live the rest of his life in guilt?"
Mifune