Just as Okita Sougo was about to cut Gintoki down—
Outside the club, beneath the night sky over Edo Castle, a huge pillar of flame suddenly shot up.
The blast was thunderous—so loud it must have jolted countless sleeping townsfolk awake.
Seeing the disturbance through the window, Gintoki and Sougo both halted their duel.
At the same moment, Shinsengumi patrols on the streets of Kabukichō also froze in their tracks.
Kabukichō is at its liveliest after dark, awash in neon and revelry.
Kondō Isao and Hijikata Tōshirō instantly realized the explosion was very likely connected to the intruders who had broken into the Shogunate.
Kondō immediately ordered every Shinsengumi officer to head straight for the blast zone.
Marching with them were Shogunate troops and a contingent of Oniwabanshū ninja.
"What's going on?"
Gintoki dashed outside the club, bewildered.
Trailing after the trio, Okita Sougo gave a quick rundown of what had just happened inside the Shogunate.
When they heard that a Tendōshu facility had been attacked, all three members of Yorozuya were startled.
"You mean… they did it?"
Gintoki, recalling Xiang Nan and Beishi, asked gravely.
"Those two guests? They're that strong? …Don't tell me the Shinsengumi's just incompetent and looking for random scapegoats," Kagura sneered at Sougo.
"Heh… if only it were that simple," Sougo replied with a faint smile. What he said next sent cold sweat coursing down the Yorozuya trio's backs.
"The boss just told me those people are his cousins. I made a note of it. If I file a report, you three will probably be paraded through the streets and then beheaded. Forget a complete corpse—you might not even get a grave, just tossed to the stray dogs. Even if, out of humanitarian concern, someone did stick a headstone somewhere, I'd come by every day and scatter kindling over it…"
"..."
The three of them fell silent.
"Hahaha… just kidding. I don't know them at all."
Gintoki frantically shook his head, laughed awkwardly, then grabbed Kagura and Shinpachi to slip away, feigning amnesia. "Ahhh… never drink on an empty stomach—you end up spouting nonsense. Remember, kids, booze is bad for you. It's late, time for bed…"
"I've already made a recording," Sougo said with a sweet smile, producing a pocket tape‑recorder as if by magic. "Even without the tape, a quick investigation would turn up evidence that Yorozuya had contact with the suspects. Then your guilt would be a sure thing."
Gintoki blanched, nearly dropping to his knees.
"If the boss wants to clear his name, he'd better cooperate with our investigation. And if you'd come with me right now to the blast site to hunt the culprits—so much the better," Sougo added, smiling darkly.
…
BOOM!
The blast site – underground Edo Castle – Tendōshu base
Xiang Nan slipped through a hail of gunfire from a line of Tendōshu soldiers, ghosting behind them.
With a series of brittle cracks, the gunners' necks twisted like wrung towels and they collapsed in unison.
Nearby, Manman and Beishi were also mowing down wave after wave of defenders.
The base was deeply hidden—not on the surface, but underground, much like Yoshiwara beneath Edo's pleasure quarter. It bristled with traps; besides conventional firearms it even housed high‑tech gear such as lasers—devices that could threaten Nen users.
Unfortunately for the Tendōshu, their hand‑to‑hand prowess was far too feeble against Nen. They had no real countermeasure; all they could do was stall for time.
Even so, the sheer level of technology impressed Xiang Nan. Some of the precision instruments looked beyond anything Earth should possess—positively next‑generation.
The Tendōshu are, after all, a space‑faring organization; and Gintama's setting famously plays fast and loose, where "impossible" hardly exists. Tech here can be as backward as Kabukichō's back alleys—or leap absurdly into sci‑fi futurism.
At least there were no truly outrageous weapons of mass destruction.
A fresh squad of Tendōshu soldiers came to block their way, clad in armor‑like combat suits, faces uncovered—skin tones and features all over the map.
Just as they advanced to re‑open fire, a surge of baleful resentment rolled over them. Enveloped by that force, their minds corroded; they staggered like zombies, some wailing, some pulling the trigger on their own comrades.
Pigeon had slipped back to rejoin them.
The underground complex was vast. Xiang Nan, Manman, and Beishi spearheaded the assault, while Pigeon and Orban searched for anything related to Altana.
The earlier explosion was Xiang Nan destroying one of the base's control cores—the hub for its high‑tech weapon systems. With it gone, the entire defense grid was blind, letting the team push toward the heart of the base unimpeded.
"I've picked up some intel," Pigeon said.
"What is it?"
"These Tendōshu are crafty. Even on Earth, this isn't their HQ. Strictly speaking, their headquarters is up in the sky," Pigeon said sourly.
"The sky?"
"Yeah. I overheard them contacting the outside—the Tendōshu leadership is actually aboard a gigantic starship. I saw the feed; it's parked in near‑Earth orbit, and they've got a whole interstellar fleet. Since they roam space, their chiefs aren't on Earth all the time; they're scattered. The organization's enormous. Which means wiping them out for good is nearly impossible."
"We never intended to wipe them out—practically impossible anyway. We're after the Altana crystal, that's all," Xiang Nan said, striding on.
"As long as we confirm an Elder is inside this so‑called underground HQ, that's enough."
"Find him, and we find the key to unleash the Dragon Veins. Earth's dragon nodes have always been there."
Unfazed, he ordered, "Keep looking."
"Got it."
Pigeon and Orban continued hunting for the lab or vault where Altana was stored, while Xiang Nan already knew where the local commander was hiding.
The base rumbled endlessly; explosions flared, sparks flying off overloaded devices. A minor hit could trigger cascading failures.
Fifteen minutes later, Xiang Nan reached a corridor sealed off by a massive door—a coded lock. Judging by its strength, even Nen couldn't break it.
Fortunately he had already pried the code from a mid‑level Tendōshu officer—cranial surgery has its perks.
The higher‑ups were holed up beyond that door. Speed was critical; they could bolt in a ship at any moment.
He couldn't lose a second.
But before opening the gate, he had to deal with the man standing before it, as though waiting for him.
Long, pale‑gray hair draped to the shoulders, kimono, wooden clogs, a sharp katana in hand.
A system prompt told Xiang Nan this was a "story character" —meaning he was barred from striking first.
"Who is…?"
Xiang Nan frowned, sizing him up—half guessing already.
Yoshida Shōyō?
The true identity of Gintama's final boss, Utsuro?
Beishi had described him earlier, and given that this was a key Tendōshu base on Earth, Utsuro's presence was plausible—just unexpected.
Utsuro's corporeal strength was extraordinary, even his aura unlike anyone else's.
Still, greatest villain or not, Xiang Nan didn't take him to heart. If he couldn't attack a story character, he'd simply ignore him and walk past.
Seeing Xiang Nan advance, Yoshida Shōyō likewise stepped forward.
"You… aren't Earthlings, are you? You look similar, yet something is… off. Which cosmic race do you belong to? I've never seen one like you," Utsuro asked.
Xiang Nan's gaze was icy. "If you want to know, how about an exchange of information?"
"How did you absorb a planet's life‑energy and gain such power?"
"So… you're after Altana," Utsuro murmured, realization dawning.
The words had barely left his lips when he swung his blade straight at Xiang Nan.