Summertime Rendering - 22: Homecoming

Title:Summertime Rendering
Episode:22: Homecoming
Synopsis
As he fights in the Kii strait, Shide notices that his mud armor isn't regenerating after he is struck by Ushio. "So, she can hack the moment her hair touches a Shadow?" he concludes. He says they can deal with two Ushios. Haine/Shadow Shin says that while Ushio has evolved and grown, they have also become capable of killing her. Shide is confident that his blade can reach her soul, and he has a backup body, an 'echo', just in case he is hit himself. Ushio charges recklessly at him, but Shadow Mio, who has just shown up, restrains her. Shadow Mio transfers Shin's plan to her, which persuades her that it would be better to hold off for now. Shin challenges Shide to guess how he reached the scene undetected. Shide doesn't know, which means being inside of Guil does indeed block the handprint. Shin pulls a revolver and puts it to his head. Shide tries to use his own gun to shoot the gun out of his hand, but somehow Shin can predict the trajectory of his bullet and dodges it. Shin shoots himself, triggering the 10th loop. We learn that Shin is now sharing his body with Ryuunosuke, who has the ability to predict events two-seconds into the future. We flash back to the meeting Shin held with his comrades before attempting to rescue Ushio. Tokiko explains that Guil is normally in the form of a pacifier. "Throw it and he'll be ready to attack" she says. But she also warns Shin that when he is 'synchronized' with Guil, he will feel whatever injuries Guil suffers. Shin would like to see if being inside Guil--'piloting' him--hides his handprint, but doesn't want to tip Haine off if it works. It was at this point that the idea of using Guil to search for Ushio while also carrying Shin was concieved. Haine realizes that Shin has timed things so that he will reappear in the 10th loop in the Hiruko cavern. Sure enough, Shin and his comrades are there. "We're gonna destroy Hiruko's main body, and fast" he instructs them. At the Hiruko shrine, priest Karakiri pretends to be ill so that he can hurry to the cavern. Within the cavern the entire team rides within Guil towards their goal. Shin figures Haine and Shide have probably figured out what they are doing, but that's OK since it will hopefully distract them from slaughtering countless people at the festival. Guil detects a Shadow. Tokiko has everyone but herself disembark so that she and Guil can keep it occupied. The team finds some sort of wall, built of the same sort of mud as Shide wears, blocking their way. After Ushio is slightly injured when the wall reverses her attempted hack she realizes that this stuff is part of Hiruko's body itself. The team uses fireworks stolen by Shadow Mio as a crude bomb to blow a hole in the wall. The hole starts to close behind them as one of the two Shides attacks. Nezu volunteers to act as rear guard to hold Shide off with his shotgun. The rest move on. Shide says that he and Nezu 'go way back' and seems reluctant to kill him, perhaps just because time is precious. A strange tone causes a splitting headache for Shin. Shadow Mio says this is Mother's 'Shadow controlling signal'. Shin is sensitive to it because he can sense Shadows now and won't be able to endure this for long. Ushio cancels out the tone by sending one of her own on the same wavelength; Shadow Mio wonders how she was able to do this. Shin uses Ryuunosuke's foretelling ability to avoid a surprise attack by Shide, who has caught up to them. Ushio spins her razor sharp hair into a whirling barrier of her own around herself and Shin. For some reason Haine/Shadow Shin can sense Ryuunosuke within Shin when Shin closes his left eye. She realizes that he is behaving confidently because he has learned how to fight effectively himself. Shin finds he can't 'land the final blow' as long as Haine is watching. "Even if Ryuunosuke tells me Shide's moves, Haine picks up on it and Shide dodges". His plan is to keep cool and lure Haine into 'the kill zone'. Haine senses a copied (Shadow) nail gun and summons a copied pistol and shoots at its user. But it is all a trick--no one is there, and Sou riddles her with a real nail gun that she couldn't sense. She is fixed in place. In desperation Haine grows a giant eyeball in order to get a better idea of what is going on, but Shadow Mio pounces on her and slashes the eye with a knife. Ushio spots Hiruko's original body and is about to smash it when she hesitates and strikes the mud (I think) instead. This causes Shide's mud armor to dissolve, and Shadow Mio mercilessly stabs his human body through the head. The battle should be won, but something is wrong. Ushio now has a red eye, like Shin; and Shadow Mio realizes that 'Mother' must still be alive. The mud armor of one of the Shides is still alive, even though both human bodies have apparently been destroyed. "Are you immortal?" Shin asks.
Comments
I'm confused by the mention of 'two Ushios'. As I understand it, one has been wandering in the sea since trying to rescue Shiori, and would have appeared at the festival (as in loop 3) if she hadn't been found in the Kii strait. But where will the other one come from? Things are so wacky with Shadows and looping that couldn't there be up to ten Ushios? Likewise, I had thought Shide had a spare body, but it seems he has both two bodies and two minds--he's not a Shadow, but was a Shadow of him created at some point? Again, all the hard work, sacrifice and courage of Shin and his friends falls just short of complete victory and a new problem they must overcome appears.

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