Spoiler scans: Mugen no Junin #176
Yes, Megoro's good at what she does... but no one is THAT good, alas...
She holds her own against Shira a little longer... and then he makes his move.
Appalled, Magatsu watches as Shira takes Megoro down and begins to beat on her and cut off her clothes; Tai-Tai's seriously injured, with impalements to arm, leg and midsection, and he can't even stand up. What can he do? She wasn't even very nice to him!
But he remembers his little sister, killed for nothing, and how he joined up with Anotsu. When both of them look to be about twelve years old and absofragginlutely adorable, even when beating the pulp out of each other with bokan. Welcome to the proto-Itto-ryu, kid -- you got the stuff!
And all the valiant female fighters he's encountered, friend or foe.
So Magatsu rouses himself and makes his supreme effort -- even if it's purely symbolic!
Shira appreciates the kid's guts, even if he's about to spill them all over the snow; Magatsu is content to die having done his best. They have something close to a bizarre male bonding moment... and then Shira sees something approaching from over Magatsu's shoulder that stops him ice cold in his tracks.
As well it might. HOLY SHIT MANJI
Um, is that a partially regrown left arm I notice under there, dude, or are you just happy to see us? (I have an idea how this is going to go down, at least in part -- to hint, our Manji-san has already demonstrated that he can do plenty of damage with nothing more than a small pointed object and a bad attitude...)
"So where the hell's your WOMAN?!" screams Shira. "HUH!?"
In good hands... as far as that goes.