Asakusa arc

The arc is the fifth story arc of the En En no Shōbōtai manga series. It revolves around the 8th Special Fire Brigade attempting to collaborate with the 7th Special Fire Brigade for the investigation of the Preacher, while the White Hoods of Mystery terrorize Asakusa.

The 8th Visits Asakusa
Akitaru resolves that he wants to create a Special Fire Brigade and that he wants Takehisa to join. Two years later, the two gather at the 8th Special Fire Fighting Church, stating this'll be their new headquarters. As Takehisa ridicules Akitaru for deceiving him into joining, promising the brigade would have incredible members and he would get a pay raise, he states he knows of somebody who would be a fitting match for the brigade, referring to Maki, to which the flashback ends and Maki blushes. Shinra, feeling he had to be honest with everyone, tells them about his encounter with Joker. Soon after, the brigade looks over the report of their first ever mission. Takehisa recollects that the victim was wearing purely white clothes, and that there was a red cross in the remains, and after a company that was located in Asakusa came to collect the remains, though none of them were related to the victims family. Later on, in Asakusa, Benimaru Shinmon the Battalion Commander of the 7th Special Fire Brigade is seen walking through the streets, being greeted by Kantarō and other people. He soon arrives at the 7th Special Fire Fighting Station, giving the daifuku he received from an old lady to Hinata and Hikage. Konro informs Benimaru that the 8th had contacted them about paying a visit, but Benimaru states his disinterest in any of their affairs. A 7th brigade member bursts through the curtain door, claiming that they have arrived, with Akitaru and the rest greeting the unhappy Battalion Commander.

As the 8th Special Fire Brigade show up suddenly at the 7th Special Fire Fighting Station wishing to speak to Benimaru, the Commander questions their reason on coming. After explaining, Benimaru speaks of his disinterest in the matters that the the emperor orders each of the brigades to do, to which Shinra starts arguing with him for his tendancy to not do anything. Soon after, people in the streets are heard shouting that there's a fire, and that Kantarō has become a Flame Human. Benimaru leaves to deal with the situation, and tells the 8th to be gone by the time he gets back. Shinra and the others prepare to watch Benimaru take action. The Commander readies his matois, igniting one and thrusting it toward a row of houses, destroying four or five of them, shocking everyone. He then grabs another and uses it to fly toward his destination. While still in the air, other members throw up some matoi toward Benimaru, and he ignites them all, and directs all of the flags to even more houses that he destroys. As Shinra questions what his ability is, Konro informs everyone on the fact that Benimaru is both a Second and Third Generation. The Commander then confronts the Flame Human, pointing out the destruction that has occurred, and then quickly purifies the Flame Human, saying it done a good job for withstanding the pain for so long. An old lady informs Shinra that the citizens don't mind Benimaru destroying the area because it is their sort of way for praying for the soul of a Flame Human, and the people want to be killed by Benimaru if they're going to die anyhow, because they see him as a gentle man. The commander then walks back to the Station, and eats some of the daifuku, saying it's too sweet.

After Kantarō's burial ceremony, the 8th Special Fire Brigade helped the 7th Brigade reconstruct some of the buildings that were destroyed. In the headquarters of the White Hoods of Mystery, Rekka Hoshimiya's killer is seen talking with other members of the organization, and orders them to prepare the Bug and mechanism. At night, after the brigades finished repairing the buildings, Benimaru aids Konro's wounds. Hinata and Hikage burst in with Shinra following, with the two moaning at Shinra. Konro thanks Shinra for helping with the reconstructing and putting up with the two girls. Before leaving, Shinra says he likes playing with children, much to their annoyance for being called children. After taking a closer look, the boy spots the wounds over Konro's body, and then leaves. Konro reassures to Benimaru that the 8th Brigade are different from other brigades, and that perhaps the 7th should collaborate with them, and Benimaru finally agrees. Benimaru walks out looking for Akitaru to speak about collaborating, and comes across Shinra. The Fire Officer apologizes about their earlier argument, and questions Konro's well-being. Benimaru explains that Konro has Ash Disease. After, the Battalion Commander ventures to find Akitaru. He hears two people talking down an alley, saying that Kantarō was most certainly an artificial Flame Human, and that they will create more artificial Flame Humans. As Benimaru looks to see who it is talking, he spots Akitaru and Hinawa.

Benimaru vs. Akitaru
As the 8th Special Fire Brigade begin to settle into Asakusa and company of the 7th Special Fire Brigade, a loud explosion is heard from a distance. Akitaru and Takehisa are seen sprinting away from the explosion, toward the others, with an infuriated Benimaru following them, attacking them relentlessly with miscellaneous ignited objects. As the 7th Commander accuses the two of admitting to turning Kantarō into a Flame Human and wanting to create other artificial Flame Humans, they continually defy his claims. To everybody's unawareness, two members of the white hoods stand atop a roof, with an identical appearance to Akitaru and Takehisa, and preparing for their next move, after successfully tricking Benimaru into thinking it was actually Akitaru and Takehisa who said it.Benimaru continues his ruthless attack, but Maki intervenes and fights back, though to no avail. Takehisa then fires his gun, but the Commander redirects the bullets with ease. Arthur attempts to attack with Excalibur, but Benimaru jumps to the air to escape, and lands using his Fire Moon, injuring all the 8th members in the area. As they all lay defeated, a fully-equipped Akitaru walks toward Benimaru assertively, preparing to take him on.

Benimaru decides not to listen to Akitaru's words, and so Akitaru prepares himself with a shield, and goes in for the attack, but is pushed back by multiple fire-ball shots from the 7th Commander. Blocked by the fire-resistant shield, Akitaru swings it at him, but Benimaru uses it as a stepping stone to successfully kick Akitaru in the face. Akitaru quickly grabs onto him, but Benimaru reacts by punching him with a fiery fist, sending Akitaru backward. As the 8th Commander looks up in pain, multiple ignited matois are directed and forward at him, but he manages to block the explosion with the shield, to which he throws away after becoming unusable. Akitaru reaches inside his jacket, and throws a Fire Fighting Grenade at Benimaru's feet, dispelling a white fog, troubling Benimaru's sight. As Akitaru swiftly pushes through the mist to attack, he is kicked by the 7th Commander, and blown backward by an attack to the stomach. Akitaru pursues in his attempt to confuse Benimaru with the grenades, but is ultimately countered every time. As an injured Akitaru lay on the ground, Benimaru atop of him, the 8th Commander headbutts Benimaru, stating he can't give up as long as he's the 8th Brigade Battalion Commander. The bystanders surprised and astounded by the fact that a non-ability user confronting someone with Third and Second Generation abilities. The other members of both brigades look upon the confrontation, trying to come up with some way to separate them. As the two Commanders continue swapping blows, a member of the White Hoods of Mystery appears in a narrow street behind the bystanders, holding a bottle with a Bug inside. Benimaru becomes frustrated by the Commander's unbreakable resolve, and prepares his final attack, The Sun.

Birth of the 7th
As Benimaru prepares his final attack, Konro shouts at him to stop fighting. Despite this, Benimaru swings his arm to direct the attack at Akitaru, but Konro grabs his arm, and in effect, is burned by Benimaru's flames, worrying the 7th Commander. Konro is treated by a cooling jacket, and Benimaru tells the 8th to stay away from them. Akitaru and Takehisa begin to explain themselves, but Shinra says that he heard a different story from them both, causing confusion amongst everyone. A shop owner comes and confesses that Akitaru and Takehisa were at his shop at the time of the attack, and so it couldn't have been them. Konro begins heavily coughing, and Benimaru put him to rest inside, saying he'll let this situation slide since Konro is willing to. Shinra sits beside Konro, asking him of how he gained his wounds, to which he begins explaining his past. Two years ago when the 7th wasn't yet formed, a large outburst of Flame Humans attacked Asakusa. Protecting the district, Benimaru and Konro fought against them, becoming extremely fatigued from overusing their Third Generation abilities. Soon, while they were alone looking for a Flame Human, they were confronted by some sort of demonic Flame Human, which Konro sensed was extremely dangerous, and so he hit Benimau into a structure so that he wouldn't be harmed by the demon. A day later, Benimaru awoke to find a heavily damaged Konro sitting down beside some rubble. He defeated the monster, but as a result gained Ash Disease. Benimaru exerts his anger at Konro for not letting him fight, but Konro states that Benimaru is the one who must protect Asakusa, and so cannot die.

Asakusa in Flames
Soon after Konro's battle against the demon Flame Human, the 4th Special Fire Brigade appears to aid the people in need. Sōichirō Arg stands before Konro and Benimaru, stating that the emperor of Tokyo has decreed that they form a Special Fire Brigade, to which Benimaru initially resists as he wants nothing to do with the emperor's laws, but Konro thinks about the idea. After finishing telling his story and feeling better, Konro stands up, asking Shinra not to blame Benimaru for his illness. Shinra responds by saying Konro should call on him whenever he's in trouble, as he wants to be a hero and save everybody in need. They then decide to go out and search Benimaru, as the 7th Commander investigates what had happened that caused the feud between the two brigades. As Benimaru ventures the streets, he sees an increased amount of people arguing, falsely accusing each other of doing things. As Konro and the others search for Benimaru, they come across Hinata and Hikage in the streets, fighting and calling each other fakes. Akitaru and Shinra tell them to stop arguing, but Arthur suddenly knees Hikage in the face, throws her into a wall, and kicks her in the face repeatedly, to which Hinata laughs. The 8th start hitting Arthur calling him an idiot, soon only to find the unconscious Hikage's face gradually change into that of a strange-looking man. Takehisa proposes that a Third Generation is using his ability to impersonate people, and therefore tricking both the 8th and 7th brigades. On the same night at a different location, a man in a white hood is seen playing with somebody's face, saying that his face is his canvas and that his face will be transformed into art. When he's done, he's unimpressed with the transformed face, and instead makes his head explode, to which the man rubs the blood in his face sadistically. Another man beside him dressed in white tells him to calm down as they do not have a lot of followers to begin with. He then states that the Bug is prepared and that they will cover Asakusa in a sea of flames just like they did two years ago.

The citizens of Asakusa continue quarreling, and although Benimaru attempts to step in to stop them, they don't listen. Soon after, he is alerted of multiple Flame Human sightings. Standing atop a hill, watching over Asakusa as it burns in flames, the Sniper tells Jonah and another member of the white hoods that she has released the Bugs across Asakusa, with the hope that somebody may be compatible with the flames. Back in Asakusa, Shinra asks Akitaru if he can start purifications, but Akitaru forbids it until they gain permission to do so, as Asakusa's ritual of purification is different. Akitaru instead orders the 8th to evacuate the people into safety, but they are then attacked by the Sniper's flame arrow from afar. Maki stands and tries to deflect the next attack, but struggles to repel it, and instead has to change the shape into Pusu Pusu so that the damage was minimized, albeit leaving her knocked out. Shinra then flies to the sky to detect the Sniper, and is attacked by multiple flaming arrows. He notices that the Sniper's location is changing each time they fire their arrows, and are moving amidst the chaos of the district. Arthur joins Shinra from the ground, and they both move together in pursuit of the Sniper. Konro, still with Hinata and the fake Hikage, questions the fake Hikage on Hikage's whereabouts, but is only told riddles by the fake Hikage. He starts to laugh, and Konro spots an empty bottle on the ground, to which the fake Hikage then transforms into an artificial Flame Human, and Takehisa makes quick work of it. As a leader is needed to put order to the citizens, Konro questions the whereabouts of Benimaru.

The citizens of Asakusa continue to flee from the terrors of the flames and the numerous births of Flame Humans. Benimaru, confused and unsure of how to handle the situation, asks himself what Konro would do in such a time. In the skies, Shinra is overseeing the chaos, and is suddenly attacked by the Sniper's arrows, but swiftly dodges it, making it land near some bystanders, to which Shinra speeds up his attempt to find the Sniper. As he and Arthur continue to pursuit the cloaked figure, Shinra comes to close quarters with the Sniper, and is attacked a second time by the flaming arrow, falling heavily onto a roof. Before he has time to react, the Sniper fires off another, but he quickly jumps to the air, and thrusts towards the Sniper who is escaping on the ground. Purposely drawn into that position, another white hood member climbs the roof and attacks Shinra with a double-sided knife, but Shinra blocks it in time, though is held locked down by the white hood member so that the Sniper can fire off a direct shot. As the Sniper fires off the shot, Arthur deflects it with his Excalibur, surprising the Sniper that someone could deflect her arrows. Shinra kicks away the white hooded member, and both groups regather. Shinra questions their relationship with the Preacher, but without hesitation, the white hood member jumps toward Arthur with his cloak in the air, preventing the fire officers form seeing anything behind. Shinra shouts at Arthur, letting him know that the arrow is coming from behind, and he successfully deflects it. The Sniper acknowledges Excalibur for it powerful will of fire, being able to deflect the arrows. Shinra and Arthur continue to fight the white hood member on close-combat while the Sniper fires her arrows, and the two fire officers seem only to annoy each other throughout the fight. Understanding that normal arrows won't work anymore, the Sniper instead used her explosive arrows, cornering both Arthur and Shinra and causing a cloud of smoke. Jumping out of the smoke, the white hood member tries to attack Arthur, but Shinra uses Arthur as a pedestal to successfully kick him in the face. Both teams separated, the fire officers realise that they're up against tough opponents, and come to the conclusion that they will need to work together to beat them.

Shinra and Arthur devise a plan to attack the White Hoods of Mystery, and after running into each other by accident, prepare their duo-attack, managing to get a few hits on Haran, but the Sniper intervenes, making it harder for the fire officers. Arthur corners the Sniper with his Excalibur, but Haran jumps in, having been critically hit by Excalibur, to which he tells the Arrow to retreat. As a last resort, Haran pulls a Bug from his pocket, and eats it, saying Asakusa is the place where all the power is gathered, and that it wouldn't be a strange for a demon to appear here, to which he starts transforming into a Demon Flame Human, to which even Arrow was shocked. At the 7th Special Fire Fighting Station, Konro finally spots Benimaru flying on his matoi, to which they begin trading information about the attack on Asakusa. Benimaru tells Konro that the people are looking for him to lead and tell them what to do, but Konro states Benimaru is the true leader and he should be the one to do it. A bystander shouts out to Konro asking for his help, but then asks where Benimaru is, to which Shinmon realizes his duty. Looking out to the destruction of Asakusa, Benimaru says he shall bring destruction upon the White Hoods.