Hikari no Ou

Departure

In the future, an unspecified calamity has changed human physiology so that humans instantly combust when in the presence of natural fire. This has forced humanity to adapt by harvesting the blood of Fire Fiends to use as an alternate fuel source called bottled lightning. Collecting this blood is the responsibility of the elite Fire Hunters. One day, a young girl named Touko wanders into the forest and is attacked by a Fire Fiend. A Fire Hunter named Haijuu intervenes and is mortally wounded saving her. The Fire Hunter entrusts his dog, Kanata, to Touko before dying. Touko's guardians then instruct her that it is her responsibility to return Kanata and the Fire Hunter's belongings to his family, meaning she has to travel to the capital. Touko hitches a ride with a traveling collection truck and begins her journey to the Capital. Meanwhile, at the Capital, a young man named Koushi mourns the death of his mother when he receives a mysterious letter from the wealthy Okibi family. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Three Brides

While riding the collection truck, Touko meets three other passengers: Hotaru, Benio, and Kaho who are traveling to other villages to be brides. They explain that they have effectively been banished from their respective villages in an attempt to get rid of perceived curses. Touko also learns that there is another Fire Hunter in the second collection truck. Meanwhile, in the Capital, Koushi travels to the Okibi estate and meets Youschichi Okibi, a wealthy factory owner and an old friend of Koushi's father Haijuu. With Koushi's mother dead and Haijuu having left the Capital on Fire Hunter business, Yuoshichi offers to house Koushi and his ill sister at his estate. In return, Koushi needs to research a way to enhance bottled lightning to harness the power of the extremely volatile skyfire, since Yuoshichi foresees the collapse of the current government and a powerful energy source will be needed to survive the resulting chaos. At the collection truck, the caravan makes a brief stop to refuel and allow the Fire Hunter to hunt. Kaho attempts to escape the truck and Touko tries to stop her, only for Kaho to be captured by a Fire Fiend. The Fire Hunter and Kanata intervene, killing the Fire Fiend and saving both girls. However, the chief of the truck warns Touko that she violated rules by exiting the truck without permission, so she will be forced off at the next village. (Source: Wikipedia)

Fractions of the World

While settling into the Okibi household, Koushi meets Youschichi's daughter Kira and wife Hibana. Meawnhile, Kouchi's sister Hinako is put under the care of the family doctor, Takimi. Youschichi then shows Koushi his secret workshop, and explains that he believes the nation will collapse since a rebel group called the Spiders plan attack the Capital. He also expresses his mistrust of the Divine Clans that rule them, as he suspects they were responsible for a deadly fire in the Capital in order to cull the population. Meanwhile, on the collection truck, Benio is able to convince one of the crew, Shouzou, to talk the captain into letting Touko stay on the truck. Hotaru is let off the truck at the next village the caravan continues on its way. The caravan then makes another stop for fuel, but is then attacked by a massive dragon-like creature. (Source: Wikipedia)

Flickering Flame

The dragon attacks the train, forcing Touko, Kanata, Kaho, and Shouzou to flee into the forest while Benio and the rest of the caravan are killed in the attack. They manage to find refuge with the Tree People, who explain the dragon is actually the guardian deity of Kaho's Crystal Village, which has been driven mad due to interference from the Spiders. The Tree People promise to escort the group to the nearest village. In the Capital, Koushi continues his skyfire experiments and heads to the Central Archive to learn more. He learns of the history of the Fire Hunters, and how only their sickles are able slay fire fiends and fallbeasts. He also learns that humanity once launched a satellite into space called the "Flickering Flame", and it is prophesized that the person who can recover the Flickering Flame will be declared the Lord of Fire Hunters. Unable to learn anything more, Koushi decides to attend the Boat Festival with Kira and Hinako. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Spider Child

Touko's group manages to reach the next village but they are ambushed by Spiders. The Spiders are chased off thanks to the intervention of a Fire Hunter named Akira and her hound Temari. Akira agrees to escort the trio to a Fire Hunter camp at the coast, where they can take a boat to the Capital. On the way there, they find a Spider child named Kun wandering the forest and capture him. At the Capital, Koushi has a nightmare of witnessing Hinako being killed by the volatile skyfire. He attends a dinner party hosted by the Okibis, where he meets a Fire Hunter named Roroku and his hound Mizore who specialize in hunting fallbeasts. Koushi tells Roroku that he wants to learn more about fallbeasts and skyfire, and Roroku offers to bring Koushi along on one of his hunts. At the coast, Touko's group are shocked to discover all of the Fire Hunters at the camp were killed by fire. Kun reveals that the Spiders let themselves be bitten by bugs whose venom protects them from fire, allowing them to weaponize it. Fiends then attack the group and Shouzou is badly injured while Touko is forced to use Haijuu's sickle to protect Kaho from a Fiend. The group manages to sail to sea, and Kun admits that he was abandoned by the Spiders since the bug venom didn't work on him. As the group sails for the Capital, they are followed by a massive whale. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Capital

Touko and her companions see the whale, which Akira explains is the tombwhale, a god of the sea that collects the memories of the dead. Touko pleads with the tombwhale not to take Shouzou, and it apparently listens to her and swims away. At the Capital, Koushi meets Roroku in the forest to accompany him on his hunt. Roroku warns Koushi that the Okibis are not to be trusted, and Koushi finds out that Roroku is able to use skyfire to blind fiends. During the hunt, the come across another group of Fire Hunters who are interrogating a captured Spider. The Spider manages to break free of his bonds and attacks Roroku, forcing him to kill the Spider right in front of a shocked Koushi. Meanwhile, Touko and her group finally reach the capital, where they stay with Shouzou's family as he recovers. The next day, Touko heads out with Kanata to pick up medicine. On the way back, Kanata instead heads for Haijuu's old home, which is now abandoned. When a policeman confronts Touko, she and Kanata flee and end up encountering Kira. (Source: Wikipedia)

Chance Encounter

Kira helps Touko calm down and Kanata guides her back home. Kira then tells Koushi about Touko and Kanata, which piques his curiosity. Koushi then makes a deal with Youschichi to allow him and Roroku to plant bottled lightning around the Capital in preparation for the Spider invasion. Meanwhile, Akira goes out hunting to buy more medicine for Shouzou, while Kaho decides to marry Shouzou so she can take care of them. Touko decides to try and return Kanata to his home again, while Kun sets an insect familiar and goes into a trance. Touko and Kanata return to Haijuu's home, where they encounter Koushi who helps them evade a spy familiar sent by the Divine Clans. Touko tells Koushi about how Haijuu died saving her and returns his belongings, which gives Koushi much needed closure about his father's fate. Touko then sees a Tree Person pass by and she remembers that Tree People live in the Forbidden District, and decides to get medicine from them for Shouzou. Koushi offers to be her guide in return for her telling him how the Spiders can use fire. However, they are secretly followed by the spy familiar. (Source: Wikipedia)

Garden of the Gods

Touko and Koushi head to the Forbidden District, where one of the Tree People leads them to their secret home underneath the Capital. While the Tree People that live in the Capital do not have medicine, they do reveal that the Tree People were artificially created by the Divine Clans to assist the villages out in the wilds. They also reveal to Koushi that fire fiends were also a creation of the Divine Clans, and that humanity's aversion of fire was caused by biological weapons developed by ancient humans. As Touko and Koushi leave, they are attacked by familiars. Akira arrives to protect them, and the familiars are eventually called off by a member of the Divine Clans. Touko formally returns Kanata to Koushi, but he allows her to keep Haijuu's sickle. Touko and Koushi return home where Shouzou finally regains consciousness. Meanwhile, the Tree People muse how the Divine Clans fear the return of the Flickering Flame and the appearance of the Lord of the Fire Hunters, and welcome the Flickering Flame in the hopes that it will destroy both humanity and the Divine Clans. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Lightning Cannon

Koushi attends a meeting between Youschichi, Akira, and Roroku, where Akira warns them that the Spiders are attacking collection trucks and have found a way to safely wield fire. Youschichi agrees to send out more collection trucks to help the villages, since the Divine Clans appear to be doing nothing about it. Koushi returns to his room and is confronted by the Divine Clan member in charge of the spies, Hibari of the Wind Clan. Hibari confirms that the Spiders will arrive at the Capital in nine days, and mentions that he has taken an interest in Koushi and Touko before leaving. The next day, Koushi and Youschichi then test Koushi's newest invention, the Lightning Cannon, which can fire devastating Skyfire shells at long distances, which Youschichi plans to use against both the Divine Clans and Spiders to get rid of them at the same time. Koushi later meets Akira and Roroku again and learns that they are close friends. He then realizes that it was Akira's brother who brought the book containing many of the world's secrets to the Central Archive. That night, Akira tells Touko that she knows the Divine Clans killed her brother because he knew about the Flickering Flame. Despite that, she intends to make an appeal to the Divine Clans to take action. Touko insists on coming with Akira, and suggests that she become the Lord of Fire Hunters. (Source: Wikipedia)

Malformed Children

Hinako is suddenly struck down by a fever, but Kanata suddenly acts aggressive towards the doctor, forcing Koushi to move Hinako to a separate room for treatment. However, Kira realizes the doctor, her family, and the house staff are keeping details of Hinako's condition secret and confronts. Hibana drugs Kira, but is suddenly attacked by Hinako, who has gained inhuman speed and strength. Hinako nearly strangles Hibana to death before fleeing the mansion, with Kanata giving chase. Meanwhile, Touko and Akira make their way to the Divine Palace when they are intercepted by Hibari. He shows them a meeting between the Divine Clans, revealing that the Lady Goddess, Lady Tayurahime, is growing weaker trying to maintain the protective wards around the Capital and the villages, and they intend to replace her with the Flickering Flame, which is why they want to prevent the rise of the Lord of Fire Hunters. Akira and Touko both insist on finding the Flickering Flame themselves, causing Hibana to attack them. Kun intervenes with his insect familiars. Enraged at their defiance, Hibana blows everybody into the river. Touko and Temari are saved by Hinako, who thanks them for taking care of Kanata before leaving to rescue Akira and Kun. Koushi is warned by Roroku that Fiends have suddenly begun appearing in the Capital itself. One of the Fiends attacks Touko, which seems to awaken hidden combat instincts within her and she kills the Fiend with Haijuu's scythe. (Source: Wikipedia)

Lunar Sickles

Roaring Thunder

The Great Tree

Banked Fire

Sea of Trees

The Divine Palace

The Empty Girl

Heavenly Beast

Lady Goddess

Lamplight