Chapter 165: A Promise

A Promise (約束, Yakusoku) is the 165th chapter of the Kekkaishi Manga written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe.

Summary
Masamori drifts within the darkness of the destroyed land, protected only by his Zekkai, searching for an exit. He summons Kurohime to help find any trace of an exit, and stretches out his power for an instant so she can search. Kurohime leads him to a spot, and Masamori uses several charms to create a path, similar to the one Tokiko Yukimura used to breach Kurosusuki. Masamori discovers an exit and approaches it, but his exhaustion makes his progress very slow, and he collapses multiple times, the darkness threatening to overtake him. Suddenly, the exit appears just in front of him, and he reaches for it.

Elsewhere, Yoshimori frantically calls Masamori on his borrowed cellphone. Masamori finally answers, having emerged in an ally. Yoshimori points out that Masamori said earlier he might need to be called out of the depths, and Masamori assures him that he kept his promise. Yoshimori demands to know what happened, and Masamori tells him that though he feels like he lost, the master took care of things. Yoshimori asks Masamori to stop saving him, but Masamori counters by asking why Yoshimori chose to save him after everything he said. Yoshimori says he can't stand to see people get hurt. Masamori inwardly notes that if Yoshimori's "Kekkai" comes from the will to protect, then it is nothing like Masamori's Zekkai, which can only destroy. Masamori confesses that all the bad things he said about Yoshimori were lies, and Yoshimori apologizes for not following his orders. Masamori thanks Yoshimori for helping him, and tells him not to change. Yoshimori asks what happened to Lord Tan'yuu, but Masamori admits he doesn't know, and that he'll deal with the Shinyuuchi later. He also finally admits that he's so tired that he can't move, and asks Yoshimori to come get him.

As Mukade travels across the sky on one of his shadow bugs, a voice calls out to him, and he turns to see Yoshimori with Masamori collapsed over his back. Mukade at first fears that Masamori is dead, but Yoshimori assures him that he isn't. The morning sun begins to rise, and Yoshimori notes that when the light hits Masamori's smiling face, he really does look like he's dead.

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Masamori Sumimura
 * Mudou
 * Kurohime
 * Tokiko Yukimura
 * Yoshimori Sumimura
 * Lord Tan'yuu
 * Mukade