Reo takes his leave on an escort mission leaving Kouga to escort Ratess, an aloof and rude Makai Priest, who is transporting the pelt of a Spirit Beast so the material can be used to make more Makai Brushes, the Makai Priests weapon of choice. While on his day away Reo meets Kaoru by chance and, when he allows her to hold his Makai Brusah, is reminded of a woman from his past. That evening Kouga realizes the delivery is a trap, and he finds himself forced to try and retrieve the stolen pelt from the red-masked man who had previously marked him with the Seal of Destruction. During the long and destructive battle the masked man is shown to be have both the skills of a Makai Priest and the swordsmanship of a Makai Knight. After revealing his wish to return to Makai Priests to their former glory (they dealt with Horrors before the creation of Makai Knights) he forces Kouga to transform and makes a black copy of Kouga's Garo armor, called Jaaku. While fighting in the storm blown rubble of a destroyed building Kouga realises that dropping his armor will make the masked man's armor vanish, which he does. Exhausted and now with only half the pelt in his possession, the masked man runs away, Kouga unable to follow. Kouga sends the young Makai Dragon (named after Kaoru) in pursuit, but as it catches up to the masked man he destroys it swiftly.