Kaoru is hired by school headmaster Yagi to restore a mural of a goddess her father painted years ago but no record exists of what the damaged area looked like. While purifying his sword, Kouga is sucked into an alternate reality where he meets a version of Garo. Kouga, having defeated 100 Horrors, must face an ordeal. Kouga instead tries to battle the Horror Humpty, but cannot hurt it. Kouga soon passes the ordeal and is granted the Makai Horse Gouten, which he uses to defeat Humpty. Meanwhile, Kaoru remembers her father's inspiration for the mural, and restores the goddess to her former glory.

The trickster Horror Dantalian lures people to play his coin game but, when they lose in his fixed games, he devours their soul. Dantalian tries this trick on Kaoru and takes her soul. After facing off against Zero, Kouga encounters Dantalian and competes in his games to recover Kaoru's soul. He eventually succeeds, destroying Dantalian and reuniting Kaoru's body with her soul.

After Kaoru runs off once learning the apparent truth that he used her as Horror bait, Kouga learns from Gonza that Amon has been murdered. Summoned by the Eastern Watchdogs, Kouga learns that a Maki Priestess named Jabi has took twelve Horror Daggers from them and was Amon's killer. However, not believing his childhood friend killed Amon, Kouga finds Jabi. Though asking why she stole the daggers, Jabi reveals that Amon was actually murdered by a rumored Horror-eating Makai Knight and that she intends to personally send the blades into the underworld. Forced into fighting Jabi for the blades, Kouga manages to restraint her. Rei, tricked by the Watchdogs to kill Kouga and Jabi for them, arrives with Kaoru as he demands the Horror blades. After tricking Rei, Kouga holds him off as Jabi takes Kaoru to a safe area.

After donning their Soul Metal Armor, Garo and Zero have an epic battle with Jabi watching as the two combatants are forced out of their armor. However, before Rei can kill a weakened Kouga, Jabi intervenes and spirits him off to where Kaoru is. After Jabi tells her that Kouga was actually trying to find a way to save her life, a confused Kaoru runs off before Gonza finds her and brings her to the cabin where Kouga spent his childhood. As Kaoru regains her faith in him, after his wounds were tended to, Kouga asks Jabi to help him enter the Forest of Glen. After revealing the legend behind the Horror-eating Makai Knight and the true nature of the Eastern Watchdogs, Jabi proceeds to perform the ritual to send the Horror Daggers into the underworld with his help. However, before she could finish telling Kouga something important, Jabi is seemingly killed by Kodama, the Watchdogs' servant. Kouga attempts to fight the stronger Kodama as they fight for the Horror blades. Rei arrives, but is unable to send the Horror Blades to the other side as they turn into a giant Horror. Neither Garo and Zero could harm the titanic Horror as the Horror-eating Makai Knight appears and absorbs the beast before taking his leave.

With time running out, Kouga leaves for the Forest of Glen. Though knowing he would die, Kouga convinces the gatekeeper Tamu to give him safe passage after she tests his character. Fighting his way though the forest's traps and many Horrors, Kouga finds Kaoru's disembodied soul and convinces her to keep on living as he entrusts Zaruba to get her back into her body while he goes to the Barankas. However, Kouga ends up facing the Barankas Fruit's guardian. Enabled by the being to assume his Makai Knight form, Garo summons Gouten to battle Grou Dragon physically and ethically. Though Rei helped Kouga at the last second, Grou Dragon accepts its defeat before dissolving. With Rei carrying him back, Kouga manages to give Kaoru the Barankas fruit just in time.