[Matrixbeast]

Hibiki Volume 13.
Asumu's current happiness streak is still a whopping 1 episode. Poor kid. The episode begins with him complaining he has mild stomach problems. Not too bad...
So Akira is missing school because her work with Ibuki is interfering, so Hibiki appears at their school and asks Asumu to help her and allow her to follow him, to which he accepts. Things seem to be going fine. However, it drastically dips when, later that day, Asumu is writhing in pain at his desk, which requires an ambulance to get him to the hospital. There, we learn he's afflicted with appendicitis, and an emergency surgery will have to be performed. Damn. Kid never catches a break...

In the meantime, the woman Hibiki mainly works with is sick, so the other girl briefly takes her place. Ibuki, meanwhile, encounters another set of monsters who have recieved the power up. However, it seems to have a strange effect. One of them grows wings and goes berserk, eating both their partner as well as the growing Makamou, much to everyone's surprise. They give chase, and we briefly see a new Oni, Danki (Who seems to have Ongekibou on him, so another drummer? Neat). Before he can off these the monsters he's currently fighting, the berserker rushes in and eats them as well as the giant Makamou before flying off again, leaving Danki confused.
Eventually, Ibuki catches up and fights it once more, able to blow apart one of it's wings. Though it doesn't seem phased, and the bullets in it's chest doesn't even phase it, just flexing them out before rushing Ibuki. Things get worse when Hibiki's car gets a flat thanks to the one chick, slowing him down as he has to run the remainder of the way to help.

This episode really upped the stakes. Asumu has a dangerous illness and needs surgery, now giving him a problematic physical problem in addition to all the mental issues he had going on. The monsters power ups are rather strange, this one going berserk, so it's hard to catch a beat on them, and it's rage is giving Ibuki one hell of a time as he can hardly fight back. Hibiki has gotten a new drum to make the fight easier on everybody, but he's been set back and has to reach the monster on foot.
I really liked how this episode moved and the tension it provided. I was kind of getting sick of Asumu getting down so easily, so to see his problems grow into a physical issue helps keep things interesting.