Everything that happened after the Kir arc was completely blown off to the side, and a few episodes later, it even felt like it never existed.
There was absolutely zero elaboration on the happenings of Kir after the arc ended, which really made the entire arc feel like a huge waste of time.
I would have expected such a dramatic arc to be referenced at least somewhat regularly other than with the musings of Scar Akai. At least it didn't turn out as anti-climactic as the Bourbon arc. As of right now, the Bourbon arc easily takes the cake was the worst arc in the series. That's not to say that the Kir arc was bad though. It most certainly was a good arc--what bothers me was its continual decreasing relevance after it ended.
tl;dr, DC took a turn for the worse after the Kir arc.