Recaps

Uesugi Tetsu learned about the Four Paths and Five Elements from Ririko, then used Soul Soothing Incense Ash (Small) and gained an unusually detailed perception of Spiritual Power, qi, and Ririko’s cultivation. It left him shaken after his heightened gaze turned into an unsettling fixation on her.

• Uesugi Tetsu admitted that he did not know the Four Paths and Five Elements, and Ririko explained the four Onmyō Paths and five elemental attributes.
• Ririko warned Uesugi Tetsu and Shizuma Mafuyu about Heretical Paths and the Great Onmyō Art, then taught them about the Four Paths and Five Elements.
• Ririko began a lesson on the Spirit Accumulation Technique and Jade Heart Art and invited Shizuma Mafuyu to learn them for recovery.
• Uesugi Tetsu used Soul Soothing Incense Ash (Small), which let him perceive and touch Spiritual Power and observe qi in the body.
• Uesugi Tetsu studied Ririko’s cultivation with intense, unsettling focus until she glared at him, and his fixation abruptly gave way to revulsion.

Uesugi Tetsu learned Ririko’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit techniques, advanced his swordsmanship, and defeated High-Speed Grandpa in Kisaragi Station. After the First Wave was announced for May 1, he and Ririko trained through the remaining days, until Ai Bielie triggered the Red Tide early on April 30 because of Shizuma Mafuyu.

• Ririko taught Uesugi Tetsu and Shizuma Mafuyu Jade Heart Art, Spirit Accumulation Technique, and the principles of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
• Uesugi Tetsu learned both techniques, sparred with Ririko, and raised Tennen Rishin-ryū to the Mastery level.
• Uesugi Tetsu used Three-tailed Fox and two Koma-inu to defeat High-Speed Grandpa, completing Main Mission Three.
• Two-Shaku-Sama summoned Uesugi Tetsu back to the dojo, where Shizuma Mafuyu showed him a warning that the First Wave would arrive on May 1, 2024.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko trained while he explored Everworld, but he found neither the Mountain Inn nor the driver.
• On April 30, Ai Bielie triggered the Red Tide ahead of schedule because of Shizuma Mafuyu.

At Shizuma Mafuyu’s funeral, Nanjō Emi learned that Ai Bielie had unleashed the Red Tide across Arakawa Ward while officials fled and the city’s defenses faltered. Rejecting defeat, Nanjō Emi vowed to suppress the outbreak and remake the old order, and Uesugi Tetsu received a new mission to aid her.

• Nanjō Emi, Uesugi Tetsu, and Tokugawa Ririko attended Shizuma Mafuyu’s funeral, where Nanjō Emi confirmed that Ai Bielie had killed her.
• Kurosaki Akira and the Onmyoji apologized to Nanjō Emi, who told them to return to work as the tide approached.
• An operator reported that Ai Bielie had activated hidden seeds across Arakawa Ward, launching the Red Tide and triggering widespread unrest.
• Kondō Yūya told Nanjō Emi that the seeds were multiplying, reinforcements were unavailable, government officials had fled, and tens of thousands were infected.
• Nanjō Emi decided to link the Starry Barriers to herself, locate the seeds, suppress the Red Tide, and change the government and clans.
• Uesugi Tetsu received a limited-time mission to help Nanjō Emi stop the Red Tide and exorcise Eight Sufferings Bielie.

Uesugi Tetsu helped evacuate his companions, then prepared to locate and kill Ai Bielie while Nanjō Emi activated the Starry Barrier across Arakawa Ward. The chapter ended with Uesugi Tetsu spotting Ai Bielie, disguised as an office worker, facing Nanjō Emi.

• Nanjō Emi activated the Starry Barrier and said it would mark every seed and avatar of Ai Bielie in Arakawa Ward within five minutes.
• Uesugi Tetsu sent Ririko, Shizuma Manatsu, Wet Oni, and Hiyori Bō away, then assigned Two-Shaku-Sama to use Hundred-Eyed Demon's eyeball to locate Ai Bielie.
• Uesugi Tetsu equipped Two-Shaku-Sama with three Koma-inu Soldiers, prepared a Substitute Doll, and transformed into White Brahma.
• Kitano Runa and Satoru-kun launched Red Tide Defense Battle, a map identifying impostors, police, and safe zones on residents' phones.
• Lieutenant Higashino transformed his oni tattoo and left Special Affairs Division headquarters, attacking Kondō Yūya and Lieutenant Sakada.
• Two-Shaku-Sama reached a rooftop and used Hundred-Eyed Demon's eyeball to guide Uesugi Tetsu's sight to Nanjō Emi, where he saw Ai Bielie disguised as an office worker.

Nanjō Emi fought Ai Bielie, who used her many forms and innocent human hostages in an attempt to break Emi’s composure. After Emi apparently defeated Ai Bielie as the Ghost Chariot, Ai Bielie struck from behind, and Uesugi Tetsu obtained a teleportation arrow from Katsumi to reach the battle as the outcome remained uncertain.

• Ai Bielie showed Nanjō Emi hostages and children, but Emi killed them rather than yield to the psychological pressure.
• Ai Bielie merged her copies into the Ghost Chariot and attacked Emi, who bound and apparently slew the Great Demon with a series of Onmyōjutsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu traded with Katsumi for a Nail Head Seven Arrows item that could teleport him near a marked target.
• After the apparent victory, Ai Bielie emerged in her Crimson Tide form and stabbed the badly injured Nanjō Emi from behind.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw Emi’s injuries and Ai Bielie’s new abilities through Hundred-Eyed Demon’s vision, then noticed the radiance in his vision disappear.

Ai Bielie escaped Tokyo after devouring a trace of Nanjō Emi’s emotions, but Uesugi Tetsu ambushed her before she could leave. He battled her through severe injuries and, as Ai Bielie admitted she had exhausted her options, prepared to strike again.

• Ai Bielie took over Chiyoko’s body, savored the emotions she had drawn from Nanjō Emi, and planned to make Ninomiya Town her base.
• Uesugi Tetsu stabbed Ai Bielie through the heart and beheaded her, then attacked her with Heaven’s Thunder and Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Ai Bielie survived the attacks and countered with weapon-like limbs, but Uesugi Tetsu cut through them and wounded her again.
• Ai Bielie’s blood returned to her body, and Uesugi Tetsu used Gentle Breeze Walk to evade its deadly effect.
• Ai Bielie said she had run out of tricks and remarked on the many coincidences surrounding Uesugi Tetsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu carefully approached Ai Bielie and swung Kaga Kiyomitsu down.

Uesugi Tetsu finally killed Ai Bielie after destroying her 123 times, then returned to Arakawa Ward as the Crimson Tide’s effects faded. At the Special Affairs Division, Ririko confronted her younger brother Tokugawa Haruhiko and revealed her Clear Sword Heart; Uesugi later received an S evaluation for the Crimson Tide mission.

• Uesugi Tetsu killed the near-death Ai Bielie with Kaga Kiyomitsu, earning Soul Ash, a Mythical material, and major skill and weapon improvements.
• Uesugi Tetsu changed his appearance and crossed back to Arakawa Ward, where he reunited with Ririko after the Crimson Tide suddenly stopped spreading.
• Ririko carried an exhausted Uesugi Tetsu to the Special Affairs Division, where they met Kujo Tsubaki and Tokugawa Haruhiko, her younger brother.
• Tokugawa Haruhiko mocked Ririko and Uesugi Tetsu, but Ririko revealed her Clear Sword Heart and identified Uesugi as her man, forcing Haruhiko to back down.
• Kujo Tsubaki told Tokugawa Haruhiko that she had recorded his conduct in her mission report.
• Uesugi Tetsu checked the mission settlement and received an S overall participation rating, including an SS rating for exorcising Eight Sufferings Bielie.

After defeating Ai Bielie, Uesugi Tetsu examined his rewards, improved his skills, and sensed the First Wave approaching. Meanwhile, Nanjō Emi went to confront the Five Person Council over the officials who had fled.

• Uesugi Tetsu received a Walker Assembly Token and an Omikuji Tube, then drew good fortune about the First Wave’s impact on him.
• Uesugi Tetsu examined Ai Bielie’s Mythical material, Dissociation of Love, resisted its influence, and stored it away.
• Uesugi Tetsu’s Corona Breathing Technique reached proficient level and his Imperial Spirit Technique reached beginner level, raising his attributes as Kaga Kiyomitsu began an unknown change.
• As thunder rolled and Spiritual Power rose, Uesugi Tetsu sensed that the First Wave was about to arrive.
• Kondō Yūya told Ririko that Nanjō Emi had likely gone to the Five Person Council over the officials who fled.
• Nanjō Emi forced her way into the Five Person Council’s residence after draining a guard’s Spiritual Power, and someone inside ordered that she be let in.

Nanjō Emi secured the Five Person Council’s approval to punish the officials who abandoned Arakawa Ward, then addressed the frightened survivors as the First Wave brought demons and supernatural power into the world. She killed seven culpable officials before the gathered crowd, marking the start of a new era.

• Nanjō Emi asked the Five Person Council to hand over or stop shielding the officials who deserted Arakawa Ward, and four members approved her request while Astronomy Doctor Fujiwara objected and left.
• Nanjō Emi met Tokugawa Ririko outside and invited her to help confront the officials responsible for abandoning their posts.
• Uesugi Tetsu awoke to the First Wave, learned that demons had appeared and Kujo Tsubaki had displayed the aura of a Great Demon, and saw that his spiritual arts attribute had increased.
• Nanjō Emi gathered Arakawa Ward’s residents, explained that Everworld had risen to the surface, and showed them the demons, barriers, and supernatural fighters protecting the ward.
• Nanjō Emi identified seven officials as responsible for the upheaval and killed them before the crowd, while cameras recorded the moment.

As the Spiritual Power tide reshaped the world, Sister Nanjō announced a new path for ordinary people to learn supernatural arts, while factions across the mortal world and Everworld prepared for the changing era. Ririko reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship and gained a domain, and Uesugi Tetsu’s Three-tailed Fox evolved into an Epic Four-tailed Fox as the tide continued to rise.

• Thunderstorms spread across the world as a starry barrier protected the crowd, and four figures atop Tokyo Skytree cleared the skies and warned nonhuman beings from Everworld.
• Onmyoji and Shikigami at Fushimi Inari Shrine defended Kyoto from the falling Restless Ones, while Tokugawa Ryūji and Tokugawa Hoshi reported clearing demons from their family grounds and heard that Ririko would be summoned home.
• Katsumi met a young prince in Everworld and reported that he had acted in the prince’s name and found a potential hidden dragon.
• Ririko seized the tide’s sword principles for herself, perfected her Tennen Rishin-ryū, broke through her bottleneck, and formed a sword domain.
• Sister Nanjō announced that the Special Affairs Division would teach Demon Studies, Onmyōjutsu, and breathing techniques, while Uesugi Tetsu watched the crowd welcome the new opportunities.
• The Spiritual Power tide raised Uesugi Tetsu’s Spirit Arts and Willpower attributes and evolved his Three-tailed Fox into an Epic Four-tailed Fox as he declared the new era belonged to him.

At Sakurato High School, Uesugi Tetsu and Kitano Runa disrupted a cultivation lesson by absorbing nearly all the spiritual energy, then earned extraordinary talent ratings in a Special Affairs Division test. Uesugi was named an Arakawa district “Seed,” while the fifth day of his [Great Auspiciousness] fortune arrived with the Mountain Inn still undiscovered.

• Onmyoji Nakajima taught the second-year students the Basic Spirit Absorption Method, but Ririko was called up and gave an explanation that impressed him and the class.
• Uesugi Tetsu cultivated Imperial Spirit Technique so powerfully that he and Kitano Runa created spiritual-energy funnels, preventing the other students from sensing spiritual energy.
• Nakajima took Uesugi, Runa, and Ririko for individual absorption tests; Ririko scored zero, while Runa absorbed spiritual energy at 287 times the standard rate and received an S potential rating.
• Uesugi absorbed spiritual energy at 499 times the standard rate and was personally rated a “Seed” by Grand Official Nanjō Emi, then discussed cultivation resources with Nakajima.
• Uesugi reflected that he had found nothing new at Kisaragi Station despite a week of searching, and that the fifth day of his [Great Auspiciousness] fortune had arrived without him finding the Mountain Inn.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that the Special Affairs Division would provide him and Ririko with resources and training while expecting them to grow strong before the next Tide. After training, he used his Omikuji to delay activating the Walker Assembly token, then entered Everworld as a Four-tailed Fox and tested his new abilities.

• Uesugi Tetsu called Nanjō Emi, who explained the new residence, cultivation resources, monthly strength assessments, and the responsibility to become stronger before the next Tide.
• Nanjō Emi said Ririko had been recommended as an S-rank potential talent, while Kitano Runa discovered her monthly salary would be eight million yen and resolved to hold on to her status.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko trained at the dojo, where their sparring drew a crowd and Kitano Runa began absorbing Spiritual Power despite not knowing the basic Spirit Absorption Method.
• Uesugi Tetsu drew a [Lesser Blessing] that warned of a sealed land and an unlit fuse, so he decided not to use the Walker Assembly token yet.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered Everworld as a Four-tailed Fox, inspected his new talents, and used Soul Imprint to control a chi.
• Uesugi Tetsu summoned Two-Shaku-Sama and asked how she advanced when she was not contracted as a Shikigami; she began explaining that there were three general methods.

Uesugi Tetsu reviewed three advancement paths for Two-Shaku-Sama and chose the Divine Bestowment Path before investigating a mysterious mountain inn. After questioning its trapped guests and discovering they resurrected after death, he reached the inn and waited for its Snow Woman owner to appear.

• Two-Shaku-Sama described the Soul Devouring, Divine Bestowment, and Unfulfilled Wish advancement paths, and Uesugi Tetsu chose to pursue Divine Bestowment for her.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Two-Shaku-Sama boarded a black SUV driven by a supernatural phenomenon, and he frightened the driver into taking them to the Mountain Inn.
• Uesugi Tetsu found three escapees in the woods, used Soul Imprint on Ogawa Kei, and learned that the inn's guests were instructed to escape and could revive after dying.
• Uesugi Tetsu killed Nagasawa and Takada, watched their bodies vanish, and learned from Ogawa Kei that a guest named Hasumi had recently arrived at the inn.
• Uesugi Tetsu sent Two-Shaku-Sama back into her statue and waited outside the closed Mountain Inn until its Snow Woman owner approached with a lantern.

Uesugi Tetsu investigated the Mountain Inn, uncovered how repeated deaths stripped its guests of memories, and learned Ye Chun wanted to escape. At midnight, he discovered the Snow Woman boiling mutilated souls into a resentful soup, and she began explaining why she had built the inn.

• Uesugi Tetsu checked into the Mountain Inn with Two-Shaku-Sama, received quests to explore it and discover the Snow Woman's purpose, and agreed to pay their room fee with Two-Shaku-Sama's stories.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw Nagashima and Takada revive with even more of their souls missing, then found Ogawa Kei had carved warnings and reminders throughout his room to compensate for lost memories.
• Uesugi Tetsu concluded that travelers might escape Kisaragi Station by taking transportation through Isanuki Tunnel, while Ye Chun secretly urged him to investigate the basement and offered a chance to disrupt the inn's order.
• Uesugi Tetsu agreed to help Ye Chun return home, explored sixty percent of the inn, and slipped downstairs at midnight to find the basement entrance concealed by Onmyōjutsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu discovered the Snow Woman boiling mutilated living souls in a casserole, and she explained that she had built the inn to shelter them, comparing her care for them to raising small animals.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that the Snow Woman was helping resentful souls pass on, then awoke to find Kaga Kiyomitsu had transformed into the Blade of Parting. He learned the Five Thunder Technique and met Master Huijue, who arranged a spirit tablet for his Shikigami and asked him to help at a Yokohama temple; Nanjō Emi offered them a ride there.

• The Snow Woman explained that she gathered resentful souls to help them pass on, then froze Uesugi Tetsu and shattered him for disturbing her peaceful life.
• Uesugi Tetsu awoke beneath a cherry tree and found Kaga Kiyomitsu had transformed into the rare Blade of Parting, whose unique effect inflicted Sorrow of Parting on its surroundings and enemies.
• Uesugi Tetsu asked Nanjō Emi to arrange a spirit tablet for his Shikigami and a thunder technique, while his old contact Work to Death taught him the Five Thunder Technique - Qi Resonance.
• Uesugi Tetsu tested the new technique, accidentally electrocuted Ririko's hair, and took her with him to dinner with Nanjō Emi and Master Huijue.
• Huijue agreed to arrange a spirit tablet at a Yokohama branch temple, then asked Uesugi Tetsu to help his fellow disciples with a troublesome incident there.
• Nanjō Emi offered to drive Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko to Yokohama, and Uesugi Tetsu asked about Huijue's background after sensing his hidden strength.

Uesugi Tetsu visited Hongwanji Temple with Two-Shaku-Sama to arrange a memorial tablet for her, while learning more about Huijue's Buddhist cultivation and meeting Nanjō Emi's Shikigami. At the temple, the monks' attempt to subdue a demon collapsed, and Uesugi Tetsu discovered the threat seemed far weaker than expected.

• Nanjō Emi explained that Huijue was Hongwanji Temple's chief disciple and a rising Buddhist leader, and Uesugi Tetsu added him on LINE to ask about his state of mind.
• Huijue said his state of mind had reached the Nameless Abyss, which Nanjō Emi's document ranked near Clear Sword Heart.
• Nanjō Emi drove Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko; Ririko stayed behind to teach Runa, while Two-Shaku-Sama, Nure-onna, and Hiyori Bō played cards in the van.
• Uesugi Tetsu brought Two-Shaku-Sama to Hongwanji Temple, where two novice monks led them inside to install her memorial tablet.
• The novices explained that the temple elders were subduing a demon, but the hall doors burst open and several elders were thrown out.
• Uesugi Tetsu prepared to flee, then noticed that the monks seemed weak and the Spiritual Power inside the hall was below two stars.

Uesugi Tetsu killed the Official Woman Doll at Hongwanji Temple, then went to rescue Huiyang and defeat the Princess Doll. The Princess Doll dropped a curse that could accelerate White Brahma’s advancement, and Uesugi Tetsu considered using it.

• Uesugi Tetsu protected the injured Hongwanji monks and killed the Official Woman Doll with Kaga Kiyomitsu, learning that it had threatened him on behalf of the Princess Doll.
• The temple abbot explained that a girl named Yako had brought the doll for exorcism, and Uesugi Tetsu agreed to trace the threat to its source.
• Uesugi Tetsu placed a Special Affairs Division Standard Tablet in Miei Hall, and Two-Shaku-Sama began a promotion estimated to take half a year.
• Huiming reported that Huiyang had gone alone to Yako’s residence, so Uesugi Tetsu rushed there and found Yako fleeing from a curse.
• Uesugi Tetsu summoned a two-star Koma-inu to rescue Huiyang, then fought and killed the two-star Princess Doll.
• Uesugi Tetsu obtained the Curse of the Hina Doll, and a prompt revealed that it could be consumed to accelerate White Brahma’s advancement.

Uesugi Tetsu exorcised the Princess Doll, used the Curse of the Hina Doll to end his bad luck, and helped Huiyang recover before leaving Yako in the monks’ care. He advanced White Brahma to two stars, unlocked a new salvage pool, and after drawing rare items was interrupted by a terrified cry for help outside his hotel room.

• Uesugi Tetsu burned away the blood at Yako’s entrance, escaped the collapsing stairs, and returned to Huiming and the injured Huiyang.
• Uesugi Tetsu gave Huiming the last drop of Spirit Awakening Mist for Huiyang and advised Yako to seek safety at Hongwanji Temple or the Special Affairs Division.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Curse of the Hina Doll, ending his bad luck and accelerating White Brahma’s advancement until it reached two stars.
• Uesugi Tetsu examined White Brahma’s upgraded abilities, learned more about his Mind Cultivation System, and unlocked the two-star limited salvage pool at the outskirts of Edo Castle.
• Uesugi Tetsu performed a ten-pull, receiving Soul Soothing Incense Ash, two Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Single Eyeballs, and a Soul Soothing Incense Candle.
• As Uesugi Tetsu prepared to salvage Master Fisherman, someone pounded on his hotel door and screamed for help from a monster wearing human skin.

Uesugi Tetsu defeated the Bone Woman after learning Nishiyama Ryota had murdered her, then carried out her request to bury her ashes at her home in Tangyuanhe Town. The address led him to the abandoned Gotō Bathhouse, where digging beneath the cherry tree uncovered a box labeled Gotō Yako’s Wish Box.

• Uesugi Tetsu fought the Bone Woman, endured her attacks, and killed her with Kaga Kiyomitsu after she asked him to kill Nishiyama Ryota.
• The Bone Woman revealed that Nishiyama Ryota had repeatedly betrayed her and buried her alive, then asked Uesugi Tetsu to scatter her ashes beneath the cherry tree at her home.
• Uesugi Tetsu killed Nishiyama Ryota, received Bone Woman’s Wish, and learned that Kaga Kiyomitsu needed to slay a Three-Star Demon to reach Epic grade.
• Uesugi Tetsu reported the hotel incident to a Special Affairs Division rookie, then traveled to Tangyuanhe Town to find the Bone Woman’s home.
• Local residents avoided answering Uesugi Tetsu’s questions about the address, but he found the abandoned Gotō Bathhouse and buried the Bone Woman’s ashes beneath its withered cherry tree.
• Uesugi Tetsu uncovered a pink metal box labeled Gotō Yako’s Wish Box beneath the soil.

Uesugi Tetsu confirmed that Gotō Yoko and the Yako he had met were the same person, then discovered that the Doll Figures at Hongwanji Temple planned to revive her. When the dolls attacked, he killed the Emperor Doll and faced the incomplete Ten-Doll Night Walker Lord as Huijue arrived to back him up.

• Uesugi Tetsu read Gotō Yoko’s wish notes, buried her ashes and wish box beneath the cherry tree, and received the permanent buff Tomorrow.
• Uesugi Tetsu found a spotless Doll Display in Gotō Yoko’s abandoned home and realized that Yako was an inhuman being who had infiltrated Hongwanji Temple.
• Uesugi Tetsu escaped the Earthbound Spirits’ barrier after they recognized him as a friend of their daughter, then called the temple and spoke with Yako.
• Uesugi Tetsu arrived at Hongwanji Temple and found Yako unconscious as the Doll Figures emerged and revealed their plan to sacrifice him and the monks to revive Gotō Yoko.
• Uesugi Tetsu pretended to accept the dolls’ demand, transformed into White Brahma, and killed the Emperor Doll with a lightning strike.
• The remaining dolls fused into the incomplete Ten-Doll Night Walker Lord, and Uesugi Tetsu called Huijue for backup before challenging it.

Uesugi Tetsu defeated the Ten-Doll Night Walker Lord at the cost of severe injuries, and claimed powerful equipment and skill gains. After Nanjō Emi took him to the hospital, he woke to find himself face-to-face with her chest.

• Uesugi Tetsu discovered the Doll Festival Domain's range and charged the Ten-Doll Night Walker Lord, severing one of its arms and destroying its Golden Cup.
• Uesugi Tetsu used Soul Imprint to turn the summoned Left and Right Ministers and Doll Horses against their master, but the Right Minister sacrificed itself to save him from a cherry blossom petal's immobilizing effect.
• Uesugi Tetsu dodged the Night Walker Lord's attacks, reached it by leaping from a Wakizashi, and killed it with Kaga Kiyomitsu's Bamboo Strike, though his chest and legs were badly wounded.
• Uesugi Tetsu received Soul Ashes, skill proficiency, a Bloodstained Broken Doll Crown, and an Epic Pure White Doll, then recovered with Two-Shaku-Sama's help.
• Huijue confirmed that Hongwanji Temple's people were safe, and Nanjō Emi arranged for Uesugi Tetsu to go to the hospital and stabilized him during the ambulance ride.
• Uesugi Tetsu woke in the hospital and found himself staring at Nanjō Emi's chest.

Uesugi Tetsu woke fully healed in a Special Affairs Division ward and learned that a True Sword Match against Moonlit Hall would take place in Yokohama in seven days. He agreed to represent the Division, then heard Nanjō Emi explain the Four Extremes Breathing Techniques and the powerful sword saint behind the Imperial Grand Competition before they left to meet someone.

• Uesugi Tetsu woke beside Nanjō Emi, confirmed his injuries had healed, and heard her explain that the Gotō Bathhouse remained the only known hidden danger.
• Nanjō Emi told Uesugi Tetsu that the Special Affairs Division would face Moonlit Hall in a lethal True Sword Match in seven days, and Uesugi agreed to participate.
• Nanjō Emi explained that Tokugawa Ririko belonged to the Tokugawa Family, one of three families possessing a Four Extremes Breathing Technique, and that Ririko might not be able to compete publicly.
• Nanjō Emi described the four tiers of breathing techniques and explained that the Imperial Grand Competition was a negotiating table whose factions were held in check by a sword saint.
• After receiving a phone call, Nanjō Emi dressed and told Uesugi Tetsu that their break was over and someone was waiting for them.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that Kaga Kiyomitsu had reached Epic quality and unlocked a Legendary quest, then entered a modified Master Fisherman trial that sent him to an Edo-period slash test. After destroying multiple Slash Test Maru with increasingly powerful attacks, he demanded a tougher target.

• Kaga Kiyomitsu reached Epic quality, gained the Hundred Refinements as One effect, and unlocked a quest to reach Legendary quality and slay an Aragami-level enemy.
• Uesugi Tetsu left the Tsuzuki Ward Special Affairs Division with Nanjō Emi, thanked Huijue, and received a three-day blessing that made his transportation proceed smoothly.
• Karasuma Shigure, Kuzuha Chihaya, and Akatsuki Ran watched Uesugi Tetsu from a rooftop and discussed their upcoming confrontation with him and Tokugawa Ririko.
• Uesugi Tetsu began the Master Fisherman salvage, but the trial changed because he had attracted Okita Sōji's attention during his previous attempt and sent him to a special slash trial in the Bakumatsu era.
• Uesugi Tetsu used an unenhanced Bamboo Strike to score 910 guan, then broke the ordinary Slash Test Maru with a Corona Breathing Technique attack.
• Uesugi Tetsu transformed into White Brahma and destroyed an Ashigaru Slash Test Maru with an Iaido: Front-Draw Strike, then asked the clerk for an even more durable target.

Uesugi Tetsu achieved an extraordinary slash in the Bakumatsu trial, earning a major Willpower increase, a new precognitive ability, and recognition from the Nameless Swordsman. Back in the present, he received a new home and arrived to find Ririko inside.

• Uesugi Tetsu transformed into his Four-tailed Fox incarnation and struck the Samurai Cleaver with a thunder-infused Three-stage Thrust, registering a slashing force of 38,888 kan.
• The Samurai Cleaver declared that Uesugi Tetsu ranked among the top fifty of the younger generation, and the trial rewarded him with increased Willpower, era reputation, the Nameless Swordsman's recognition, and a four-star Samurai Cleaver Shikigami.
• Uesugi Tetsu awakened the middle-stage mind-state Clear Mirror, Still Water, which let him resist mental illusions and read ahead, though he could not predict Nanjō Emi's actions.
• Uesugi Tetsu promoted White Brahma and reviewed the Samurai Cleaver's abilities before Nanjō Emi and Shizuma Manatsu took him to his new villa.
• At the villa, Uesugi Tetsu met Kitano Runa, who said she had improved her Spirit Absorption Method and was being driven by the Special Affairs Division; she left after telling him Ririko was inside.
• Uesugi Tetsu used facial recognition to open the villa door.

Uesugi Tetsu visited Tokugawa Ririko at his villa, discussed mental cultivation with her, and drew an epic Warrior Talisman from the Edo Castle card pool. He contracted the Samurai Cleaver as the dojo’s guardian, and Ririko eagerly prepared to test her swordsmanship against it.

• Uesugi Tetsu found Tokugawa Ririko meditating in the dojo, and she explained that mental cultivation could prevent him from pre-reading her actions.
• Uesugi Tetsu used a ten-draw and received a Warrior Talisman that could summon twelve powerful Yellow Turban Warriors.
• Uesugi Tetsu placed the Samurai Cleaver in the dojo and contracted it as a guardian Shikigami.
• Ririko recognized the Samurai Cleaver from her childhood and thanked Uesugi Tetsu with a quick kiss on the cheek.
• Ririko raised her Bamboo Sword toward the Samurai Cleaver, which invited her to strike.