Chapter Summaries

Uesugi Tetsu reunited with the Zashiki-warashi, who had spent a century in a Divine Craft Trial, and gave her Qualified Spirit Gold and Kaga Kiyomitsu to strengthen into a Spiritual Weapon. While she began forging, he returned briefly to the present world, learned that a new wave was only an aftershock, and asked Nanjō Emi for information about Disease and Suffering and his Imperial Spirit Technique.

• Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto entered the ruined temple and reunited with the Zashiki-warashi, who had been forging weapons there for about a hundred years.
• The Zashiki-warashi explained that she had entered the Divine Craft Trial after exploring a whirlpool cavern and was close to completing its second stage by forging a Spiritual Weapon.
• Uesugi Tetsu gave the Zashiki-warashi Qualified Spirit Gold and Kaga Kiyomitsu so she could strengthen the sentient katana and advance her trial.
• The Zashiki-warashi began forging Kaga Kiyomitsu as Uesugi Tetsu went inside the shrine to use the Key of History.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw a yellow alert about an approaching wave and called Nanjō Emi, who told him it was only an aftershock of the First Wave.
• Uesugi Tetsu asked Nanjō Emi about killing Disease and Suffering and breaking through an Imperial Spirit Technique bottleneck, and she told him to visit the Special Affairs Division for information.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s Spider-Cutter would be the Tokyo Seed Battle’s grand prize, then returned to Mt. Yamakujira as the Zashiki-warashi completed her forging of Kaga Kiyomitsu. The blade reached the unprecedented Epic +++ quality, gained powerful new effects, and awakened a faint heartstring connection with Uesugi Tetsu.

• Nanjō Emi told Uesugi Tetsu that materials to advance his Imperial Spirit Technique were available, but using them would forfeit his remaining monthly allocations.
• Nanjō Emi revealed that Spider-Cutter would be the Tokyo Seed Battle’s grand prize and described the seeded participants, including the formidable Minamoto Shizuka.
• Uesugi Tetsu reassured Imagawa Yoshimoto that her road ahead was perilous but broad, and she resolved to accept the hardships awaiting her.
• The Zashiki-warashi completed Kaga Kiyomitsu’s forging, raising its quality to Epic +++ and granting it Soul Siphon, enhanced attacks, and other unique effects.
• Uesugi Tetsu discovered that Kaga Kiyomitsu’s spirituality had awakened when the blade flew and he sensed a new, faint heartstring connecting them.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered that Kaga Kiyomitsu’s newly awakened spirit had formed a faint heart-string, and Zashiki-warashi reforged Imagawa Yoshimoto’s armor before refusing her invitation to become a retainer. Meanwhile, Suffering and Illness’s forces chose Yoshida Castle as their next target, and Daruma set out for it with three demon retainers.

• Uesugi Tetsu used the Imperial Spirit Technique to strengthen his heart-string with Kaga Kiyomitsu and realized he might soon be able to understand its buzzing communication.
• Zashiki-warashi thanked Uesugi Tetsu for helping her advance her forging, then strengthened Imagawa Yoshimoto’s armor and declined Yoshimoto’s offer to become her retainer.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto studied their maps and settled on their next destination in eastern Mikawa.
• At Jodo Shinshu, Suffering and Illness spoke with Lotus Light about gathering wish power, while Daruma observed their exchange and learned about the Thousand-Brain Princess.
• Suffering and Illness ordered his forces to move against Yoshida Castle, and Daruma volunteered to go there to gain experience.
• Suffering and Illness assigned Jie Fangzhu, Ku Fu, and Ye Bingweng to obey Daruma, who then departed for Yoshida Castle.

Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto chose Yoshida Castle as their destination and prepared to spend five days gathering forces and making preparations against the demons. After parting from Zashiki-warashi, they traveled with Mountain Whale King, cured a village’s sick, and continued toward the next village as Kaga Kiyomitsu gained a Soul Point.

• Imagawa Yoshimoto agreed to target Yoshida Castle after Uesugi Tetsu proposed five days to prepare, clear nearby villages, and contact the Matsudaira Family.
• Zashiki-warashi reforged Imagawa Yoshimoto’s armor so its durability was shared across the suit, and Uesugi Tetsu tested it with lightning that barely affected her.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto invited Zashiki-warashi to join the Imagawa Clan, but Zashiki-warashi declined and exchanged parting gifts with Uesugi Tetsu.
• Zashiki-warashi sent Mountain Whale King to help Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto, then returned to forging as they descended the mountain.
• Uesugi Tetsu cured seven villagers of Miasma Ghost afflictions, killed the demon causing the illness, and Imagawa Yoshimoto promised the villagers a safer future.
• Uesugi Tetsu chose Soul Points after killing the Miasma Ghost, and Kaga Kiyomitsu received one point as several of its effects began to glow.

Uesugi Tetsu enhanced Kaga Kiyomitsu with Soul Points, then left Imagawa Yoshimoto under Mountain Whale King's protection and returned to the Arakawa Special Affairs Division. There, he received a sealed document bag and learned that Minamoto Shizuka had asked to meet him, leaving him listening to her detailed identification of him over the phone.

• Uesugi Tetsu spent 500 Soul Points to enhance Kaga Kiyomitsu's Thrust Enhancement, giving it the new Thrust Specialization effect.
• After five days of clearing villages with Imagawa Yoshimoto, Uesugi Tetsu left Yoshimoto with Mountain Whale King and three Koma-inu Hatamoto guarding him.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned to the Special Affairs Division in Arakawa Ward, where Akatsuki Ran gave him a Compressed Spirit Gathering Pill and sealed materials from Nanjō Emi.
• Kitano Runa explained that the Special Affairs Division was choosing a second combatant for the Seed Battle, while Akatsuki Ran told Uesugi Tetsu that Minamoto Shizuka had come asking for him.
• Uesugi Tetsu called Minamoto Shizuka, who answered by reciting an extensive description of his identity and abilities.

Minamoto Shizuka apologized to Uesugi Tetsu for spying on him, while Sister Nanjō warned him that the Demon Guiding Society’s Black Phone Booth phenomenon was spreading. Uesugi reached expert level in Imperial Spirit Technique, chose the path of qi, and set out with Imagawa Yoshimoto after learning Yoshida Castle had likely fallen and Two-Shaku-Sama and Motono were in trouble.

• Minamoto Shizuka called Uesugi Tetsu to apologize for monitoring him with Saito Ryuichi, and he accepted her apology.
• Sister Nanjō told Uesugi Tetsu that the Black Phone Booth was spreading across Tokyo and nearby cities, was created by the Demon Guiding Society, and might be evolving.
• Uesugi Tetsu consumed a Spirit Gathering Pill, raised Imperial Spirit Technique to expert level, and chose qi as its focus, greatly improving his control of Aura and Spiritual Power.
• Uesugi Tetsu strengthened his heartstring connection to Kaga Kiyomitsu, but discovered Koga could only communicate through buzzing.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned to Imagawa Yoshimoto and learned that the carrier pigeon had not returned; he sensed that Two-Shaku-Sama and Motono had encountered trouble but were safe.
• Uesugi Tetsu, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and their companions approached Yoshida Castle, where an old man called to them for help.

Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto encountered Ye Bingweng on the road to Yoshida Castle, but Tetsu exposed and killed the Diseased Retainer and his minions. As the surviving half-dead birds carried news of the battle to the city, Daruma prepared to confront Tetsu and heard Jie Fangzhu propose a plan.

• Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto stopped to free Ye Bingweng from vines, and Ye warned them that Yoshida Castle had become a den of demons.
• Uesugi Tetsu recognized Ye Bingweng’s trap, led him west, and exposed him as a paper decoy before fighting the real Retainer.
• Uesugi Tetsu killed Ye Bingweng with Three-stage Thrust while the Mountain Whale King and the Koma-inu fought off Disease Rats and Coughing Ghosts.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Blessed Folding Fan to kill hundreds of half-dead birds, though several escaped toward Yoshida Castle; he also obtained Soul Ash and the Plague God Bell.
• Two Retainers informed Daruma that Ye Bingweng had died, and Daruma agreed to leave Yoshida Castle to meet Uesugi Tetsu.
• Jie Fangzhu whispered a plan to Daruma that he said would leave the Onmyoji helpless.

Uesugi Tetsu reached plague-stricken Yoshida Castle and confronted Ku Fu, Jie Fangzhu, and the other Bingku Retainers after they threatened to release plague seeds in the city. He killed Ku Fu and Jie Fangzhu, then attacked Wooden Fish Daruma, whose wooden fish blocked the strike and urged him to escape for the sake of his master and the Demon Guiding Society.

• Uesugi Tetsu left Imagawa Yoshimoto and approached Yoshida Castle, where the Half-Dead Birds warned that resistance would trigger plague seeds planted in every resident.
• Uesugi Tetsu donned the White Brahma mask, causing Ku Fu and Jie Fangzhu to suspect he was a ghost or god, then killed Ku Fu with Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu rejected Jie Fangzhu's threat to unleash the plague, fought him, and killed him despite taking a devastating blow to his face.
• Uesugi Tetsu turned to Wooden Fish Daruma and attacked, but a wooden fish emerged from Daruma's robes and blocked Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• The wooden fish spoke through its resonant body and urged Daruma to escape for his master's sake and for the Demon Guiding Society.

Uesugi Tetsu transformed into a Four-tailed Fox and used Fury to defeat Great Otafuku, then entered Yoshida Castle with Imagawa Yoshimoto and began eliminating Illness’s Retainers. The chapter ended as Tetsu checked the rewards for killing Great Otafuku and awaited the additional gains.

• Great Otafuku emerged to protect Daruma, and Uesugi Tetsu fought the giant Demon after learning Daruma belonged to the Demon Guiding Society.
• Uesugi Tetsu activated Fury, transformed into a Four-tailed Fox, paralyzed Great Otafuku with lightning, and killed it with Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto and the Mountain Whale King waited outside Yoshida Castle while Uesugi Tetsu battled Great Otafuku.
• Illness tried to leave Jodo Shinshu, but Lian Guang stopped him and offered to discuss sharing Nishio Castle’s wish power.
• Uesugi Tetsu rejoined Imagawa Yoshimoto, entered Yoshida Castle, sent Kaga Kiyomitsu to hunt Retainers, and struck others down with lightning.
• Uesugi Tetsu received Soul Ash and skill proficiency for his kills and checked what further rewards Great Otafuku had yielded.

Uesugi Tetsu received a powerful hidden effect from the Mountain God Rock Heart and persuaded Yoshida Castle’s residents that Imagawa Yoshimoto was blessed by the Kami. After Yoshimoto promised the sick would be cured, Tetsu entered a quiet room to prepare medicine, but collapsed toward her as his power faded.

• Uesugi Tetsu examined the drops from Ku Fu and Jie Fangzhu, then discovered that the Mountain God Rock Heart could open a Void Qi Sea in his body.
• Uesugi Tetsu used his lightning and Soul Imprint to convince Yoshida Castle’s residents that Imagawa Yoshimoto was a blessed one of the Kami.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto promised the residents that no one would die from the monsters’ diseases after the next sunrise.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto ordered the Matsudaira retainers to atone through merit while Motono’s army took over Yoshida Castle, and Uesugi Tetsu promised to distribute medicine and talismans the next morning.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered a quiet room with Imagawa Yoshimoto as his Rage state expired, then lost his strength and fell toward her.

After exhausting himself defeating demons, Uesugi Tetsu recovered under Imagawa Yoshimoto’s care and used his Soul Points to consider his next move. He began making Disease-Expelling Talismans to treat Yoshida Castle’s residents, but Imagawa Yoshimoto ordered him to stop, and Kaga Kiyomitsu faced her.

• Uesugi Tetsu collapsed after exhausting his Internal Energy and Spiritual Power, and Imagawa Yoshimoto sealed the room and cared for him as he recovered.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto asked Uesugi Tetsu what he wanted, and he wished to witness her rise in Kyoto and make her name known throughout the world.
• Uesugi Tetsu fed hundreds of [Eye of the Calamity Worm] to the Hundred-Eyed Demon, raising her quality upgrade progress to 18%.
• After checking his Soul Points and considering whether to pursue Disease or keep spreading Imagawa Yoshimoto’s reputation, Uesugi Tetsu asked Imagawa Yoshimoto to bring paper, cinnabar, and water.
• Uesugi Tetsu drew Disease-Expelling Talismans through the night to treat Yoshida Castle’s residents, but Imagawa Yoshimoto ordered him to stop and said he mattered more than all of them combined.
• Uesugi Tetsu called Kaga Kiyomitsu, and the sword flew out to face Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Uesugi Tetsu helped Imagawa Yoshimoto distribute Disease-Expelling Talismans in Yoshida Castle, then recovered and opened a Void Qi Sea by consuming the Mountain God Rock Heart. Hanzō returned with a dossier containing intelligence on more than half of Mikawa Province.

• Uesugi Tetsu refused to stop making talismans, and Imagawa Yoshimoto helped him complete them through the night before distributing them to the people of Yoshida Castle.
• Uesugi Tetsu collapsed from exhaustion, and Imagawa Yoshimoto cared for him until he recovered over the next forty-eight hours.
• Uesugi Tetsu consumed the Mountain God Rock Heart and opened a Void Qi Sea, where his Demon Incarnation cards began generating qi.
• Uesugi Tetsu tested the Void Qi Sea's ability to replenish his astral qi and grant him attributes from Brahma and the Four-tailed Fox.
• Hanzō returned to Yoshida Castle and gave Imagawa Yoshimoto a dossier containing intelligence on more than half of Mikawa Province.

Uesugi Tetsu sensed that Heaven and Earth's restoration would arrive within days, forcing him to abandon his plan to clear Illness's demon-infested towns and target Illness directly. As Okabe Motonobu's group reunited with him at Yoshida Castle, he prepared to enhance Kaga Kiyomitsu before confronting the demon leader.

• Uesugi Tetsu sensed a coming Spiritual Energy Tide and concluded Illness might use Heaven and Earth's restoration to break through, so he decided to locate and attack Illness the next morning.
• Uesugi Tetsu explained the imminent restoration to Imagawa Yoshimoto, and they agreed not to gamble on Illness failing to grow stronger.
• Okabe Motonobu arrived at Yoshida Castle with Matsudaira Motoyasu, Shiraishi, and Two-Shaku-Sama, who reunited enthusiastically with Uesugi Tetsu.
• Okabe Motonobu reported that Sickness and Suffering's retainers had delayed her main force on the way to the castle.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu returned, and Uesugi Tetsu began enhancing it by calling, “Koga, evolve beyond limits!”

Uesugi Tetsu prepared to attack the Suffering of Illness at Nishio Castle while Imagawa Yoshimoto insisted on joining him, and Kaga Kiyomitsu gained powerful new sword effects from Soul Enhancement. After returning to the present, Tetsu encountered the precursor to the First Wave’s aftershock and a Black Phone Booth that appeared in the mountain forest.

• Uesugi Tetsu told Okabe Motonobu about the rising supernatural threat and planned to attack the Suffering of Illness, while Imagawa Yoshimoto insisted on going with him.
• Uesugi Tetsu assigned Okabe Motonobu to protect Yoshida Castle, chose Two-Shaku-Sama to accompany him, and left Shiraishi behind.
• Uesugi Tetsu completed Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Soul Enhancement, giving it Thrust Expert, Slashing Specialization, and an improved Blazing Blessing.
• Uesugi Tetsu used Onmyōjutsu to locate the Suffering of Illness at Nishio Castle and entrusted the History Key to Two-Shaku-Sama before returning to the present.
• Uesugi Tetsu received a warning that the precursor to the First Wave’s aftershock had arrived, then encountered a call from the Black Phone Booth.
• Uesugi Tetsu put on White Brahma’s mask and approached the Black Phone Booth after it appeared in the mountain forest.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that he could define his empty Qi Sea’s path with rare materials and decided to pursue the Five Elements, while Shizuoka Prefecture requested reinforcements for the coming wave. After a powerful swordswoman slew a Great Demon, Uesugi discovered she was Minamoto Shizuka, who offered him an unusual apology gift.

• Uesugi Tetsu trapped the Black Phone Booth, traced its connection with the Imperial Spirit Technique, and destroyed it when it threatened to kill him.
• Uesugi Tetsu called Nanjō Emi, who explained how Qi Seas gained their paths and suggested the Five Elements could balance multiple powers.
• Nanjō Emi told Uesugi Tetsu that Shizuoka Prefecture needed reinforcements and that Sea Alien Light’s Scale Armor could provide a water-attribute material for his Qi Sea.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to seek Five-Element materials, defeated two lesser demons, and witnessed an unknown swordswoman destroy a powerful Great Demon with one strike.
• Uesugi Tetsu recognized the swordswoman as Minamoto Shizuka, who apologized for her past actions and presented him with a freshly formed lump of flesh.

Uesugi Tetsu consumed Minamoto Shizuka’s Aggregated Flesh Essence and completed the Iron Bones stage in one session before returning to the Warring States era. He investigated the strangely peaceful Ichinose Town and followed its residents’ faith in a Buddha Child who supposedly cured disease, where Two-Shaku-Sama urged him to touch a lifelike Buddha statue.

• Minamoto Shizuka explained that she had used the Guiyuan Breathing Technique to compress demon corpses into flesh essence, then protected Uesugi Tetsu as he cultivated.
• Uesugi Tetsu consumed the essence and, with the Imperial Spirit Technique, completed the Iron Bones stage of the Palace of Flesh in one session.
• Minamoto Shizuka left without a trace, and Uesugi Tetsu returned to the Warring States era, where Imagawa Yoshimoto chose Ichinose Town as their first destination.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Imagawa Yoshimoto observed that Ichinose Town appeared peaceful despite its many Sight-Devouring Worms, and Uesugi Tetsu descended to investigate while the others stayed in the floating cube.
• Uesugi Tetsu found that sick refugees flocked to Ichinose Town for a Jodo Shinshu Buddha Child said to cure disease, while healthy believers showed no signs of illness.
• Two-Shaku-Sama asked Uesugi Tetsu to touch a lifelike Buddha statue that seemed to be staring directly at him.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered that Jodo Shinshu and the Retainers of Sickness and Suffering were exploiting the people of Isshiki Town to collect wish power, then infiltrated Nishio Castle to investigate Pain. After seeing the town’s residents used as sources of wish power, he subdued a novice monk and began tearing open its disguise.

• Uesugi Tetsu learned from Two-Shaku-Sama that roadside Buddha statues held vast quantities of mixed wish power that could not be absorbed directly.
• At Jodo Shinshu’s Gratitude Service, Uesugi Tetsu identified the Buddha Child as Sūgai Shin, a three-and-a-half-star Retainer of Sickness and Suffering, and saw it heal one person while spreading disease to the crowd.
• Uesugi Tetsu left Isshiki Town and told Imagawa Yoshimoto that Sickness and Suffering was colluding with Jodo Shinshu to gather wish power ahead of Heaven and Earth’s restoration.
• Uesugi Tetsu reached Nishio Castle, left Imagawa Yoshimoto and Two-Shaku-Sama to observe from the floating cube, and infiltrated the city in miniature form.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw that Nishio Castle’s residents were sick and emaciated while their wish power flowed into Buddhist statues, then followed a novice monk from Jodo Shinshu’s main temple.
• Uesugi Tetsu stunned the novice monk with lightning, copied his appearance, and tore open his body to reveal what lay beneath its human disguise.

Uesugi Tetsu infiltrated Jodo Shinshu’s main temple and discovered that its most powerful presence was an avatar of Eight Sufferings Incarnation, whom he lured into the mountains and attacked. After boosting his body with lightning, he faced Bingku’s monstrous true form and resisted its attack with a plan to turn its overwhelming emotions against it.

• Uesugi Tetsu subdued the novice monk possessed by a Low-level Thousand-Brain Princess, concealed them, and took the monk’s place inside the temple.
• Uesugi Tetsu observed that the central Buddha statue was hollow and that Nishio Castle contained no high-level Retainers, then decided to target Eight Sufferings Incarnation.
• Uesugi Tetsu lured Eight Sufferings Incarnation away from the temple and revealed its three-star avatar, which he identified as Bingku.
• Uesugi Tetsu struck Bingku with Kaga Kiyomitsu, severing his arm and suppressing its regeneration with Sorrow of Parting.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Berserker effect of the Brahma Mask and the Five Thunder Technique to greatly enhance his body, forcing Bingku to abandon his novice-monk form and reveal a monstrous body.
• Bingku struck his khakkhara and flooded Uesugi Tetsu with the suffering of millions, but Uesugi Tetsu resisted and claimed that the emotions could harm Bingku as well.

Uesugi Tetsu killed the Eight Sufferings Incarnation after dying and resurrecting, but the incarnation’s final curse left him facing Lian Guang’s overwhelming torrent of wish power. Two-Shaku-Sama charged into the torrent to absorb it, rapidly advancing beyond her previous rank as an unknown change began.

• Uesugi Tetsu overcame the Eight Sufferings’ curses and fatally wounded the incarnation, but the Eight Sufferings activated the Myriad Plague Wheel and killed him.
• Uesugi Tetsu resurrected as the Four-tailed Fox, attacked the Eight Sufferings again, and destroyed the incarnation despite its warning that its death would unleash a curse.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw Lian Guang’s Buddhist power rise near Nishio Castle and prepared to confront him, while Lian Guang recognized Imagawa Yoshimoto and decided to seize the chance to kill her.
• Lian Guang unleashed a torrent of wish power that threatened to assimilate Uesugi Tetsu, Two-Shaku-Sama, and Imagawa Yoshimoto, leaving them unable to escape together.
• Two-Shaku-Sama transformed into her enormous Eight-Shaku form and plunged into the torrent, absorbing its wish power and advancing from Two-Star to Three-and-a-Half-Star as an unknown change occurred.

Two-Shaku-Sama resisted the wish power long enough to condemn Lian Guang before sealing herself inside the Ksitigarbha statue, and Uesugi Tetsu pursued and killed the sect master. He helped Imagawa Yoshimoto save Nishio Castle and left the stage mission unsettled so she could raise its completion, then collapsed after his enraged state ended.

• Two-Shaku-Sama’s transformation into a bodhisattva was overwhelmed by the grand vows, so she sealed herself in the Ksitigarbha statue and marked Lian Guang as a sinner.
• Uesugi Tetsu entrusted Shikigami to Imagawa Yoshimoto and pursued Lian Guang, who escaped Nishio Castle but was tracked down and killed by Tetsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned to Nishio Castle and eliminated the remaining Retainers of Eight Sufferings as residents gathered beneath the lightning.
• Imagawa Yoshimoto addressed Nishio Castle’s residents, promised relief from demons and disease, and began managing the aftermath.
• Uesugi Tetsu declined to settle the stage mission at 60% completion, then collapsed into an exhausted coma when his enraged state ended.