Chapter Summaries

Uesugi Tetsu spoke with Tokugawa Ririko before returning as Laughing Brahma to the workshop, where he questioned the foreman about its operation. He led the foreman into the forest and stopped after hearing that apprentices had disappeared, as they were now far from the workshop.

• Tokugawa Ririko told Uesugi Tetsu she understood why Sister Nanjō had kept people ignorant and said she wanted to apologize to her.
• Uesugi Tetsu transformed into Laughing Brahma, killed a farmer who attacked him, and gained five Soul Ash.
• Uesugi Tetsu arrived at the workshop and asked the foreman about its unusual operation.
• The foreman explained that he wanted to train local workers and adopt assembly-line methods, and Uesugi Tetsu invited him to talk privately.
• The foreman said several apprentices had disappeared and blamed outsiders, so Uesugi Tetsu stopped walking in the forest.

Uesugi Tetsu killed the Foreman after a close fight and promised to destroy the factory. After recovering and examining his new crowbar, he spotted a twisting white shadow in the withered farmland.

• Uesugi Tetsu confessed that he had caused the factory’s destruction, and the Foreman accepted that they could not settle their conflict.
• Uesugi Tetsu ambushed the Foreman, but the Foreman struck him with a crowbar and began accumulating strength through his Jade Shatter affix.
• Uesugi Tetsu avoided the Foreman’s charged attack, then pierced his heart with a thrust and killed him.
• The dying Foreman asked Uesugi Tetsu to destroy the factory, and Uesugi Tetsu promised to do so.
• Uesugi Tetsu received 75 soul ash, the Foreman’s Crowbar, and increased martial arts proficiency, then noticed a white shadow twisting in the farmland.

Uesugi Tetsu survived Twist and Turn by dying and reviving, then sought advice on how to defeat it without looking at it. He returned to Arakawa Ghost Village to claim his reward, tested the Foreman's Crowbar, and asked the blacksmith for a weapon suited to Tennen Rishin-ryū.

• Uesugi Tetsu recalled how Twist and Turn had made him twist and turn before he died, then asked netizens whether the apparition was dangerous.
• Nanjō Emi recognized the danger in Uesugi Tetsu's message and nearly sent him a Vajra statue before realizing he had asked another netizen for advice.
• Work to Death advised Uesugi Tetsu to close his eyes and hack Twist and Turn, and Uesugi Tetsu considered using swordsmanship to locate it by sound.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered Arakawa Ghost Village and tested the Foreman's Crowbar, discovering it could easily break locks and smash through barricaded doors.
• Uesugi Tetsu met the blacksmith and asked for a weapon suited to Tennen Rishin-ryū, causing the blacksmith's smile to fade.

Uesugi Tetsu went to the kendo hall to train with Tokugawa Ririko, who had reached the Clear Sword Heart realm and quickly learned his Ki-ai Technique. During their practical sparring, Ririko pushed him to his limits, and he awakened to a new way of fighting before collapsing; his Tennen Rishin-ryū skill reached beginner level.

• Uesugi Tetsu met Tokugawa Ririko at the kendo hall and noticed that she was glowing after breaking through to Clear Sword Heart.
• Tokugawa Ririko learned Uesugi Tetsu’s Ki-ai Technique after one demonstration, then gave him protective gear and began a practical combat lesson.
• Ririko repeatedly struck Uesugi Tetsu while teaching him to track her by sound, understand force, and treat combat as an integrated whole.
• As exhaustion slowed his thoughts, Uesugi Tetsu abandoned conscious thinking and sensed Ririko and her sword with increasing clarity.
• Uesugi Tetsu disarmed Ririko and stopped his sword at her neck, then collapsed unconscious; his Tennen Rishin-ryū proficiency rose to beginner level.

After waking with a greatly improved physique and new Tennen Rishin-ryū techniques, Uesugi Tetsu collected a powerful katana from the abandoned smithy in Everworld. The blacksmith’s assistant gave him a miniature Ksitigarbha statue, which became the key item for Side Quest One.

• Uesugi Tetsu woke after passing out, discovered his Physique had increased by two, and chose to stop practicing with Ririko.
• Ririko told Uesugi Tetsu that a caller identifying himself as the cop’s lackey had asked them to wait at the school gate after classes.
• Uesugi Tetsu visited the deserted smithy in Everworld and received the Kaga Kiyomitsu Replica and its Regenerating Sheath from the blacksmith’s assistant.
• Uesugi Tetsu offered to look after the assistant, and the assistant gave him the miniature Ksitigarbha statue as the blacksmith had instructed.
• Uesugi Tetsu learned that the statue was the complete Ksitigarbha key item for Side Quest One.

Uesugi Tetsu learned that the Ksitigarbha statue could help a Wanderer subdue the Supernatural Phenomenon south of Arakawa Village, and decided to try sealing Yao-Shaku-Sama. At the school entrance, he learned that Hasegawa Ken had died and Shizuma Mafuyu had taken his place as Nanjō’s junior disciple.

• The little one told Uesugi Tetsu that a Wanderer could use the Ksitigarbha statue to subdue the Supernatural Phenomenon south of Arakawa Village.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to try sealing Yao-Shaku-Sama before dealing with White Brahma, then left the smithy after the little one wished him success.
• Uesugi Tetsu met Ririko and the Shizuma sisters, while Kitano Runa filed another gas explosion report into her [Cover-Up] collection.
• Uesugi Tetsu searched for Hasegawa Ken at the school entrance and encountered Shizuma Mafuyu, who was worried that Shizuma Manatsu had become involved with Supernatural Phenomena.
• Shizuma Mafuyu told Uesugi Tetsu that Hasegawa Excellency had perished the previous night and that she had replaced him as Nanjō's junior disciple.

After learning that Hasegawa had died, Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko discovered Friendship Club members recruiting a restaurant employee and followed them into an alley. They were surrounded by the cult members and a supernatural figure, leaving Uesugi Tetsu to draw Kaga Kiyomitsu for a fight.

• Uesugi Tetsu asked Shizuma Mafuyu to protect Manatsu and her friends, and Shizuma Mafuyu took Manatsu and Kitano Runa away.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko heard Friendship Club members promising salvation to someone inside a yakiniku restaurant.
• Ririko prepared to confront the cult, but Uesugi Tetsu persuaded her to wait and follow its members after they left with a dazed restaurant employee.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko followed the two cult members into an alley, where the members turned to address them.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw a man fit his severed head back onto his neck and drew Kaga Kiyomitsu.

Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko defeated a Flying Head Monster and two cultists who had lured a Chinese student into an alley. After speaking with the homesick student, they stayed behind as the cultists began to regain consciousness.

• Ririko and Uesugi Tetsu split up to fight the Flying Head Monster and the two cultists, and Ririko resisted their mind-affecting sounds.
• Ririko knocked both cultists unconscious while Uesugi Tetsu killed the Half-Star Flying Head Monster and two more that ambushed him.
• Ririko checked Uesugi Tetsu's wounds, and he spoke Chinese with the rescued student, who described his hardships studying and working in Japan.
• The student decided to return to his hometown, and Uesugi Tetsu told Ririko that he missed home.
• As the cultists began to wake, Ririko prepared to use the Great Memory Restoration Technique on them.

Nanjō Emi interrogated two Friendship Club cultists and warned Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko that the First Wave—a large-scale invasion of demons and supernatural phenomena—was approaching. Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko chose to continue with dinner, but a flock of crows darkened the sunset as they left, making the ordinary street feel like the beginning of a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

• Ririko failed to get useful information from two cultists, so Nanjō Emi arrived and told her and Uesugi Tetsu to watch as she interrogated them.
• Nanjō Emi learned that the Friendship Club was recruiting emotionally vulnerable people across Arakawa Ward and had found another hideout.
• Nanjō Emi warned Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko that the First Wave might arrive within days or half a month, and told them to decide whether to stay in Arakawa Ward or leave.
• Uesugi Tetsu considered his limited ability to fight powerful demons and planned to strengthen Laughing Brahma once its upgrade finished.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko chose to go for dinner, then saw a huge flock of crows scatter across the setting sun as they walked through the ordinary-looking streets.

Ai Bielie used the Niijima Group to spread her cult and sought people whose emotions could fuel her growing power. After learning that Nanjō Emi had seized the Ouija Board and that Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko had survived contact with it, she decided to meet the students herself.

• Ai Bielie told Niijima Yuta that she grew stronger through intense human emotions and calmed his fear by replacing it with bloodlust.
• Niijima reported that Nanjō Emi had destroyed another cult branch and confiscated the Ouija Board, whose use had loosened a seal.
• Ai Bielie devoured the Rain Woman while Niijima continued reporting on the cult's activities.
• Niijima showed Ai Bielie photos of Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko, and she recognized Ririko as a kendo champion.
• Ai Bielie stopped Niijima's men from abducting Ririko and ordered the cult to seek people in extreme bliss or despair and sow the seeds.
• Ai Bielie split into three clones and decided they would visit Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko before she pursued her main target.

Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko chose to face the supernatural incidents together, and he returned to Arakawa Ghost Village to hunt its threats. He killed Twist and Turn and received the Spirit Awakening Mist, but was sent back to the real world by the spirit’s final counterattack.

• Ririko vowed to stay and fight alongside Uesugi Tetsu rather than flee.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned to the safehouse and decided to conquer more of Arakawa Ghost Village before challenging stronger spirits.
• Uesugi Tetsu killed several Exploited Factory Workers and collected their soul ash and a damaged worker’s top.
• Uesugi Tetsu located Twist and Turn, silenced its noise with Laughing Brahma’s Terrifying Smile, and killed it with Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Twist and Turn’s dying attack knocked Uesugi Tetsu unconscious and sent him back to the real world, where he received the Spirit Awakening Mist as a quest reward.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered that Spirit Awakening Mist could heal him in reality and considered Fushimi Inari Shrine as a safe refuge, but refused to flee alone. The next day, he entered Edo Castle as Laughing Brahma and immediately felt something catch his ankle.

• Twist and Turn rewarded Uesugi Tetsu with 132 Soul Ash and Spirit Awakening Mist, which healed his wound and restored his energy when he drank a droplet.
• Work to Death invited Uesugi Tetsu to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine and possibly meet a Kami, but he declined and warned her to avoid people acting strangely.
• Nanjō Emi finished the operation against the cultists, while Shizuma Mafuyu struggled with the aftermath and worried about completing her probation for Xia's sake.
• Uesugi Tetsu trained with Ririko at the kendo hall and gained proficiency in Incomplete Ki-ai Technique and Tennen Rishin-ryū.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered Edo Castle as Laughing Brahma, where something snagged his ankle before he had taken two steps.

Uesugi Tetsu followed a Five-tailed Fox through Edo Castle to an abandoned shrine, where it gave him an ema and a Priest's Robe. He left the fox guarding the shrine, unaware that it had fallen asleep and would never wake again.

• Uesugi Tetsu followed the Five-tailed Fox, which sensed nearby demons and led him safely through Edo Castle.
• The Five-tailed Fox brought Uesugi Tetsu to an abandoned shrine and gave him a blank ema to deliver to a shrine Miko.
• The Five-tailed Fox gave Uesugi Tetsu a Superior Priest's Robe from the shrine.
• Uesugi Tetsu invited the Five-tailed Fox to leave with him, but it refused and returned to the shrine.
• Uesugi Tetsu left Everworld, and the Five-tailed Fox curled up inside the shrine and never woke again.

Ririko lured Uesugi Tetsu to the rooftop, where he exposed and killed a monster disguised as her. The creature revealed itself as Ai Bielie's clone and vanished, leaving Uesugi Tetsu rushing to find Ririko before another clone disguised as him could reach her.

• Ririko called Uesugi Tetsu to the rooftop and confessed that she liked him.
• Uesugi Tetsu recognized that the apparent Ririko was a monster and drew Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu struck the monster with a powerful thrust, revealing it as a white-haired woman.
• The woman identified herself as Ai Bielie and vanished, leaving a notification that Uesugi Tetsu had killed Ai Bielie's clone for 100 Soul Ash.
• Uesugi Tetsu realized another clone might be impersonating him in front of Ririko and hurried to find her.

Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko cautiously confirmed their identities after Ai Bielie’s clones impersonated them, then reported the encounter to the Special Affairs Division. As Kondō Yūya investigated why Ai Bielie had targeted them, Nanjō Emi suspected the Ouija Board was involved.

• Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko kept their distance and called Nanjō Emi to verify that neither was Ai Bielie’s clone.
• Ririko recalled identifying a fake Uesugi Tetsu by his swordsmanship, which fell short of her own mastery.
• Nanjō Emi arrived with Kondō Yūya, who used his Clear Sword Heart to confirm that both Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko were real.
• Kondō Yūya brought them to the Special Affairs Division headquarters, where they recounted their encounters with Ai Bielie.
• Kondō Yūya questioned why Ai Bielie had targeted them, and Nanjō Emi said the Ouija Board was suspicious.

Nanjō Emi explained that Ai Bielie was one of the immortal Eight Sufferings, formed from humanity’s accumulated negative emotions, and defended the survivors’ right to know. Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko revealed how they had survived Ai Bielie’s attack, and Kondo Yūya asked Ririko to join the Special Affairs Division.

• Nanjō Emi overruled Kondo Yūya and explained that the Eight Sufferings formed from accumulated negative emotions and could never truly be killed.
• Uesugi Tetsu claimed that his replica of Kaga Kiyomitsu had helped him survive Ai Bielie, drawing Kondo Yūya’s attention to the sword.
• Ririko said Ai Bielie’s avatar had dispersed because it could not affect her, and revealed that she possessed Clear Sword Heart.
• Kondo Yūya recognized Ririko’s extraordinary sword heart and learned she was eighteen and had trained with Kondo Hideya.
• Kondo Yūya invited Ririko to join the Special Affairs Division and offered to act as half her master, but Ririko frowned.

Uesugi Tetsu rejected Nanjō Emi’s push to join the Special Affairs Division, judging that it would not protect him from Ai Bielie and might prevent him from transforming into Laughing Brahma. He returned home and completed preparations for his next power increase, then waited for Laughing Brahma to finish her first star upgrade.

• Ririko accepted Kondō Yūya’s offer to join the Special Affairs Division and asked how he recognized that she and Uesugi Tetsu were not Ai Bielie’s duplicates.
• Nanjō Emi warned Uesugi Tetsu that Ai Bielie had targeted him and was likely between three and four stars, while the [Sea Level] limited her to no more than three stars for now.
• Uesugi Tetsu refused to join the Special Affairs Division because Nanjō Emi could not stay by his side and teammates might discover his Laughing Brahma transformation.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned home to Ghost Dad, then completed the tasks of tracking Yao-Shaku-Sama and exploring the ghost village.
• Uesugi Tetsu waited four more hours until Laughing Brahma completed her first star upgrade.

Ai Bielie transformed Niijima Yuta into an Azure Ghost, restored his human appearance, and released him, while Laughing Brahma completed its upgrade and greatly increased Uesugi Tetsu’s power. Niijima set his sights on Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko, as Uesugi examined Laughing Brahma’s new Berserk talent.

• Ai Bielie gave Niijima Yuta Azure Ghost Essence, transforming him into an Azure Ghost before restoring him to a different human appearance.
• Ai Bielie replaced Niijima Yuta at the Friendship Cult headquarters by transforming a member to take his place, then told Niijima he was free.
• Ai Bielie departed by splitting into countless ordinary-looking clones, and Niijima decided to repay her kindness by going after Uesugi Tetsu and Tokugawa Ririko.
• Uesugi Tetsu received the completed upgrade for Laughing Brahma, which became a one-star Young Adult Form with Ghost God Power and Berserk.
• Uesugi Tetsu incarnated Laughing Brahma and found that his Physique had risen from 15 to 29, along with increases to his Willpower and Spiritual Arts.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered his Berserker trait had increased his physique and unlocked one-star salvage at the Abandoned Shrine. His first ten-pull yielded useful materials and equipment, including a skill-proficiency scroll, and he ended by considering it for his Ki-ai Technique.

• Uesugi Tetsu cut his arm with Kaga Kiyomitsu and found that his physique had risen from twenty-nine to thirty as Berserker took effect.
• Uesugi Tetsu unlocked the Abandoned Shrine card pool and recognized its fox statues from the shrine at Edo Castle.
• Uesugi Tetsu spent 350 Soul Soothing Incense Ash on a ten-pull, which produced seven ash items, a Calming Charm, a Blessed Folding Fan, and a Performance Scroll fragment.
• Uesugi Tetsu learned that small and tiny ash advanced Laughing Brahma's upgrade progress by ten and two points respectively, while the upgrade now took a week.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to give the Calming Charm to Ririko and save the Blessed Folding Fan for a future Three-tailed Fox incarnation.
• Uesugi Tetsu examined the Performance Scroll fragment, which could add 100 proficiency to a skill, and checked his Ki-ai Technique's progress at 201 out of 300.

Uesugi Tetsu used a Performance Scroll to bring the Incomplete Ki-ai Technique to Mastery Level, allowing him to release Internal Energy beyond his body. He lured Yao-Shaku-Sama to the ruined temple south of Arakawa Village and sprang his trap as she approached him.

• Uesugi Tetsu used a Performance Scroll to raise the Incomplete Ki-ai Technique to Mastery Level and discovered he could project Internal Energy about half an inch beyond his body.
• Uesugi Tetsu went to the ruined temple south of the village, where he believed Yao-Shaku-Sama was hiding, and entered in his true form to lure her out.
• Uesugi Tetsu noticed that no farmers or laborers were around and stayed alert for dangers beyond Yao-Shaku-Sama.
• Yao-Shaku-Sama watched Uesugi Tetsu from behind the temple wall, then approached after he pretended to fall asleep.
• Uesugi Tetsu turned toward Yao-Shaku-Sama and unleashed a thunderous Ki-ai Technique roar, shouting, "You wicked demon! Let's see where you can run!"