Chapter Summaries

Uesugi Tetsu gained swordsmanship skills and strength during an hour of sparring with Ririko, then gave her a spirit-nourishing Calming Charm. Ririko offered him a reward and cornered him against the wall, asking how he knew she was imitating a character archetype.

• Uesugi Tetsu sparred with Ririko for an hour, gaining proficiency in Corona Breathing Technique and Tennen Rishin-ryū while learning to match her strength.
• Uesugi Tetsu reached Proficient level in Tennen Rishin-ryū, gained two physique points, and learned Three-stage Thrust and Iaido techniques.
• Uesugi Tetsu considered practicing Iaido against Chi at Kisaragi Station and planned to enter the station for another ten-pull.
• Uesugi Tetsu gave Ririko a Clear Heart Calming Charm that eased her thoughts and breathing.
• Ririko offered Uesugi Tetsu a reward, backed him against the wall, and asked how he knew she was imitating a character archetype.

Uesugi Tetsu confronted Ririko about her feelings, and she admitted she wanted him as part of her sword-heart cultivation. Two-Shaku-Sama interrupted their exchange before Ririko returned to meditating with the Calming Charm Uesugi Tetsu had given her.

• Ririko told Uesugi Tetsu that understanding and acting on one's true desires could help perfect the sword heart, then confessed that she considered him hers.
• Ririko explained that she was using gradual, respectful advances because she could not yet defeat Uesugi Tetsu, but might become more forceful if he rejected her and she grew stronger.
• Two-Shaku-Sama emerged from the Ksitigarbha statue, challenged Ririko, and was knocked down after Ririko countered her punches with Internal Energy.
• Uesugi Tetsu comforted Two-Shaku-Sama and returned her to the Ksitigarbha statue, while she secretly believed she had won his sympathy.
• Ririko stopped pursuing Uesugi Tetsu for the moment and said she would meditate, praising the Calming Charm he had given her for helping her cultivate efficiently.

Uesugi Tetsu returned to Kisaragi Station to hunt Taiko Suzuki, whose mark had respawned in the forest. He destroyed the drum and pursued the cloth dolls, but a new drum appeared behind him as danger closed in.

• Uesugi Tetsu confirmed Taiko Suzuki had respawned near the tunnel and set out with Two-Shaku-Sama to find it.
• Uesugi Tetsu stealthily approached a concealed drum and four cloth dolls hidden beneath fallen leaves by a cliff.
• Uesugi Tetsu used Corona Breathing and Kaga Kiyomitsu to split the drum, then summoned two Straw Koma-inu with the Koma-inu Bell.
• The cloth dolls' bells caused Uesugi Tetsu intense pain, but the Koma-inu were unaffected and attacked the dolls as they fled.
• Uesugi Tetsu cut down one cloth doll, then sensed danger and spotted another drum standing on a wooden stand among the leaves.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered that Taiko Suzuki’s true bodies were its jade-white drumsticks and defeated the supernatural phenomenon with a powerful three-sword assault. Exhausted and badly injured, he received Soul Ash, skill proficiency, mission progress, and the Life and Death Taiko.

• Taiko Suzuki’s renewed drumming shattered the komainu and injured Uesugi Tetsu, who realized the jade-white drumsticks were its true bodies.
• Uesugi Tetsu pierced the Taiko, dodged its repair and sealing attack, and struck the drumsticks with lightning to paralyze them.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Fifth Form of Corona Breathing Technique and Three-stage Thrust to destroy Taiko Suzuki’s Taiko, fused drummer, and drumsticks.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu drained the drumsticks, Taiko Suzuki was exorcised, and Uesugi Tetsu received 340 Soul Ash, skill proficiency, Main Mission Three progress, and the Life and Death Taiko.

After killing Taiko Suzuki, Uesugi Tetsu used Two-Shaku-Sama and the Life and Death Taiko to clear the ghosts from Isanuki Tunnel and cross to its far side. He discovered a spatial fluctuation suggesting that a vehicle would lead to the other side of the world, then found a road and a mountain inn bearing the sign "All Marvels Under Heaven, Nothing Beyond Its Reach."

• Uesugi Tetsu summoned Two-Shaku-Sama, gave her the Life and Death Taiko, and explained how its Death side drove supernatural phenomena away.
• Two-Shaku-Sama sensed a faint spatial fluctuation in Isanuki Tunnel, and Uesugi Tetsu concluded that a vehicle was needed to resolve Side Quest One.
• Two-Shaku-Sama repeatedly struck the drum's Death side, scattering the ghosts gathered at the tunnel's far end.
• Uesugi Tetsu carried Two-Shaku-Sama across the tunnel and continued along the railway beyond it.
• Uesugi Tetsu found a secluded fork in the mountain forest, followed its road, and reached a tile-roofed house with a glowing sign reading "All Marvels Under Heaven, Nothing Beyond Its Reach."

Uesugi Tetsu met the mysterious merchant Katsumi at the Mountain Inn shop and discovered its shelves held legendary artifacts. Katsumi revealed Kaga Kiyomitsu's Broken Tip, which resonated with the replica katana at Uesugi Tetsu's waist.

• Uesugi Tetsu entered the shop and learned that its masked owner, Katsumi, was a four-star figure who treated him with deference because of his Walker Token.
• Katsumi filled the shelves with legendary treasures, including Jing Ke's Dagger, and explained that he traded for soul ash.
• Uesugi Tetsu offered 100 points of soul ash, and Katsumi valued it at roughly 200 portions because of its high purity.
• Katsumi showed Uesugi Tetsu Kaga Kiyomitsu's Broken Tip, and the replica katana at Uesugi Tetsu's waist began to hum and vibrate.

Uesugi Tetsu visited Katsumi’s shop, where he could not afford a rare sword tip or a pair of custom armguards. Katsumi offered him a damaged Jade Compendium for a reduced price, and Uesugi Tetsu accepted it after paying two hundred Soul Ash.

• Uesugi Tetsu asked Katsumi the price of Kaga Kiyomitsu’s broken tip, learned it cost five thousand Soul Ash, and asked Katsumi to keep it for him.
• Katsumi gave Uesugi Tetsu three Noh masks that could summon him, each corresponding to a different spending level.
• Katsumi recommended a pair of Cold Steel Armguards suited to Uesugi Tetsu’s fighting style, but Uesugi Tetsu could not afford their combined cost of one thousand Soul Ash.
• Katsumi offered Uesugi Tetsu a damaged Jade Compendium for three hundred Soul Ash and said he wanted to build a good relationship with him.
• Uesugi Tetsu accepted the Jade Compendium and paid Katsumi two hundred Soul Ash.

Uesugi Tetsu learned Remnant Heart from Katsumi, then used the Life and Death Taiko to draw a horde of imps and earn Soul Ash. After waking from a nightmare, he told Ririko that he felt something had been chasing her, and she froze.

• Uesugi Tetsu learned Remnant Heart from Katsumi, who warned him not to rely completely on its protection and blessed him with increased Soul Ash and rare equipment drop rates for three days.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to gather Soul Ash by drumming up imps before returning to the dangerous Edo Castle map.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Life and Death Taiko to attract thousands of imps and fought them, while Ye Chun saw the horde rushing toward him.
• Uesugi Tetsu gained 57 Soul Ash and woke to find Ririko watching him before club activities.
• Uesugi Tetsu told Ririko he felt something had been chasing her, and she stopped in her tracks.

Uesugi Tetsu rode home with Ririko and Shizuma Mafuyu, who agreed to learn breathing techniques after Ririko persuaded her. At home, Uesugi Tetsu found the horns of a demon his Ghost Dad had killed and discovered they could slightly improve his constitution.

• Ririko invited Uesugi Tetsu to return to the Special Affairs Division, but he said he was going home to sleep.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko found Shizuma Mafuyu asleep in her van, and she used a Nanjō doll to slap herself awake.
• Ririko urged Shizuma Mafuyu to learn breathing techniques, and Shizuma agreed after Ririko warned that Manatsu would worry if she overworked herself.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned home and found Ushioni horns beneath the kitchen faucet, which could slightly increase his constitution when consumed.

Uesugi Tetsu followed the Broken Walker Token through Edo Castle and witnessed a three-star Jorōgumo devour a group of Restless Ones. He then encountered a Wandering Samurai and killed it in two strikes, avenging the death that had once cost him a life.

• Uesugi Tetsu discovered that the rain made the Broken Walker Token glow toward the Nameless Swordsman.
• Uesugi Tetsu saw a Jorōgumo impale and swallow several Restless Ones, then recognized her as a three-star monster.
• Uesugi Tetsu came across the headless corpse where he had found the Incomplete Ki-ai Technique and decided he would bury it if he could.
• Uesugi Tetsu faced a Wandering Samurai and killed it with two strikes of Kaga Kiyomitsu.

After killing a Wandering Samurai, Uesugi Tetsu followed the token through Edo Castle, avoided a deadly clash between demons, and reached the courtyard where his mission target was likely waiting. He introduced himself as Brahma and said he had come to deliver the token.

• Uesugi Tetsu checked the rewards for killing the Wandering Samurai and stored its Rotten Ōsode.
• Following the token’s glow, Uesugi Tetsu watched more than twenty Restless Ones attack three Burning Field Fires, then abandoned his plan to scavenge the survivors.
• Uesugi Tetsu detoured around the Burning Field Fires and used the Hundred-Eyed Demon’s eyeballs to search for his destination.
• Uesugi Tetsu found an enormous courtyard marked by two cat statues and knocked on its gate.
• Uesugi Tetsu introduced himself as Brahma and announced that he had come to deliver the token.

Uesugi Tetsu hunted Restless Ones in Everworld for Soul Ash, learned they might be connected to the approaching First Wave, and was killed after clashing with the powerful Wax Statue. He called Nanjō Emi to report his findings, but two Restless Ones appeared on his balcony before he could explain.

• Uesugi Tetsu found that the courtyard owner would not answer the door, then lured three Restless Ones out and killed them for Soul Ash.
• Uesugi Tetsu wondered whether the numerous Restless Ones were tied to the First Wave and decided to warn Nanjō Emi.
• Wax Statue attacked Uesugi Tetsu, who used Tennen Rishin-ryū Iaido · Preemptive Draw Strike to stop his first blow before Wax Statue killed him with the next.
• Uesugi Tetsu recovered at home and called Nanjō Emi to request supernatural commissions and tell her about the Restless Ones.
• Two Restless Ones confronted Ghost Dad on Uesugi Tetsu's balcony as he tried to speak with Nanjō Emi.

Uesugi Tetsu told Nanjō Emi that Restless Ones had appeared on his balcony and asked for an assignment confirming the existence of monsters. He joined a one-star mission with Ririko, who came along after staying awake to study a scientific sleep method, and their playful tussle left Shizuma Mafuyu envious.

• Uesugi Tetsu watched Ghost Dad devour two Restless Ones that had appeared on his balcony and wondered whether monsters were drawn to his home.
• Uesugi Tetsu told Nanjō Emi about the Restless Ones and asked her to send him an assignment confirming the existence of monsters.
• Nanjō Emi warned Uesugi Tetsu to keep his breathing technique secret and told him Ririko wanted to join the assignment after researching how sleep could benefit cultivation.
• Uesugi Tetsu accepted the one-star assignment and left home while Ghost Dad continued eating the monsters, apparently growing stronger.
• Uesugi Tetsu accidentally landed in Ririko's lap in the van, and Ririko sat on his lap in return while Shizuma Mafuyu watched jealously.

Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko prepared for a commission to hunt a soul-draining spirit, and Ririko taught him her Spirit Accumulation Technique and Jade Heart Art. After they spotted the target, a second spirit appeared unexpectedly, and Uesugi launched an attack as it crossed the rooftop.

• Shizuma Mafuyu briefed Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko on the spirit-hunting commission and its precautions.
• Ririko explained her Spirit Accumulation Technique and Jade Heart Art, and Uesugi agreed to learn them.
• Shizuma Mafuyu armed herself with a modified handgun while Uesugi selected the Demon God (Weak) talent for the mission.
• Uesugi and Ririko concealed their presence on a rooftop, where Ririko detected a one-star spirit drifting between houses.
• Ririko noticed a second spirit approaching, and Uesugi waited until it reached the rooftop before bursting from the metal cabinet to attack.

Uesugi Tetsu discovered that a Spirit carried a Soul Ash Conversion Box used to harvest residents’ souls, then hurried back with Ririko to find Shizuma Mafuyu under attack by a two-and-a-half-star Nue. As the fight turned grim, the Nanjō doll in his pocket began moving and demanded to be released.

• Uesugi Tetsu killed a Spirit, learned that its Soul Ash Conversion Box converted living people’s souls into Soul Ash, and warned Shizuma Mafuyu to stay alert.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko questioned Hattori Saiko, who reported that two Spirits had appeared instead of the usual one, then rushed toward Shizuma after hearing gunfire.
• Ririko blocked the Nue’s attack with Tennen Rishin-ryū Secret Art: Unknowing Sword, and Uesugi Tetsu struck the demon as it retreated into the darkness.
• Uesugi Tetsu summoned Two-Shaku-Sama to protect Ririko while Shizuma Mafuyu reported that backup would take twenty minutes and the Nue threatened them.
• Uesugi Tetsu felt the Nanjō doll vibrating in his pocket as it demanded to be let out.

Uesugi Tetsu used Shadow Woman to hold off the injured Nue while he pursued and killed it himself, seeking its Soul Ash Conversion Box. He obtained the box and its soul ash, while the Nue’s dying words raised questions about the Demon Guiding Society and its Supreme Lord.

• Uesugi Tetsu summoned Shadow Woman from the Nanjō doll, and she restrained the Nue long enough for him to pursue it with Two-Shaku-Sama.
• Two-Shaku-Sama tracked the fleeing Nue to an apartment, where Uesugi Tetsu discovered it hiding in a boy’s room and rescued the boy from the fight.
• Uesugi Tetsu fought the Nue in the cramped room, endured its attacks, and burned it from within with his enhanced arm.
• The dying Nue mistook Uesugi Tetsu for the Supreme Lord of the Demon Guiding Society before Uesugi Tetsu severed its neck.
• Uesugi Tetsu received 262 soul ash, a Heart of the Nue, and a Soul Ash Conversion Box filled with soul ash.

After defeating Nue, Uesugi Tetsu gained a wind-related talent and learned of the Demon Guiding Society, then returned to Everworld with a thousand Soul Ash to spend at Katsumi’s shop. The chapter ended with Katsumi stunned by Uesugi Tetsu’s sudden wealth.

• Uesugi Tetsu used the full Soul Ash Conversion Box, raising his reserves to 2,144, then consumed the Heart of the Nue and gained the Vortex talent, which let him perceive and control qi precisely.
• Nanjō Emi, Kurosaki Akira, and a healer arrived at the parking lot, where Uesugi Tetsu returned with the defeated Nue and told them about soul ash and the Demon Guiding Society.
• Nanjō Emi’s Shadow Women recalled that her family head had dealt with the Demon Guiding Society centuries earlier, and Nanjō gave Uesugi Tetsu her last doll.
• Shizuma Mafuyu invited Nanjō Emi, Ririko, and Uesugi Tetsu to watch a meteor shower in a week, and Uesugi Tetsu went with Ririko to sleep at the Special Affairs Division.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered Everworld after resting, found the chi at Isanuki Tunnel had vanished, and placed one thousand Soul Ash on Katsumi’s table.

Uesugi Tetsu traded soul ash with Katsumi, received a resurrection doll, and learned about the Demon Guiding Society before returning to the real world. He drew the Three-tailed Fox Demon Incarnation, tested its powerful abilities, and ended up back at an empty Kisaragi Station wondering where the train and Ye Chun were.

• Katsumi gave Uesugi Tetsu a Substitute Doll and explained that the Demon Guiding Society was led by demon gods and desolate gods called the Supreme Lords.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned to the real world, where Ririko found him with Two-Shaku-Sama, then he used his third ten-pull at the Abandoned Shrine.
• The Three-tailed Fox guarding the shrine transformed into a rare Demon Incarnation card, granting Uesugi Tetsu four talents, including Spirit Roaming and Glowering Eyes.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered Kisaragi Station in his Three-tailed Fox incarnation and discovered his Spirit Arts attribute had risen to 29.
• Uesugi Tetsu prepared to return to the real world, then noticed Kisaragi Station was empty and wondered where the train and Ye Chun were.

Uesugi Tetsu entered the Master Fisherman special salvage with Two-Shaku-Sama and caught fish that granted soul ash, skill proficiency, attributes, and two valuable cards. After being unexpectedly fished out into the Bakumatsu era and noticed by Okita Sōji, he returned to Ririko’s room and used the Short-Term Card to advance Laughing Brahma.

• Uesugi Tetsu activated the Master Fisherman special salvage and chose Two-Shaku-Sama to accompany him into the underwater pond.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Two-Shaku-Sama caught fish, earning rewards, and he used heavenly lightning to stun a school of fish and catch a purple fish that yielded a Guaranteed Card.
• An angler caught Uesugi Tetsu, pulling him into the Bakumatsu era, where Okita Sōji and his companions handled him before he returned to the mortal world.
• Uesugi Tetsu examined the salvage rewards and found that the Short-Term Card could immediately advance Laughing Brahma and the Guaranteed Card could secure an Epic reward from a future pool.
• Uesugi Tetsu left Ririko asleep, went to a nearby park, and used the Short-Term Card to begin Laughing Brahma’s advancement.

Uesugi Tetsu evolved Laughing Brahma into White Brahma, planned to strengthen both his incarnations, and learned from Nanjō Emi that the Onmyo Bureau considered friendship with demons treason. Ten days later, he woke Ririko and revealed that she had slept through the First Wave, prompting her to grab him by the collar.

• Uesugi Tetsu upgraded Laughing Brahma into One-and-a-Half-Star White Brahma and discovered its fear-based talent could grow stronger when people feared him, even through livestreams.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to gather enough Soul Soothing Incense Ash to advance both White Brahma and the Three-tailed Fox.
• Uesugi Tetsu met Nanjō Emi, told her what his Three-tailed Fox friend had said about the Demon Guiding Society, and learned that the Onmyo Bureau viewed friendship with demons as treason.
• Nanjō Emi told Uesugi Tetsu that the Special Affairs Division and Onmyo Bureau were preparing for the First Wave while keeping Arakawa Ward sealed off because of Ai Bielie.
• After returning to Ririko's room, Uesugi Tetsu caught Two-Shaku-Sama touching his abdomen and warned her not to misbehave.
• Ten days later, Uesugi Tetsu woke Ririko and told her she had slept through the First Wave, and she seized him by the collar.