Chapter Summaries

Miyamoto Musashi fought Hozoin Inshun, Lancer Purgatorio, in a deadly duel and won by breaking his spear and severing their fates. Inshun acknowledged her victory as he fell back, while Musashi regretted that she had not faced his full, unbeatable spear.

• Sakumura recalled the lethal nature of Hozoin-ryu Spearmanship and watched Musashi and Inshun prepare to fight.
• Musashi attacked with her two swords, and Inshun answered with swift, shifting spear techniques that wounded her.
• Musashi deflected Inshun’s [All-Piercing] thrust, broke his spear into three pieces, and cut their fate apart.
• Sakumura declared the victor decided, and Inshun spat blood before praising Musashi.

Miyamoto Musashi defeated Hozoin Inshun with the Cursed Demon Blade of Great Karma, and Inshun vanished after thanking her. After resting at Grandpa’s hut, Musashi woke hungry and asked the swordsmith about the blade.

• Musashi used the Cursed Demon Blade of Great Karma to cut Inshun’s Spirit Core and defeat him.
• Inshun thanked Musashi before his body vanished, and Fujimaru Ritsuka vowed to find whoever had turned him into a demon.
• Grandpa sheltered Fujimaru Ritsuka, Musashi, and Sakumura, then questioned Sakumura about his purpose and praised Crane Feather.
• At dawn, Musashi ate the food Grandpa had prepared and asked him how her sword could cut through iron so easily.

Musashi accepted the failed demon blade from the swordsmith, who explained that it could slay Karma but could not sever fate or karmic ties. After Ritsuka nearly collapsed from exhaustion, the swordsmith revealed himself as the Servant Saber Senji Muramasa.

• Musashi admired the blade she had used to defeat Hozoin Inshun, and the old swordsmith gave it to her in thanks for bringing O-Nui and Tasuke back.
• The swordsmith explained that the blade was a failed imitation that could slay Karma but could not sever fate or karmic ties.
• Musashi credited the sword with helping her kill Inshun, and the pleased swordsmith offered to prepare food and beds for her and Ritsuka.
• Musashi noticed that Ritsuka was about to collapse and caught him as the swordsmith named the blade Myojin-giri Muramasa.
• The swordsmith introduced himself as the Servant Saber Senji Muramasa.

Musashi reflected on her fear, hatred, and desire to burn the world before learning about Senji Muramasa’s legendary blades. Fujimaru Ritsuka pointed out that Muramasa and Sakumura Anno, who ended the Tokugawa Shogunate, had now met.

• Musashi awoke in the Spirit Rock Cave, weak and coughing, and brooded over her mortality and her past as a killer.
• Musashi’s hatred of the Genji, the Tokugawa, and the world erupted into a vow to burn everything, herself included.
• Musashi explained to O-Nui and Fujimaru Ritsuka that Muramasa was famed for forging blades that harmed the Tokugawa Clan.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka noted that the Muramasa blades were generally attributed to a whole clan, and Musashi speculated that Senji Muramasa was its founder.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka told Muramasa that Sakumura Anno, seated nearby, had ended the Tokugawa Shogunate’s rule.

Sakumura Anno joined Fujimaru Ritsuka in investigating a world abnormality caused by a culprit he had come to kill. Before helping Ritsuka, Sakumura promised Musashi a full duel if they both survived, and Muramasa stopped Musashi from drawing her sword in excitement.

• Sakumura explained that the Tokugawa Shogunate had been doomed by the times and said the Saber class suited him.
• Sakumura revealed that he had come to kill a culprit behind a heinous incident who was hiding somewhere in the world.
• Ritsuka told Sakumura about arriving in the world through a dream and said he wanted to investigate before returning to Chaldea.
• Sakumura agreed to help Ritsuka and promised Musashi a serious duel if they both survived.
• Musashi reached for her sword in excitement, but Muramasa struck her wrist and ordered her to behave.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, Musashi, and Sakumura Anno learned how Senji Muramasa had been summoned and why he was caring for O-Nui and Tasuke. After hearing about Lancer Purgatorio’s massacre, the group faced the task of investigating nearby villages and burying the dead.

• Musashi asked about Muramasa’s forge, and Muramasa explained that he was a swordsmith summoned as a lone Saber despite lacking a place in the Throne of Heroes.
• Muramasa said he did not know which Muramasa he was, but he was certain he could forge great blades.
• Muramasa explained that black monsters had appeared when he was summoned, killed villagers including O-Nui’s parents, and left him caring for O-Nui and Tasuke.
• Muramasa and Sakumura Anno reflected on how Lancer Purgatorio had slaughtered villagers during the previous day’s attack.
• The group recognized that they needed to investigate other villages and gather and bury the dead.

Senji Muramasa explained that the black monsters and Heroic Spirit Swordmasters began appearing after his arrival in the Singularity, and that a sorcerer’s Bateren sorcery at Katori Shrine had plunged the land into calamity. Fujimaru Ritsuka, Miyamoto Musashi, and Sakumura Anno decided to travel to Toke Castle’s town to investigate, while Sakumura wondered whether the sorcerer was his target.

• Senji Muramasa asked to discuss the black monsters privately with Fujimaru Ritsuka, Miyamoto Musashi, and Sakumura Anno, and Sakumura confirmed that they were connected to the anomaly.
• Senji Muramasa explained that the black monsters avoided shrines and temples, while the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters acted as their leaders.
• Senji Muramasa said a sorcerer’s Bateren sorcery at Katori Shrine had turned day into night and brought aberrations from the underworld, and revealed that Hitachi Province had been burned into a wasteland.
• Senji Muramasa directed the group to Toke Castle’s town to find more information about the upheaval in Shimosa.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka urged Miyamoto Musashi and Sakumura Anno to set out for the castle town, as Sakumura wondered whether the sorcerer was the person he had been seeking to kill.

On the road to the castle town, Sakumura showed O-Nui how to befriend birds and demonstrated his Hundred Birds Style by calling birds from across the area. He reflected that without creating the style, he might have returned to Shieikan and followed a different path in life.

• Musashi and Fujimaru Ritsuka worried about bringing O-Nui and Tasuke along to Toke Castle, but continued toward the city before nightfall.
• Sakumura let O-Nui hold a sparrow and taught her to stay still so it would not fly away.
• Sakumura called birds from the surrounding area, astonishing O-Nui and Fujimaru Ritsuka.
• Sakumura explained that observing birds' movements had inspired him to create the Hundred Birds Style.
• Sakumura wondered whether he might have become a Shinsengumi unit captain if he had returned to Shieikan instead of becoming a Restorationist.

Sakumura, Musashi, and Fujimaru Ritsuka reached Toke Castle and searched the town for information about the black Manifestations and Heroic Spirit Swordmasters. They learned that locals knew little about the disasters, then encountered an elegant geisha who seemed familiar to Sakumura.

• Sakumura and Musashi defeated the evil spirits on the road while Fujimaru Ritsuka protected the two children.
• The group reached Toke Castle, and Sakumura and Musashi split up to gather information before meeting again in half an hour.
• Sakumura asked townspeople about the black clouds, Manifestations, and the disaster in Hitachi, but found that they knew little and seemed unconcerned.
• Musashi reported that her inquiries had yielded the same results, while Fujimaru Ritsuka suggested news might be spreading slowly and Sakumura wondered whether rumors were being controlled.
• An elegant geisha noticed the group, and Sakumura thought she looked familiar.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and his companions met a fox-eared geisha named Tama, who denied being Tamamo-no-Mae and invited Ritsuka to her establishment. Their encounter ended when Kiyohime approached Ritsuka and he recognized her.

• Tama introduced herself as a geisha from Edo and gave candy to O-Nui.
• Tama said she did not remember Fujimaru Ritsuka and invited him to her establishment.
• Musashi made a suggestive joke about dumplings, while Sakumura Anno kept O-Nui away from the conversation.
• Kiyohime approached Fujimaru Ritsuka, who recognized her and recalled an unpleasant memory.

Fujimaru Ritsuka encountered Kiyohime, who declared him her destined one and tried to take him away, provoking Tamamo. The princess’s retainer revealed Kiyohime’s identity, and the two women faced off over Ritsuka.

• Kiyohime threw herself at Fujimaru Ritsuka and confessed her love, while Tama grabbed his hand and challenged her.
• A samurai retainer rushed in and revealed that Kiyohime was the daughter of Matsudaira Shimousa-no-kami and a princess.
• Kiyohime let go of Fujimaru Ritsuka but again called him her destined one and asked him to take her away.
• Tamamo stepped between Kiyohime and Fujimaru Ritsuka, objecting to her interference and telling her to return to the castle.
• Kiyohime accused Tamamo of obstructing their destined meeting as Sakumura and Musashi braced for trouble.

Fujimaru Ritsuka stopped Kiyohime and Tama from fighting, and Tama and Kiyohime went their separate ways. As Fujimaru, Musashi, and Sakumura prepared to gather information, Sakumura encountered two identical girls who seemed familiar to him.

• Kiyohime threatened Tama with a bottle of inflammable water, while Tama prepared to defend herself with fans.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka called on Kiyohime and Tama to calm down, and both stopped before the fight began.
• Tama left for her shop, and Kiyohime returned to the city with the samurai who had tried to intervene.
• Musashi urged Fujimaru and Sakumura to move on and gather information, but Sakumura froze when two identical girls appeared.
• The girl in white asked Sakumura where he had come from, then the two sisters passed by and said their mother would catch up soon.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and her companions met a missionary who resembled Edmond Dantès and learned that Shimosa had begun to warp. Following his directions, they found a red-haired boy collapsed in an alley.

• Sakumura dismissed the passersby who resembled someone he knew, and the group continued gathering information.
• A missionary who looked like Edmond Dantès approached the group and invited Fujimaru Ritsuka to confess what she wanted to know.
• The missionary criticized the names of the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, said he knew little about the rumors, and warned that Shimosa had begun to warp.
• The missionary directed Fujimaru Ritsuka toward a nearby alley, then disappeared into the crowd.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka, Sakumura, and Musashi went to the alley and found a short red-haired boy asleep behind some barrels.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka helped the boy up.

Fujimaru Ritsuka reunited with Fuuma Kotarou, who had crossed into the Singularity to awaken her from an unreachable dream. After Kotarou explained what little he knew, Ritsuka, Sakumura, and Musashi considered whether their world was itself part of a dream.

• Fujimaru Ritsuka recognized Fuuma Kotarou, who collapsed after confirming she was safe, and Sakumura carried him to an inn.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka replenished Kotarou's mana, and he explained that Ritsuka's consciousness was trapped in an unawakable dream and that he had come to bring her back.
• Kotarou said Da Vinci, Miss Lawrence, and Sherlock Holmes had suspected fate and the era were involved, but he knew no further details.
• Musashi asked about becoming a Servant, and Sakumura explained that Servants were fixed at the moment of death and could no longer grow stronger.
• Musashi warned that Ritsuka's condition seemed serious and said she could not determine whether the world around them was a dream.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and her companions stayed at Little Tama’s rented home while Fuuma Kotarou recovered, and Little Tama agreed to feed them for the night. Elsewhere, Caster Limbo and the sorcerer discussed Lancer of Purgatorio’s death and their plan to gather more sacrifices for the Land of Detachment from Filth.

• Little Tama arrived and questioned Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others about bringing the injured, childlike Fuuma Kotarou to her hiding place.
• Miyamoto Musashi pointed out that Little Tama had been staying in Toke Castle for half a year despite claiming she came from Edo.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka said the group would leave once Fuuma Kotarou recovered, and Little Tama agreed to provide five extra servings of food.
• Caster Limbo reported that Lancer of Purgatorio had died but claimed he had still become a cornerstone of the Land of Detachment from Filth.
• Saber Empireo challenged Limbo’s claim, while the sorcerer explained that the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters’ souls and deaths would serve the Land of Detachment from Filth.
• Caster Limbo urged the others to kill more people so that sacrifices, hatred, and sorrow would accumulate.

A living swordsman appeared in the sorcerer’s hall and drew the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters’ attention while the sorcerer ordered them to continue their slaughter. Caster Limbo discussed Shinmen Musashi and sent Katō Danzō to kill her or another target before morning, despite the Swordmasters’ mockery.

• A long-bladed swordsman entered the hall, and Saber and Berserker Crushing Hell challenged his presence and composure.
• The sorcerer identified the swordsman as a ronin he had picked up in the mountains and ordered the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters to resume their slaughter.
• After the sorcerer left, Caster Limbo and Saber discussed Shinmen Musashi, who had killed Lancer after his transformation.
• Limbo summoned Katō Danzō, who vowed to kill Shinmen Musashi, Sakumura Anno, or Chaldea’s Master before morning.
• Saber and the other Heroic Spirit Swordmasters ridiculed Danzō’s claim that she could defeat Musashi.

Limbo ordered Katō Danzō to guide Archer Inferno into assassinating Fujimaru Ritsuka, while Sakumura Anno and Miyamoto Musashi sensed danger and left their sleeping companions to investigate. After defeating a swarm of evil spirits, Sakumura saved Ritsuka from a flaming arrow, and a demon appeared at the end of the street.

• Limbo ordered Katō Danzō to pose as a Tokugawa Shogunate spy and lead Archer Inferno to attack Fujimaru Ritsuka.
• Sakumura Anno and Miyamoto Musashi sensed the smell of fire and left Ritsuka, Fuuma Kotarou, and Miss Tama asleep as they went outside.
• Musashi and Sakumura fought off the evil spirits that surrounded them, while Ritsuka woke and came downstairs.
• Archer Inferno shot a flaming arrow at Ritsuka, and Sakumura intercepted it with Crane Feather.
• Sakumura and Musashi called out the attacker, and a demon of the Path of Endless Evil appeared at the end of the street.

Archer Inferno revealed herself and declared her desire to burn all living things, then attacked Fujimaru Ritsuka, Miyamoto Musashi, and Sakumura Anno. Sakumura wounded and split her with his sword, but Inferno survived and stopped his next strike with her naginata.

• Archer Inferno emerged from the shadows, identified herself, and vowed to annihilate everyone.
• Fujimaru Ritsuka demanded to know the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters’ goal, and Inferno said she wanted to burn the world because she hated it.
• Inferno fired three flaming arrows toward Fujimaru Ritsuka, Miyamoto Musashi, and Sakumura Anno, but Sakumura cut them down and stamped out the flames.
• Sakumura attacked Inferno, slashing her and then splitting her body in two.
• Inferno survived and blocked Sakumura’s next sword strike with her naginata.

Sakumura and Miyamoto Musashi fought Archer Inferno as she attacked Fujimaru Ritsuka, but she admitted she could not defeat them without unleashing her full power. Archer Inferno escaped through a burst of flames, leaving Ritsuka under Sakumura’s protection.

• Archer Inferno regenerated after Sakumura and Musashi’s attacks and revealed that Fujimaru Ritsuka was her target.
• Archer Inferno fired at Ritsuka, but Sakumura intercepted the arrow with Crane Feather.
• Archer Inferno confessed that she had regained her senses and could not kill them without deploying her barrier.
• Sakumura and Musashi tried to stop Archer Inferno, but she vanished into flames before Musashi’s blades could hit her.
• Sakumura told Ritsuka to stay within his protective range, and Musashi acknowledged that the danger had passed for now.

Archer Inferno briefly showed compassion toward an elderly couple before the Karma of All-Consuming Slaughter seized her completely. She headed for a nearby village, intending to kill everyone there.

• Archer Inferno sat beneath the moon while Katō Danzō caught up with her and warned her not to overuse her fire-based Spirit Origin.
• Archer Inferno noticed villagers carrying lanterns and approached an elderly couple to warn them about the dangers of traveling at night.
• After the couple left for home, Archer Inferno asked Katō Danzō about a nearby village and its tavern.
• Archer Inferno drew her naginata as the spell overwhelmed her, then declared that she would kill everyone in the village.