The Battle of the Foundry

General Summary

As the army marched towards the Foundry, they were ambushed in the Scorched Sea by a small army of Foundry-kin. Though Conradus and Bitō were separated from Benkei and Genji, they were both able to defeat the enemies that presented themselves before them with the aid of Pietdidro , Rei , and Suzuha. The Foundry-kin retreated and the remaining forces pushed forward towards the Foundry. During a brief moment of respite along the way, the group took some time to open up about their worries. Tao-Ren had a conversation with Genji about the "fake" Liu-Xiao they'd encountered in the Outpost and warned them to be careful about who they trusted, including her.   Upon arriving in the volcanic field surrounding the Foundry, Tanjiro devised a strategy revolving around luring the enemy down the slope and into flatter ground where the infantry and other Dreadnoughts would be able to fight more effectively. The group, choosing to fight in the infantry, was among the front lines. Using the Dreadnoughts to provoke the Foundry-kin out from behind the walls, the battle began in earnest, with the Foundry-kin deploying war machines of their own to combat Byakuroku's . Tao-Ren ordered the group to assist in the demolition of the enemy artillery, and after a skirmish that nearly left both Conradus and Benkei on the brink of "death", they were victorious in their destruction of two enemy engines. The victory was short lived, as an enormous Foundry-kin armed with turrets, an incinerating ray, and some sort of fear-inducing aura was released onto the battlefield. Though they succeeded in destroying one of its arms, even the combined efforts of Tao-Ren and Liu-Xiao were not enough to completely stop it and the order to retreat was given. The Foundry-kin pursued the retreating army down the slope but stopped once the army reached the cover of the volcanic field.   With "causalities" high, time running out, and morale low, the leaders gathered together to decide on the next course of action and in a shocking turn of events, Mugen revealed himself to all those present and offered his aid. While he and Tao-Ren engaged in a heated mental argument over the past sins of Yokai and man alike, a heated stand-off broke out between Conradus, Benkei, Genji, and the other Daimyo over the future of the Master Seal. Eventually, after seemingly coming to some sort of agreement with Mugen, Tao-Ren prostrated herself before all present and begged them to trust her decision to accept Mugen's help. With everyone's approval, Benkei tore the seal and freed the leader of the Yonkishi . Once freed, Mugen turned to Genji and asked him for Sayuri's scabbard. When questioned, he simply stated that they were in need of allies.