Ono Shigeyuki vs. Honda Tadakatsu

Sporting Event / Competition

With a minor incident in the stands resolved, the collected faces in the arena were free to focus their attention back on the next match. Both fighters had already taken to the field. On the left: Ono Shigeyuki, Twin Wall of the Tachibana Clan and a known potent force on the battlefield. Opposite her: Honda Tadakatsu, the so-called Invincible Warrior, formerly of the Tokugawa Clan, now operating independently. For all of Shigeyuki's strength, none had ever yet seen Honda Tadakatsu so much as scratched by a single attack. The odds therefore swung heavily in the demoness' favor.

Ono Shigeyuki tensed, but Honda Tadakatsu merely looked bored as Kikkawa no Myōkyū officially started the match. In an instant, the demoness realized that her opponent had miscalculated. Shigeyuki wasn't exactly taken off-guard by the start of the match, but neither did she move fast enough to match Tadakatsu. In an instant, the Invincible Warrior was across the field with a powerful strike that took advantage of her opponent's relaxed guard.   The first blow slid past Shigeyuki's spear, Tonbōgiri slicing through the Twin Wall's heavy armor with little resistance. It was a brutal blow, but Ono Shigeyuki's impressive physique was not just for show. She withstood it, and prepared to block the next. This attack, too, came from below her spear's guard and sliced into Shigeyuki's stomach. She was staggering now. It was indeed impressive that she'd taken two barely-mitigated strikes from Honda Tadakatsu's legendary Tonbōgiri, but even the untrained in the audience could tell that another blow would fell the Wall.   That third attack came all too quickly—before Shigeyuki could recover. This time, Tadakatsu angled her spear upward, slicing past Otegine and straight into her opponent's skull. Shigeyuki should have died instantly. Tonbōgiri should have sliced straight through flesh and bone and wiped the Twin Wall's consciousness from this world. Instead, in a show of incredible fortitude, Shigeyuki stood her ground. A great red gash upon her forehead poured blood down over her eyes and nose, but the Twin Wall had not even lost consciousness.   More than anything else, Honda Tadakatsu looked surprised. Most of her opponents in this battle had fallen after one, or perhaps two strikes from her legendary spear. This one had not only survived three, but had taken the full brunt of a lethal attack without faltering. With a devilish grin, Tadakatsu lowered her weapon and turned to the Mōri box. Her words echoed through the suddenly-silent arena, and few could believe what they'd heard. Honda Tadakatsu forfeited the match.   Immediately, arguments broke out in clusters throughout the crowd. Only Mōri Motonari's voice, carrying with her tone of authority, cut through the chaos. This was an unprecedented situation, and a decision had to be made. On one hand, Honda Tadakatsu had clearly been the more powerful fighter. None who saw that match could earnestly believe that Ono Shigeyuki stood a sliver of a chance against the demoness and her brutal spear. However, it would be against the Mōri Clan's own established rules to ignore a declaration of forfeit. It was therefore a problem of whether the spirit of the rules, that the most skilled and powerful fighter should advance, or their literal interpretation should be honored. Rather than make an immediate decision on her own, Motonari instead turned the question to the other great leaders in the audience.   First to speak was Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Although technically Shogun of Japan, her hold on power was weak and few truly recognized her rule. Still, Mōri Motonari seemed intent on paying honor to the rank, if not the person, and had treated Yoshiaki as her title demanded on more than one occasion. This time, the Shogun's proclamation was simple: The weak deserve nothing. Because Honda Tadakatsu had obviously been the stronger of the two, the victory should go to her regardless of the forfeiture.   Next was Phaenarete, delegate of the Alexandrian diplomatic group currently staying in Shimonoseki. The Alexandrians had kept a relatively low profile during their stay, although many theorized that all this pageantry, the tournament and everything it contained, was orchestrated by Motonari specifically to impress these foreign dignitaries. Still, Phaenarete's general silence up to this point made many in the crowd even more interested to hear her opinion on this matter. Like Yoshiaki, Phaenarete put it simply: To honor law over chaos, Honda Tadakatsu's wishes must be given weight.   Two leaders had spoken, and both had voiced contradicting opinions. Therefore, it fell to the last major power in the arena to break the stalemate. Hashinara Yoshiyuki, however, was nowhere to be seen. In truth, the Hashinara Clan Daimyō was in the Dreamlands at the time, watching events here through her* Sheele, Hashinara Kiyowara. Therefore, Motonari directed the question instead to Tōdaisen Nobuhara. She was confident that he could relay a message from the elusive princess, and her confidence was not misplaced. Soon, Nobuhara offered words directly from the Daimyō's mouth: In a contest of strength, Honda Tadakatsu's overwhelming victory had come before her decision to forfeit. The win should be Tadakatsu's.   Motonari did not argue. Two of the three other leaders present had made their decisions, and so she granted the victory to Honda Tadakatsu. The demoness seemed annoyed at this result, but not angry. Instead, some noticed her gaze lingering on Ono Shigeyuki. Aotsuki Tsukamoto, in particular, got the disturbing impression that Tadakatsu was not entirely finished with this encounter. She seemed to have some kind of plans for Shigeyuki. For now, the match was over, and both parties returned to the stands, one a bloody mess and the other entirely untouched.