Gotō Mototsugu vs. Tsutsui Junkei

Sporting Event / Competition

When the two fighters from the previous match either staggered off or were carried back to the stands, a new pair descended to the flowered sands to replace them. Gotō Mototsugu, ghostly victim of Honda Tadakatsu and a Spear Pillar in her own right, was to face against Tsutsui Junkei of the Oda Clan. Mototsugu was a seasoned warrior, and a wraith to boot. However, Junkei had performed exceptionally well in the preliminaries. This had potential to be a close fight, although the crowd's cheers seemed to favor the former over the latter.

When Kikkawa no Myōkyū called a start to the match, Junkei seized the initiative by dashing across the field to her opponent. Throwing her arms wide, she attempted to grab the ghost and hold her fast. This was a bold tactic for a few reasons. First, Mototsugu was indeed a ghost, infamously difficult to grab. Second, Randi Carter had already attempted this maneuver in an earlier round with unenviable results. Had she succeeded, Junkei would have at least succeeded in preventing Mototsugu from making use of ghostly flight. She did not, however, succeed.   The unbound Spear Pillar took a moment to laugh at her opponent, taunting and distracting her. At the same time, Mototsugu's legs subtly scurried off from below her body and hid inside the cracked stained-glass cube still lurking just north of them near the arena's edge. Her distraction apparently successful, the ghostly warrior then tried to hover up to the cube's top and set a trap. Junkei, however, was not about to let her go. This time, she managed to strike a solid, ki-enfolded blow that stopped Mototsugu's flight short.   At this point, there was little for the Spear Pillar to do but engage her opponent directly. The two exchanged barbs and jokes as quickly as blows. At the end of one flurried exchange, Mototsugu was still unharmed, but Junkei sported a decent naginata wound even through her hard, oni flesh. Seasoned as she was, Mototsugu didn't miss her opportunity to press the advantage. Her ghostly legs ran out from the cube and circled around to flank her opponent. Suddenly pressed on both sides, Junkei's defense faltered.   Shizu no Naginata rose and fell three more times. On the fourth, Junkei was already unconscious from her wounds. In what the charming announcer called a "refreshingly simple match," Mototsugu had won without difficulty. Due to a poorly-worded bet, the spirit now realized that she somehow owed her opponent a bottle of expensive drink. Even so, that was a small price to pay for such a splendid victory.