Mountain Shadow vs. Blessed Presbyters

Sporting Event / Competition

It was only mid-afternoon when the final clan match of the day commenced. Akechi Mitsuhide and Shibata Katsuie took up position on the western side of the field to represent the Oda Clan. Meanwhile, their opponents, Steffi Schawngau and the demonic Ketzi’ah of Sancta Sedes, alighted to the east. Few in the stands knew the full capabilities of either side, although Mitsuhide had been a thorn in the side of all good and rational people for some time.

As Kikkawa no Myōkyū called the match to start, Ketz’iah excitedly charged across the bridge and began swinging Penitence and Contrition, her two wicked blades, at Mitsuhide. The fox-eyed man merely smirked behind his mask and deflected each attack skillfully with his own katana. His movements seemed almost inhuman, and it was hard for the audience to believe that he was in any danger at all, even against the little infernal dynamo in front of him.   Moving only slightly slower than Ketzi’ah, Shibata Katuie shot a thoughtful glance at Steffi, who wasbouncing on her heels on the other side of the canal. Deciding to assist her Daimyō instead, she circled around Ketzi’ah and began flanking. Katsuie’s reputation as “The Great Mountain of Owari” was not unfounded, and she turned her prodigious size and strength against her opponent, landing a pair of nearly-fatal blows on Ketzi’ah.   At this point, however, Steffi had finally gotten off the ground. Literally, in this case. Katsuie had missed the chance to stop her, and the angelic presbyter rose a full sixty feet off the ground, far out of reach of her opponents. With a gesture and a word, a soft white light enveloped Ketzi’ah, fully healing the demon’s wounds and restoring all the energy she had expended.   Things might have looked bad for the Oda Clan there, but both Mitsuhide and Katsuie were apparently impervious to Penitence and Contrition both, and the Mountain clearly outmatched Ketzi’ah in combat ability. The little demon called upon her own magic, however, and, with an infernal finality, Forbade Shibata Katsuie from making any more attacks. Black, red-veined shackles engulfed the towering samurai’s arms and legs, then vanished. Try as she might, she was unable to bring herself to make another strike against Ketzi’ah.   Mitsuhide seemed unfazed by this development. Instead, he grew more cocky, sheathing his weapon and crossing his arms with a laugh. Penitence and Contrition cut through the air, but the masked dastard simply swatted them away without any apparent effort. Even to those unfamiliar with martial matters in the crowd, his movements appeared too quick and accurate to be real.   Indeed, they were not. It was to Mitsuhide’s misfortune that Yagyū Jūbei noticed his presence among Ryūzaki Sanosuke’s ever-growing crowd of companions. Once this was brought to his attention, and Mitsuhide greeted him with a flippant coolness, Sanosuke ordered Jūbei to drag the Oda Daimyō out of the crowd. This she did, while at the same time the Silver General called out his location to Steffi. The angelic girl, who had already figured out that something was wrong, took immediate advantage by magically shackling Mitsuhide’s arms in bonds of light. These, she happily informed him, represented his sin.   Ketzi’ah, too, had found her prey, and wasted no time in climbing the stands to reach Mitsuhide. The fox-eyed man had managed to wiggle out of two of the shackles, but the remaining two left him unable to defend himself as two wicked blades cut him apart. Akechi Mitsuhide was dead. Many, including Hashinara Yoshitakatomo, leaned forward to observe what would happen with his soul. To their uniform horror, Ketzi’ah popped the glowing morsel into her mouth and swallowed it. She immediately looked a bit embarrassed at the instinctual response, and Steffi sternly informed her that Gualdim Pais, the demon’s master, would not be happy with her.   A morbid silence descended for a moment, then Shibata Katsuie called her own resignation, face red with shame. Sancta Sedes were declared the winners, but the events surrounding Mitsuhide’s soul were not through just yet.