History of the Mōri Clan

Following his diplomatic mission to Iyo, Aotsuki Tsukamoto returns to the Hashinara camp with a legion of Oni in accompaniment, loaned to him by representatives of the Mōri Clan.

Three generals of the Ōeyama-dōji assigned to aid the Hashinara by the Mōri Clan meet in conference with Katsusada Shishauezaemon to orchestrate a plan of attack against the Chōsokabe Clan at Nankoku.  Toraguma-dōji, Hoshikuma-dōji, and Kanaguma-dōnyo advise a careful assault, with a squad of Oni stationed outside of the castle to catch any escaping generals and ensure that the clan is fully destroyed.

While the other generals are preoccupied with events in Wakigami, Aotsuki Tsukamoto fulfills his mission of traveling to the province of Iyo on the northern edge of Shikkoku. There, he meets with Nishiuwa Matsutake, Daimyō of the minor Nishiuwa Clan. Although Matsutake is not able to form an official alliance with the Hashinara due to his existing ties with the Mōri Clan, Aotsuki is able to negotiate for favorable trade agreements and access to the location's extensive shipyards.

Hashinara Yoshitakatomo begins her* plot by casting a series of spells on her*self that render her* virtually undetectable to mortal beings. She* then calls upon Shigeaki Fujino to relocate to a spot just outside the Mōri Clan's arena in Shimonoseki. From there, Yoshitakatomo breezes invisibly past a few Oni guards, and enters the location where fallen combatants' bodies were seen being taken.   Within, Yoshitakatomo chooses the right fork at first intersection. This leads her* to a storeroom, but her* quasidivine senses pick up a trail of blood leading down a side staircase apart from the main passage. Below, a solid stone door closed with a magical locks blocks her* progress, but she* simply casts a spell to become immaterial and phases through it. Inside is a ritual space, divided with a white veil, that is apparently used for the resurrection of those who fall in the tournament. Crystal gourds, some containing flickering souls, line the walls on shelves, and four stone slabs are aligned on the floor in the center. Only one slab is currently occupied by the body of the boy Shōta, who lies there as though forgotten.   Yoshitakatomo decides not to act further in this room, but feels a gaze burrow into her* back as she turns to leave. Magically lifting the divider, she* finds a raised wooden platform and a wall covered in glaring white hannya masks with blood-red horns and piercing yellow eyes. Understanding this as some type of Oni cultural phenomenon, she* contacts Kubokuma-dōnyo, who informs her that the hannya mask symbolizes retribution and imminent death from some broken oath, as well as that so many in one place is probably seriously bad news.