Mōri Matches: Day 2

Following the first match, Randi Carter and Sanada Nobuyuki took to the arena. While they carried themselves like warriors, both combatants appeared to be little more than girls. A few discerning eyes from the audience caught Randi's magical shield and the skillful way she handled her greatsword. Not lost either was Sanada Nobuyuki's wide sleeves, packed with hidden weaponry. These points were taken into consideration for the inevitable betting which transpired behind the scenes.

A feeling of almost tangible tension swept over the audience as Honda Tadakatsu and Ōtakemaru finally began their much-anticipated battle. Both were semi-legendary figures. The invicible warrior, who had never been wounded in battle, versus a goddess of the Oni.

As the previous match's gory finale was cleaned up, the two next combatants were called to the arena. Gotō Mototsugu, on one side, was a curious samurai ghost who lingered in this world thanks to a bad encounter with Honda Tadakatsu. The battle had ended with Mototsugu cut in half, at the waist, and so her spirit was now able to move her torso and legs independently of each other. She seemed to be able to keep high spirits despite this strange physiological situation. On the other side, Kikkawa Motoharu was one of the three famed daughters of Mōri Motonari, on the Kikkawa line. Though not as physically imposing as her sisters, she had put up a good showing in the preliminaries by slaying Yagyū Jūbei. Here, Motonari made sure to mention again that those of her blood were not to receive any special treatment in the battles ahead.

Before the final match could take place, the battle between Kiban and Kobayakawa Takakage had to be fought. Many thought they already knew what the outcome to this match had to be, yet the mores of the tournament were still to be observed.   As the two took to the field, Kiban began by thanking Takakage for fighting her "even though ugly." Motonari's eldest paused, unsure whether that was self-deprecation or an insult. Regardless, the spousal announcers called the match to a start, and neither of the two hesitated.

As the sun passed its zenith and entered into the afternoon, manifold guests of the Mōri Clan returned to Shimonoseki and its arena for the second set of the day's matches. Starting off the second bracket of team battles, the representatives of two clans had already taken to the field. On one side stood Yamada Arinaga and Yamada Arinobu, the Yamada Brothers representing the Shimazu Clan. Opposing them were Sanada Yukimura and Sarutobi Sasuke, together making up the Double Braves and representing the Takeda Clan.

As the victorious Shimazu brothers left the arena, Mōri Motonari began to call the next competitors to the field. Scheduled to battle were the Ryūzōji Clan's Blade Kittens versus the Aotsuki Clan's champions, who had not chosen a name. As Ryūzōji Takanobu prepared to descend, however, Motonari received an urgent message and called a halt to proceedings.

Maxim and Ryūzaki Sanosuke arrived back at their seats in the tournament stands just in time to see the first two clans take to the field. These next matches were to make up the semifinals and determine which clan teams would be competing for the title of champion. For this match, Ryūzōji Kagetada and Yagyū Jūbei represented the Silver Meteor Storm, or Ryūzaki Clan, on the left. Across from them, brothers Yamada Arinaga and Yamada Arinobu stood for the Shimazu Clan. Both were known to be onmyōji and had previously brought their familiars onto the field with them. The two Wani standing behind those siblings were not, however, quite the same team which had accompanied them the first time.   This discrepancy didn't go unnoticed by either of the Cardinal Generals watching from different spots in the stands. Hadn't there been some kind of enormous, jellyfish-style yōkai hiding in the canal when the Shimazu brothers fought yesterday? Sanosuke was informed by perceptive Motoyama Tsugutoshi, while Maxim relied on his own senses to look for the creature. Indeed, there it was, lurking as a dark spot under the water of the northern canal. The Silver Meteor Storm team received a mental warning that they would be facing a total of five combatants, but since the jellyfish had not seemed too important a force in yesterday's match, little more came of it before the match began.