The Sengoku Era

Chapter 2: The Asura Crisis

The traveler was contacted by Yamanaka Yukimori, who explained that he had come at the request of Princess Sakuno on behalf of the Sengoku Warriors. As they were standing on the brink of a new war, they were gathering those who might be of aid. The traveler accepted his offer and was escorted by the Sengoku Cavalry to Momijigaoka.

Upon arriving, the traveler noted that the base was very different from what they remembered. Haruaki explained that it was because the Sengoku Warriors were preparing for war. (A/N: Hayato and Kanna both have exclusive dialogue here, in which they ask whether by that, Haruaki means that Oda Nobunaga has been found. All other classes ask whether Zipangu is in some kind of danger.)

Just then, Kenshin arrived and loudly greeted them, pointedly remarking that it was good to see an ally that she could actually trust. Shingen hushed her, warning that “he” would hear her, though Kenshin snapped that it was no secret that she found “him” to be suspicious, adding that it was a mistake to have welcomed him into their ranks.

Shingen reminded her that his information was too valuable to ignore, and that they would have been unprepared for the coming war without him. Motonari then broke up the argument as the traveler asked who they were talking about. Haruaki explained that Princess Sakuno would fill them in on the details and led them to her.

Sakuno welcomed the traveler and thanked them for their service to the Sengoku Warriors, adding that they would be needed more than ever, since the alliance had learned of Oda’s new base of operations. Though she admitted that they hadn’t yet located Oda, she told the traveler that they had finally picked up his long-cold trail for the first time since they had been transported to Maple World.

Motonari added that they had received word that Oda and his army were all at his new base. Though Shingen was hopeful that they could finally crush him before he could escape, Haruaki reminded them all that they needed to be cautious, as the base was likely to be full of danger, since the Oda clan had had much time to prepare quietly.

Princess Sakuno agreed and told the traveler that she had several small tasks for them to help the Sengoku Warriors prepare to storm Oda’s base. She first asked them to meet with Kengo, the newest member of the Sengoku Warriors, and the one who had warned them about Oda’s base.

(A/N: It’s so apparent from Kengo’s illustration that he’s a disguised Akechi Mitsuhide. I have to wonder how dumb the Sengoku Warriors are for them to not instantly pick up on it. It’s just like how Hilla dyed her hair and put on a dress and all of a sudden, no one recognizes her.)

The traveler went to see Kengo, who was underwhelmed by their appearance, though the traveler chided them for their disrespect towards Sakuno’s judgement. Ignoring Kendo’s jibe that Sakuno wasn’t his princess, the traveler asked him about Oda’s base. Kengo explained that Oda’s new base was called Fort Asura, surrounded with an ominous aura and concealed using magic. (A/N: In Hindu mythology, the asuras are demons who oppose the devas, or gods.)

However, he added that he only knew of its existence, not where it was located, although he admitted that powering the fortress’ shroud was not the only reason why Oda had been sending his army to harvest mana throughout Maple World. The traveler asked what Oda was planning, to which Kengo explained that Oda was preparing to conduct another ritual to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.

The traveler asked if Princess Sakuno was in danger once again, to which Kengo rudely told them to ask someone who cared. The traveler then asked Kengo who he was, to which he merely replied that he was a wandering warrior who sought Oda’ destruction. He then told them to speak with Ayame, who was studying the Oda army’s operations in Maple World at Sakuno’s request.

The traveler met with Ayame, who explained that the Oda army was draining energy from corrupted monsters to harvest their mana by using makeshift shrines that they had built throughout Maple World, with which they would transfer the mana to Fort Asura. Though the Sengoku Warriors had been spreading themselves thin in order to destroy the shrines, Ayame noted that it was still not enough. However, she revealed that their Spirit Walkers had used the mana they had gathered to conjure a secret passage to Oda’s Hidden Mana Shrine.

She explained that Princess Sakuno had planned for them to weaken Fort Asura’s shroud while Kengo continued to search for the location of the base. The traveler asked whether they could trust Kengo, to which she explained that all of his information thus far had been accurate, and as Sakuno trusted him, she had decided to trust the princess’ judgement. Ayame then opened the portal for the traveler to enter the Hidden Mana Shrine and defeat Oda’s forces there, thus disrupting the flow of mana to Fort Asura.

After the traveler finished, Yukimori reached out and told them that Fort Asura had finally been located. The traveler returned to Momijigaoka and spoke with Princess Sakuno, who explained that Kengo had discovered the fortress’ location. Kengo told the traveler that Fort Asura was hidden among the seaside cliffs near the Mushroom Shrine, magically cloaked by the mana that the Oda soldiers had been gathering.

He explained that not even the Oda army knew its exact location, as they traveled to and from the fortress using portals that the Oda Spirit Walkers opened for them. However, thanks to the traveler’s actions at the Hidden Mana Shrine, Kengo told them that the path to Fort Asura was open. Shingen, Kenshin, Haruaki, and even Motonari, all requested Sakuno to approve the operation to siege Fort Asura as soon as possible. Sakuno acknowledged their concerns, but explained that she needed time to weigh their next course of action.

Soon after, Sakuno took the traveler to a private area in order to speak confidentially. When the traveler asked what was wrong, Sakuno explained that she was worried about sending the Sengoku Warriors to storm Fort Asura, as they had no idea about the traps that awaited them, or even the strength of the Oda army.

She added that she wanted to avoid unnecessary sacrifice, as her people were her responsibility, and she questioned her own leadership abilities in bringing them safely home. (A/N: Sakuno would probably get along well with Cygnus. They both have very similar personalities and styles of leadership.) The traveler reaffirmed their belief in Sakuno’s leadership, to which she thanked them and asked for some time to decide on their next course of action.

After the traveler left Momijigaoka to give Sakuno time to formulate her plan, Haruaki and Kino Konoko visited them and explained that the Oda army had invaded the Mushroom Shrine, as they were likely after the power of the Five Elements. Kino explained that the Yokai had been trying to hold the Oda army at bay, but during the initial invasion, the Oda Spirit Walkers had stolen the power of the Elements from Takeno Konoko. (A/N: This confirms that the events of Mushroom Shrine Tales are set before the Fort Asura storyline.)

Kino also told them that she had gone to visit Asia, who had sensed a great darkness that loomed over Zipangu. During her visit, Kino had explained that Oda’s forces had ripped the power of the Elements from Takeno and asked Asia whether she could stop them. However, Asia had replied that without the power of the Elements to sustain Zipangu, it was taking all of her strength just to protect the land from darkness. She had instead suggested calling the Guardian of the Five Elements, adding that they were likely rallying with the Sengoku Warriors in order to prepare for the upcoming war.

(A/N: The Guardian of the Five Elements is, of course, the player character of the Mushroom Shrine Tales storyline, which basically confirms that we’re the protagonist of practically every storyline in GMS-verse.)

Kino then accompanied the traveler and Haruaki to Momijigaoka, where she told her story to Princess Sakuno and asked for her help. Haruaki pointed out that they needed to retrieve the Elements as soon as possible before their power was used to further augment Fort Asura’s defenses. Realizing what Haruaki was implying, Sakuno declared that the Sengoku Warriors would depart immediately to destroy Fort Asura.

As the Daimyos began preparing to mobilize their armies, Haruaki told the traveler that before they stormed into the fortress, it was imperative that they recover the Five Elements, as their power was an essential force in maintaining the balance of Zipangu. He explained that because the Yokai had managed to slow the retreat of the Oda soldiers who had raided the Mushroom Shrine, he could open a portal that would let them defeat the soldiers. The traveler then traveled through the portal and defeated the soldiers, thus reclaiming the power of the Elements.

(A/N: Given how big and epic Mushroom Shrine Tales feels, this feels so anticlimactic. The Elements being stolen should feel like a much bigger deal than the two minute plotline it actually was, like Takeno should’ve been at death’s door and we totally glossed over it.)

With all the Sengoku Warriors rallied together, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire army, rallying them together as the Warriors of the Dawn. Meanwhile, Niwa Nagahide, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who had long been considered missing, arrived in Fort Asura and reported that the Sengoku Warriors were marching on the fortress.

Though he promised to bolster their defenses, he warned that the unstable mana flow would result in a long fight. Oda then asked Niwa whether he had finished preparations for the second ritual, to which Niwa confirmed that he had prepared an altar atop a cliff, where the flow of mana would be unimpeded. Oda then ordered Niwa to kidnap Princess Sakuno and destroy all opposition, vowing to finally summon the Demon King. He then addressed his own army and ordered them to crush the enemy, and to let their bloodlust flow without impediment.

Back in Momijigaoka, Sakuno summoned the traveler to her chambers and thanked them for all their hard work. The traveler noted that Sakuno seemed tired, to which she replied that she supposed that she had grown weary living in a foreign land and facing a protracted battle. She noted that Maple World, in spite of its painful history, had people that soldiered on resiliently, and added that the Sengoku Warriors must do the same.

(A/N: Hayato and Kanna have exclusive dialogue here, in which Sakuno tells them that she’s counting on them to lead their people after returning home, to which they’re shocked and say that surely, Sakuno ought to be the one to lead their people. Regular classes have her tells us that she hopes that we’ll send her off with a smile when the Sengoku Warriors finally go home, to which we tell her that we’ll be sad to see her go. In either case, Sakuno replies by telling us that a leader needs to not only know how to lead, but also to empower others to lead themselves.)

Late that night, Sakuno called Kengo to a small bridge outside the base. In secret, she told him that tomorrow, she planned to depart for Fort Asura alone, as she believed that she was the only one with the power to stop him. She then asked him to prevent the other Sengoku Warriors from stopping her. When Kengo asked why she expected him to follow her orders, Sakuno claimed that he wanted to put an end to the war as much as she did. (A/N: Sakuno is the only one with brain cells and figures out that Kengo is Akechi Mitsuhide.)

The next day, Haruaki asked the traveler whether they knew where Sakuno was, as she had disappeared while the Daimyos had been busy sieging Fort Asura. When they realized that Sakuno was missing, Haruaki recalled the Daimyos back to Momijigaoka in order to address the situation. Shingen and Kenshin immediately got into an argument about leaving the princess unattended, though Ayame quickly broke it up. She explained that Sakuno had likely been kidnapped by Oda’s forces again, regretting that she had left Sakuno alone.

Motonari broke everyone out of their guilt and reminded them that they needed to hurry before Sakuno was sacrificed in the ritual. As Kenshin began to rally her forces, Haruaki noted that there had been no hints of intruders in the base. Suddenly, Kengo began laughing and revealed that Sakuno had left on her own, as she believed that she was the only person who could stop Oda Nobunaga. The group immediately surrounded Kengo and demanded to know what had happened to Sakuno, though he claimed that he only knew what he had just told them.

Just then, Haruaki had a realization and explained that when Oda’s first attempt at the ritual had failed, large swaths of Hinomaru had been transported to Maple World because of a powerful explosion of mana, all of which had been drawn from Sakuno. He revealed that only someone who possessed as much mana as Sakuno could determine the ritual’s success, or be the one to ensure its failure.

Kengo laughed and concurred with Haruaki, explaining that the princess had correctly realized that blades would not determine the outcome of the battle, as the best way to fight mana was with an equally powerful source of mana. As Sakuno had wanted to avoid any further unnecessary losses of life, she had gone in alone to defeat Oda Nobunaga herself.

Despite Sakuno’s best intentions, the Daimyos unanimously agreed to disobey her wishes and rescue her. As they prepared to head out, Kengo smirked and spoke to himself that they wouldn’t save the princess, as the only thing that they would accomplish would be to throw their own lives away. The group soon reached the entrance of Fort Asura, where they encounter the three ninjas, Taro, Ringo, and Saburo.

(A/N: These are the three ninjas who wrote the entries in the Ninja Spy Journal from Hayato and Kanna’s class storylines. As you can clearly tell from the entries, they’re not the brightest, as Taro almost outs Kengo as Akechi before catching himself just in time.)

The ninjas revealed that the ritual was almost complete and offered to lead them to where it was being held, though the Daimyos were immediately suspicious of why they would betray Oda. As Ringo and Saburo led them to the ritual, Taro confronted Kengo and asked whether their business was finished, as he was afraid of Oda discovering their treachery. However, Kengo claimed that they were done when he said so, threatening him with execution.

However, Taro claimed that Kengo had changed the deal, as they had originally been told to leak information on Fort Asura. Kengo then told Taro that he was now free, amusedly clarifying that he was free to choose whether he wanted to die at Kengo’s hands, or by Oda’s. He then claimed that if Sakuno succeeded in eliminating Oda, then everybody would be truly free. When Taro cautiously asked what would happen if Sakuno failed, Kengo replied that no one would be free, neither Taro nor himself.

Inside the fortress, Sakuno determinedly walked past the fighting soldiers, all of whom parted and cleared a path for her in shock of her unexpected appearance. She then reached the cliff where the ritual was being prepared and confronted Oda Nobunaga, who laughed and sarcastically gave his condolences for the death of her family, adding that they had died for a grander purpose than petty vengeance.

Sakuno ignored his jibes and claimed that she had come to put an end to his ambitions once and for all. Oda laughed and asked whether she planned to do that alone, to which she told him that she was all that she needed. She revealed that it was thanks to him that she had discovered the vast power of the mana within herself, adding that she would use that power to stop him.

However, Oda claimed that her abilities were too poor for her to count on her bloodline to save her. Sakuno then replied that it wasn’t her bloodline that would defeat her, but rather the boundless courage of the Sengoku Warriors, which bolstered her resolve. Oda ordered her to surrender and shot a powerful wave of mana at Sakuno in an attempt to force her to kneel, though Sakuno manifested a barrier of mana around herself. Sakuno explained that she had been secretly training herself to wield her power since the day they had arrived in Maple World, as she refused to allow others to fight her battles.

However, Oda laughed and revealed that the ritual she was hoping to stop had already been set into motion long ago, and that it had already slowly built to its halfway point, with her presence being the last thing that he needed to summon the Demon King into his body. Sakuno and Oda then engaged in a fierce battle, locked in a duel of mana blasts. (A/N: This is literally just a Dragon Ball Z style energy beam lock.)

Meanwhile, as the Daimyos and the traveler reached the site of the ritual, Kengo jumped in their way and revealed himself as Akechi Mitsuhide, laughing that he wouldn’t be able to fight with a large hat covering his face. The traveler asked Akechi why he would oppose them after betraying Oda and leading them to the ritual, to which he explained that he was stopping them from interfering in Sakuno’s battle with Oda. As he refused to step aside, the traveler challenged Akechi to a duel. The two began clashing, and after a fierce battle, the traveler managed to defeat Akechi. (A/N: This is the story mode version of the boss battle that you unlock by completing this storyline.)

Suddenly, Haruaki warned that Sakuno and Oda’s mana blasts were combining to form a vortex, which would kill them both in the resulting explosion. The traveler moved to save Sakuno, but the princess ordered them to stay where they were, claiming that she intended to end Oda by sacrificing herself. However, the traveler refused to allow Sakuno to die and grabbed her from the vortex. Furious that the traveler had interfered with the ritual, Oda moved to attack, though he found that he had been greatly injured by Sakuno’s attack.

Niwa Nagahide then arrived and told Oda to stand down, as his injuries were too severe. Both the Daimyos and Akechi were surprised to see Niwa, as they both believed him to have gone missing. Niwa succeeded in convincing Oda to retreat, after which Akechi confronted Niwa and demanded to know how he had managed to stay hidden for so long.

Niwa merely dismissed Akechi and the sorry state that he was in, asking if he had really been defeated by someone as weak as the traveler. He then addressed the traveler and claimed that he would one day repay them for taking Fort Asura. Akechi and Niwa continued trading insults until Niwa declared that he would deal with Akechi later.

Before he left, Akechi asked Niwa if he intended to let Shibata Katsuie have the honor of killing him, but Niwa claimed that he wanted Akechi to recover his strength before putting him down. Kenshin then interrupted and moved to attack, but Niwa disappeared before she could reach him. The group then turned to find that Akechi had disappeared as well.

As the Daimyos escorted the injured traveler and Sakuno to safety, Kenshin noticed that Shingen had also vanished. Elsewhere, Shingen caught up with Akechi, whose injuries had slowed him down. Akechi asked whether Shingen intended to slay him as revenge for killing the Matsuyama clan, but to his surprise, Shingen asked Akechi to return to Momijigaoka with him, where he would plead with Sakuno and the Daimyos to spare Akechi’s life.

He explained that Akechi had shown himself to be capable of cooperation and fighting for the greater good, and so he asked Akechi once again to join forces in defeating Oda. However, Akechi claimed that his answer had not changed since the first time that Shingen had asked him at Honnou-ji. Disappointed, Shingen resolved to kill Akechi for his crimes and leaped to attacked, though he was shocked when his attack had no effect. Akechi revealed that he still had power left and severely wounded Shingen.

Shingen then asked what Akechi’s true goals were, to which he explained that he wanted everyone to destroy each other, claiming that there couldn’t be war without anyone left to fight. He explained that there was no end to the greed of leaders who constantly ordered battle after battle, never satisfied with achieving their objective, though he added that Sakuno was an exception. He then declared that anyone who pursued war was his enemy, disappearing shortly after. Soon after, Yukimura discovered an injured Shingen and carried him to safety.

Some time later, the traveler, having received treatment for their injuries, met with Haruaki in Momijigaoka, who told them that Sakuno was resting in her quarters. The traveler met with Sakuno and apologized for defying her orders, explaining that they couldn’t bear the thought of letting her sacrifice herself, no matter how noble her intentions.

However, Sakuno interrupted their apology and explained that she was grateful to them for having given her a future that she would strive to make meaningful. She noted that though the Asura Crisis had passed, the threat of Oda meant that another war would be inevitable. Later that day, Haruaki met with Sakuno and caught her deep in thought.

Sakuno told him that she had been thinking about the people of Maple World, and how they loved their homeland as much as the Sengoku Warriors loved theirs. She resolved to stop Oda from placing Maple World in peril so that both the Sengoku Warriors and the people of Maple World would have their homelands safe. Haruaki then told her that there were stories of a power that allowed one to move space, time, and even other dimensions. He wondered whether their purpose in having come to Maple World was to find that power and use it to return home.

(A/N: Everything about this implies that he’s referring to the Antellion, although one thing to note is that the Sengoku storyline originally came from JMS, which doesn’t have Masteria.)

Sakuno then told him that fate had brought them to Maple World, and they would return home when fate willed it. Soon after he left, Sakuno called out to Akechi, who had been hiding in the shadows, and expressed her surprise that he had survived, with Akechi noting that he could say the same of Sakuno. He then reported that he had failed to carry out her order to prevent her battle with Oda being interrupted, but Sakuno told him that he had done all that he could, as there were few who could oppose the traveler.

When Akechi asked whether that meant that he was forgiven for kidnapping her and wiping out her clan, Sakuno flatly denied him and promised that he would someday pay for it with his life. (A/N: I mentioned earlier that Sakuno and Cygnus seem nearly identical, but this exchange made me realize that Sakuno has more of a backbone.) She then asked why he had risked his life by returning to Momijigaoka, to which he claimed that he only wanted to see if she had survived, as he believed that only a noble ruler could defeat a tyrant. He then told Sakuno that he hoped that she would stay safe.

After a pause, Sakuno thanked him for his help in locating and taking Fort Asura, explaining that she would not order her forces to pursue him for that reason alone. She also added that he was free to manipulate and sow chaos as he pleased, as they were ultimately both enemies of Oda. However, she told him that when the war with Oda was over, she would seek him out and take his head to avenge the Matsuyama clan. Akechi merely laughed and told Sakuno that he would be waiting.

The next morning, Yukimori reached out to the traveler and told them that Haruaki wanted to see them. As they headed over, Yukimori told the traveler that he had been impressed by their courage during the Asura Crisis. The traveler told him that they had merely been doing their job, but Yukimori explained that he wasn’t merely saying so because of their martial prowess, but because it took great bravery to defy their leader’s orders to protect them.

He added that he had his own vendetta that he would see complete, even at the cost of his own life, but doing so would betray his master’s faith in him. (A/N: This vendetta was revealed in Hayato’s storyline, in which we find out that the Amago clan had been wiped out by the Mouri clan, causing him to wander around as a ronin until he joined the Sengoku Warriors.) He then apologized to the traveler for keeping them and sent them to meet with Haruaki. The traveler was surprised to find Haruaki waiting for them in Kamuna. (A/N: This is the sacred tree where Asia lives.)

Haruaki apologized for making them traveler so far, explaining that only the person who lived in Kamuna could explain their current situation. When the traveler asked what he meant, Haruaki revealed that the same kind of mana that flowed through Princess Sakuno now flowed through them. Asia then appeared and explained that the special mana was a power that lay hidden within them, which was why they could barely sense it. The traveler immediately recognized Asia, who told them that she had been watching over them during the Asura Crisis.

When the traveler asked what it meant for them to possess a special kind of mana, Asia explained that the source of its power was a mystery, with only a few being chosen to wield it. She revealed that the mana would sometimes take a physical form that many would covet, containing power that defied the laws of time and space, such that it could move things even as large as continents throughout spacetime. (A/N: This is definitely the Antellion.)

Haruaki added that Princess Sakuno had largely been unaware of the power within herself for some time. The traveler then asked if Oda Nobunaga had the same kind of mana, to which Asia explained that he did not originally possess it, which was why he had started his war to conquer Hinomaru and sought out Sakuno as a sacrifice for his ritual. Though the first ritual had failed, Oda’s mana had intermingled with Sakuno’s, allowing him to initiate the second ritual without a sacrifice.

Asia thanked the traveler for disrupting the second ritual, but she also explained that Oda had been able to transfer at least half of the Demon King’s power into himself before the ritual had been interrupted. Haruaki explained that the true purpose of the ritual was for Oda to merge his soul with that of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, and when the traveler had entered the vortex created by his mana colliding with Sakuno’s, the princess’ mana had intermingled with the traveler’s own power, resulting in all three of them being interconnected through the special mana.

Because of this, he revealed that the traveler had become another option for Oda to sacrifice for his next ritual. The traveler declared that they were unafraid of Oda, adding that they were glad to lighten Sakuno’s burden. Haruaki smiled and told the traveler that the Sengoku Warriors stood with them, and that they would make it a priority to find Oda.