Reisen Riou sighed, tapping the ley line with his foot. A sand-table materialized in the void, depicting the fog-shrouded battlefield. Colored silhouettes emerged—purple for the Okuzumeshu, varied hues for the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade.
The crowd gaped. "That's some tech," Goryou Goma muttered, awestruck by Inazuma's legendary inventor.
Ei eyed Reisen Riou, who shrugged. "Earthhearing Technique—uses ley line vibrations for detection. I tweaked it for richer visuals."
Ei nodded, channeling Electro into the sand-table, sharpening its clarity. The Thunderlight Barrier and Stealth Barrier's anti-electromagnetic effects blurred the figures slightly. "Electromagnetic sensing and Skysight Technique," Reisen Riou noted, recognizing his own spell, upgraded by Ei.
"Fight's on!" Reisen Anko's shout snapped eyes back to the sand-table.
"This fog—their trick?" an Okuzumeshu samurai grumbled.
"Captain, what now?"
"Annoying," the captain muttered. "Natural-like phenomena are the worst." At LV50+, they lacked the Great Youkai power to shift local weather. Their spells could clear small fog patches, but this vast mist was their weakness.
"We'll shrink the outer Thunderlight Barrier to trap those rats," the captain ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The samurai chanted, using spirit-speech to tighten the barrier.
"It's shrinking," Bankaku Nisei sensed, eyes closed within the Stealth Barrier.
"Bankaku, what's the plan? This massive barrier's a beast," Kagei Banma groaned.
"No easy fix," Bankaku admitted. "But it's not ley line-powered—just air and their elemental reserves. Overwhelm their energy, and it collapses. I'll set Grassland Cores with Banma. Arakawa, plant delayed Pyro seals. Gensei, maintain the Stealth Barrier."
They moved silently.
"Hm?"
"What's up?"
"The barrier hit something—energy drain spiked," an Okuzumeshu reported.
"Same here," another said.
"They're burning our reserves," the captain growled. "Smart. Shrink it faster."
"Captain, fog's thickening!"
"I… can't hold on," gasped the samurai who'd fought last in the individual round, faltering.
The captain, seeing the barrier waver, went quiet. "Fine. On my mark, drop it and slash horizontally."
"Yes, sir!"
"Prepare—slash!"
Bankaku, sensing the barrier's sluggish recovery, whispered, "They're about to break. Stay sharp."
"Banma, shields ready?"
"Set," Kagei Banma replied, handing out four sturdy wooden shields, modeled after hilichurl berserker designs, ideal against Electro and Dendro.
"Pure Electro teams are easy to counter," Banma smirked.
"Don't get cocky," Bankaku warned. "They're Okuzumeshu elites. Two losses, and we miss Doushin status."
The stakes hit hard. In Narukami, only Electro Vision-wielders got easy breaks. Other Vision-holders, like these ronin, were barely above commoners. Joining the Shogunate army meant three years of combat and merit for a low-tier Doushin rank—or ten years' service and a donation for a rural gentry title, likely in barren lands like Araumi or early Ritou.
"Shields!" Bankaku barked.
The four raised their shields as the Stealth Barrier popped, followed by the outer Thunderlight Barrier. Escaping Electro mingled with the fog's Hydro, triggering a massive Electro-Charged reaction. Both sides felt the high-frequency sting, paralyzing movement. As the fog thinned, the Okuzumeshu charged, only to stumble into pre-set Grassland Cores. Their lingering Electro sparked Hyperbloom, triggering Narukami's safety mechanism, declaring them defeated.
The Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade clinched the final infiltration/counter-infiltration round. The Okuzumeshu, unfamiliar with such covert arts, were no match for the Brigade's expert training. The match was one win, one draw, one loss per side—the team round's victory sealed the Brigade's triumph.
"Traps are filthy," Reisen Anko huffed. The samurai generals nodded.
Reisen Riou shrugged. "Perfect. I don't need upright samurai—just ruthless shadow operatives." Ninja tactics, scorned by samurai, were undeniably effective.
Ei declared the four Doushin, and Raiden Makoto, as Raiden Shogun, confirmed their loyalty to Reisen Riou.