Act Ten: Ooku, Part One

Hey guys. Welcome back.

It sure took you long enough... Did you finally come to your senses?

You must have realized by now that no one will ever love you more than I will. Even if I do it grudgingly.

So that is Beast III... Even over the transmission, I can see her incredibly malevolent aura!

It looks like the adjustments I made are keeping our connection intact. I knew I could pull it off.

So the one Servant of yours who had any chance of defeating me is now dead...

...and your two little buddies are all the backup you brought? And here I didn't think you had a sense of humor.

Or did you genuinely realize how wonderful my love is, and you're all here to give up and experience bliss in eternal depravity?

Neither. We're here to defeat you!

And we're not leaving until you've given back everyone you took!

Only two of us, you said? Now THAT is funny. Have you really failed to realize that we are not the only new arrivals here?

The fact that we are here now means that all of our cumulative knowledge leading up to this momentthe knowledge that makes us who we arehas grown as well.

Our technology...our knowledge...encompasses everything the Atlas Institute has amassed over thousands of years.

Now, we are going to turn that knowledge into primordial fire, and use it to drive off a Beast. Fujimaru!

？！

What is that...?

Hehehe. That is Anti-Tokugawa magecraft protection... A disconfirmation field that negates Tokugawafication!

You shouldn't be able to attack his mind now!

And since we designed it to focus its protection outwards, it should also help diminish the constraints Yagyu is experiencing.

I am in your debt.

Oh? Hmm, I see. So you found that thing and decided to try using it for yourselves, huh?

...Hehe. Hehehe.

...?

Wow, you guys must reeeally hate me and my love, huh? A bit too hot for you to handle, huh?

Fine, fine, I get it. It's not like I'm new to the whole being hated thing.

But you know what? It doesn't matter how you feel about me.

Your brave efforts to fight back, your hatred for me... I'll love it all just the same.

I am the Beast of Pleasure. I consume everything with my love.

That includes your animosity for me, your will to fight back, and your fear.

My fire born of love and lust is strong enough to envelop the entire universe. Now, it's going to melt your hearts, and soon, the rest of you...

Beast III/L, aka Kama, aka Mara, is preparing to attack!

The Anti-Tokugawa field is holding steady, and your Anti-Tokugawa bullet spells are locked and loaded!

We have to defeat this Beast of Disaster if we're going to get everyone back, Master. Good luck! We're counting on you!

？！

Master, look! I think Kama's horns are starting to crack!

It must mean our attacks are working on her!

？！

(...I am not so sure.)

(Is that really...?)

Kama! I know I'm partly to blame for what happened to you.

But that doesn't mean I can just stand back and let you become a Beast of Disaster. This ends now!

Ahh, you... You're all just...

...adorable.

You're so laughably pathetic and impertinent that it's infuriating.

You really believe you can beat me, don't you?

!?

I reeeally wish this was a case of sour grapes on her part, but I don't think it is...

I am afraid I must inform you that this is not working as well as I had expected!

The Anti-Tokugawa effects are working, yes, but this current situation is not at all what I planned for.

There is still something we are missing...some final secret we cannot yet see.

Look at you simple-minded optimists, jumping for joy about one little way to fight back. How annoyingly adorable.

Since I love you all so much, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

I knew you were going to find the last shogun and his Tokugawa-ending power. I planned for it from the beginning.

Seriously, if I really considered it a threat, don't you think I would have done a better job of hiding it?

I WANTED you to find it.

That's right. That thing you thought was the key to turning the tables on me is all part of my love.

You might ask, "But Kama, why would you do something like that?" Isn't it obvious?

Because there is nothing so delicious to me as the moment someone hits true rock bottom.

After all, there's no way to go from there but up, right? Hehe... It makes loving you worth sooo much more.

So please, keep going down. Don't stop at misfortune and unhappiness. Keep going all the way past despair.

And hey, Pārvatī?

You know how you can't use your Spirit Origin as freely as normal thanks to rescuing that human? And how you had to borrow that spear from Shiva just to have some way of fighting?

Well, I have a special present for you. I'm going to make your Spirit Origin even harder to use.

...What are you talking about?

Think about it. Why do you suppose I chose to use Tokugawa and the Ooku?

Sure, I said before that any harem would have worked, and the Ooku just happened to catch my eye...

...but why exactly do you think that is?

We have no interest in anything you have to say. ...Die.

Ooh, close one. Now, now, I think you'll want to hear this. It concerns one of your friends, after all.

...

After the scales tipped to the right and their recoil gave me what I needed to manifest as the Beast of the Left...

...I searched all of humanity for just the right place and people.

A place that would let me drag Fujimaru into depravity...

...and emerge as a complete, fully mature Leftthe antithesis of the incomplete Right.

That was when I sensed it: the fixation of a certain woman on the verge of death.

It was a shriek of love loud enough for me to sense it...and powerful enough to drive a stake into the whole world.

？！

This woman spent the entirety of her tumultuous life dedicated to loving one, single thing.

All she wanted was for it to continue on properly. To grow up as it should.

Then, after she had fallen ill, in the last moments of her love-filled life...she struggled, like all humans do.

She struggled with the idea that the life that so contented her was about to end.

"Why now?" she thought. "It's not enough. I can't die yet. I'm still worried about what might happen."

"I still have so much love left to give to Tokugawa!"

Y-you... You don't mean...!?

Ah... Aaah...!

I am the god of love, and the Beast of Lust. I chose that fixation because it was just so...comfortable for me.

It even came with a harem, perfect for trapping people in depravity.

Now do you get it?

It was your fixation that brought me here, Kasuga-no-Tsubone!

It was your fixation that brought me here, Kasuga-no-Tsubone!

How does it feel, knowing that you brought this upon your beloved Tokugawa yourself?

Ah... Aaahhh! I-I did this...? This...this is all my fault...!?

(Hang in there, Tsubone! You're only a soul right now! If you let the shock get to you)

Right, right, I should've known. No goddess of grace like you could bring herself to leave that dead weight behind now that you've already rescued her once.

But...I'm the only one who really loves her. Which means I'm the only one who can actually save her.

You probably don't remember this, Kasuga-no-Tsubone, but I showed you a lovely dream when we first met.

A dream where you got to love the Tokugawa forever and ever, just like you always wanted.

A dream where you'd get to keep raising and spoiling every shogun, just like you did with Iemitsu.

？！

Those auditory hallucinations you said you heard whenever you got one of those pillboxes?

I suppose this means there were still some residual thoughts in them left over from Kama's actions.

Probably. I did use them to help me collect material to build the Ooku, after all.

They were the anchors I used to extend my reach into the Tokugawa's past and future.

And it was easier to get to them via someone with strong ties to the Tokugawanamely, Kasuga-no-Tsubonethan it was to mess with them directly.

I... What have I done...!

Calm yourself, Lady Fuku. Whatever happened in the past does not matter now. All we need do now is focus on the enemy before us!

That's right. Who cares about the past?

Sure, you'll never be able to make up for the fact that you're personally responsible for your beloved Tokugawa's downfall, but don't worry.

I'll still love you.

That goes for all of you, too. Every nearby Tokugawa, every human in the world, every living thing in the world...

I'll love each and every one of them in your place.

Now I understand. I heard you mention this before, but I think it all finally clicked.

...You mean to take all the love people naturally have, and wipe it out of existence.

Right. A world where people are given unlimited love is a world where the concept of loving one another ceases to have any meaning. It would be a nightmare.

That's why we are here: to make sure that doesn't come to pass.

Even if Pārvatī can no longer fight, we're not going to give up until

Actually, you don't have a choice.

Deep down, you don't really think I can drive every human in existence to depravity, do you?

Well, I can. I'm the universe. Consuming everything with my fiery arrows of depravity is pretty much my whole deal.

R was a hole that wanted to be the center of the universe, but as L, I'm going to be everything BUT the center.

It's really not exaggeration. This space right here? It's me, too.

That's being proven as we speak. Did you not notice?

It's like I told you: I expected you to use the last shogun's power. I wanted you to find it.

Maybe you should take a step back and think about what that really means?

？！

Master!? Please, snap out of it, Master!

He is undergoing Tokugawafication again!? How!?

I keep trying to explain, but you morons just can't seem to get it.

This Ooku only uses the five precepts because they happen to fit it well.

They aren't my true temptations.

It isn't enough to just avoid them. It isn't enough to simply resist them.

All that matters with my temptations is whether or not you succumb to the depravity I prepared!

You may have managed to make it back to the surface and evade their effects for a while, but you weren't able to cut them off at the source!

We know that Shogun Yoshinobu's pillbox has Anti-Tokugawa effects. So why isn't it warding off this attack...!?

All that's doing for you is making it so Fujimaru has both positive and negative forces meddling with his mind at once.

So it's really just a matter of which side can crank the output higher.

So this Anti-Tokugawa barrier thing you whipped up isn't nearly enough to help, given how far into depravity he's already fallen...

Teehee, teeheehee. In fact, you've all succumbed, haven't you!

You've succumbed to the power of each shogun, without ever thinking about why it was left for you to find!

And you've succumbed to the power of the final shogun I hid behind a seal that required you to collect those hanafuda cards. The one that looks for all the world like a secret weapon!

...

I noticed you still didn't have the last pillbox when the topic of them came up last time...

...so I made up some excuse about how I decided to just repurpose them.

But actually, I wanted you to gather them. I wanted you to use them of your own volition.

I put them there expressly to help make your journey easier.

You were already falling further and further into depravity, Fujimaru. Now that you've used the last shogun's power, you've fallen even further.

The whole concept of the shogun represents everything Tokugawa stands for.

So now that you've used every Tokugawa as your personal toy, you've fallen that much deeper into depravity.

And since only a fellow Tokugawa could toy with the supreme authority that the Tokugawa family holds, you must be a Tokugawa yourself.

Which means there is no possible way you can escape being swallowed up by my Ooku!

Soon, your transformation will be complete! And when it is, you'll be just what I need to become a fully mature Beast!

Then, the very act of using these pillboxes was itself a temptation to depravity!?

This is terrible. I knew those pillboxes were black box tech, but I ignored those concerns because we had no choice but to rely on them...

And now, it turns out they came with the most dangerous malware I could have possibly imagined...!

You lost the moment you failed to comprehend the true scope of what I am doing here.

You lost when you failed to consider you might be facing a Beast, and that you might be playing into her hands right from the start.

You never had a chance of winning without a good way to fully grasp what you were up against.

If you had had the presence of mind to stop for a moment and suss out whether you might be up against a Beast...

...you probably would have seen your Tokugawa Gauge shoot up the moment you first entered the Ooku.

？！

Oh, yes... It's about time for the next phase.

Thanks to how depraved you've become, Fujimaru, taking one little bite from you is all I needed to evolve!

You managed to stop Beast III/R's transformation, which makes you our greatest enemy.

But now that I've corrupted you, I've turned you into my greatest ally!

Light...? Was that light that just came out from beneath Kama's cracked horns...?

You see? This is the next stage of my growth. This form proves that I've become even more deeply linked to the space in this chamber.

What the? The Beast's magical energy output has grown even more...!? This can't be happening!

Honestly, I don't think you all can afford to worry about fighting back anymore.

The only reason you're even able to stand there right now is because I'm letting you.

If I decide I'd rather you all just experienced zero gravity instead, it's as easy as this.

？！

I'm still giving you oxygen out of the goodness of my heart...for now. It's all conceptual, anyway. Besides, I want to love you all with my words too, and I can't very well do that with no oxygen, now can I?

Ghh... At least we Servants can still hold on to our balance, since this isn't too different from using our spirit forms...

...but now Master's dealing with this AND the Tokugawafication attacks on his mind...!

？！

...Djinn of the lamp! Please, hold on to Master for now!

Still, with Master like this...I don't see any way we can possibly fight back...!

How many times do I have to say it? I. Am. The. Universe. And you're all already inside me.

If you still don't get what that means...

...how about I show you what those far-off lights you've been seeing all this time really are?

？！

Stars? Come on, you could at least try to remember. You've already seen them before.

Who was it that loved you all on the Ooku's final floor?

Me, right?

Huh!? Wait, wait! These readings...!

I mean, I had considered this as a possible explanation based on what you told us, but

Sion! A-are you sure the sensors aren't malfunctioning...!?

It is exactly what it looks like! This Beast is not a single organism...it is a colony!

They are not clones, and she is not dividing herself, either.

They are all her! They are all Beasts!

Of course. I have enough identical mes here to fill up the entire universe.

After all, how else could I love every single human in existence?

If someone wants to be loved daintily, a dainty me will love them. If someone wants to be loved roughly, a rough me will love them.

You could say this is yet another way I differ from my other half.

Where she wanted to ultimately concentrate only one type of love in herself, I embody love in all its infinite permutations.

Oh no. Between the lack of gravity and the countless number of Kamas, I can feel even my senses being completely overwhelmed...

I...I think just staying in this space for too long may destroy my mind...

？！

Humans can't survive in space. They're just not made for it.

That's why you can't hope to defeat a Beast who IS the universe. That's just a simple application of logic.

Now, my beloved Fujimaru, I'm going to make you experience how terrifying that is.

Don't worry, I won't let you die. I just want to break your spirit.

So I'll reduce the oxygen to the bare minimum you need to survive...make the lack of gravity more pronounced...shut off every last light source...

...and let you drift around a completely dark, empty space, without anything or anyone to help you.

Ahh, who knows what will happen to your tiny human mind after you've been left alone in a space like that?

I don't know how long you'll last. It could be days, hours, or only minutes...

...but sooner or later, the cold darkness of space will shatter your spirit, and you'll be desperate for warmth.

In that moment, my love will wholly consume you, and your pleasure will truly begin...

Honestly, I can't say I'm thrilled about that myself, since I really do detest all humans, but at least you'll have something to look forward to.

Okay then, here goes. Enjoy your mind-shattering swim in zero gravity...

Master! Please, get ahold of yourself, Master!

It looks like our connection is still barely hanging in there... Maybe Kama's love is doing this too?

Maybe it is her way of saying that even if we can communicate with him, there is nothing we can do to change his situation?

At least I was able to adjust the Anti-Tokugawa field's output so that it is just barely able to fend off the Tokugawa-fication mental attack.

...But I do not know how long that will last.

Still, for the moment, let us try to stay calm and not panic!

It's okay. We're all here.

We can't see anything either, but at least we can kind of sense where the other Servants are from their magical energy.

...I just unfolded a flying carpet. It may not be flying the right side up, but at least it can give us some frame of reference.

It should be able to seat four or five people. I'll have the djinn bring Master here, too.

You have my thanks.

Wow, you just settled down onto the carpet without breaking your seiza posture... I admire your unflappable composure!

I am simply doing my best to adhere to the way of the sword, though I still have far to go before reaching true mastery.

？！

Where are Pārvatī and Tsubone...?

We're here. Although, Tsubone is kind of...lost in thought right now.

I can understand how she feels. It must have been a huge shock for her.

...I do sympathize with her, but right now, we need to figure out our next move.

I agree. Can you think of anything, Sion?

...To be honest, her logic is unassailable. I cannot think of any idea that could refute it.

It is true that humans cannot survive in space, so it follows that they could not defeat a Beast who is the universe, either.

Then, there's nothing we can do...!?

There is only one possible way we can get out of this.

We need to find a way to change the way this place is defined.

We need to make this place somewhere that is not the universe, and we need to reinforce that non-universe definition.

Okay, but how do we actually do something like that...?

Yes...this is an incredibly difficult problem to solve.

？！

？！

？！

(...Lady Par, I have a request to make of you.)

(Tsubone? I'm glad to see you're feeling better. So, um, what would you like me to do?)

(Don't worry, it's very simple.)

(I would like you to let go of my soul...)

I expect it won't be much longer now before I hear him breaking down into an ugly cry.

...Any moment now.

...Any moment now.

Ugh, what's TAKING so long!? How long does a Beast have to wait to get a breakdown around here!?

Oh, whoops, that just slipped out. I guess I got a little carried away, now that I'm so close to being fully mature.

I'm just going to keep my expectations low, stick to being my usual downer self, and love the world while I continue to sneer at it.

Now stop staring at me, Nobutsuna. It's distracting.

Why don't you have a drink and keep Upside-Down Chubs company while he floats there?

This is a crucial moment. I don't want him fading in and throwing me off my game with some stupid remark.

(Cough, cough)... As you wish, my lady.

Come to think of it, you've been a very good assistant, haven't you? You've done everything I asked of you without a single complaint.

Once I've achieved my goal, I'll make sure to reward you with lots of extra love...

Wait. Is it getting brighter over there...?

What is that light? I don't remember ever... Huh!?

Yes, that's right. I'd forgotten something very important.

I am Kasuga-no-Tsubone. My name will always be spoken alongside the Tokugawa Ooku.

So if I'm here now, this place MUST be the Ooku...!

You want me to let go of you...? I-I can't do that! You're nothing more than a soul right now.

The only thing still holding you to this world is my Spirit Origin.

If I let go of you now, you'll...!

It's all right. I have no intention of dying just yet.

I simply realized there are some things I can only do as a soul.

？！

Kama used other people's souls to build this Ooku of depravity.

So as a soul myself, it stands to reason that I can rebuild this place into what the Ooku should be.

Huh!? What do you mean by that, Tsubone?

I can't explain it logically. I just have a feeling that I can do it.

Maybe it's because this formless universe is connected to the Ooku labyrinth, a place that does have a form.

For whatever reason, I feel like it would be easy to turn this formless place into something more...solid.

True, that is the same thing Kama is doing. The logical underpinnings are sound. If you say you can do it, I am willing to believe you.

But...I am afraid you do not have anywhere near the amount of raw power necessary.

There is only so much you can do as a single soul. To be frank, it would be impossible to fight back against this universe on your own.

I know. Which is why I also have a request to make of you two.

Us...?

Lady Scheherazade, I would like you to tell me a story of how Kasuga-no-Tsubone should truly be.

A heroic story that depicts her as the powerful, ferocious, absolutely undisputed ruler of the Ooku.

...!

After that, Lady Mata Hari, I would like you to take the mind control technique you used to make Lord Fujimaru believe he was intoxicated...

...and use it to make me believe that I am like the Kasuga-no-Tsubone in Lady Scheherazade's story.

So, you want me to brainwash you into being like the Kasuga-no-Tsubone in a larger-than-life story?

Hmm... Yeah, I think I could do that. Since you're only a soul, I'm sure you would feel the effects directly.

So you want to use Noble Phantasms as a form of mental Self-Modification?

No, wait. Now that I think about it, it is very possible that Scheherazade's Alf Layla Wa-Layla could have an effect on you as well.

After all, you would be telling a story about a person directly to that person's soul!

That's true. I can't be sure what will happen until I try...

...but I might just be able to infuse her with magical energy, similar to a partial summon.

...It is definitely worth trying.

There is no way that a human soul could not be affected by a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm like this.

But on the flip side...you will also no longer be able to maintain your original form if you do this.

That's all right. I know there are risks.

？！

Now, now, don't give me that look.

A wet nurse is supposed to take care of her charges. I am honored to be able to help!

You don't let your emotions control you, and you know to look at the big picture when giving orders. You really would make an excellent general.

What a good boy you are. (Pat, pat)

？！

...If that's your decision, Master, I'll do everything I can to help.

Is there anything else any of you need?

Well...it would be nice if you could give me a little more time. "The Story of Kasuga-no-Tsubone" is not one I can tell quickly.

I think I can do something about that. I'll put up a Bounded Field that can slow time inside it a little bit.

Though I'm afraid I can only extend it about as far as my hands can reach, so you'll have to get very close to take advantage of its effects...

(You're willing to help, Lady Par? You didn't seem to like this idea earlier...)

I still don't. It's dangerous, you know.

But I can see how serious you are about this, even being aware of the risks. I can't say no to that.

Lady Fuku, it pains me to ask you to take on this monumental task, knowing full well you are not a warrior...

...but regretfully, even with all my mastery over the sword, I cannot take your place... Forgive me.

What are you saying, Lord Munenori? You have your own invaluable role to play here!

I'm counting on you to handle that!

Right. I don't know how long it will take to finish the story...though I don't expect it will take a thousand and one nights.

At any rate, while I am telling it, I would like you to keep Master safe.

It shall be done, even if it should cost me my life.

...All right, no time like the present. Both of you, come stand next to me.

？！

Indeed. Take this time to rest and recuperate.

Of course, I know you are sitting on a flying carpet while Lord Genie holds you in place by your shoulders...

...so I expect it may be difficult for you to fall asleep...

？！

A fine idea. Such endless darkness as this may provide the perfect setting for clearing one's mind.

Perhaps this will end up being good training for you...

Did...did Yagyu just make a joke?

No, wait, it's possible he really believes that. I just can't tell...!

？！

...It would seem they are done.

These readings... It worked, didn't it!?

It did. Kasuga-no-Tsubone already left me.

Although, she's still just a formless spirit right now...

Oh yes, I'm here. I'm now Kasuga-no-Tsubone, the woman whose name is truly synonymous with the Ooku.

I am the one who founded the Ooku as a place to hold Tokugawa together. I am its undisputed ruler, the one who comes to mind whenever anyone thinks of the Ooku!

It's a little embarrassing to say things like that about myself, but no matter! Now then, where should I begin?

Good question. How about you start with light, then give us a floor! That should be more than enough until we can manage to weaken Kama!

Understood!

The universe? An endless void? Absolutely not! I won't have it! This place...is Kasuga-no-Tsubone's Ooku!

Yes, that's right. I'd forgotten something very important.

I am Kasuga-no-Tsubone. My name will always be spoken alongside the Tokugawa Ooku.

So if I'm here now, this place MUST be the Ooku...!

I remembered the dreams I had. The ones I dreamt while I was weak and dying.

Now, I'm going to put a stop to the evil my own weakness on my deathbed created. And I will do so with a strength that everyone believed in.

You can't say things like that... The shogun cares more about dogs than he does about his people, after all...

No, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. It's wonderful that you love animals so much.

You have nothing to worry about. Nothing to fret over

Don't you give me that nonsense! There's a reason they say "Everything in moderation"!

It doesn't matter how compassionate you're being if your laws end up making your citizens unhappy!

What you should be concerned with, Lord Tsunayoshi, is making the world better for humans and animals alike!

I know this sort of thing happened sometimes during the wars, but...he's still just a child...

Aww, what's wrong? Did somebody say something mean to you?

Stop that! You mustn't curl up and cry! You may be a child, but you are still the shogun.

You must hold your head high, no matter what you are going through or how much you may feel like crying.

You must show everyone else that the great shogun is right here. You must show that you are ready to face whatever lies ahead bravely, no matter how young or immature you may be.

That is your job right now, Lord Ietsugu, and it is a very important job that only you can do!

...It's useless. He's much too sickly. How could a man like that possibly lead all of Japan...

You care that deeply about things that aren't your fault? Ahh, what a kind man you are.

A weak body leads to a weak spirit! A weak spirit leads to a weak body! You still have a lot of training to do.

Go on then. Pick up your practice sword, and I'll spar with you myself!

This is all just a dream, of course. I know that.

I know I'm not really here for these future Tokugawa shogun. But, even so...

He's not a bad person...but he always just does whatever the retired shogun wants...

Don't worry about them. Think about it. If all they care about is your father...

...that means you are less encumbered than anyone else. It means you are freer than anyone else.

Lord Hidetada, I know you are a great man, every bit the shogun Lord Ieyasu was. There is nothing to be gained by comparing yourself to him.

Besides... Hehe, you did something Lord Ieyasu never thought to.

You designated the greatest wet nurse in Japan to raise your son, the greatest shogun in the history of Japan!

He doesn't care about his people or his country. All he cares about are his game pieces...

Hehe. What's wrong with pursuing your interests to their fullest?

As the shogun, you're the most powerful man in the land. Why should you be forced to waste your time thinking about it if you don't want to?

What in the world are you saying!? No self-respecting shogun would ever ignore his country in favor of his hobbies!

From now on, you are to play no more than two hours of shogi per day! If you cannot stick to that, I'll hide your shogi board myself!

All that comes out of his mouth is "yes, that will do." It's no wonder that deplorable Mizuno Tadakuni is running around doing whatever he pleases, what with Lord Doormat in charge of the country.

Oh my, you're shuddering. You poor thing...

The shogun's job is to keep Japan safe. It is exactly when a foreign enemy appears that his true worth is tested.

What do you think quaking in your boots will achieve? You must stand up and fight. If you know you cannot win this fight, then rack your brain until you think up a plan!

This may be an age where wars are settled with money and trade rather than swords and spears, but the principle remains the same.

If the shogun does not stand up and fight for Japan, then who will!?

...I know they say great heroes are fond of the pleasures of the flesh, but that many concubines? It's no wonder some people think he's a maniac...

You haven't done anything wrong. Children are power. Having many of them is far better than letting your bloodline die.

That may be true, but only up to a certain point!

Having too many children leads to feuds and power struggles. There are few things sadder than discord between siblings.

Besides, it is not as though just anyone is suited to be a concubine.

You can't just go around laying your hands on any woman in the Ooku that catches your eye.

If you keep appointing new concubines from the attendants who have just begun getting used to their jobs, how are the other attendants supposed to get anything done?

From now on, I'll make sure to only show you women who have had a proper upbringing and are ready to be concubines.

If there's anyone who catches your eye, all you have to do is let me know...

Yes, in the end, this is all only a dream.

But even so, I feel better now. This was just what I needed to reaffirm who I am.

That's right. I am a woman of principle whom everyone thinks of when they think of the Ooku. We are essentially one and the same.

That is who I am. Nothing and no one can change that.

So take a look, Beast. Listen very closely. Feel it for yourself.

Kasuga-no-Tsubone is always in the Ooku, and the Ooku is always home to Kasuga-no-Tsubone.

That is an indisputable fact, and you know it. Yet you would still try to insist that this is your universe?

Don't make me laugh!

Is that...a floor? What happened to my universe!?

Don't be ridiculous. Something like your universe would have no place down here underground. This is the Ooku. MY Ooku!

...How did you get in here? Out of my way, you little pest. You're going to mess up my gravity and oxygen settings

That is right. Once again, I will admit you were correct.

Humans are not made to survive in the void. So our only choice is to deny that this IS the void.

And once your definition of this space becomes unstable, it gives us more options to play with.

Fujimaru, I added magical energy-based thrusters to your Mystic Code. They are for keeping you upright, not moving around.

I have also formed a life preservation zone around your head, so you should not have any trouble breathing.

？！

What do you think you're doing? Wipe that smile off your face.

Heh. True, if a human were to find themselves floating in the unfathomably vast, cold, dark reaches of space, they would certainly panic in the face of something so alien.

But, if we know what we are up against, that is a different story. After all, knowledge and understanding are mankind's two greatest weapons.

As long as we have time to prepare, we can think up as many ways to fight back as there are stars in the sky!

That said, humans can only see up to four thousand stars with the naked eye...

...but that is more than enough for a lazy, apathetic Beast like you!

We might not be able to cover the entire universe, but as long as we have light, gravity, and a solid place to stand, that's more than enough!

Indeed. With that unsettling floating sensation gone, I no longer fear for my life, and I can fight once again.

I promise you that if nothing else, I will keep this floor around no matter what.

Go wherever you want; forward, backward, left, right, it doesn't matter. I'll just make more floor!

I'm sooo sorry to burst your bubble, but stop and think a moment. How is this any different from when I gave you a floor out of the goodness of my heart when you first showed up?

It's so cute how easily you lot think you've suddenly won. I can't stand it. That futile little effort of yours is just adorable. It makes me want to wad it up and throw it away like the trash it is.

Do you not realize your situation hasn't actually improved at all? You've just gone back to the way things were before.

There are still more than enough of us to fill the whole universe...

...and your Master's Tokugawafication hasn't gone away at all.

You're only just holding it back by cranking up the output on your Anti-Tokugawa barrier further than it should go, right?

I wonder how long that will last against my infinite depravity.

Honestly, it's just a matter of time until it falls apart.

Did you actually think you could win just by setting things back to how they were five minutes ago? What a joke. That's the most idiotic thing I've ever

...(Cough) Then allow me to provide them with another trusty blade.

Oh? Well, well, how unexpected. This should be good.

Nobutsuna! What do you think you're doing here!? Remove yourself from my Ooku right this instant!

Forgive me, Lady Kasuga. What about this? You may not be aware of it, but you actually owe me a favor.

If you will permit me to stand here, I will consider your favor repaid.

Me, owe you a favor!? If anyone owes anything here, it's you for your treachery in betraying

Lady Kasuga, it was Monk Tenkai and I who rescued your soul.

...What?

You know, I did wonder why Kasuga-no-Tsubone's soul was the only one left in the void.

You're saying you're the one who put it there?

...(Cough) I am. When Monk Tenkai realized that Lord Iemitsu had been abducted...

...and that the Tokugawa name itself was facing an existential threat, he came to see me right away.

Once we learned that the Ooku was the locus of this situation, we just barely managed to help one person escape...

The one we both deemed essential to resolving this situation. I speak, of course, of you, Lady Kasuga.

I believe the reason you are able to preserve yourself in soul form and manipulate your soul's energy right now...

...may be due to the protection spell Lord Tenkai cast when we saved you.

I... Wha... I-if that's true, then why were you working for this Beast woman up until now!?

Why else?

To protect Tokugawa.

!?

It is quite simple. You said it yourself not long ago, Lady Kasuga.

We must do what is right for Tokugawa, no matter the cost to ourselves.

For example...if Lord Iemitsu were to pass away before me, I would not commit seppuku to join him.

Regardless of the dishonor it would bring me, I would continue to support the Tokugawa name by serving the next shogun.

Because that is what I believe I must do.

Similarly, I believed I could best protect Tokugawa by staying alive until now...

...even if it meant I was branded a traitor.

Wh-why didn't you say so sooner!? I had no idea that's what you were up to!

I would have cut Kama down from behind, but it did not seem as though that would kill her.

So my only choice was to have Lord Tenkai help me provide a less direct form of assistance... (Cough! Cough, hack)...!

What!? Why is he coughing up so much blood...?

...No way. Did he really...?

Sion?

"A less direct form of assistance"... Those hanafuda cards gave off identical readings to the Ooku. Like they made up part of the Ooku.

And this Ooku is made from the energy of human bodies and souls.

In which case...it would not be at all surprising if those hanafuda cards were made from someone's body.

Hehe. I can scarcely imagine what has become of my insides.

Though I suppose I could find out if I were to cut open my stomach.

At any rate, there is still one more thing.

Hm? Hmm!?

It looks as though the cards' black boxes all activated at once...and they are now running a backdoor program?

Let me see what their effects are... Changing their temperament? No... They reveal what is already there...

...Huh? Now wait just a damn minute. I didn't plan for this.

This should be the right time and place to admit this.

I, Matsudaira Izu-no-Kami Nobutsuna...am the man who utterly robbed the Tokugawa family of their reputation and significance.

My actions to date should prove as much. In order to protect the Tokugawa, I completely betrayed their trust in me...

So these hanafuda cards are made up of the same energy used to construct Ooku, and they are part of your body.

And now, they have taken on a whole new meaning.

Shogun Yoshinobu's pillbox contains outward-facing power, but these cards contain inward-facing power.

Which means...they can be used to neutralize Fujimaru's Tokugawafication!

...! Then, if Master uses them...!

But what about that samurai? These cards are made from his own body, right? If we use them up...

Do not worry about me. I would never have done this if I were not ready to give my life. Besides, I doubt you have any other choice.

...Thank you. I promise we'll make good use of them!

Everyone! Please give Master all the hanafuda cards you've collected!

I guess this means Kiara's advice to collect these cards turned out to be the right call all along!