Based on whether you said yes or no, this ACT would be shown.
Rain pours down as if it were the presence of someone’s mind, Kiro buries his brother and his wife near the shrine and the words:
“YOUR ACTIONS WILL BE YOUR GHOST SOMEDAY KIRO”
Echo all over his body, it turns out violence is justified till it doesn’t involve our loved ones.
Back in ACT I, If you choose to behead your rival, well now is the time when the difficulty jump takes place but if you choose to let him live, your humanity is somewhat repaid.
It has been weeks since the clan heard back from Kiro, assumed he was still mourning and didn’t want to join back as their clansman anymore. Kagetora couldn’t have stopped either ways, gathering more men to join his army in order to tear down Edo to claim Shogun-hood for himself.
Kagetora’s men were brutal, they led the bloodiest sieges yet in Edo and broke down all the barriers that were there. The peasants saw an end to their days of “peace” with the new administration taking over, the new clan was far cruel than their old clan who ruled over them. Many tried to flee the place but with too many elderly living at Edo, it was impossible for them to now look after the elderly.
After many years, the black clouds finally arrived on Edo, where it rained death and destruction. Buddhist rebellions were brought to seek a change but the weapons of the rebels were in no match to the sheer brilliance of the clan’s troops.
After honouring his family members at the shrine, Kiro returns back to his home overhearing a group of bandits assembling to oppose the coronation of the Shogun ceremony, many refused to accept Kagetora as the new Shogun, but felt a sense of powerlessness as they didn’t possess the high quality katanas that their clan possessed.
Kiro walks towards them and states to lead them in the charge to destroy Kagetora’s clan. The bandits were in shock that a samurai would say such words. In awe, the bandit-leader says “I know who you are, you are trying to sabotage us as a spy from the clan, boys raise your swords don’t let this man deceive you”. Kiro tries to explain that he is not a spy but the public opinion of samurais had changed quite a bit in the century, from protective warlords to raging maniacs who you had to bow down to.
Kiro effortlessly kills all the man, the leader sitting upon his corpses of men begs for forgiveness, this leads to a change in Gameplay element for Kirisute Gomen for the first time.
Despite beheading the leader who disrespected and refused to help him, the words of his rival continue to sink a deep despair in his heart.
[DIALOGUE]
If Oshikabe was spared, he notices you afar from distance and walks towards you and remarks: “Kiro, I’m deeply sorry for your brother. He didn’t deserve it” to which Kiro chooses not to listen to his rival’s words and walks away
Oshikabe: “I know how you feel, I saw my friends clamped down years ago, After which I led my life as a ronin. Each day I blamed myself for not having the power to protect themselves. Every clan here in their attempt to take Edo seems to uphold their value in Bushido but not as a human. You have every right to be angry, but if you don’t take out your anger in the correct direction. You will further stray away and feel more —”
Kiro (yells): “AND WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?”
Oshikabe (mutters): “Listen, I know it sounds outrageous but ..” “Lets storm down Edo for ourselves and defeat Kagetora once and for all.”
Kiro: “Have you seen the number of men inside?”
Oshikabe: “Well and what is the alternative?”
Kiro (mutters): ”…”
“I suppose you are right, but how do we initiate this?”
Oshikabe (happily) : “Well come down the river and we will speak again”
This leads to an intense discussion of all the tactics and skirmishes planned in order to free Edo from their tyrants.
In the event Oshikabe was NOT spared, Kiro doesn’t consider leading charge upon Edo all on himself just yet.
After committing Kirisute Gomen to another potential ally for his cause, he feels guilty for ever carrying the bloodlust that is Muramasa. He feels a great deal of loneliness and depression from his actions and tries to calm himself by enjoying the peaceful scenic view of river that overlooked a castle.
He spent his time there till dawn, well until he observed a rebel faction attempting the storm down the castle which stood for oppression. Kiro rushes at the scene to inspect what was happening. Observing from the rooftops of houses, the rebels were clamped but unlike previously where they were killed on the battlefield, every last rebel was captured and brought before the warlords who led them to the river where Kiro had rested prior.
700 prisoners were led to Ikpoba River, only to be wiped out. Men and Women both cut to pieces and their blood mixed with the clear streams of the water. Kiro had enough of this regime’s brutality and chooses that vengeance is the only way moving forward.
Assuming Oshikabe was spared, the next morning they charge at the military quarters near Edo where they confront the guards and ask them to abdicate their posts but the warlords have no patience left within themselves and unsheathe their sword and gathers his men to encircle the two rebels who came.
Oshikabe (smiles): “You know Kiro? this is probably the first time we are ever fighting together than against each other”
Kiro (smiles back): “I suppose that is true, I will make their death quick and painless”
Oshikabe: “Well I know that I can’t lose till I am fighting with the wielder of the Muramasa along me”
Their dialogue gets interrupted by the samurai in attempt to kill them.
A couple of minutes later both the characters walk out of the warcamp unscratched with important war documents and with a plan to split up, Oshikabe would take up to cut the clan from the supplies they got while Kiro would march into the face of Terror which was personified of the castle.
In the event that Oshikabe was NOT spared, Kiro breaks his bushido for the first time and employs underhanded tactics by poisoning their entire warcamp and notices war documents and a pistol for the first time with a bunch of fire arrows. He uses the fire arrows to burn down the path to the supplies in Edo to create a blockade and shoots men who brought goods to the castle with the newly equipped pistol.
Regardless of whether Oshikabe was spared or not, it was clear that the road to supplies were block which led to problems in Edo. Kagetora noticed what was actually happening and knew what could prevent any further rebellion.
The next morning, a gathering near an Oak Tree took place where many young men and women were awaiting the response of the warlord to answer why supplies aren’t reaching Edo to which the warlord delivers a heartwarming speech which would have been nice to hear for Kiro if the agenda of the speech was to not brand him as traitor and unify the people a common enemy to fight for.
Realising now there is no turning back, he continues his mission to bring the beast down once and for all.
In the event that Oshikabe was Spared (There is no additional alt-plotline for this if he was beheaded)
Oshikabe attempts to hide out at the bay and finds himself to be coursing through the mud tracks to block all the samurais and warlords marching towards the supply region but they emerged in numbers which a lone warrior couldn’t fend for himself, finally ending up in a situation where his head was at a crossroads of multiple swords claiming his neck.
Oshikabe mutters one last time “All my life I lived as an outcast. Give me the death fitting that of a samurai”
His head detached from his body and blood spilled on the grounds, the samurai were pleased that there was one less threat to the administration.
Kiro feared the worst when he had not seen Oshikabe at the river that evening, chose to walk to the supply station where his worst fears became a reality.
The last person who believed in him and wanted to fight for his cause had his life taken by the clan he served for so many years. Now believing that all was lost felt like giving up and escaping the province but as he started mourning, the samurais arose from the bushes yet again remarking “You have no idea, the peace that will dawn on this land if we present your head to the people here”
Kiro might have been a traitor but he would never violate the bushido right? that’s what the samurai who tried to strike him down learnt the hard way. Kiro picks up the pistol from his former rival’s holster and shot down many samurais and singlehandedly wiped out all the warriors in that lodge in his anger and fury and yelled in the battlefield”THIS ONE IS FOR OSHIKABE”.
[THIS ARC WAS TO ENSURE THAT EITHER WAYS YOU OBTAIN A PISTOL FOR THE FINAL BATTLE]
After a string of missions to fight all the guards and blockades to forts and Kiro’s reluctance to give in, there were massive mutinies in the once prosperous Edo. Chaos all across the land, no organization. Pure hatred that spewed upon the land that was once hailed and was looked up to by other provinces for its glory and history was now crumbling down.
Kiro continued to march on to the Imperial Palace alone now, no friends, no clansmen, no brother and the only person who cared about his interests. Buried.
And the seas will rise as serpents
Spawned from the mouth of earth’s surface
Soon the skies will fall fast
Burning
Open wide
and eat the suffering
Following the bloody trail, Kiro makes his way to the floor where the Shogun sat for their tea ceremonies to finally confront Master for his actions, only to notice that a man held Kagetora by his neck choking and had slit his throat by the time Kiro could react.
He had never seen anyone been able to accomplish the feat of even defeating Kagetora, let alone kill him.
Sheathing the blade and arising from the shadow, it was none other than Kagawa who would also appear to have been the same man who resulted in his younger brother’s demise.
Kiro stood confused before asking how he even made it here to which Kagawa remarks “Well I know every in and out of this place since I grew up in Edo from childhood and lets say I have a thing or two for killing people”
Kiro unsheathes his weapon and says “Well we both know how this ends, only of us has control of Edo and fate of Japan. Fate of the people. And most importantly avenging Namaeda”
Kagawa laughs hysterically at that and says “Oh brother!” and picks up Kagetora’s blade to which proceeds to have a staredown for the final duel the palace would see of in the century.
The battle is divided in three phases and is better to read in Gameplay how it is structured.
After a series of intense blows, Kagawa proves to be far too powerful for Kiro. Kiro lands on his face at the maple wood floors and wonders how a wielder of muramasa as himself could even experience defeat. Kagawa wasn’t interested in his talks and simply interrupts his internal monologue.
[DIALOGUE]
Kagawa: “You have suffered far too much, Kiro. How about I lead you to a proposal”
(Stares down at his lack of response)
“I want you to partner with me to rebuild Edo and bring back peace to the people”
Kiro (enraged): “You are asking me?? The killer of my brother. Asking me to join him for THE PEACE OF THE PEOPLE”
Kagawa: “I know it sounds outrageous but tell me what is there left to gain now from this situation, and I don’t want to take a noble warrior’s life like yours. Nobody could have run this place down like you. If you had not besieged the many forts, I couldn’t have taken Kagetora’s life for myself and if I want Edo to be lead by a Shogun, it should the greatest swordsman in all of Japan.”
“Kiro, take my hand and lead Edo in the direction that it deserves.”
Kiro (deceptively) : “I suppose you are right, there is no greater good than forgive and forget”
As he gets up from the ground and appears to shake Kagawa’s hands. he attempts to quickly stab him with his dagger, but turns out Kagawa was faster and had predicted it coming, with Kiro’s own dagger landing his own intestines, he lays on the ground hurt and bleeding.
Kagawa: “You really thought you could have pulled it on me?”
“What do you even think of yourself Kiro? You think you can undo all your wrongdoings by killing me?”
Kiro (in pain) : “YOU KILLED MY FUCKING FAMILY”
Kagawa: “And you beheaded thousands, killed so many warriors on your way to reach this palace of dreams, which is now covered in ashes of many bodies burnt because of your brutality ”
“You know Kiro? every warrior you killed right now is someone’s father, someone’s son, someone’s husband and someone’s BROTHER, you had no problem in taking their lives but when it came to your own brother you now show a difference in emotion? I was merely an assassin, contracted with killing of another being which happened to be your brother.”
“AND SO WHAT IF YOU KILL ME, KIRO? Even if you claim power for yourself, the people resent you, they fear the very tyranny you would bring despite your oath to bring it down”
“Even if you will succeed, you will still lose so much more.”
Impulses, now quickening
Softly,
it’s painstaking
Look within to calm the storm
Raging inside the form
There’s no TURNING BACK
Kagawa attempts to end Kiro’s suffering but Kiro pulls up his revolver which had its last bullet fired to protect himself. Kagawa is deeply injured as he didn’t assume Kiro would ever use it in a duel. Kagawa rushes off to the sacred war room, to take hold of a mythical weapon but as Kiro follows him to it, it reaches a second phase of battle.
It is rare to see when someone as masterful as Kiro in a duel, would be fighting to survive than to kill, Kagawa put up a fight Kiro would have loved to fight, of course had it not been his brother’s killer.
Kagawa knocks off Kiro to the ground again, this time laughing hysterically as he unsheathes probably the most prized possession of the clan, a weapon which feels like staring at the face of Death itself.
THE MASAMUNE
A weapon so mythical, Clans were carved onto the map through its existence. A weapon so deadly, Tribes were wiped off the moment it was unsheathed. A weapon so fierce, It could unite fire and ice in perfect harmony.
Kagawa made one fatal flaw, which was to not tend his wound on his arms yet. He could feel the weight of the katana to be too much for him and having it dropped to the floor near Kiro where he saw the slightest glimmer of hope in his battle.
Kiro now no longer the wielder of the Muramasa IS NOW THE WIELDER OF THE MYTHICAL MASAMUNE (This leads to another Flashback just before the duel)
The metaphysical and actual physical state could be diverged with the Masamune, before a last duel to decide the victor, both took necessary ailment. For the greatest duel. For the fate of Kagetora clan. For the People of EDO.
The inferno spews out hell’s horde
Casting the flames upon our world
As death
Eclipses all the light
We make our last stand
‘TIL DEATH:FIGHT!
The most intense duel took place, with either side looking to win, the Earth shook in its course. But historically the wielder of Masamune has never lost even once, and it maintained its record by finally finishing off Kagawa in the now war-torn palace and fires lit outside it’s gardens and the families grieving over their losses.
Kiro was able to avenge his brother and his wife, but the vengeance seemed futile. Neither of his family is ever coming back. The view outside of palace in flames filled him with hate on the inside. He is now a wielder of the greatest katana in existence but to protect who?
This is where the game ends in either of the two endings depending on your choice:
Ending III if you choose to let Masamune take your life Ending IV if you don’t
Time will not heal
All of your pain
I cannot wait
For it all to come crashing
Down on your face
Ripping your veins out
Your insides win
And kill you from within
Thank you for Reading, This is the end to Kirisute Gomen