The Oni's Apprentice

The Oni's Apprentice follows Kyoto, Corrupted at Rokudo-chinnoji Temple. This route covers the equipment tutorial, the Deflect drill and the reward handoff. It does not cover every skill upgrade or Practice Ground challenge.

Controls use the PlayStation layout shown in the game. Cross (×) is the interaction and confirmation button; use your displayed bindings if you have remapped them.

Find Shizuka beside the Spirit Mirror

Leave the room where the previous conversation ended and step into the courtyard. Look for the glowing mirror beneath a small green-tiled roof. Shizuka is seated beside it, close to the temple's wooden veranda.

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Approach Shizuka and finish her explanation. When the objective changes to Examine the Spirit Mirror, move to the mirror and press Cross — Examine. Choose Enhance Equipment / Abilities and confirm with Cross.

Complete the enhancement tutorial and unlock Deflect

On the Equipment Enhancement tab, select Sword and hold Cross to enhance it. The initial tutorial upgrade shown here uses one Whetstone and one Iron. Check the materials and effect preview on the right before confirming; subsequent upgrades have their own requirements.

Press R1 to move to Basic Skills. Select the Deflect node, then hold Cross to unlock it. This unlock requires two Power Stones. Continue until the message confirms that you have learned Deflect.

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Use Circle (○) to back out of the enhancement and Spirit Mirror menus. Finish the following conversation with Shizuka and Takamura. Your next route checkpoint is Examine the bell.

Ring the small wall bell and speak with Takamura

Stay in the temple courtyard and follow the objective marker to the building by the perimeter wall. The interaction is a small hanging bell below an arched lattice window, on the white plaster wall between wooden beams. Walk close enough for Ring Bell, then press Cross.

You arrive in a grey landscape with large stone statues. Follow Speak with Takamura to the seated man in the doorway beside the candles. Press Cross — Talk and finish his introduction to the Practice Ground.

Choose Drills → Deflect. The Boss Rematch option is for revisiting earlier bosses; this route continues through the Deflect drill.

Finish three Deflects, then clear the enemies

In the arena, hold L1 to block, then press Cross just before the enemy's attack hits you. Keep L1 held while timing Cross against the incoming swing. The drill requires three successful Deflects.

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Watch the counter rather than counting ordinary blocks as successes. If it has not advanced, keep guarding and time Cross against the next swing. Deflect is different from Parry: its tutorial emphasises exhausting the enemy, rather than creating the same opening for follow-up attacks.

After the third success, the instruction changes to Defeat all the Genma. Finish the enemies still standing: face an incoming swordsman with L1 held, defend against the swing and use short Square (□) attacks when you have room. Reposition if another enemy closes in from the side. The drill is not finished until the remaining Genma are defeated and the Practice Ground menu returns with a completion stamp on Deflect.

Leave the practice menu with Circle and finish Takamura's conversation. Continue to the reward handoff rather than starting a rematch.

Open the chest for Wind-Whipper

When the objective becomes Examine the treasures, a decorated chest appears directly in front of Takamura's steps. Approach it and press Cross — Examine to receive Wind-Whipper.

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Close the item and control tutorials, then finish Takamura's explanation. For later battles, Wind-Whipper uses R1 when the Oni Power Gauge is sufficiently filled. The armament-selection tutorial shows D-pad Right + the right stick for choosing between your Oni Armaments.

Your next objective is Return to Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.

Ring the bell again to return to the temple

Turn from Takamura's doorway and walk around the corner of the same building to the small bell beneath the arched window. Press Cross — Ring Bell to return.

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Finish the temple scene and the map tutorial that follows. The map introduces story markers: highlight Careful What You Wish For and press Cross — Set as Destination to track the next task.

You are ready to continue when the objective reads Careful What You Wish For — Look for anything strange. The Story Completed — The Oni's Apprentice notification confirms the handoff. Searching the streets for the strange presence belongs to the next walkthrough.