#Toukatsu-ryu (等活流)

Contents

Core Reference: School System · School Data · 10-dan Renown Titles · Index

"To cut is easy. The hard part — is rising again." — The nameless swordsman of Reviving Hell

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#§ Scent (香) — School Philosophy, Origins, and Teacher

#The One Path to Embodying the Essence of Reviving Hell Through Swordsmanship

Tōkatsu (等活) is the first of the 8 Great Hells. "Saṃjīva" — the hell of "being revived." Those who committed the karma of killing slash one another's bodies, and at each moment of being slashed, the body "revives." The suffering has no end, and the reason it has no end is that death is not permitted (Buddhist 8 Great Hells GM Guide § 1).

Toukatsu-ryu is the swordsmanship created by a single warrior who embodied the essence of this hell himself. More precisely than "created," it was carved into memory through the process of passing through hell. The sensation of a body that was once cut rising again. That sensation translated into swordsmanship is Toukatsu-ryu.

#The School's Core Principle — Beyond Grit

The swordsmanship schools of the main rules each hold a different principle. Katori holds Sen (先), Yagyu holds Mu (無), Jigen holds Ichi (一), Ito holds Ni (二). The principle of Toukatsu-ryu is Katsu (活) — being alive, and being revived.

This principle has two concrete expressions.

First, immediate recovery from wounds. A Toukatsu-ryu swordsman begins preparing a counterattack the instant they take a blow. Whether the wound is deep or shallow, within the same breath in which the wound is received, they can raise their sword again. An ordinary swordsman must rest one breath after receiving a major wound. Toukatsu-ryu does not rest.

Second, the stance that refuses defeat. Toukatsu-ryu does not place "winning" at its center. It places "not losing" at its center. However, this stance is different from grit. Grit is a matter of will — the will that says "I will endure." Toukatsu-ryu has no such will. It simply rises. Rising is habit. The body rises even without will.

In this respect Toukatsu-ryu is more frightening than ordinary grit swordsmanship. One who will not break can be persuaded. One who rises even without will cannot be persuaded.

#Origins — Who First Walked This Path

The origins of Toukatsu-ryu are unclear. Two theories exist among its practitioners.

Theory 1. The Nameless Founding Swordsman Theory. Approximately 200 years ago, a warrior stepped to the threshold of Reviving Hell and returned. He returned and told no one his name. He left behind only a single worn katana and a single sheet of calligraphy bearing the character "Katsu (活)." Those who saw him began calling his swordsmanship "the sword of Reviving Hell." It is said that until the moment of his death, he never once fell from any wound.

Theory 2. The Transmission by a Yoma of Hell Theory. Within Reviving Hell — as countless karmic beings slash one another's bodies and revive over and over — there exist beings that have become half-yoma through that process. Beings with human faces and yoma bodies, gripping swords. Some of these cross the boundary of hell and transmit this swordsmanship to humans. The price of transmission — differs every time.

Whether a practitioner believes one theory or the other depends on their character. Those who lean Kōdō tend toward Theory 1; those who lean Gendō tend toward Theory 2. The GM may choose one for their campaign, or allow both to coexist.

#Teachers — Fumita (不滅多) or the Anonymous Swordsman

In the basic scenario of Drifting Spirit Chronicles, the teacher of Toukatsu-ryu is one of two candidates. The GM may choose one, or bring both to the table and let the PC choose.

Candidate 1 — Fumita (不滅多). A yoma teacher dwelling at the edge of Reviving Hell. Has a human face, but the body is almost entirely yoma. Countless wounds remain on his body, and all of them are simultaneously healing and opening. He speaks in a gentle tone, but his eyes never stop — always eyes anticipating the next wound. As the price of transmission, he asks for "the memory of one of your oldest wounds." This memory is carved anew onto Fumita's body, and the PC forgets only the pain of that wound (the memory remains; only the pain disappears).

Candidate 2 — The Ghost of the Nameless Swordsman. The very nameless swordsman of Theory 1. A ghost that has wandered the edge of Reviving Hell for a long time. Speaks very rarely. Transmission is carried out not in words but by confronting together. Through the process of the ghost attacking the PC and the PC counterattacking — the body remembers the techniques. As the price of transmission, he asks that his worn katana be enshrined in the human world once more. Where this katana must be enshrined — the PC must judge for themselves.

Both candidates can only be contacted at the edge of Reviving Hell (the Depth 1–2 boundary). At Depth 3 or deeper, dialogue is impossible — at that depth, all are slashing one another.

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#§ Law (法) — School License, Secret Techniques, and Transmission Stages

#School Basic Information

Type: Secret to Person, Secret to Transmission | Skill: Swordsmanship | Finesse Cost: 1 slot

Bonus: A connection to the Toukatsu-ryu teacher (Fumita or the nameless swordsman). Advice during crises (GM hint). When passing through the edge of Reviving Hell, yoma hostility -2 (Toukatsu-ryu practitioners are recognized as kin).

Restriction: Must carry out the teacher's request (in Fumita's case, rescuing another PC's teacher candidate; in the nameless swordsman's case, enshrining the katana). If the teacher is destroyed/eliminated, the secret transmission is incomplete — permanent -1 penalty when using the secret technique.

#Intermediate Stages — Initiation → Mastery → Master

#School License Maneuver — Living-Blade Stance (活劒の態度)

[School License Replacement] Living-Blade Stance (活劒の態度)
Type: Stance | Energy: 2 | Sustained
Effect: While this stance is maintained — immediately after the breath in which
    damage is received,
    the first attack of the next breath gains +2 bonus + Energy cost of
    counterattack reduced by 1.
    Wounds call the sword.
    No special penalty on release.
    Maintenance limit: No upper limit on the number of rounds stance can be
    maintained per 1 combat.
Limit: Auto-released when own Wounds reach 0. Can be reset from the next round.

Resolution formula: No check to maintain the stance itself. Counterattack check is the normal counterattack check (2d10+Courage+Swordsmanship+2 >= enemy Defense). The Energy reduction is the key.

Maneuver replacement relationship:

Commentary — The base maneuver of a main-rules Swordsmanship license, "defense technique reservation cost -1," is biased toward defense. The Toukatsu-ryu license reverses that direction. Rather than defense, it enhances immediate counterattack after being struck. "Receiving a wound" becomes not a loss — but the driving force for the next blow.

#School Secret Technique Maneuver — Revival Strike (復活の一劒)

[School Secret Technique Replacement] Revival Strike (復活の一劒)
Type: Kata | Energy: 4 | Limit: 1 time per combat
Effect: Use declaration is only possible in "the round in which own Wounds
    reached 0."
    On declaration, Wounds 0 state does not persist this round —
    **immediate return to Wounds 1**.
    Within the returned breath, 1 free attack granted
    (2d10+Courage+Swordsmanship+3 vs Defense).
    This attack deals 3 Wounds on success (4 Wounds on critical).
    "At the moment of vanishing, the sword stood once more."
Resolution: Return itself requires no check. Free attack is
      2d10+Courage+Swordsmanship+3 >= Defense.
Limit: 1 time per combat. Recharges after lull. This is NOT "combat incapacity
    immunity" — if Wounds reach 0 again next time, there is no return.

Maneuver replacement relationship:

Commentary — The main-rules Swordsmanship secret technique's "free counterattack" is a sustained tactical advantage. The Toukatsu-ryu secret technique is a 1-combat extreme reversal. Wounds 0 = normally combat incapacity with no action from the next round. Toukatsu-ryu rises once more here, driving in a 3-Wounds counterattack within that breath. The ultimate of "the sword that does not lose."

#Resolution Flow Example for the Secret Technique

Situation: A PC with Toukatsu-ryu secret technique currently has Wounds 1. Receives 1 Wounds damage from an enemy attack. PC Wounds 0. On the verge of combat incapacity.

1. PC player declares "Revival Strike." Expend 4 Energy.
2. PC's Wounds immediately return to 1. Combat incapacity avoided.
3. 1 free attack within the same breath. 2d10+Courage+Swordsmanship+3 check.
4. On success, deal 3 Wounds to target. 4 Wounds on critical.
5. End of this breath. Normal rules from the next breath.

This maneuver is 1-time only. The 1-per-combat restriction cannot be exceeded. Recharges with a lull.

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#§ Transmission Conditions — Detail

#1. Hell Experience Conditions

The "recognition check" is the Mental Save, Target Number 11 specified in the Reviving Hell gimmick in § 1 of the Buddhist 8 Great Hells GM Guide. PCs who have not succeeded at this check can advance Toukatsu-ryu only up to the License stage.

#2. Yoma and Ghost Teachers Available for Negotiation

On negotiation failure. Even if the Target Number 15 negotiation fails on the first attempt, it is not an immediate rejection. Fumita asks for proof that the PC "understands" Reviving Hell (e.g., brings up the story of the PC's own wound, or speaks of the experience of seeing themselves in Reviving Hell's mirror). If this proof is presented, a 2nd attempt at negotiation is possible. If they fail 2 times, they cannot learn from Fumita in that campaign — they must seek the ghost teacher.

#3. Acquisition Dan

Toukatsu-ryu can be learned earliest among the hell schools. This is because Reviving Hell is the hell of Chapter 1, and Chapter 1 is the PC 1st–2nd dan range. Assigning the Finesse slot to Toukatsu-ryu at 2nd-dan promotion is the most natural path.

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#§ Heart Shifts on Use (Q9 Decision Reflected)

#Corresponding Hearts for Toukatsu-ryu

The "rising again" of Toukatsu-ryu splits into different hearts depending on motivation.

#Heart Shift Situations

This table applies when the Toukatsu-ryu secret technique "Revival Strike" is activated. Maintaining the license "Living-Blade Stance" itself causes no heart shift (the license is a stance, making it a constant technique, not an expression of specific intent).

#How to Declare Heart Shifts

When the PC declares "Revival Strike," the GM asks "Why are you rising now?" The GM declares the heart shift based on the player's answer. The player must state their PC's motivation explicitly — a vague answer is interpreted as "pure survival" with no heart shift.

#Effect of Accumulated Heart Shifts

Under the Three Paths, Six Hearts rules of the main game, when a specific heart accumulates, the enhancement effect for that heart is applied. In long-term play, Toukatsu-ryu users will naturally strengthen either Loyalty or Hegemony. The GM stages this strengthening as the direction of the narrative (a PC strong in Loyalty deepens their bond with their lord; a PC strong in Hegemony deepens their rivalry conflict).

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#§ NPC Users — Those in the Spirit Realm Who Hold Toukatsu-ryu

Among territory-native NPCs and drifters, those who already hold or could hold Toukatsu-ryu.

#Fixed NPCs

Detailed NPC data is in 8 Spirit Realm Intelligences — Negotiable Others or the GM creates it based on the descriptions in this document.

#Hostile NPCs

#Alliance Candidate NPCs

The GM uses these NPCs as props in a Toukatsu-ryu transmission scenario within the narrative. If a PC has interest in Toukatsu-ryu, dialogue with these characters can naturally hint at the existence of the school.

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#§ Example Scenarios

#Scenario 1 — "The Third Return" (Chapter 1 Latter Half, 1-session length)

Premise: The PC party is staying at Reviving Hell Depth 2. One PC (holding Swordsmanship 2 pts) has begun experiencing repeating wounds through the Cadence of Revival gimmick. They have failed the "recognition check."

Development:

1. The party reaches the ruins of an old dojo at the center of the Iron-Colored Plain. Fumita stands in front of the dojo gate. He speaks in a gentle tone: "You may enter."
2. Inside the dojo, Fumita teaches nothing. He simply creates an atmosphere where the PC can speak of their own wounds.
3. When the relevant PC speaks of an old wound from their own background story, Fumita at that moment carves that wound onto his own arm. The pain of that wound disappears for the PC. (The memory remains — GM note.)
4. Fumita hands the PC a worn katana. "This is the initiation of Toukatsu-ryu. Come again. After going deeper."
5. After the party leaves the dojo, the PC gains the Toukatsu-ryu "Initiation (1 pt)" effect — if they had Swordsmanship at 2 pts at this point, they can assign a Finesse slot to Toukatsu-ryu at a future dan promotion.

Side event: During this scenario, 1 half-yoma swordsman of Reviving Hell surrounds the dojo. The PC party must fight. Fumita watches without intervening — this battle becomes the PC's "second wound."

#Scenario 2 — "The Path of Katana Enshrinement" (Mid to long term, 3-session length)

Premise: One PC received the Toukatsu-ryu License from the ghost of the nameless swordsman. They received a request as the price of transmission to enshrine the ghost's worn katana in the human world (the real-world region the territory originally belonged to). However, the territory has fallen into the spirit realm.

Development:

1. The PC returns to the territory carrying the ghost's katana. The katana looks ordinary, but everyone who touches it gets the feeling "I've seen this somewhere before."
2. They consult the retired onmyōji of the territory (Retired Onmyoji — Hoshino Gensho (星野 玄承)). The onmyōji answers: "I have seen this katana when I was young." The place where they saw it was a certain shrine in the real world.
3. It is impossible to reach the real world through the territory's Barrier, but — at certain angles of the Barrier, it is possible to see memories of the past (the onmyōji's secret art). The PC confirms that the katana's enshrinement site was a shrine that actually existed.
4. The party makes temporary contact with the "memory" of that shrine through a Barrier-boundary event. They place the katana on "the altar within the memory." Not a physical enshrinement, but a spiritual enshrinement.
5. At the moment of enshrinement, the ghost appears before the PC and bows their head. As the ghost disperses — the PC fulfills the transmission condition for the Toukatsu-ryu secret technique "Revival Strike." They can acquire the secret technique at the next Finesse slot.

Side event: During this scenario, there must be at least one time when the PC is pressed to the brink of Wounds 0. The ghost teaches "the way of rising" with their body until the very end.

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#§ School and Long-term Campaign Impact

#Return to Reviving Hell

A PC who has learned Toukatsu-ryu is recognized as "kin" by the yoma of Reviving Hell. This is a double-edged sword.

#When the Practitioner Dies

If the Toukatsu-ryu teacher (Fumita or the nameless swordsman) is destroyed, the PC's secret technique "Revival Strike" gains a permanent -1 penalty (free attack check 2d10+Courage+Swordsmanship+2 vs Defense). This is because "the secret transmission is incomplete."

This penalty is not resolved even if a new teacher is found. However, if the PC themselves cultivates the next generation of Toukatsu-ryu practitioners (completes transmission to another PC or NPC), it is resolved. This "restoration" path can become the drama of a long-term campaign.

#The Accumulated Narrative of Revival Strike

"Revival Strike" is a 1-per-combat technique, but viewed across the entire campaign — every moment the PC activates this technique accumulates. The GM stages this accumulation as narrative. "The number of times you have activated Revival Strike shines as wounds on your body." This staging becomes the visual mark of a Toukatsu-ryu PC.

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#§ Expulsion Rules — When the Teacher's Request Is Broken

The Toukatsu-ryu teacher makes a specific request to the PC when transmitting the school. If the request is refused or the PC fails to fulfill it — the school transmission is canceled.

"The teacher's explicit wishes" — in Fumita's case, "cutting an innocent person with Toukatsu-ryu"; in the nameless swordsman's case, "returning without an oath using Toukatsu-ryu (extreme use of Hegemony)." In both cases, use that is in direct conflict with the teacher's original philosophy.

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#§ Example Growth Path

Below is a typical growth path for a Toukatsu-ryu swordsman. PC creation → to Tatsujin.

This path is recommended; timing adjusts according to the campaign.

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#§ Fellow Practitioners and Rivals

#Fellow Practitioners — Those Who Learned Toukatsu-ryu Together

Because Toukatsu-ryu is secret to person and secret to transmission, the concept of "fellow practitioners" is thin. However, those who received transmission from the same teacher rarely exist.

The GM can add fellow practitioner NPCs for drama. These NPCs cross swords with the PC and reinforce the PC's story.

#Rivals — Those Toukatsu-ryu Must Overcome

Toukatsu-ryu's natural enemy is techniques that end things in one blow.

When a Toukatsu-ryu PC encounters such rivals, they see the limits of their own techniques. This is an opportunity for growth, not a moment of submission.

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#§ GM Operation Hints

#Combat Design When a Toukatsu-ryu PC Is Present

1. Set Wounds 0 crises frequently. The appeal of Toukatsu-ryu is "rising once more from Wounds 0." Crises near Wounds 0 must occur frequently for the school to shine.
2. Remember that "not losing" is not "winning." Toukatsu-ryu PCs endure for a long time, but it is not easy for them to personally complete victory conditions. Their role within the party is closer to "protecting."
3. Use the teacher's request as a plot engine. Fumita's "rescue of another teacher" or the nameless swordsman's "katana enshrinement" can become a sub-plot of 5–10 sessions of campaign content.

#Managing Heart Shifts for a Toukatsu-ryu PC

A heart shift declaration occurs 1 time per combat when "Revival Strike" activates. Viewed across the entire campaign, these shifts accumulate and reveal the direction of the PC's Three Paths. The GM uses this direction as narrative branching.

• PC where Loyalty strengthens: Bond with lord/domain ruler is the core plot of the campaign's latter half
• PC where Hegemony strengthens: Confrontation with rival is the core plot of the campaign's latter half
• PC where both cross: Complex inner world — a moment of choice in the Chapter 5 climax

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#§ Derived Techniques and Variations — Variations That May Appear During the Campaign

#Fumita's 3 Derivations

Fumita holds variations in which he has reinterpreted Toukatsu-ryu in his own way. These are not immediately transmitted to the PC, but are options accessible through additional training after receiving deep recognition from the teacher.

Derivation A — Living-Blade Infinite (活劒無限). During stance maintenance, the Energy reduction for counterattack checks is fixed at 0 Energy (the existing "reduced by 1" is always "reduced to 0"). Condition: 3 or more successful criticals against enemies with Toukatsu-ryu counterattacks during the campaign. When this condition is met, the GM may propose it.

Derivation B — Resonance of Wounds (傷の共鳴). When there is a PC among allies in the same Zone whose Wounds are lower than one's own, share the counterattack Energy reduction effect of "Living-Blade Stance" with that PC as well. Condition: 3 or more scenes of "rescuing" another PC in combat within the party.

Derivation C — Song of the One Who Rises (起つ者の謠). At the moment "Revival Strike" is activated from Wounds 0, simultaneously return 1 combat-incapacitated ally in the same Zone to Wounds 1. Condition: After acquiring the Toukatsu-ryu secret technique, at least one session exists where the PC used their secret technique for an ally.

All three derivations cannot all be acquired. Maximum 1 per campaign. Which derivation suits a PC depends on the direction of that PC's heart accumulation. The GM observes heart shifts and proposes at the appropriate moment.

#The Nameless Swordsman's One Revelation

A PC who took the ghost of the nameless swordsman as teacher — at some point in the campaign's latter half, can receive a single "one revelation." This is not a rule-codified maneuver but a 1-time mythic moment.

Condition for revelation: The moment the PC activates the Toukatsu-ryu secret technique, when the sword's stance reaches a specific angle — the ghost appears for an instant before the PC's eyes. Without saying anything, they nod. At that moment, the PC's secret technique free attack is processed as automatic critical + 4 Wounds. This can become the decisive blow that ends the combat.

However, this revelation occurs only 1 time across the entire campaign. The GM chooses that moment. Normally, the most dramatic moment of the climax battle of the campaign is appropriate.

#The Enemy's Toukatsu-ryu — Variations of the Half-Yoma Swordsmen

The "half-yoma swordsmen" encountered at Reviving Hell Depth 2–3 also use variations of Toukatsu-ryu. Their techniques are similar to the PC's techniques — but there are several differences.

Half-yoma swordsmen are strong enemies, but for a party with an exorcist they have a fatal weakness. If a Toukatsu-ryu PC is in the party — they may recognize the PC as "kin" and grant an opportunity for negotiation. This negotiation creates dramatic choices (will they fight, ally, or release them?).

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#§ Toukatsu-ryu's Relationship with Other Hell Schools

#Contrast with Kokujo-ryu

Toukatsu-ryu is "rising"; Kokujo-ryu is "being bound." The two schools are mutually contrasting. If a Toukatsu-ryu swordsman and a Kokujo-ryu spearman coexist in one party — rather than synergy in combat, the narrative contrast emerges strongly.

The Toukatsu-ryu PC says "it's fine to fall, I'll rise." The Kokujo-ryu PC says "I keep my principle, therefore I'm bound." The moment when these two attitudes clash is the material for drama. Example: When the Kokujo-ryu PC's principle is "I do not flee" — the "rising" of the Toukatsu-ryu PC is on a different axis from fleeing. The process of the PCs understanding this difference between each other creates the depth of the session.

#Contrast with Kyoukan-ryu

Toukatsu-ryu is "repetition of the body"; Kyoukan-ryu is "repetition of emotion." Both are schools of "not cooling down," but Toukatsu is physical and body-restorative, while Kyoukan is emotional and inward.

It is theoretically possible for one PC to simultaneously hold Toukatsu-ryu + Kyoukan-ryu (different skills). That PC — is one whose body and emotions both do not cool. In a long-term campaign, this PC's inner landscape must be drawn in detail.

#Contrast with Shonetsu-ryu

Toukatsu-ryu is "rising"; Shonetsu-ryu is "disappearing." Philosophically they are exact opposites. Having the same PC learn both schools is possible — but the inner contradiction is large. One who rises simultaneously wants to disappear — that is an inner fracture of the character. The GM decides whether to use this fracture as drama, or instead to recommend only one of the two to the PC.

#Succession to Mugen Path

When a Toukatsu-ryu PC reaches 10th dan and chooses Mugen Path (Avici) — the Toukatsu-ryu's "rising" is sublimated into the Mugen Path's "never ending." This is one of the most natural paths. One who rises — reaching a state where they are no longer even conscious of rising.

For a Toukatsu-ryu PC to choose Mugen Path is the recommended route. However, the §Critical Warning of this expansion still applies — 1–3 sessions before the campaign's conclusion period.

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#§ Detailed Combat Situations — Toukatsu-ryu Application Examples

#Situation A — 1 vs 3 Surrounded, Wounds Crisis

PC (Swordsmanship 4 pts, holding Toukatsu-ryu License and Secret Technique) is surrounded in a narrow corridor by 3 yoma (2 Minions, 1 Veteran). Starting from Wounds 3.

Round 1:

• Maintain Living-Blade Stance (2 Energy). Attack 1 of the 3 — normal attack check success. 1 Wounds damage.
• Veteran counterattacks PC. 2 Wounds damage. PC Wounds 1.
• Living-Blade Stance effect: First attack of next breath +2 + counterattack Energy reduction.

Round 2:

• PC attacks — Living-Blade Stance bonus +2. Critical activated! 3 Wounds damage. Minion 1 at Wounds 0 — destroyed.
• Minion counterattacks. 1 Wounds damage. PC Wounds 0.
• Revival Strike declared (expend 4 Energy, 1 time per combat). PC returns to Wounds 1. 1 free attack — 3 Wounds to Veteran. Critical occurs! 4 Wounds. Veteran destroyed.

Round 3:

• Remaining 1 Minion. PC normal attack. Success — Minion destroyed.
• Combat ends. PC Wounds 1, Living-Blade Stance released.

Narrative staging: At the moment of reaching Wounds 0, the PC's body shines and the sword is raised again from their hand. The enemy falls to an unexpected counterattack.

#Situation B — Ally Protection, Loyalty Heart Shift

PC has Wounds 2. Allied exorcist is pressed to the brink of Wounds 0. Enemy is 1 Lord-grade yoma.

Round 1:

• PC switches stance to Living-Blade Stance (2 Energy). Moves to defense position for exorcist.
• Lord-grade yoma strikes exorcist. Exorcist Wounds -2 → combat incapacity.
• PC declares: "I will not let go of the one standing behind me." (Narrative principle declaration)

Round 2:

• Lord-grade yoma attacks PC. 3 Wounds damage. PC Wounds -1 — normally combat incapacity in this setting. However —
• Revival Strike declared (4 Energy). PC Wounds 1 restored. Free attack — 3 Wounds to Lord-grade yoma.
• GM determination: "Why did you rise?" — PC's answer: "To protect the fallen ally behind me." → Loyalty +1.

Result: PC's Loyalty heart accumulates. Additional drama development in later scenes involving the lord.

#Situation C — Personal Revenge, Hegemony Heart Shift

PC finally faces their long-standing enemy. The enemy attacks the PC along with several subordinates. PC is pressed into a Wounds crisis.

Rounds 1–2: PC Wounds reduced to 1 through combat with subordinates.

Round 3:

• Enemy declares a killing blow on PC. Success. 3 Wounds damage. PC Wounds -2.
• Revival Strike declared. PC Wounds 1 restored.
• Free attack — against the enemy. PC player declares: "You cannot defeat me. I rise today for you."
• GM determination: Hegemony +1 (personal revenge motivation).
• Free attack success. Critical 4 Wounds. Enemy Wounds 0 — critical condition.

Result: PC's Hegemony heart accumulates. Scene after combat of witnessing the enemy's final moments. Another party member confirms "you have completed your revenge."

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#§ Toukatsu-ryu Symbols, Attire, and Insignia

#Symbolic Tool — the "Katsu (活)" Inscribed Sword

A Toukatsu-ryu practitioner receives a sword from their teacher. In Fumita's case a worn katana, in the nameless swordsman's case a half-rusted straight sword (chokuto). This sword always has the character "Katsu (活)" inscribed on it. Engraved on the blade in intaglio, or branded on the hilt.

This sword grants no mechanical bonus (same performance as an ordinary katana). However — when this sword is held and a Toukatsu-ryu technique is activated, other NPCs recognize the inscription on the sword. A recognition arises: "Ah, one of Reviving Hell." This functions as a narrative effect of negotiation, reverence, or hostility.

If the sword is lost, one must receive it again from the teacher. If the teacher has already been destroyed, the PC must forge a new sword themselves (a relationship with a blacksmith NPC is required).

#Characteristics of Attire

Toukatsu-ryu swordsmen have no specific dress code. However — after long-term training, characteristics naturally emerge in the attire.

These visual characteristics have no mechanical effect but become material for narrative description.

#Ritual — Procedure for Revisiting Reviving Hell

When a Toukatsu-ryu PC re-enters Reviving Hell, they follow the school's ritual.

1. Draw the sword and make a shallow wound on one's own arm (1 Wounds self-damage, voluntary).
2. Pronounce the character "Katsu (活)."
3. Pass through the Depth boundary.

After undergoing this ritual — the yoma and half-yoma beings of Reviving Hell recognize the PC as a "pilgrim." During the first 1 round, automatic negotiation success (hostility -3). Thereafter it is determined by the PC's actions.

If they enter without performing the ritual — they are treated as a general intruder and immediately come to combat.

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#§ Advanced FAQ — Rules Clarification

#Q1. While in the Living-Blade Stance, does the first attack of the next breath gain +2 even if damage is received as a "critical"?

A. Yes. The condition "immediately after the breath in which damage was received" is unrelated to the amount or quality of the damage (whether it was a critical or not). Whether 1 Wounds or 5 Wounds is received, the first attack of the next breath gains +2 the same way.

#Q2. Can Revival Strike be used while "Living-Blade Stance" is being maintained?

A. Yes. Living-Blade Stance auto-releases when Wounds reach 0 — but when Wounds return to 1 via Revival Strike, the released stance is not restored (re-setting is required in the next round). That is, the free attack proceeds without the stance bonus.

#Q3. What happens if the free attack of Revival Strike fails?

A. Simply fails. Wounds remain at 1. End of this breath. Normal progression from the next breath. The 4 Energy is already expended. Recharge with a lull.

#Q4. Can other maneuvers be additionally used in the round Revival Strike is used?

A. The secret technique's free attack is a free action "within the breath." In subsequent breaths, actions are possible following normal Energy rules. However, the danger of being pressed again by the next attack in a Wounds 1 state remains.

#Q5. If multiple Toukatsu-ryu PCs are in the same combat, is the secret technique use restriction shared?

A. No. The "1 time per combat" is calculated separately for each PC. If there are 2 Toukatsu-ryu PCs in the party, they each get 1, for a total of 2 Revival Strike activations possible per combat.

#Q6. Can one rejoin after being expelled?

A. According to the §Expulsion Rules in the main text, rejoining Toukatsu-ryu after expulsion is difficult. The teacher refuses depending on the reason for destruction or expulsion. However, if a new teacher (a different yoma teacher other than Fumita, or a different ghost) is discovered, the possibility of rejoining opens. This is in the domain of the GM's scenario design.

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#§ Closing — The Reason the Sword Rises

A Toukatsu-ryu swordsman does not die much. But a Toukatsu-ryu swordsman — hurts much. Not dying is not winning. It is being in constant pain. Only one who can convert this pain into the sword can walk the path of Toukatsu-ryu.

"To cut is easy. The hard part — is rising again."

Fumita does not teach these words. He shows them. The nameless swordsman left no words. Only the sword.

Your sword — why does it rise? When you can answer this question, you already understand this school.

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You who are reflected in the mirror of Reviving Hell (等活), your wounds are your driving force. But do not forget — having wounds move a person as their driving force, and a person choosing wounds as their driving force, are different things. Toukatsu-ryu is the latter path. The former is attachment; the latter is practice. Only when these two are distinguished does the sword of Reviving Hell become not mere pain but a path.