Chapter 8
A Challenge Under the Sign of Exorcism

Mayoko narrates what followed with growing intensity, her words holding the audience spellbound as she describes the decisive moment when the gokenin made his entrance.

The gokenin, standing on the platform, made a soothing gesture with his arms to calm the crowd, she recounts, imitating the gesture with her own hands. He then spoke, acknowledging that the rumours of witchcraft against me had grown widespread enough to deserve attention. Mayoko lowers her voice, reflecting the solemnity of the moment. ‘My purpose,’ he said, ‘is neither to confirm nor to deny them. Indeed, I have no opinion on the matter. But my role is to combat them, so as to keep obscurantism and madness at bay.’

Mayoko's tale grows more intense as she quotes the gokenin's words. ‘Tonight,’ he proclaimed, ‘I shall face her in person.’ He added that for this duel, the ōgiban and the pieces had been purified with salt and placed under the protection of an exorcist monk. She pauses, the tension rising in the room.

The gokenin then declared, with undeniable gravity, that the duel must be pursued to its conclusion, without interruption. Mayoko looks at her listeners, making them feel the weight of every word. ‘These conditions being met, it is plain that my defeat, or a draw, would de facto clear my opponent. But if, on the contrary, I win, I can promise you that the enchantress of ōgi pieces will be severely punished.’

In the room, a shock wave can be felt passing through the audience, each person realising the immense pressure and danger those words held for Mayoko.