Version scope: these detailed mechanics and route prerequisites come from classic-game community documentation. Story-route pages contain spoilers. Compare your edition before a route-sensitive choice.
Save before the shared branch — route spoilers
Ran's route and Souun's recruitment use related Houjou events. The community walkthrough says the Ran outcome requires a Second Game, no route already entered and fewer than five broken gourds. If you fail those route-state conditions, the event can lead to the Souun recruitment path instead.
This makes the current campaign state as important as the characters involved. A successful dungeon visit does not prove you chose the intended branch.
Follow the Houjou prerequisites in order
The relevant sequence includes Ran being recruited, Souun's departure to seal an Oni, both of Ran's purple events and conquering Houjou before the second of those events. Then enter the Petroleum Pit in Viper Oil Field and reach the deepest available area for the branch.
Do not delay indefinitely between the conversations and the dungeon. The source documents a later event in which Ran can leave permanently. Keep her in the roster and retain an earlier save while completing the chain.
Handle the sealing sequence carefully
After entering the route, you lose the remaining actions for that turn. If the choice concerning Manmaru becomes available, keeping her leads to a Game Over in the Xavier sealing sequence. Conquering Tenshiism immediately before the forced encounter can also leave too little opportunity for the release event.
Treat this as a route-critical event chain, not an optional collection choice. Review it before making the relevant conquest if your campaign state is close to that transition.
Later campaign goals
After the sealing sequence, the route develops the hole-closing battles and eventually a Saitama dungeon leading to Sekimei. Retain the ability to control and defend the provinces involved instead of following the True route's final-map objective.
The document records specific exceptions to ordinary province preparation in the hole fights. Use the encounter's own conditions rather than assuming every battle uses terrain preparation identically.
For personal combat, see dungeon battles. For repeat-game distinctions, use New Game Plus. This guide describes the classic route and does not promise that Steam's translated personal events use identical labels.
Sources & version scope
- AliceSoft community Wiki — Walkthrough — Community documentation for the classic game; not an official publisher manual or independent Steam playtest.
Source review: 2026-10-06. Official images are credited to Alicesoft. Editorial recommendations are separate from documented mechanics.
