The Oni's Apprentice is the fourth chapter of the story in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It begins at the end of Kyoto, Corrupted, when you return to Takamura at Rokudo-chinnoji Temple. As usual, throughout this spoiler-free walkthrough we'll help you complete every story chapter 100%, making sure you don't miss anything along the way and providing tips for the more difficult situations.
Shizuka will be next to the temple's Spirit Mirror. Talk to her to trigger a cutscene. From this point onward, you'll have access to equipment enhancements as well as basic and special abilities. At last, you can finally put all those hard-earned materials to use.
We recommend unlocking Chain Issen from the Basic Abilities > Issen branch. If you're reasonably comfortable performing Issen attacks, you'll soon be able to use it to finish off groups of regular enemies almost instantly.
For now, you can't leave the temple, so examine the bell Takamura mentioned and then speak with him. This will unlock access to the Practice Ground, where you'll need to complete the first tutorial to continue. Once you do, you'll receive the Wind-Whipper.
If you want to complete more Practice Ground missions, return to Rokudo-chinnoji Temple to trigger a cutscene, then ring the bell again. After the following scenes, the game will give you the impression that you have several missions to choose from... but in reality, the only one you can continue with is Careful What You Wish For.
