After apparently dying at Lord Mei-Oh's fortress — and letting Ayame plant his sword as a monument — Rikimaru resurfaces to report to Lord Gohda that he survived. The real Rikimaru, however, is stranded in the 20th century trying to find a way back. The story branches differently by chosen character but converges around the struggle for the Three Jewels of Heaven, Earth, and Virtue. The wizard Tenrai wants them all, commanding forces that include Onikage, who is secretly working toward reviving Mei-Oh and Tatsumaru. Rikimaru and Ayame push into Tenrai's fortress to stop him before he can use the Jewels to destroy the world.