The Pale Lights in a Night Sky chance encounter sits right at the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror in East Kyoto, and it opens up the moment Chance Encounters become available, shortly after you clear the main mission The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope. You’ll find a woman standing near the slope who swears she’s seen strange, glowing lights drifting through the night sky, and she wants Musashi to go find out what’s causing them.

This is Chance Encounter number one on your list, and honestly it’s one of the more annoying early fights because of what’s waiting for you once you track those lights down. I’ll show you exactly where to go, how to deal with the swarm of Kubi Akari hiding in the dark, and how to walk away with the Charm of Zeal without wasting half your arrows.

Bookmark this guide before you head out, because once the fight actually starts you won’t want to be tabbing away to check what comes next.

Where to Start the Pale Lights in a Night Sky Chance Encounter

Head to the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror and you’ll spot the woman standing off to the side of the main path. Talk to her and she’ll explain what she’s seen, a pale, flickering glow somewhere out past the rooftops, showing up only after dark. She doesn’t know what it is, only that it unsettles her, and she asks Musashi to go take a look. That’s your cue. I’ve marked the direction on the map, and from here it’s a short walk past the houses, so don’t rush off in the wrong direction just yet.

Of course, the game doesn’t spell out exactly what you’re walking into, and that’s kind of the point of a chance encounter like this one. You’re not told it’s a fight until you’re already standing in the middle of it, so keep your Oni Bow ready before you go any further.

Reaching the Kubi Akari Swarm Behind the Slope

You won’t get to the source of the lights by walking straight down the main road. Instead, duck behind the row of houses through the small shed set off to the side, and that path opens into the courtyard where the actual fight happens. This same stretch near Kiyomizu-dera Temple is where you’ll later run into the Daidara boss fight, so it’s worth getting comfortable clearing tight courtyards like this one before that encounter comes around.

Once you’re in, you’ll see why this quest earns its name. There are around ten Kubi Akari floating over the courtyard, giving off that same pale blue-white glow the woman described. I really don’t like fighting this type of Genma. They drift up above head height and tuck themselves behind the rooftops and bamboo, so a lot of the time your sword just can’t reach them, and you’re forced to switch over to the bow whether you want to or not.

Don’t worry if your aim with the bow feels shaky at first, this is genuinely one of the better spots in the early game to practice against Kubi Akari specifically, since the game reuses this same enemy type later on in the Ace Archer challenges scattered around other regions. Getting comfortable reading their movement and their attack windup here will save you a lot of wasted arrows down the line, so take your time instead of rushing the swarm.

Using Explosive Barrels Against the Flying Genma

Look around the courtyard and you’ll notice several barrels scattered near the buildings. Hit one with your sword and it detonates, so don’t get too close when you’re clearing a path. I found it’s actually better to pick a barrel up and throw it at the Kubi Akari hovering nearby instead of wasting a swing on it.

Here’s a little tip though: the barrel explodes the instant it touches anything, and I mean anything. Even a stalk of bamboo standing between you and the enemy is enough to set it off early, so line up your throw carefully. It took me two tries to get a clean shot where the barrel actually reached the cluster of Genma, and when it finally connected it took out three of them in one blast. That left only two left standing, which I finished off with the bow. Don’t get discouraged if your first throw fizzles out on a bush, just reposition and try again.

Timing Your Oni Bow Shots on the Kubi Akari

Kubi Akari are one of the pale, soul-feeding Genma that showed up new in Way of the Sword, and they spend most of the fight snacking on the floating soul essences Musashi needs for his gauntlet, which is one more reason not to let this fight drag on. When one of them starts to swell up, almost like it’s inflating, that’s your signal. It’s winding up to fire a long-range blast at you, and that exact moment is also when it’s at its most vulnerable.

Shoot it with the Oni Bow right as it puffs up and it’ll explode outright, and if there’s another Kubi Akari drifting close by, the blast can catch that one too. This is the same read-and-punish timing you’ll want to have down cold before you face off against Sasaki Ganryu on the bridge later in East Kyoto, so treat this courtyard as free practice. Aim for the glowing patch on their throat or cheek if you’re not sure where the weak point is, since that’s the spot the puffing effect lights up brightest right before it fires.

Pale Lights in a Night Sky Rewards: The Charm of Zeal

Clear out all the Kubi Akari and the courtyard settles down. Check the building off to the side for a chest before you leave, since it’s easy to walk right past it in the dark. Finishing this chance encounter hands you the Charm of Zeal, which boosts your Blade Gauge Increase Rate by 10 percent, meaning you’ll reach Blazing State noticeably faster in later fights. It also counts toward the Charmed Life trophy for collecting charms, and toward No Job Too Small, the trophy you get for clearing every one of the eighteen Chance Encounters scattered around Kyoto. If you want the full rundown of where those side quests sit alongside the main story, our guide to every mission and side quest in order lays out exactly when each one opens up.

The Charm of Zeal is worth slotting in early too, not just for the trophy. A faster Blade Gauge Increase Rate means you’ll hit Blazing State more often during regular fights, and that’s the window where your damage output jumps the most. I kept it equipped through most of East Kyoto simply because it pairs well with almost any playstyle, whether you’re leaning aggressive with two weapons or playing it safer with a single blade.

Wrapping Up the Pale Lights in a Night Sky Quest

Once you’ve grabbed the chest, head back to the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror and talk to the woman again. Tell her what those beautiful blue lights actually were, a pack of dangerous Genma, and let her know they’ve been dealt with. That closes out Pale Lights in a Night Sky for good. If you’re hunting down more of these early side objectives, the Clear Space, Clear Mind chance encounter over at Kamo-River East is a similarly quick detour worth doing next.

One last thing worth mentioning, don’t feel like you need to knock out every Chance Encounter the moment it appears on your map. Most of them, this one included, stay available for a long time, so it’s perfectly fine to clear the main story objectives in an area first and swing back for the side content afterward. I usually knock these out in batches whenever I’m already passing through a district for something else, and Kiyomizu-zaka Slope has enough side content nearby that it’s worth treating as one stop rather than several separate trips.

Where do I find the Pale Lights in a Night Sky chance encounter?

It starts at the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror in East Kyoto, where you’ll talk to a woman who describes seeing strange lights at night. It becomes available shortly after you finish the main mission The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.

How many Kubi Akari do I need to defeat?

You’re looking at around ten Kubi Akari in the courtyard behind the houses. They’re not tough individually, but their height and the tight space make them tedious if you’re only relying on melee.

What’s the best way to deal with the flying Genma?

Switch to your Oni Bow and shoot them right as they puff up before firing their own ranged attack, since that’s when they’re most vulnerable. Explosive barrels thrown into a cluster also work well, just make sure nothing like bamboo is blocking the throw first.

What do I get for finishing Pale Lights in a Night Sky?

You’ll earn the Charm of Zeal, which adds 10 percent to your Blade Gauge Increase Rate, plus whatever’s sitting in the chest inside the nearby building. It also counts toward the Charmed Life and No Job Too Small trophies.

When does this chance encounter unlock?

It’s the first chance encounter available in the game, opening up once the system unlocks right after The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.

Check out our other guides on ingametor.com for more Onimusha: Way of the Sword walkthroughs, including every boss fight and Chance Encounter we’ve covered so far.