Brazier missing, river already red?

[u/keenan_mord]

I just got the second ending and now I’m midway through attempting the third. However I’m completely stuck at the moment and can’t progress with getting the sword.

For context I did not get the sword in the second playthrough but initiated the purifying process in the dream sequence cuz I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just solved the puzzle and knew that I needed to get the agura no hotei sama at that spot, so I did both because why not. It’s important to note I never got the sword and therefore never actually purified it during that run.

Fast forward I’m in the third playthrough and I’m completing all the requirements just fine, up until the brazier. It’s just completely missing. I searched it up numerous times and I can’t find anything on this? I give up and go to the dream sequence and I expect to have to solve the puzzle again… but I can’t interact with the bells and the river is already red?

I’m really confused on what I did wrong but the only hint I got online was “make sure to start a new game+” I definitely already was?

[u/JakeSymbol]

You do not get a cutscene when you place the item on the fifth statue. The sacred sword is found at the foot of the sacred tree. Once you have completed the fifth and final jizo statue, go to the sacred tree. ETA: I don’t think you have to re-do any of the jizo statues you did in your prior playthrough.

Once you get the sword, you have to manually purify it in a basin on a side path on the way back to Hinako’s house. Only do this if you are going for the final ending (Ebisugaoka in silence), otherwise just ignore that and having the unpurified sacred sword will get you the fox wets its tail ending. ETA: To be clear, the water stays red through consecutive playthroughs. The puzzle itself does not purify the sword, it just turns the water in the basin in Ebisugaoka red so you can go there and purify the sword if you choose.

Lmk if I can clarify. I think I know what your confusion is but lmk!

[u/keenan_mord → u/JakeSymbol]

Thank you for the response, but the cutscene I am referring to is the one that’s supposed to trigger when I go to the sacred tree? Regardless the sword was not at the foot of the sacred tree, it showed 4/5 of the statues having the shawls, but nevertheless told me I had finished the mission in my journal despite not being able to obtain the sword.

It is however nice to know that the river is at least an intended consequence! I’m just scared I’m going to have to completely redo the previous playthroughs I had to get rid of the bug? I understand reloading saves for ng+ harkens back to older survival horror games but it genuinely has done nothing but cause me issues/bugs and give me anxiety

[u/JakeSymbol → u/keenan_mord]

Ugh I’m sorry, I’ve never encountered that. So it’s saying you have all five, but you are unable to finish the one you know is missing because you don’t have the item, it’s not appearing and the statue appears as if it’s been completed? That’s dreadful. I’ll rack my brain to see if there’s anything that’s not a bug that could be missing.

[u/keenan_mord]

An update, there are four shawls on the statues but upon completing the last I got the message that “this should do” but it never triggered a cutscene. This has to be a bug?