Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Volume 2 (Steel of the Celestial Shadows #9-17)

A down-and-out samurai who can't even hold a sword enters a strange world of magic searching for honor and redemption.

In early 19th-century Japan, a down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life. His dear departed mother's last hope was for him to live his life as a splendid warrior, but a cruel curse repels and distorts any metal that gets near him. Will he ever be able to wield a sword, much less live the life of an honorable samurai?

After his wife Tsuki is abducted by an onmyoji sorcerer, Konosuke tries to get on with his life. Struck by a curse that affects his memory, he can't remember who Tsuki was. Then he meets Aki, a young medium whose powers may help Konosuke recover his memory, and help him look for Tsuki. Konosuke's persistence draws the ire of the dark servants of the Bureau of Onmyo, who have orders to eliminate him...