Takeru rules as King of Kumaso, commanding a tribe opposing the Yamato kingdom in 5th century Japan. His leadership and character unexpectedly earn deep respect from Prince Oguna of Yamato, who originally arrives in Kyushu under orders to conquer Kumaso. This mutual regard creates profound conflict for Oguna, torn between duty and admiration. The tension intensifies when Takeru's younger sister, Kajika, forms a romantic bond with Oguna, entangling political rivalries with personal loyalties.

The immortal Phoenix, overseeing human affairs, then appears before Oguna and commands him to kill Takeru. Obeying, Oguna assassinates the Kumaso king and obtains a cloth soaked in the Phoenix's blood during the encounter. Oguna returns to Yamato intending to use the blood as an elixir to halt ritual sacrifices following his father the king's death. Despite his efforts, the tomb construction advances and the immolations proceed. Takeru's descendants survive underground, later reemerging to establish the Kumaso clan in future chapters of the Phoenix saga.