A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 27 July 2008
Scenario: Crab personality dies. I play Courage In Death, delaying their destruction until after the battle is over. I have a Hida Itsuma in play. Can I react with him to negate their destruction once it occurs?
Would the answer be different if it occurred in a battle after the other three provinces battles had already been resolved. (i.e. Declare, assign, resolve province 1's battle, resolve province 2's battle, resolve province 3's battle, in the resolution of province 4's battle, above scenario occurs)
Card Texts:
Courage In Death Reaction: Before one of your Personalities is destroyed during battle: Give another target Personality a Force bonus equal to your Personality's Chi. If you are a Crab Clan player, delay your Personality's destruction until after the battle ends.
Hida Itsuma Reaction: Before one of your other Samurai is destroyed, if it is not the Action Phase or the Attack Phase, destroy Itsuma: Negate the other Samurai's destruction.
Alex Jones (rules official), 27 July 2008
Scenario: Crab personality dies. I play Courage In Death, delaying their destruction until after the battle is over. I have a Hida Itsuma in play. Can I react with him to negate their destruction once it occurs?
Would the answer be different if it occurred in a battle after the other three provinces battles had already been resolved. (i.e. Declare, assign, resolve province 1's battle, resolve province 2's battle, resolve province 3's battle, in the resolution of province 4's battle, above scenario occurs)
Card Texts:
Courage In Death Reaction: Before one of your Personalities is destroyed during battle: Give another target Personality a Force bonus equal to your Personality's Chi. If you are a Crab Clan player, delay your Personality's destruction until after the battle ends.
Hida Itsuma Reaction: Before one of your other Samurai is destroyed, if it is not the Action Phase or the Attack Phase, destroy Itsuma: Negate the other Samurai's destruction.
See Attack Phase, in particular Attack Phase: Battles: The Attack Phase ends immediately once the Attacker is at the opportunity to choose a battlefield, but battles have happened at all battlefields.
The Crab Personality whose destruction is delayed is destroyed "after the battle ends", which is before you choose which battlefield's battle to fight next, so the destruction occurs well within the Attack Phase.