Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 225 - Bloody Battle

A sharp crimson blade light, piercing the sky like a rainbow, blasted Wakarai backward. Just as he revealed a major opening, Kurorai and Fushirai closed in from both flanks; one with overwhelming strength, the other with sinister agility. Having just unleashed a full-power strike, Lily was forced to withdraw her blade mid-motion and counter their combined assault.

Yet from the distance, the demon gods of the Boundless Abyss, led by Kuroyodai, had already entered the fray.

Lily felt a grim sense of urgency but showed no surprise. The moment the pact was broken, and Herikaku City was severely damaged by treachery, she had already prepared herself for the worst: to face an onslaught by nearly twenty Supreme Gods from both Yomi and the Abyss.

If the abyssal demons hadn’t joined the battle, now that would have been truly shocking.

While Lily could overpower Wakarai in single combat, killing a Supreme God of his caliber was still extremely difficult, especially when he used treasures to retreat and avoid direct confrontation. Let alone now, when she was surrounded by three thunder gods who were extremely well-coordinated. Though Lily did not lose ground, she could not gain any either.

Now, the situation worsened as the abyssal demons, each far stronger than either faction, entered the battlefield.

After repelling Shimizu, the cunning Kunhiza observed the six female Supreme Gods closely. Each of them was already locked in combat, barely holding on, and unable to spare strength to help another.

His gaze then shifted toward Ayaka, who stood behind them. Sometimes she danced to send waves of heavenly charm that confused the demon army; other times, she swung her naginata to defend herself.

To Kunhiza, this woman was the weakest, only peak Celestial Stage at most. Yet she had a considerable impact. Her celestial maiden dance enhanced the six female Supreme Gods, supplemented their divine energy, and confused tens of thousands of surrounding demons.

“Take her down first! That celestial dancer in the feathered robe!” Kunhiza pointed one of the twin beast-headed blades of Joton toward Ayaka and gave the order.

Naturally, this command wasn’t directed at the demon hordes, but to the abyssal Supreme Gods charging across the battlefield.

“A mere Celestial Stage dancer? Watch me capture her in a single move! Hahaha! That aloof beauty is mine!” From the shadows, Kuralan-Chiyu, with three heads and eight arms, a blue face and golden armor, radiated ancient demonic power as he charged toward Ayaka.

“You’ll have to go through me first!” Shimizu flashed forward, intercepting Kuralan’s path.

Kunhiza sneered as he rushed toward Shimizu. “If you were truly the Boundless Imperial Princess, would you need others to protect you? You can barely save yourself and yet you still wish to protect someone else?”

His twin-headed weapon slashed toward her, forcing Shimizu to dodge at full speed.

Queen Kaguya, realizing the danger, rushed alongside Chiya to block Kuralan. However, from the depths of the Abyss army, two more Supreme Gods emerged; Kokuyoko and Kuhibika.

The first was a six-clawed demon tiger, its body encased in crystalline obsidian armor. The second was a serpent-like demon in sinister scale-plated armor, originally a colossal python spanning over a hundred thousand meters in length.

These two were no weaker than Wakarai, and they quickly engaged Kaguya and Chiya, plunging both the queen and her general into peril.

Ayaka continued her dance, releasing waves of rain to support the battlefield. But when she saw the terrifying Kuralan charging toward her, she was filled with dread. Compared to him, she felt like a small girl facing a mountain, completely powerless to resist.

She looked toward Lily for help, but Lily was still entangled with the three thunder gods. How could she intervene?

Ayaka had no choice but to stop dancing and flee. While dodging demons rushing at her along the way, she did everything she could to evade Kuralan’s pursuit. But he was far faster. Despite her agile maneuvers and sudden changes in direction, the gap between them rapidly closed. She threw out various treasures to block him, but they were as useless as mist before him.

In desperation, Ayaka tossed out her Heavenly Charm Bell.

The long, mournful chime echoed for hundreds of miles, making countless demons hesitate in confusion. Although it slightly disturbed Kuralan’s soul, it wasn’t enough to stop his pursuit.

The other sisters were also locked in battle with stronger opponents. Even defending themselves was difficult; none could come to Ayaka’s aid.

Her long hair fluttered in the wind as her gaze sharpened. Realizing she could not escape, Ayaka turned to face him, ready to die fighting. But her opponent was stronger than even Wakarai and Kurorai, how could she possibly withstand him? No willpower or resolve could compensate for such overwhelming strength.

Suddenly, countless cherry blossoms scattered across her vision.

Lily, sensing Ayaka’s danger, ignored the three thunder gods. She leapt into the air, spinning as she dodged Wakarai’s spear and used a forceful kick against Kurorai’s hammer. Using the momentum, she broke free of the thunder gods and soared toward Ayaka.

“How cruel, to target Ayaka, who possesses no divine power. These abyssal demons truly are vile.”

But if they were ruthless, then so was Lily.

“Back off!” she shouted, fury exploding from her. Cherry blossoms whirled through the sky, and a crimson blade slash, filled with eerie brilliance, clashed against Kuralan’s eight-bladed weapon.

A violent tremor shook the battlefield. Fueled by sheer rage, Lily unleashed a devastating blow that sent Kuralan plummeting.

“Wakarai! Are you thunder gods just decorations? Three of you can’t even stop her from interfering with my plan?” Kunhiza roared in frustration as the last step of his scheme fell apart in front of his eyes.

“Damn it!” The faces of the three Thunder Gods turned grim. Although they were the ones who had initiated the assault and attempted to seize Lily, it was humiliating to be outmatched by the very woman they had once dismissed as nothing more than a pretty face. Even when they were berated by the Abyssal gods, Wakarai and his brothers had no words to refute it.

“Brother! If the three of us still can’t take down Kagami Lily, we might as well stop showing our faces in Yomi!” Wakarai growled through clenched teeth.

“Attack! This time, we must teach that woman a real lesson!” Kurorai roared.

Amid rolling thunder and lightning, the three Thunder Gods charged at Lily once again.

“You two, go as well. Focus all efforts on taking down that dancer first!” ordered Kunhiza, whose authority in the Abyss was second only to Kuroyodai. While all were Supreme Gods, Kunhiza ranked among the top three in strength and was also the Abyssal army’s chief strategist, known for his cunning and deceptions.

Utopan and Chiroku, two powerful, brutish Supreme God-level demons from the Oni race, answered his command. These two had once escorted Lily on the Rinpeki Stage. Though they had once obeyed the Boundless Princess, they now served Kuroyodai and Kunhiza without question.

Known together as the Twin Oni, they were among the physically strongest of the Supreme Gods, though lacking in technique or mystic arts. Even so, each of them alone was more than capable of killing Ayaka.

Ayaka’s peak Celestial Stage might have surpassed most others of her realm, but she was still a far cry from Lily before her recent breakthrough. Her body, while strong for a Celestial Maiden, could not withstand the sheer power of the Twin Oni.

Technically speaking, Utopan and Chiroku did not advance to the level of Supreme Gods via normal routes. Rather, they were dark, corrupted beings born from the Abyss itself, creatures born of filth, malice, and twisted desire. Though barely on par with Supreme Gods in terms of raw strength, they held no divinity and did not command the laws of heaven.

Lily, even if capable of fighting off the three Thunder Gods while protecting Ayaka, would now have to fend off six Supreme God-level foes at once. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t be in six places at once.

And at this already desperate moment, Kuroyodai himself entered the fray.

From where he stood, the massive palm swept outward. Along its path, it crushed hundreds of lesser demons as easily as stepping on insects. It came down like the collapse of a mountain range, bearing toward Lily and Ayaka with unstoppable momentum.

The hand blanketed the sky, several kilometers wide, and sought to crush both Lily and Ayaka in one blow. Even if Lily could withstand it, Ayaka surely could not.

“No!” Lily knew she couldn’t take the blow head-on. Not even the Imperial Princess in her prime could contend with the raw physical might of a godlike being stretching tens of thousands of meters tall.

With no choice, Lily seized Ayaka and dove downward toward Herikaku City.

The enormous hand appeared slow but was frighteningly fast, especially due to its sheer size.

At the same time, the three Thunder Gods, the Twin Oni, and Kuralan surged in from different angles. With Ayaka in tow, Lily’s speed had already been compromised, and the encroaching demons blocked every path of escape. The colossal hand bore down like the end of the world.

“Lily! Save yourself! Don’t let me drag you down! I can escape on my own!” Ayaka cried out.

Escape? That was impossible. Whether it was the descending hand or any one of the Supreme Gods approaching, Ayaka stood no chance. She only said it to spare Lily the burden. But who was Lily? She would never abandon her sisters.

Lily swept her eyes over the battlefield, resolve hardening.

Activating her Lunar Sakura Domain to slow her enemies, she suddenly pulled Ayaka toward the weakest of the Twin Oni: Utopan. Of all the foes, he posed the least threat. But even the weakest of them was still a Supreme God.

“Block her!” shouted Kunhiza.

Unexpectedly, the Twin Oni closed ranks. They intended to face Lily together, making it even harder to break through. Behind her, the giant hand loomed ever closer. Lily had only a split second to act.

Suddenly, a flash of silver energy slashed across the back of Chiroku’s heel. The enemy’s strength was too meager. Chiroku had only stepped in to block Lily and didn’t even bother to acknowledge the approaching power of a mere Septuple-Soul Big Dipper. Yet, to his utter surprise…

“Rrraugh!” Chiroku let out a pained roar. The sinew of his enormous heel had actually been cut. Though not severed, the injury was enough to jolt him. He turned around and saw Uesugi Rei standing there, both hands gripping Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, having just delivered the strike.

Injured… by a mere Big Dipper? Furious, Chiroku raised a hand and slammed it down toward Rei. The blow was powerful enough to kill a high-level Celestial Stage warrior.

“No! Sister Uesugi!” Lily nearly lost control at the sight. How could her sister be so reckless? Attacking a Supreme God while so far beneath their level? There was no way she could survive such a strike.

“Get back!” Lily threw Oborozuki Muramasa with all her strength. The blade had been refined during her earlier days of preparation under Rinne’s guidance, and after absorbing the anima of Lord Shikikai, it had been elevated to the lowest tier of Divine Artifacts. Although it had not been forged with the demon soul as its core anima, it now possessed considerable power.

The sword pierced through the descending palm aimed at Rei. Meanwhile, Lily, still holding Ayaka, raced toward Rei’s position with all her strength. But how could she face the coming tide of godlike demons without her blade?

“Lily! Catch!” Rei shouted, tossing Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi toward her.