Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 239 - The Crisis of Bishamonten

“Quick, take Ryuen back inside first,” Ayaka said.

Rei lifted Ryuen into her arms, and the sisters hurried back into the room. Lily checked the condition of the Inugami with her spiritual senses. Though its injuries were severe, as a beast-type shikigami, its spirit crystal remained intact. With the aid of a Blood Spirit Magatama and a few spirit artifacts, it could be healed quickly.

With a wave of her hand, Lily stored the Inugami and instructed Yuki-onna to begin treatment using the treasures within the mirror.

“Sister Shimizu, what is the current situation inside the Hekiraku Realm?” Lily’s gaze sharpened. If the one who injured the Inugami was still in this realm, she didn’t intend to let them escape.

Shimizu shook her head. “I can’t sense the full extent of the realm right now. In the areas I can reach, I see traces of battle, but no signs of a particularly powerful enemy.”

With no better choice, Lily followed Shimizu back into the room.

Ryuen now lay on the floor, while Ayaka carefully applied healing arts using divine techniques and rare medicinal ingredients.

“Sister Ayaka, how is she doing?” Lily asked.

“She’s wounded, but not gravely. It seems her condition is mainly due to exhaustion. With some rest and spiritual treatment, she’ll recover fully,” Ayaka replied.

It must have been the Inugami who fought desperately to protect her under Lily’s command. Ryuen bore no serious external wounds, while the Inugami’s fur had been dyed completely red with blood.

Rei stood silently to the side, her expression somber.

Bishamonten—those were the only words Ryuen had spoken before fainting. What could have happened to the once-mighty Celestial Battle Maiden of Takamagahara?

Long ago, Bishamonten had fled the heavens after sustaining grievous injuries, finding refuge and protection among the Uesugi clan, where she later gave birth to Rei. But afterward, she was betrayed by Shuten Doji, and while still wounded, she was swarmed by demon forces and captured by Takamagahara’s black-armored celestial soldiers. That had been many years ago.

Just before the battle in the Abyss, Lily and Shimizu had discovered that Takamagahara was intending to summon Lord Shikikai to interrogate Bishamonten. Rinne was deeply enraged by this and issued a kill order against the Lord Shikikai.

Lily and Shimizu had fought together and slain him. His divinity still rested with Lily even now. That matter had seemed resolved… So what had gone wrong?

Out of concern for Rei’s emotional state, Rinne had told Lily not to reveal the situation regarding Lord Shikikai. And though that matter was long over, Lily had never found the right time to tell her.

Now, an uneasy feeling gnawed at Lily’s heart.

“Bishamonten is Sister Uesugi’s mother. She mustn’t come to harm…”

Yet even as Lily told herself this, she knew she was being naïve. Bishamonten had been imprisoned in Takamagahara for years. Could anyone endure that and come out unscathed? Some faction up there clearly wanted something from her, and Bishamonten had refused to yield all this time…

Lily looked at Rei. Just by looking at her, it was easy to imagine what kind of person her mother must have been. A woman so proud, strong, and unbending, now enduring torture in Takamagahara. Lily could feel a rising fire of anger burning within her chest.

The sisters stayed at Ryuen’s side anxiously. Although Ayaka had said her life was no longer in danger, she still had not woken.

Then, the door opened.

Izanami entered, dressed in her long crimson robes, accompanied by Asura-Onna, Rakshasa-Onna, Queen Kaguya, and others.

“Mama!”

“Madam.”

“Lily, no need to say anything. Let me take a look.” Izanami walked over to Ryuen’s side and placed her pale, slender fingers on her forehead for a brief examination.

With a wave of her sleeve, a refined, gray-bearded tea master appeared in the corner of the room. His form was translucent, clearly an ancient spirit of the tea ceremony.

Though the sisters were anxious, the elder moved with elegant precision, preparing a bowl of tea without haste or disorder.

“Give her this to drink,” Izanami said.

Ayaka accepted the tea from the spectral tea master.

“Thank you, Master Sōbō,” even Izanami herself offered respect to the spirit. Lily sensed it wasn’t for power, but for his unparalleled mastery of the tea ceremony.

Lily, who was sensitive to such things, could tell that his tea skills were beyond the realm of mortals.

Ayaka employed a healer’s technique to safely deliver the tea to someone unconscious.

“Mmm…” After drinking, Ryuen furrowed her brows slightly, then slowly awoke.

“Miss Ryuen, how do you feel?” Lily asked with concern.

“Who hurt you like this?” Shimizu added.

“Wh-where… where am I?” Ryuen looked around. Apart from Lily and Shimizu, she didn’t recognize anyone else.

“This is Herikaku City. Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” Lily assured her.

“Herikaku…”

“Miss Ryuen, how are your injuries? Do you feel any pain?” Ayaka asked.

“I… I’m all right. Thank you, Sister Lily, and all of you…” Still disoriented, Ryuen’s eyes suddenly widened with alarm. “Bishamonten… Bishamonten, she—!”

As soon as she heard her mother’s name, a change came over Rei’s eyes, they no longer held their usual ease and lightness.

Seeing Ryuen trembling all over, her expression in disarray, Lily gently took her hand and softly said, “Miss Ryuen, don’t worry. Speak slowly.”

“Here, drink this as well,” Ayaka said, handing over another bowl of tea. It was freshly brewed by Amamiya Sōbō, and unlike the previous one, it carried a clear, calming fragrance.

Ryuen took a sip, and sure enough, her breathing eased, though her expression remained unsettled.

With Ayaka’s help, she slowly sat up and leaned against her. “Sister Lily… everyone… after you and Sister Shimizu left, even though Lord Shikikai was slain, his remaining followers scattered into factions and continued to cause chaos, tormenting the sister-tribes across the Hekiraku Realm.”

“Thanks to the Inugami you left to protect us, our Shizutake Tribe managed to defend ourselves. But when we received a plea for help from the Mizutsuki Tribe, we couldn’t just stand by while our fellow Hekiraku sisters suffered. We joined forces with neighboring clans to purge the remnants of Shikikai.”

“Everything was going well, especially with the Inugami’s help. But… we discovered that Shikikai’s former stronghold had become a gathering place for more of his followers, mostly demonesses. To extinguish the threat once and for all, we launched a combined assault. But then… then…”

“Ryuen, what happened?” Lily asked urgently. The other women watched in tense silence.

“All the sisters who entered the enemy stronghold were nearly wiped out!”

“What? How could that be?” Lily’s voice rose in alarm. “Who did it? Even the Inugami couldn’t stand against them?”

“It was… Lord Shikikai…”

“What!?” The entire room erupted.

“You must be mistaken,” Shimizu said sharply. “Lord Shikikai is dead. There’s no doubt about it.”

“We knew that too. That’s why we dared to attack his old stronghold in the first place. But deep within the stronghold, our sisters were ambushed. The ones occupying it were a large group of demonesses, and their leader… she claimed to be Lord Shikikai’s wife. She had the power to easily defeat even the Inugami!”

“Shikikai’s wife?” Lily and the others were stunned.

The Inugami was a beast-god once ranked among the ancient Celestials. If this woman could overcome it with ease, then… was she at the level of a Supreme God?

Ryuen trembled as she recalled the scene. “That woman led the demonesses in battle and utterly crushed our attack. The way they revered her… they called her ‘Lady Sovereign.’ She claimed to be Shikikai’s wife. I don’t know if she inherited his techniques or was tortured by him herself, but her methods… especially against women… were terrifying. Because she was a woman herself, she understood us more intimately than Shikikai ever could, perhaps even better than him!”

“Those Celestial Maidens from before returned. And upon seeing her skills firsthand, they shamelessly offered her even greater rewards to lure her to Takamagahara. They wanted her to interrogate Bishamonten! And they said it all openly, right in front of us, while we were bound in her great hall. According to them, we were all going to be sent to Takamagahara as slaves anyway.”

“What…?” Lily’s voice shook. “Shikikai’s wife… this woman still hidden in the Hekiraku Realm… and now she’s going to interrogate Bishamonten…” It was almost too much to believe. They had risked everything to kill Lord Shikikai, only for an even more terrifying successor to appear, his wife.

A wave of cold, biting energy swept through the room.

Rei’s silver hair floated up, her eyes blazing with a frozen fire. She shoved Lily aside, grabbed Ryuen by the collar, and roared, “Bishamonten!? Did you say Bishamonten!? What the hell happened!?”

“Enough!” Izanami raised her hand, and an overwhelming force knocked Rei backward.

She twisted in midair and landed on one knee, but the pressure was crushing. Sweat beaded on her brow as she struggled to rise.

“Mama, please…” Lily rushed to speak. “Sister Uesugi is just…”

“I know who she is,” Izanami said calmly. “But she needs to calm down and let the girl finish speaking.”

Ryuen continued, “If the Inugami hadn’t risked its life to save me, I wouldn’t be here. But even it could only save one person. All the others… my sister Murasakiyo, the elder women of our tribe, every young and beautiful one among us… all of them were taken. The Inugami was gravely wounded protecting me. Is it… is it all right?”

“Don’t worry,” Lily reassured her. “Inugami is a shikigami. It will recover. But tell me…what’s the situation now? Are those women still in Shikikai’s fortress?”

Ryuen shook her head. “The Inugami rescued me while they were escorting us. It’s already been several days. By now… they’ve likely reached Takamagahara.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she clutched Lily’s arm. “Sister Lily… my Shizutake Tribe has always worshipped the goddesses of Takamagahara. Bishamonten is our guardian deity, the divine swordmaiden who protects every girl who takes up the blade! She is sacred to us. A supreme warrior like her, how could she be guilty of anything? Why is Takamagahara going to torture her? This… this can’t be true, can it?”