Demon Sword Maiden

All the sisters stared at Lily in disbelief.

“Lily, do you even understand what you’re saying?” Queen Kaguya asked.

“Lily, I’ve long had enough of Takamagahara myself. The way they’re treating Bishamonten is truly disgraceful. But Bishamonten is a goddess of the High Heavens. Their internal strife has nothing to do with you… or with us,” Rakshasa-Onna said, puzzled at Lily’s decision, which to her seemed rash. Even if Lily’s choice didn’t necessarily include her, she still couldn’t help but voice her opinion.

“Takamagahara… heh…” Shimizu let out a soft laugh. “That woman’s mother has nothing to do with me. But Lily, wherever you go, I will follow.”

“What? Whose mother?” Chiya asked, confused.

“Oh? You didn’t know?” Shimizu smiled faintly.

Since they were all sisters here, Lily had no reason to hide it anymore.

She said, “Everyone… Bishamonten is Sister Uesugi’s mother.”

“What!?”

The sisters from the mortal realm, like Ayaka, had known this, but Queen Kaguya, Asura-Onna, and others from Yomi had not. Still, even knowing, it was uncertain what they would decide, there wasn’t exactly a bond between Rei and them.

“Miss Uesugi… you’re the daughter of the legendary war goddess of Takamagahara, Bishamonten?” Kaguya-hime looked at Rei in disbelief. Her own memories were fragmented, and she couldn’t recall Bishamonten’s face clearly, but something faint stirred in her.

“Now that you mention it… there really is a resemblance…” Chiya added, drawing from a vague impression.

“We’re sorry, Miss Uesugi. We didn’t know…” Queen Kaguya said, guilt creeping into her tone.

“Not at all.” Rei bowed deeply to all the sisters. “I, Uesugi Rei, am hardly anyone of worth. I don’t even know if I can make it out of Yomi, let alone reach the edge of Takamagahara. What right do I have to ask you to risk yourselves to save my mother?”

“Please, don’t do this for me. You’ve all only just escaped the dangers of the Abyss. Even with my shallow understanding, I know that going to Takamagahara to save a condemned traitor is a hundred times more dangerous than descending into the Boundless Abyss.”

“My mother is in danger. As her daughter, I cannot turn away. Even if I know it means my death, I must fulfill my duty as her child.” Rei lowered her head, silver hair spilling down, her gaze unwavering.

She had long since made peace with that path.

“But there is no reason for anyone else to risk their lives for me!”

Just as Lily had predicted, Rei intended to go to Takamagahara alone.

‘Sister Uesugi… why must you be so stubborn?’ Lily thought, heart aching.

“Hmph. Uesugi Rei, I thought you were more sensible. Never expected you to lose your head like this and say something so irresponsible,” Shimizu suddenly stepped forward, her voice cold. She brushed aside Rei’s silver hair, letting it fall like a fan around her shoulders.

“What did you say?” Rei frowned, looking toward her.

“So it turns out, you don’t understand Lily at all. In that case, you might as well stay away from her,” Shimizu said sharply.

“Sister Shimizu, why are you saying this now?” Lily cried, alarmed. Rei already carried immense emotional weight.

Shimizu replied, “Uesugi Rei, you know full well Lily would never just watch you walk off to your death. Yet you still say such reckless things? In that case, you’re unworthy of being my rival.”

With a flick of her long sleeves, Shimizu turned and walked toward the outer platform.

“Shimizu…” Rei clenched her jaw, her whole body trembling. No one could see the expression on her face.

“Rei,” said Ayaka, stepping forward and resting her hand gently on Rei’s shoulder, “we met back in Heian-kyo and have walked through many dangers together. We are as close as sisters now. Your mother is our mother too. If she is in danger, then we must save her. I feel the same way as Lily. So if you say things like that again, as if none of us matter, don’t you think it’s a bit too cruel?”

Queen Kaguya added, “We risked our lives at that wedding. We fought side by side in the Abyss. As Lily once said, sisters for a day, sisters for life. Chiya and I will help with everything we have. And as for Bishamonten, she shares deep ties with both of us. How could we stand by and do nothing while she suffers?”

“That’s right, Miss Uesugi,” Chiya said. “I understand, you feel the weight of responsibility and don’t want to drag Lily or the rest of us into danger. But don’t underestimate us. If our roles were reversed, I believe you would make the same choice.”

“All of you… if this is truly your decision, then I, Uesugi Rei, have nothing more to say.” She suddenly knelt, bowing low to the ground before her sisters. Her silver hair cascaded forward, her forehead touching the floor. “I am endlessly grateful to you all!”

In the dimly lit grand hall of Herikaku City, warm candlelight flickered against the walls.

Lily, Rei, Shimizu, Ayaka, Kaguya-hime, and Chiya sat in a circle, kneeling around the center where the sacred Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi stood upright, gripped together by Lily and Rei.

One by one, the sisters placed their hands atop the sword, clasping it tightly.

“If we are sisters, then we live and die as one!”

“As one!”

“As one!”

In that dark and solemn hall, they each vowed with unwavering hearts.

Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna stood to the side, their eyes filled with admiration.

“Forgive us, Lily. We serve under the Madam. There are other matters in Yomi that we must tend to. We cannot act freely,” Asura-Onna said.

“But within our power, we will help however we can!” Rakshasa-Onna added.

Lily nodded firmly. She understood completely. These two were the Madam’s right and left hands, responsible for maintaining the balance of power in Yomi. They could not move without orders.

“Lily…” Though they had made their vow, Kaguya-hime could not hide her worry. “Even if we have the resolve… how exactly do we leave Yomi and reach Takamagahara?”

The question left them all in silence.

“There has to be a way,” Lily said at last. Yet deep inside, she had no idea how either.

Ayaka spoke up, “From the mortal realm, there are two known routes. One is building the Ascension Platform and constructing airships to fly into the heavens, that’s what we attempted before. But we were ambushed, and Lily fell into Yomi. Many shrine maidens were lost. That route is no longer viable.”

“The other is through the Heavenly Gate. Those in the Big Dipper Stage who reach the power of Septuple-soul may pass through it to enter Takamagahara. But first, we’d need to return to the human realm.”

Kaguya-hime rubbed her forehead, visibly frustrated. After falling from the heavens and mistakenly drinking the waters of the River of Oblivion, she had lost much of her memory. What secrets of Takamagahara she once held were now broken fragments, many forgotten entirely.

“I… I still remember a little. The battlefield at the edge of the ancient war… that was once the only path from Yomi to Takamagahara,” Kaguya-hime said. “But after that primordial war, a cataclysmic blade scar was left at the entrance to the Celestial Demon Path. The scar is imbued with endless wrath, unhealed for eons. No power in the Three Realms can dispel it. Since then, no one from Yomi could walk that road to the heavens, nor could celestial gods descend through it.”

“Then how do we reach Takamagahara now? Or even leave Yomi at all?” Chiya asked.

“Ladies,” Rakshasa-Onna said from where she leaned against a pillar. “While I admire your camaraderie, don’t blame me for saying this, but… isn’t it too soon to be plotting your departure like this? Shouldn’t such a major decision be reported to the Madam first?”

Lily’s chest rose and fell heavily. She nodded. “I’ll go report to my mother right away.”

If the Madam agreed, perhaps she could also advise them on how to reach Takamagahara.

“Sisters, why don’t you return and rest for now. I… I’ll go seek the Madam’s permission. Once she agrees, I’ll call everyone together again.” Lily’s tone faltered slightly.

“Eh? Will it take that long to report?” Chiya asked.

“We can just wait here for you,” said Kaguya-hime.

“Well…” Lily looked a little troubled.

“Let’s go with Lily’s plan,” Ayaka said, sensing Lily’s unease. “We’ll each take a moment to prepare and reflect.”

So Lily went off to report to the Madam, while the others either waited in the hall or returned to their quarters. But Lily didn’t go to the Madam right away. Instead, she first returned to her room and entered the Mirror Dimension.

“Senior Sister,” Lily called as she appeared before Rinne.

Rinne sat in white robes upon a long couch, as always.

“Lily, how could you act so impulsively? To make such a decision without consulting me first?” Rinne scolded her the moment she appeared.

“But, Senior Sister, that’s Uesugi’s mother we’re talking about. And Bishamonten has shown me kindness in the past. You were the one who sent me to kill Lord Shikikai to save her, weren’t you?”

“Bishamonten must be saved,” Rinne replied. “But that doesn’t mean we should charge into Takamagahara now! Killing Lord Shikikai in Herikaku Realm was still manageable. But to rescue such an important prisoner from Takamagahara with our current strength? The risk is enormous! Worse, this might very well be a trap.”

“A trap? Senior Sister, I understand there are those in Takamagahara who wish to harm our world. But who exactly are they? Who is our true enemy?”

To her surprise, Rinne turned her gaze toward a distant lantern flame. “Lily, I had not intended to tell you so soon. But it seems you’ve already made up your mind. You ask who our enemy is?”

The flickering lamplight reflected in Rinne’s eyes.

“All of Takamagahara.”

“…What?” Lily trembled beneath the soft glow of the flame, her gentle form swaying. “Senior… what are you saying?”

Rinne’s expression turned solemn, each word spoken with a chilling weight. “Kagami Lily. If you truly intend to save Bishamonten, then you must prepare yourself for this. All of Takamagahara is our enemy!”

Author’s Note:

The Takamagahara Arc is about to begin, and it’s a very important one.