Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 244 - Only Lovers Shall Ascend from Herikaku (Part 1)

In the Herikaku Realm, a vast sunken valley shrouded in boundless mist stretched across the land. At the heart of this deep depression stood a towering mountain peak that reached 5,000 kilometers high.

Within the valley, poisonous miasma pervaded the air, and demons and beasts roamed freely. To cross this chasm meant facing not only these monstrous threats but also an environment of extreme peril. Fissures in the ground would erupt with flames thousands of meters high, capable of devouring even a Septuple-Soul Big Dipper expert in an instant. Falling into such a rift meant utter annihilation, without any chance of return.

Only after braving this treacherous land could one reach the base of the mountain.

And yet, the real danger began only from there.

Without the strength of a Celestial Stage, reaching the foot of the mountain was nearly impossible. Even those of Celestial Stage found it nearly insurmountable to scale the summit.

No one knew how many adepts had dreamed of ascending this heavenly path since the creation of the Herikaku Realm. Many had perished at the mountain’s cliffs, their bodies swallowed by the abyss below. And no one could say for sure how many had actually succeeded in reaching the summit.

Yet the Hachiwan chariot soared effortlessly through the hazards, flying straight to the peak.

The Inugami, even among Celestial Stage beings, was considered a top-tier existence. And that’s not even mentioning its comprehension of secret arts, in terms of speed and flight, it was virtually unmatched among Celestials.

With the guidance and assistance of Shimizu, the realm’s current master, no perilous peak could stop it.

Along the way, Shimizu faintly sensed that some other adepts, mostly women, were also struggling to advance through the valley. But their hopes were faint; climbing to the heavens was a near-impossible task. Shimizu said nothing of this, these were paths they had chosen themselves.

“Is this the summit of Herikaku Realm’s highest peak?”

Even the sisters, who had grown accustomed to the perils and vastness of Yomi, found themselves awestruck by the grandeur of the scene.

Though Yomi had its share of perilous mountains, it had nothing like the view before them. Clouds stretched for thousands of miles. The forests below appeared like an endless sea of green, blending into the horizon.

The sisters couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of Herikaku Realm’s landscape, their hearts momentarily soothed and uplifted.

Chiya gazed upward, feeling as if the sky here was somehow closer. “This must truly be the peak of the Herikaku Realm. But where is the road to Takamagahara?” Chiya asked.

The sisters also began to look around, sensing for any clues.

“Sister Shimizu, now that we’ve reached this place, how do we go further?” Lily asked.

Shimizu replied, “I have a feeling… that if we focus our thoughts and simply wait here, the path will reveal itself.”

“Focus our thoughts, and wait?”

The wind stirred the girls’ long hair and robes atop the summit. Trusting in Shimizu’s intuition, they sat down in meditation, each silently envisioning the Ascending Road.

Gradually, Lily felt a strange energy ripple through the heavens and earth. She looked up to see strange lights emerging across the sky. They shimmered like aurora, breathtaking and vast.

“Everyone, look!”

The sisters looked up. The luminous ripples spread wide, forming what appeared to be a heavenly river that stretched toward the distant heavens. At the far end, the river of light flowed downward, connecting directly to the summit.

The closer it got, the more it resembled a translucent, multicolored stream, both illusory and real, flowing gently beneath their feet.

Lily raised her foot and stepped onto the glowing current. To her surprise, she truly stood atop it. It felt as though she were standing on a river made of some kind of domain fluctuation.

“It really holds!” Lily exclaimed with joy.

Brilliant waves of light shimmered before Rei’s eyes.

“Sister Uesugi, come on up.” Lily extended her hand. Rei took hold of it, and with one step, she too stood upon the flowing light.

Queen Kaguya looked toward the distant end of the river and said, “It seems this radiant river of light is the path to the heavens.” As she spoke, she lifted her foot and stepped forward.

However, it was as if she stepped into thin air…her foot sank, and she had to step back awkwardly onto the ground.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I?”

The other sisters were just as puzzled. One after another, they tried, but none could stand upon it. The light appeared visible, but was intangible, neither solid underfoot nor reachable by hand.

“Let me try,” said Shimizu. She focused her mind, attempting to sense the fluctuations of the Herikaku Realm. As the realm’s sovereign, even if her control was incomplete, she still had a special connection to it.

But even after several tries, Shimizu was unable to step onto it.

“How could this be?” Lily and Rei stood hand in hand upon the river, looking down at their sisters in confusion.

“Maybe… you have to be holding Lily’s hand?” Ayaka speculated.

“Hmm. Lily was the first to step onto the river…worth a try,” Queen Kaguya agreed.

Just as she was about to step forward, Shimizu cut ahead of her. “Let me.” She reached for Lily’s outstretched hand, and with one step, stood upon the river of light.

“It works!” Shimizu said with a smile.

But at that moment, the flowing river beneath their feet suddenly began to ripple violently. Waves surged, colors danced, and the three standing atop it could barely keep their balance.

Splash—!

A burst of five-colored light scattered like water. The three girls were thrown off the river of light.

“Eh?”

“What just happened?”

Everyone was bewildered.

Lily stood up. “Let me try again.”

She stepped forward once more, back onto the glowing river.

“I’ll go too.” She pulled Shimizu up again. The two of them stood steadily on the light.

“Sister Uesugi.” But as Lily reached out and brought Rei back up with them, the same thing happened—instability surged, waves writhed, and although the three had braced themselves and avoided falling, they had no choice but to land back on solid ground.

“What’s going on? Is it limited to just two people?” Chiya asked in confusion.

So the sisters began experimenting in every possible combination. The first person could always step on, no matter who they were, but only up to ten steps. Beyond that, the river would become unstable, and they would fall.

However, if Lily was the one stepping on first, then only when she was paired with another person would the river remain calm. As long as they stayed close to each other, they could walk as far as they wanted, even beyond the mountain peak, even into the sky itself. Since everyone could fly, there was no fear of falling.

But with any pairing that didn’t include Lily, it always failed immediately. And even when paired with Lily, the moment a third person stepped on, the river failed again. The sisters were stunned.

“It seems… only one sister may ascend this road together with Lily. More than that, or without Lily, and it collapses,” Queen Kaguya summarized.

“Those with love may ascend from Hekiraku huh…?” Ayaka murmured wistfully. Her quiet comment made the sisters exchange glances, many with flushed cheeks. But no one had the heart to say it aloud. To speak it outright would only embarrass them all.

“But… what are we supposed to do now?” Chiya asked, visibly unsure.

The sisters all looked at one another, helpless.

“It seems this Ascending Road can only carry Lily and one of us at a time. So, Lily… who will you choose?” Shimizu asked.