Demon Sword Maiden

Lily and Rei accelerated through the skies. Ahead of them, as if twin heavenly walls were pressing in from both sides, a narrow slit amidst the rolling thunderclouds revealed a mighty stronghold.

This fortress loomed high, sealing off the entire valley path. Atop the massive gates, over a hundred meters tall and several dozen meters wide, stood a pitch-black fortress tower, heavily guarded by elite soldiers.

Even from a distance, the guards appeared especially large, with thick waists and broad shoulders clad in black armor. Though they looked like burly men, they were far taller than the average man from the Heian Dynasty, each standing between 2.5 to 3 meters tall, practically small giants.

“Lily, be cautious around this checkpoint,” Rinne warned. “The guards here are no ragtag bunch of decayed Kegaretsu soldiers. These are the elite forces of the Heroic God faction of Takamagahara, the direct troops of Ame-no-Tajikarao. Although the garrison of a checkpoint wouldn’t be your match, I can sense powerful formations inside. The formations here are linked all the way to Yuten Castle. If you force your way in and trigger the alarm, Yuten Castle will be alerted. A lone intruder who breaks through the checkpoint would immediately draw their attention, possibly even alerting the powerful beings deep within Takamagahara. Unless absolutely necessary, do not charge in by force.”

However, as Lily and Rei observed from afar, they discovered that the fortress was under strict guard. All passing merchant caravans had to show their passage tokens, and even their goods were thoroughly inspected. These elite soldiers were harsh and violent, even those with proper tokens were often subjected to intimidation and humiliation. Without a token, sneaking in was near impossible.

Lily considered bribing a merchant caravan or outright buying their passage tokens. But given her and Rei’s striking looks and figures, such dazzling beauties would only draw more suspicion if they tried to blend in with a caravan. It would be difficult to explain. Even pretending to be caravan leaders didn’t seem very convincing.

“How about we claim to be hired escorts for the caravan?” Rei suggested.

“That might work,” Lily replied.

“No!” Rinne warned them through spiritual transmission. “Didn’t you hear what that woman Riyuki said? Celestial Maidens need a legitimate identity to move around. Without one, they’ll be arrested. No matter how you disguise yourselves, you’ll still be recognized as members of the Celestial Maiden clan. Without identity tokens, claiming to be hired bodyguards? You’d be exposed immediately.”

“Ah… I see…” Lily admitted. “If I’d known earlier, we could’ve had Riyuki forge two identity tokens for us. We could’ve just paid her more.”

“It wouldn’t have worked,” Rinne replied. “These identity tokens are linked to one’s soul resonance. No one else can use them. Otherwise, I would’ve told you to do so long ago.”

“What now then…? Must we break through by force?”

Lily shook her head. She and Rei had come to rescue Bishamonten, and secrecy was of utmost importance. Just the two of them wouldn’t stand a chance against the might of Takamagahara. If they triggered the wrath of one of the Great Imperial Gods hiding in the depths, not only would they fail to save Bishamonten, but both she and Rei would be captured.

And if women like Lily and Rei fell into the hands of these Heroic Gods… the consequences would be unimaginable. Moreover, Lily was a wanted criminal listed on the bounty board

¹. What could she do?

Unless there was absolutely no other way, charging through was out of the question.

‘It seems that the female interrogator has already passed through the checkpoint, while we’re still stuck here.’

“Calm down. Just stay calm,” Lily reminded herself.

They continued to observe the checkpoint from afar with patience, hoping for an opportunity. Several merchant caravans and Kegaretsu nobles passed through, but Lily saw no chance to act. Asking those nobles for help? That would be the same as walking into a trap.

Just then, a group of flying Celestial Maidens appeared in the distance, also heading toward the checkpoint.

“Celestial Maidens…”

Hidden among the trees, Lily noticed that while the Heroic God

² troops were fierce and brutish, they lacked finesse. If she and Rei could blend into that group of Celestial Maidens, it would be the best way to get through.

Since those Celestial Maidens had made it through the perilous lightning valley over several thousand kilometers, they were sure to possess the proper documents to pass.

So Lily instructed Rei to intercept and negotiate with them while she herself quickly changed her hairstyle, from flowing hair over her shoulders to an elegant, classical bun adorned with various accessories. Of course, she didn’t do this for beauty’s sake.

She remembered the wanted posters, although the drawings resembled her, they were mere line sketches. By changing her hairstyle and fashion style and slightly altering her bearing, it would be hard for anyone to identify her from the crude posters unless they had seen her in person or compared them carefully.

Back in Herikaku City, Lily had already thought about this. She had reviewed her own bounty sketch obtained from Rakshasa-Onna and noted that the image depicted her wearing a red kimono with large sleeves and a sword at her waist. So, she changed her look.

She donned a revealing outfit in dark green, decorated with golden floral patterns, a short skirt with a top made of several dark green silk sashes that just barely covered her torso. It was undeniably seductive, but vastly different from the female warrior image shown on the bounty. Lily even put on bold makeup to appear more dazzling and flirtatious. After all, asking her to make herself look ugly just to hide her identity was something she simply couldn’t bring herself to do.

Her long, slender legs were left mostly exposed by the short skirt that looked ready to flip up at any moment. She wore only a pair of red sandalwood clogs on her feet.

And so, Lily took to the air and flew toward the checkpoint as well.

“Hm?” It was only then that Lily noticed, Rei could fly now too? Though Lily could sense that flight was costing her greatly.

It turned out that Rei had absorbed a large amount of Lily’s Charm Heavenly Path energy earlier. Coupled with the deepened bond between them, her Silver Lunar Force had also surged. Though she had not yet broken through to the Celestial Stage, her actual strength already rivaled it.

Thus, even at the cost of rapidly consuming her Silver Lunar Force and charm energy, she could barely manage flight for a short while.

By the time Lily flew over, Rei was already negotiating with the Celestial Maidens. However, Lily quickly noticed that the Celestial Maidens all wore wary expressions.

Leading them was a mature-looking Celestial Maiden. Her hair was styled with side-swept bangs and a single low ponytail tied beneath her long hair, with a band across her head. She wore a flowing feathered robe, white on top and pale bluish-purple below.

When she saw Lily, even she was momentarily stunned. Though guarded, she could not fully suppress the stir in her heart at the sight of such a stunning beauty in this wilderness. Moreover, Lily felt there was something indescribable in the way this Celestial Maiden looked at her.

Still, the Celestial Maiden looked Lily up and down. While clearly dazzled by her beauty, a flicker of disapproval crossed her face at Lily’s attire.

By this point, negotiations between Rei and the group had reached a deadlock. No matter what was said, the Celestial Maidens firmly refused to let the two of them join. It was clear that Rei still wasn’t good at pleading with others.

So Lily stepped forward, her tone soft and gentle. Combined with her current outfit, she appeared almost coquettish and charming.

To be honest, Lily herself wasn’t fond of such behavior, it felt beneath her. But this was a performance, and if the act was to begin, she had to commit. After all, the Celestial Maidens and the Heroic God army were essentially on the same side. If these women recognized her from the wanted posters, everything would be ruined.

“Oh my, dear Celestial sister,” Lily said, her voice sweet as she swayed her waist alluringly, her gaze seductive. “My sister and I have come from the distant Hizan, simply wishing to visit Sister Uesugi’s mother in Yuten Castle.”

Though her tone was sultry, it never came off as vulgar. It was as if a once-proud goddess had fallen, exuding an enchanting yet inexplicably divine allure.

She leaned gently against Rei’s side as she spoke. Her acting was so convincing that even Rei nearly believed it herself, her heart fluttering with a strange joy.

“I’ve pledged myself to Sister Uesugi,” Lily continued, gazing longingly at her. “But unless her mother gives us her blessing, she refuses to marry me. So, no matter what, we must see her. Her mother is a commanding officer of the Celestial Maidens in Yuten Castle, and she is heavily burdened with duty. We’ve heard something major is happening there lately, and security has tightened. It’s impossible for her to leave. So we must go and seek her out ourselves, to ask her to bless our union.”

Her eyes brimmed with longing, the nervous anxiety of a maiden in love, as she looked up urgently at Rei.

The Celestial Maidens watching were instantly burning with jealousy. Many glared daggers at Uesugi Rei.

“Hmph, what’s so special about that cold-faced woman?” one Celestial Maiden, with decent looks, muttered with a glare. “You little hornbag! If you ever fall into my hands, I’ll teach you a proper lesson, you flirt. I’ll beat the life out of you!”

Faced with Lily’s overwhelming beauty and dramatics, the Celestial Maidens were helpless. Even the ponytailed leader found herself torn. She truly didn’t want trouble, yet she also felt reluctant to drive Lily away. There was a faint, inexplicable itch in her heart.

But when she remembered the mission they were on, she clenched her jaw and shook her head. “Miss, it’s not that we don’t want to help, but we carry an important responsibility. We can’t afford to fool around. If the Heroic God army discovers that you aren’t with us, we too will be implicated. We cannot take that risk without reason.”

“Yeah! Why should we care if you’re desperate to get married? You’re practically in heat, coming all the way here like this. So shameless!” snapped another Celestial Maiden, petite with freckles but still rather pretty. She disliked Lily intensely, not because Lily had done anything, but simply because she was too beautiful and stole the spotlight. Among Celestial Maidens, there were many like her; passive, soft-spoken ‘little sister’ types who preferred to be pursued. Naturally, such women instinctively saw Lily as a rival.

Although Lily wasn’t the kind of woman who sought to outshine others, somehow women just sensed that she was that kind of woman. Perhaps it was simply a misunderstanding on the freckled maiden’s part.

“If you won’t help, then at least stop insulting my sister!” Rei snapped, stepping in front of Lily protectively.

“Enough, don’t be rude,” the ponytailed leader said at last. “Helping others is good, yes—but we really can’t assist with this. I’m sorry.” She turned to leave.

Lily grew anxious. Though this Celestial Maiden appeared serious and strict, she didn’t seem like a bad person. If they missed this chance, who knew how long it would take to find another group of Celestial Maidens?

She gritted her teeth, determined to take the risk. She stepped forward and blocked the leader’s path.

“Please step aside, miss,” the Celestial Maiden said. She was now very close to Lily, and as she caught the scent and presence radiating from her, her voice involuntarily wavered.

“Please, sister, I know that helping us would put you at risk. But Lynne isn’t an unreasonable woman, I wouldn’t ask you to take that risk for nothing.” As she spoke, Lily took out a pouch of Blood Spirit Magatama and held it up before the leader of the Celestial Maidens.

Footnotes:

1. 
   
   

   Syl: funny story, how did a “wanted list” get glossed as “Schools” in the Terms Sheet… now I don’t know what’s the term we used before, so I’ll yolo it

2. 
   

   Syl: Not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but this term has appeared many many times before, they literally translates to “Male God,” but since the frequency of usage is so high, I’ve decided to use a fixed term to refer to them, think of Heroic Gods as the opposite counterpart of Celestial Maidens.