Demon Sword Maiden

A massive figure stepped out from the darkness, each stride heavy and thunderous.

He stood about four to five meters tall, his face red as crimson grain, his coarse black hair wild like a lion’s mane, and his beard as thick and unruly as an iron rake. His eyes were wide and round as bronze bells, his nostrils flaring like a snorting bull. His shoulders were like mountains, his waist as thick as a giant wine barrel. His build was terrifyingly robust, clad in ancient, rugged black armor and a tattered orange-red robe that exposed skin dark and lustrous like Godsteel. His arms were thicker than Lily’s waist, his chest and forearms covered with dense black hair as sharp as bristles of steel.

Around him lingered a visible aura of raw, masculine energy; dense as smoke, domineering and untamed. Every step he took seemed to shake the ground, a near-horizontal stomp that radiated absolute strength. Any ordinary Celestial Maiden who merely felt his presence would be struck with instinctive fear, their knees going weak.

Without anyone needing to speak, Lily immediately realized from this god’s overwhelming aura that the situation had turned dire.

There could be no doubt. This man was Ame-no-Tajikarao.

If he wasn’t, then Yuten Castle would have to have another being of equal might, and if that were the case, Lily might as well lay down her sword and surrender.

Yes, this man was unmistakably Ame-no-Tajikarao.

His power and dominance far surpassed that of any Supreme God Lily had ever encountered. In sheer force of presence alone, not even Kuroyodai or the Boundless Empress in her prime could compare. He was the first being to make Lily instinctively feel she stood no chance in a direct confrontation.

Of course, her mother Izanami existed on another level entirely, incomparable to any other. Yet if Lily had to choose between taking one of Izanami’s blows head-on or a single strike from this brute’s raw strength, she would rather take Izanami’s. In terms of brute force, there were few across the Three Realms who could rival this man. Even the Great Imperial Gods might not surpass him.

‘Damn it… I’ve gone to such lengths just to avoid this man. And now, just when we’re about to escape with Bishamonten… we run into him…’ Lily’s heart sank as dread welled up. ‘This man… I might not be able to handle him.’

Ever since advancing to the Celestial Stage, she had never once felt such fear toward anyone other than her mother.

Rinne’s warnings had clearly taken her current strength into account, and it seemed they were justified. This man truly wasn’t someone she could defeat.

Ame-no-Tajikarao strode closer. A large gourd of wine hung at his waist, and his dark muscles were inked with ancient divine and demonic tattoos Lily had never seen before, making him look even more formidable. He took a deep swig from his gourd, and when he exhaled through his massive nostrils, the entire hall filled with a heady reek of liquor that made Lily and the others frown.

Then his eyes turned toward the group of women. When his gaze swept over Lily, his eyes widened sharply. She felt a massive wave of primal energy strike directly into her soul, so strong that even her soul defenses trembled under its weight.

But Ame-no-Tajikarao didn’t continue staring at Lily. His gaze shifted briefly toward Bishamonten, then moved to Furaku. Unlike what one might expect from a man who had never before laid eyes on such beauty, he showed no hint of surprise, lust, or curiosity. Instead, his expression hardened, and he glared straight at Furaku.

“Madam Furaku,” he rumbled, “it’s been a few days. Tell me, how has your interrogation gone?”

“Ah…” Furaku’s whole body trembled under his overpowering aura. Though she tried to remain calm, cold sweat streamed down her back. Forcing a soft, sultry smile, she stammered, “I have made… some progress. I was just about to bring them to meet Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao personally and report the results to you.”

“Oh? Hahaha! Is that so?” He burst into loud laughter, his voice shaking the hall.

Furaku secretly exhaled in relief. Since things had reached this point, all she could do was play along. She decided to hand the two women over to him, surely, with this man here, she would be safe from harm. As for her previous plans, she could simply deny everything. Who would believe a prisoner’s word anyway?

However—

Ame-no-Tajikarao suddenly stepped forward, lowering his enormous face close to hers. The sheer masculine pressure radiating from his body snuffed out every trace of her presence as a female Supreme God.

“Funny,” he said, his deep voice rumbling like thunder, “because I heard you told the other Celestial Maidens that I summoned these two personally, to interrogate them myself. Is that true?”

At those words, Furaku’s heart pounded wildly. Her face turned red as she forced a strained smile. “There must be some misunderstanding… these Celestial Maidens have been here too long. Their message must’ve gotten confused, that’s all…”

Before she could finish, a pink-feathered figure stepped out from behind Ame-no-Tajikarao’s leg, it was Yuko. The sight of her made all the color drain from Furaku’s face.

“Hmph. Madam Furaku,” Yuko said coldly, her tone dripping with mockery. “You told that same story to every Celestial Maiden here. The entire prison can testify against you. Still think you can deny it?”

Lily and Bishamonten stood bound at a distance, both wearing grim expressions.

‘Damn… it must’ve been Yuko who reported everything!’ Lily realized.

Yuko walked up beside Riyuki. “Well, Riyuki,” she said, “why don’t you tell everyone what Madam Furaku said to you?”

Though Riyuki had purposefully gone along with Furaku’s orders before, she was still on their side. Naturally, she told the truth, that she was only following orders.

“Furaku!” roared Hirotake, stepping out from behind her. “You told me a completely different story! You even claimed you took a wrong turn! If you weren’t hiding something, why refuse my escort? You were clearly trying to help the fugitives of Takamagahara escape! We caught you red-handed! What have you to say now!?”

Sweat poured from Furaku’s body as she trembled, her head bowed low. “This… this must be… a misunderstanding!”

Suddenly, her divine power flared. She leapt back, summoning a pink whip in her hand, and lashed it toward Hirotake. It wasn’t a powerful artifact, but coming from a Supreme God caught off guard, it was still a dangerous strike. Hirotake barely managed to raise his arms to block before being sent sprawling by the blow.

¹

Without hesitation, Furaku turned and bolted toward the courtyard at full speed, not even sparing Lily and Bishamonten a glance. Escape was her only thought!

Boom!

A colossal surge of divine energy erupted. Ame-no-Tajikarao moved. For someone of his immense size, his speed was shockingly fast; faster than Furaku could even react. Before she could reach the courtyard, he had already caught up. His massive, iron-hard hand came crashing down.

The entire Yuten Castle trembled with the impact!

Furaku screamed as she was slammed headfirst into the floor, smashing through the thick stone tiles and carving out a massive crater.

Her clothes were torn and tattered, her body battered and dizzy. A single casual slap from Ame-no-Tajikarao had left her paralyzed and unable to move, her divine power severely damaged.

“What!?” Lily’s eyes widened. Furaku might have been shameless, but she was a Supreme God! Yet this brute had subdued her with a single slap?

Outside Yuten Castle, the shockwave from that one blow rippled outward like a hurricane. The overwhelming force blew apart the oppressive clouds in concentric rings, spreading far and wide across the darkened sky.

“There’s movements!” Among the hundreds of Celestial Maiden rebels hidden on the nearby Hakanajima, Rei was startled. Such commotion was far from normal, yet Lily had sent no signal.

It had to mean Lily and the others had run into something major while rescuing Bishamonten. This force was no ordinary combat-level threat.

“Sisters, Lily and my mother must already be fighting their way out of Yuten Castle! The enemy has engaged them, now is the time to act!” Rei drew the Kusanagi and pointed it straight at Yuten Castle.

“This is our chance to strike from inside and out, with me!” Meishin, Asazora and the other squad leaders decided at once.

They had been waiting for Lily to make the first move; now that fierce fighting was raging inside, what better moment to come to her aid?

The Celestial Maidens broke cover and launched themselves from the hidden Hakanajima, flying resolutely toward Yuten Castle.

On Lily’s side, however, Furaku lay flushed and unable to rise; her escape plan had been exposed.

Ame-no-Tajikarao turned and planted himself at the courtyard gate, glaring at Lily and Bishamonten. “Bishamonten,” he demanded, “will you return to the cell of your own accord, or must I have you dragged back?”

At this point, any pretense was pointless. They unleashed their divine power and shook the bindings that had held them. The ropes fell in loose coils at their feet. With a metallic ring, Lily drew Oborozuki Muramasa. Bishamonten adopted a bare-handed fighting stance.

“Ame-no-Tajikarao! We both served under Amaterasu once, as the strongest of her martial gods. We once fought for Amaterasu and for Tsukuyomi. Now you would raise your hand against an old comrade, is there any honor or loyalty left in you?” Bishamonten shouted.

Even putting past strength aside, Bishamonten in her current state might not even beat Furaku. She was no match for Ame-no-Tajikarao; her words were meant to lash out, to vent her hatred at these traitors.

Her words struck Ame-no-Tajikarao harder than any blow could. The colossal, indomitable frame trembled slightly; for the first time a flicker of hesitation crossed his rugged features.

“Let us go!” Bishamonten knew they could not overpower him. She seized the moment of his hesitation and dragged Lily, attempting to run past him.

“Halt!” Ame-no-Tajikarao’s aura roared up like a tidal wave as he blocked their path. He opened his wide mouth; his double rows of bull-like teeth gleamed white. It was said his bones were extremely hard, his teeth able to bite through the common divine artifacts.

He bellowed, “Bishamonten, how dare you mention… Tsukuyomi… in my presence?”

Ame-no-Tajikarao’s coarse face betrayed an unusual, almost inexpressible subtlety for a moment, then his fury hardened into something even more ferocious.

“I, Ame-no-Tajikarao, obey only Amaterasu’s divine decree! With that decree ordering the Yuten Army to detain you, traitor of Takamagahara, I will not be swayed. Even if you were once a comrade, even if you were family, I cannot let you pass!”

“Bishamonten, you cannot take even one of my blows in your present condition. If not for the sake of old ties, I would have subdued you with a single punch long ago! I am a man of honor; I do not take advantage of the weak, but I will not defy the divine decree. Surrender at once!”

As he spoke, Ame-no-Tajikarao glanced at Lily. For a moment his expression grew complex, revealing a faint, hard-to-detect tenderness. Then he erupted again with savage rage. “And you! What woman are you? Do you not know that rescuing Takamagahara’s fugitives is a capital offense? Drop your weapons!”

Footnotes:

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   Syl: I have a very very important question, didn’t she still have the collar on that reduced her strength to 1/10?