Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 29 - Standing Together Against the Enemy

Furaku spread open her hand, and from her palm flew out an ancient, oddly shaped Daruma doll. The doll grew larger in the air, its expression twisting grotesquely as its huge eyes glared at Lily and Bishamonten. It opened its mouth wide and spat out a rough hempen rope.

Though it looked like an ordinary coarse rope, it was, in truth, a rare demigod artifact.

The Daruma doll let out crazed bursts of laughter as it circled the two women, the ropes it spewed winding around them until they were tightly bound together.

Once it had spat out all the rope, the Daruma doll dissolved into smoke. The rope fell into Furaku’s hands, and she personally finished the final binding, pulling hard to tighten it and tying a firm knot.

That single tug forced Lily and Bishamonten’s bodies so close that they were practically pressed together.

Lily felt a rush of double anxiety; on one hand, from the humiliation of being interrogated by Furaku, and on the other, from the mortifying closeness with Rei’s mother.

Their breathing grew heavier, Lily’s quickened breaths rising and falling in rhythm with Bishamonten’s chest. Even if they tried not to move, the pressure of their breaths intertwined, inevitable and intimate.

“Miss, calm yourself. Don’t overthink it,” Bishamonten said between firm breaths. “If you let your shame show, you’ll only amuse that demoness further. All she wants is to see us humiliated.”

“Wh–who’s nervous? Don’t underestimate me, Lady Bishamonten. We’re both women, what’s the difference between one bound alone or two tied together?” Lily tried to sound relaxed as she spoke.

Yet, despite her words, she couldn’t shake the discomfort. If it had been anyone else, perhaps it wouldn’t matter, but this was Rei’s mother. Being pressed so close, even if against her will, felt terribly disrespectful. And what could she possibly do about it?

“This is only the beginning,” Furaku said with a wave of her hand. Three massive bronze braziers appeared, blazing with bright fire. They floated into the corners of the cell, and the air quickly grew stiflingly hot.

Bound so tightly, Lily and Bishamonten felt the heat even more intensely. Beads of sweat glistened on their skin, tracing paths down their chests until they mingled together.

Although it was hot, this level of heat was insignificant to beings of the Supreme God’s tier.

“Hmph, Furaku. How utterly base of you,” Lily retorted defiantly. “All this trouble just to make me sweat a little? That’s your idea of torture? What meaning is there in that?”

“Furaku, what trick are you playing at?” Bishamonten demanded.

“Hmph, nothing at all,” Furaku replied with feigned innocence. “Just helping you sweat it out a little…it’s good for the body, after all.”

The heat grew heavier. Their sweat made their skin slick, and the air became thick with the mingled scent of two women trapped in such closeness. Even the slightest movement brought an unbearable, slippery friction that left both Lily and Bishamonten feeling deeply embarrassed.

“Furaku!” Bishamonten roared. “I am the condemned of Takamagahara. Do what you will to me, I have nothing to say! But this girl, she’s a stranger to me! Why torment her as well? If you have methods, use them on me instead!” She was finding it harder to endure, not from weakness, but from not wanting Lily to suffer further humiliation.

“Protecting her, even though you barely know her? Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to her beauty, Lady Bishamonten?” Furaku mocked.

“Your cruelty toward the innocent only makes me despise you more,” Bishamonten said coldly.

“Judging by how worked up you both are, I’d say my methods are working,” Furaku sneered. “Lady Bishamonten, you’re like a block of eternal ice, it won’t be easy to melt you.” As she spoke, a long whip materialized in her hand, radiating a strange aura. She brushed its handle languidly across Bishamonten’s skin.

Suddenly, she slipped her hand beneath Lily’s garments. “Let this young woman’s burning warmth melt your thousand-year frost, shall we? Let’s see if you’ve begun to soften yet.”

“Stop…” Bishamonten closed her eyes, her brow tightening.

“Oh? Melting even faster than I imagined?” Furaku laughed darkly. “Don’t tell me you’re surrendering already… that would be disappointing.” With that, Furaku stepped back and lashed her whip in fierce arcs, striking again and again across Bishamonten and Lily’s entwined bodies.

The two could only cling to each other for strength, enduring the humiliation together as one.

The ropes were so tight that when their bodies jerked under the whip’s blows, cries escaped their lips involuntarily. At times, their faces brushed together—almost cheek to cheek—and when they gasped, even their lips grazed. And, of course, what rubbed together was not limited to their lips alone…

To avoid the mortifying contact, Lily pressed her face into Bishamonten’s chest, while Bishamonten could only feel the warmth and fragrance of the girl’s long hair brushing against her.

The searing heat and Furaku’s relentless whip left them drenched in fragrant sweat. Yet this mingled scent, this sheen of moisture, brought no relief, only unbearable disgrace.

“Lynne, was it? Stay strong! Do not yield to this demoness’ whip!” Bishamonten whispered tremblingly into Lily’s ear. “Hold it in, don’t make those sounds! They’ll only feed her pride!”

Lily panted heavily, her chin pressed against Bishamonten’s shoulder. “Lady Bishamonten, I’d never give in to someone like her! Absolutely not… ah…! But, ma’am, you should mind your own voice too, don’t let her think you’re giving in, or she’ll… she’ll take it as her victory!”

“Me? Impossible!” Bishamonten said softly, yet with unshaken pride. “This… is nothing to me. How could I ever lose to such a woman? If anything ever made me waver or grieve, it would be because of you.”

Lily froze for a moment, struck harder by Bishamonten’s words than by the whip itself. “Eh? L–Lady Bishamonten, what… what are you saying…?”

Pressed so tightly against her, Lily could feel Bishamonten’s heartbeat pounding stronger and stronger, matching her own. Who was Bishamonten? She was none other than Rei’s mother! Lily couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, ‘What kind of strange things is she saying right now? Of all times, she’s teasing me now?!’

They were a generation apart. To have fallen this low together, to be bound and humiliated like this was already unbearable enough, and now the woman tied to her was making such remarks?

‘No, I must have misunderstood. I can’t think like that right now,’ Lily told herself. ‘What kind of woman would I be to think something so improper at a time like this? Perhaps Bishamonten was only trying to help me relax, to ease my shame a little…’

After the storm of lashes finally ended, even Furaku looked somewhat weary. Under the blazing heat of the enchanted fire and the six smoking censers, her own body’s metabolism ran wild, making her breathe heavier and inhale even more of the six-flavored incense that filled the room. On top of that, the faint feminine scent coming from Lily’s body was proving rather hard for her to resist.

“Well then? Which of you will confess first?” Furaku asked. Her own skin now glistened with sweat, the back of her clothing soaked through. She gripped the whip in one hand, her chest rising and falling as she questioned them.

At that moment, Lily and Bishamonten were pressed together in a strangely graceful posture. Lily’s jet-black, sweat-drenched hair intertwined with Bishamonten’s silver waves, and their long legs tangled together, mostly from the ropes that bound them so tightly.

They both panted heavily, yet their gazes remained defiant and unyielding.

“Furaku! You think such base tricks can break me? Lady Bishamonten is the leader of our Takamagahara Celestial Battle Maidens! How dare you treat her like this? Hmph! Whatever other methods you have, use them on me! I’m not afraid of you! Don’t you dare humiliate Lady Bishamonten any further!” Lily shouted.

Their hands were bound high above by chains hanging from the ceiling. Lily twisted her body, turning her torn back toward Furaku in an attempt to shield Bishamonten from further harm.

“Girl,” Bishamonten said, her tone still steady despite her ragged breathing, “I am the war goddess of the Celestial Battle Maidens. I’ve faced armies of millions without fear, why should I fear this? You are still young. How could I allow that demoness to harm you before my eyes?”

She shifted her body, pulling Lily behind her instead. The two spun slightly under the tight ropes, until Bishamonten stood as the shield. “Demoness! Whatever your means, use them on me! You are not to disgrace Miss Lynne any further!”

Furaku chuckled, her tone dripping with mockery. “Oh my, how touching. Strangers when you came in, yet now you’ve grown close under torture? What a pair of peculiar women. Am I punishing you… or bringing you together?”

“Enough. I’m growing tired of this,” she said, stretching lazily. “Since you two are so eager to protect each other, I’ll leave you to share this night in even greater intimacy. I’m going to wash up and change my clothes. When I return, I expect you’ll have decided to confess. Otherwise, things won’t be nearly as pleasant next time.”

With that, Furaku turned her back on them, leaving the cell and slamming the heavy door behind her.

Part of her reason was practical, she had inhaled too much of the intoxicating incense and was beginning to feel light-headed, her senses stirred by Lily’s alluring scent. If she didn’t rest, it could turn against her. Besides, letting the two women remain like that, breathing in the incense for several more hours, would only make them easier to break.

Furaku entered a private chamber outside the cell. Inside was a large wooden pool, the bathing area reserved for Celestial Maidens, now prepared for her alone.

She removed her garments and stepped into the bath, letting the warm water wash over her fair skin as she began to cleanse herself. A faint shiver ran through her body despite the heat.

“Hmph, those two women are nothing more than playthings in my hands,” she muttered to herself. “If I used my most extreme methods from the start, that Bishamonten might have resisted too fiercely, perhaps even destroyed herself in defiance. No, it’s better to make them believe they can still endure, to push them again and again, eroding their will until they finally collapse and submit.”

Her lips curled as she thought further. “If I’m not mistaken, that Bishamonten seems to have taken quite an interest in that young one. That girl, Lynne, what kind of charm does she possess? Even I find myself… intrigued. Perhaps I should use her to bend Bishamonten to my will. Hehehe…”

Furaku’s laughter echoed softly amid the rising steam. She leaned back against the edge of the bath, letting her voice fade into self-satisfied murmurs.

But then, a woman’s voice came from behind her.

“Who’s there?” Furaku turned swiftly, startled.

A mature Celestial Maiden stood naked by the pool, one arm covering her body while the other held bathing supplies. She had short hair and was noticeably shorter than Furaku.

“Ah—my apologies, I didn’t realize someone was already here… Madam Furaku?” the woman stammered, suddenly recognizing the figure in the bath.