Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 38 - Descent into Despair

Ame-no-Tajikarao suddenly turned violent and unrestrained. His entire body exuded a dark crimson-gold aura of brutality as he hurled his colossal hammer toward Lily without hesitation.

The hammer shot forth at blinding speed, like a massive planet hurtling through space toward her back. Even for Lily, dodging it required her full effort. Though shocked by Ame-no-Tajikarao’s sudden change, her reflexes were swift enough for her to evade in time.

But then—“No!”

Lily suddenly sensed the Celestial Maiden formation flying behind her. If she dodged now, the hammer would plow straight into the formation and kill hundreds of her sisters. Among them were Bishamonten and Rei!

Everything happened too fast; those behind her had no time to react.

Lily had no choice but to block it head-on. There was no time to open her Sakura Parasol, nor did she dare meet the strike with Oborozuki Muramasa, for if the blade broke, she would be fatally wounded instead. She drew the parasol but kept it closed, swinging it sharply against the incoming hammer.

“Ah!” The impact was like a planet’s gravitational force crashing into her body. Lily let out a cry as she was blasted from the sky, crashing hard into the ground. The hammer rebounded off to the side before Ame-no-Tajikarao pulled it back to his hand.

“Lily!”

“Miss Lily!”

Bishamonten, Rei, and the other Celestial Maidens all gasped in horror at the sight of Lily taking the full blow.

Meanwhile, the Yuten Army accelerated their pursuit. Ame-no-Tajikarao spun his meteor hammer again, preparing to hurl it at Bishamonten and the others.

“Run! What are you waiting for?! You want me to take a few more hits for you?!” Though pain wracked every inch of her body, Lily’s willpower far surpassed the ordinary. Channeling the Lunar Sakura Force, she expanded her domain. Petals of cherry blossoms stormed across the sky, propelling the Celestial Maidens forward while slowing the Yuten Army.

The winds that carried her sisters forward turned to gales that battered their pursuers. The Yuten soldiers’ formation shattered into chaos, unable to keep up with the fleeing Celestial Maidens.

Yet Ame-no-Tajikarao’s hammer came flying once more.

Boom!

Driven half-mad, Lily threw herself at it, clutching her parasol, which had transformed into a spire-like shape, and struck the hammer aside. The larger the parasol grew, the more power it could disperse, but there was a limit; once it became too large to control, her strength alone could no longer manage it.

Now, with both arms wrapped tightly around the thick handle and her legs clamped down, she channeled all her strength into the strike. Opening the parasol took too long, so she used it closed, like a massive tower, to parry the blow.

The terrible shockwave still coursed through her entire body. Her delicate frame trembled violently along with the thick shaft she held.

For any ordinary Celestial being, that strike would have shattered every bone. But Lily’s body was remarkably strong, not only physically powerful but far more flexible than even the male deities. Her ability to withstand such force ranked among the very best of the divine.

Only this allowed her to endure Ame-no-Tajikarao’s devastating blow.

“Lily!” Rei knew she was no match for the Supreme God, but she couldn’t stand by while Lily suffered such brutal attacks. Without hesitation, she tried to rush to Lily’s side.

“Sister Uesugi! Don’t come here! Are you all standing there waiting to die, and dragging me down with you?! Run!” Lily shouted through the violent trembling, her voice strained and frantic, tears and saliva streaking down her flushed, beautiful face.

Just as Rei was about to charge in, Bishamonten grabbed her by the arm.

“Everyone, retreat!” Bishamonten gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain calm despite the deep pain in her heart.

“What?! Mother!”

“Lady Bishamonten! How can we abandon Miss Lily and run on our own?!” Meishin cried out hoarsely.

“Fools! Did you not hear what Lily said?! With her strength, she could easily dodge Ame-no-Tajikarao’s hammer. She’s taking those hits for our sake!” Bishamonten shouted back.

“What?!” The Celestial Maidens were struck with shock and realization.

“If you rush over now, what could you possibly do? You’d only die and weigh her down! Only when we escape their pursuit can Lily fight without restraint and have a chance to get away! Now go! Fly at full speed! Don’t drag her down any further!” Bishamonten barked decisively.

Though every Celestial Maiden was filled with fear for Lily, they understood that acting on impulse now would only doom her, and all of them. They swallowed their grief and fury, retreating at full speed.

Rei’s heart burned with unwillingness, but she knew her mother was right. Clenching her teeth, she followed Bishamonten and the others in their desperate flight.

Only if they escaped safely could Lily fight freely, and then flee on her own.

“I… I’m such a useless sister!” Rei bit her lip so hard that blood dripped down. “To think I can only abandon my beloved little sister and run for my life! My courage, my obsession… they can’t even help her, only drag her down. I’m worthless!”

Even as she wept in anguish, Rei flew faster with the others.

“Lily! You must survive… you must escape safely!”

“Lily, we’ll be waiting for you on the Hizan 15,000 km northwest of here, beyond the thunderclouds! Hurry and make it to us!” Rei’s final transmission echoed through the air.

“Sister Uesugi, Lady Bishamonten, don’t worry! I’m not someone who can be caught that easily.” Seeing that the Celestial Maidens no longer hesitated and had fled at full speed, Lily finally felt at ease. She smiled freely and charged straight toward Ame-no-Tajikarao.

As for the other pursuers, they were severely hindered by the Sakura Blizzard. The Yuten soldiers, with their bulky armor and weight, were ill-suited for aerial combat. The storm of petals further slowed them down, while the Celestial Maidens, blessed by Lily’s domain, moved with doubled agility.

The Yu ten Army could no longer keep up.

Now, Lily only needed to hold off Ame-no-Tajikarao. The rest of the army no longer mattered.

“Damn it! That woman had been hiding her true power all along!”

Only now did Hirotake truly realize the extent of Lily’s strength. Until now, she had merely been toying with him. The power of her domain alone was enough to suppress even the top-tier Celestials like himself, if she had truly intended to kill him back then, he would’ve already been dead.

“Kagami Lily… though she ranked low on the wanted list, her current strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Supreme God! Just who is this woman? Her progress… it’s too fast!” Hirotake exclaimed in disbelief. If she had possessed such might from the beginning, how could she not have ranked among the top five most wanted?

The Celestial Maidens had already vanished into the thick clouds, but Lily still needed to hold off Ame-no-Tajikarao for a while longer. The man was simply too fast, too powerful.

Knowing she couldn’t withstand his heavy blows for long, Lily took the initiative to attack.

Ame-no-Tajikarao met her assault head-on, striking with massive fists and palms against the gleam of her blade. His power was overwhelming, each clash sent violent shockwaves rippling through the air, nearly shattering Lily’s body. She dared not remain close, darting away to attack from a distance. Though her strikes dealt only minor damage, the energy of her Dark Lunar Force still managed to wound him slightly.

But he was far too reckless to care about such wounds. His defense was monstrously tough. Realizing he couldn’t gain the upper hand from afar, Ame-no-Tajikarao hurled his meteor hammer toward the direction of the fleeing Celestial Maidens.

Although they had disappeared into the mist, they had yet to escape the range of his attacks.

Lily had no choice but to raise the Sakura Parasol again to block. The repeated impacts tore through her body with terrifying force, draining her divine power and stamina by more than half.

Even with her ocean-like reserves of divine energy, the sheer destructive might of Ame-no-Tajikarao was too great. Lily was reaching her limit.

After another heavy strike, she was blasted backward, nearly losing consciousness. But the Celestial Maidens still hadn’t escaped his attack range. The brute suddenly took off, ready to pursue them through the clouds.

“No… I can’t fall yet. Just a bit longer!” Clenching her teeth, Lily forced herself up and leapt into the air, standing resolutely in Ame-no-Tajikarao’s path.

But now, Ame-no-Tajikarao was completely berserk. His eyes blazed with blinding golden light, and the demonic tattoos across his body pulsed wildly. He looked every bit a god of wrath and slaughter.

He unleashed a storm of savage attacks upon her. Lily parried desperately with Oborozuki Muramasa, each impact reverberating through her entire frame. Her body trembled under the crushing blows, she was clearly at her limit, but she refused to fall, refused to yield!

Not far away, Hirotake was stunned.

“In over a thousand years, I’ve never seen anyone endure Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao’s full-force assault for this long… and she’s just a delicate woman! Her body’s already pushed beyond its limit, yet she still won’t give in! What kind of willpower… what kind of conviction could give birth to such terrifying perseverance?”

Though she was a fugitive, an enemy, Hirotake couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect toward Lily.

“Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao has always been righteous, he’s never struck down women without restraint. What’s come over him today? This behavior… it’s not like him at all.”

Finally, Lily sensed that the Celestial Maidens had flown far enough to be safe.

Her body was on the verge of collapse, her mind hazy from the relentless assault, but she still had a fragment of awareness left. Through the numbing pain and dizziness, she followed her instincts and thrusted her sword forward.

The strike carried the full might of the Dark Lunar Force, surging with killing intent so immense that even Ame-no-Tajikarao was taken aback. Though the attack couldn’t truly wound him, it still forced him to instinctively take half a step back and raise his fists in defense.

Taking advantage of the opening, Lily swiftly withdrew, channeling the power of the Lunar Sakura Realm to accelerate at incredible speed and escape.

“What!?” Ame-no-Tajikarao roared in shock. “A feint?!”

But Lily’s radiant speed was no slower than his own. Having gained the initiative, she streaked away like a beam of light. Even as Ame-no-Tajikarao burst forth with all his might, he couldn’t catch up.

With no need to shield the Celestial Maidens anymore, Lily could finally focus on fleeing alone.

However—

The entirety of Yuten Castle suddenly lit up with countless ancient, intricate streams of light. Those luminous patterns intertwined into vast, mysterious runes, forming an enormous array that encompassed the entire castle.

From that array, streaks of light erupted into the sky, weaving a colossal net of energy around the stronghold. It appeared so suddenly, so swiftly, that Lily couldn’t react in time, she crashed straight into it.

Powerful, irresistible force surged through the net, striking her body mercilessly.

“Ahhh!” Lily screamed. Had she been at full strength, she might have barely endured the impact, but in her exhausted state, there was no resisting it. Her body went limp, and she began to fall as dizziness overtook her.

In a battle between such mighty beings, even a few seconds of weakness spelled doom.

In an instant, Ame-no-Tajikarao flew up to her, his massive hand seizing her slender ankle. With a brutal motion, he swung her and slammed her down against the glowing formation.

Boom!

The violent impact and the crushing power of the array struck her all at once. Her vision spun into darkness. With a faint, helpless cry, Lily lost consciousness and fell silent…