Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 41 - Inheritance of Divinity

As expected, after a night of song and dance, the generals dispersed. Ame-no-Tajikarao stumbled in, reeking of wine. His towering shadow loomed over Lily, making her heart tighten in unease. Had that brute gotten so drunk he might lose control?

To her surprise, Ame-no-Tajikarao did not use his drunken state as an excuse to act indecently toward her. Instead, he swayed on his feet and said, “I’ve reported to the council above. In a few days, the escort from the Palace of Ritsuten will arrive to take you away. Tennin-Mikoto will personally preside over your trial.”

“Escort?” Lily’s expression remained calm, though a sharp glint flickered in her eyes. ‘No matter what kind of escort it is, I should be able to handle it. Once they take me away, that’ll be my chance to escape.’ She steadied her breathing. ‘Until then, I can’t take any reckless actions. Once I’m far from Yuten Castle, I’ll have my opportunity.’

Thud!

Ame-no-Tajikarao suddenly collapsed beside her, snoring heavily in drunken sleep. Yet even in that state, his powerful hand still gripped the chain binding Lily.

“This guy… he actually fell asleep drunk? Should I take the chance and escape? …No.” Lily wasn’t that foolish. Given how simple-minded Ame-no-Tajikarao was, there was no way he was faking his drunkenness. He had never taken advantage of her even while sober, so why bother pretending?

However… if she believed that a god like him could drink himself senseless and sleep like an ordinary man, that would be too naïve. Even if a god were drunk, he would still be able to sense the fluctuations around him.

Still… with this oaf, who could really say?

Yet attempting to escape now was far too risky. He had promised to deal with her by the law. If she failed to run and angered him into another violent frenzy, the consequences would be unimaginable.

‘I’ll just have to endure for a few more days… judging from how things are, Ame-no-Tajikarao probably won’t harm me.’ That was the conclusion Lily reached.

At that very moment, deep within the rainy peaks on the outskirts of Yuten Castle’s airspace—

Bishamonten stood in the downpour, gazing at a roaring white waterfall. Her daughter, Uesugi Rei, was inside a cave behind the falls.

Rei wore only a tight blue undergarment as she sat cross-legged within the cavern, allowing her body to come into close contact with the vast energy of the world around her.

This was Takamagahara, where spiritual energy was dense beyond measure. Though the land was now somewhat desolate and chaotic, the environment for training was still far superior to that of Yomi-no-kuni, and thousands of times stronger than that of the mortal realm.

“My baby girl, your first step is to break through to the Celestial Stage. That is the key to bearing my divinity. This is the divinity of a Supreme God. Once you merge with it after reaching the Celestial Stage, you will become a god.”

“Your foundation has long been ready for the breakthrough. You just never had the chance amid all the dangers. Our constitutions, the secret arts we practice, and our paths are nearly identical. I’ll now teach you the method our Bishamonten lineage has passed down for generations, a method best suited for this breakthrough, nearly without bottlenecks.”

“Make the breakthrough as soon as possible. Though it should come naturally, it could take three days, ten days, half a month, or even three months, no one can say for sure. You’ve inherited my resolve and comprehension completely, so that won’t be a problem. The rest depends on your own fate.”

With those words, Bishamonten instructed Rei to first ascend to the Celestial Stage before performing the ceremony to transfer her divinity.

“These next few days, I will be passing on the secret art to my daughter,” Bishamonten told the Celestial Maiden Rebels. “Tighten your surveillance on Yuten Castle. Report immediately if anything happens, but no matter what, do not act rashly.”

Rei focused all her strength on following her mother’s method to break through to the Celestial Stage.

With her talent and Bishamonten’s personally transmitted technique, tailored perfectly for their bloodline, the process should have been as natural as flowing water. Yet the true trial now lay in her mental state.

For Lily’s sake, she had to succeed, and quickly.

But the more urgent her heart became, the calmer she needed to remain. No matter how deep her concern for Lily was, she had to empty her mind and merge completely with heaven and earth. Her passion might burn like fire, but her heart must stay as still as ice.

Only then could she truly succeed.

Rei’s love and worry for Lily went without saying, yet her composure was beyond that of ordinary adepts. Even when her beloved was in mortal peril, she maintained a tranquil heart, free of distraction, in full control of herself.

Among all their sisters, Rei’s mental fortitude was perhaps the most exceptional. Thus, the dire situation did not hinder her breakthrough in the slightest. In just one day and two nights, she had succeeded.

When the sharp and pure aura of the Celestial Stage spread from the cave, Bishamonten’s eyes shone with relief.

“As expected of my daughter. She’s even faster than I imagined. Her talent and composure rival my own in my prime… perhaps even surpass it. Lily is no ordinary woman. To win a woman like her, one must not waver or lose control. And this child, she has the rarest kind of heart, the kind that can command everything and bear any consequence.”

Bishamonten leapt forward, gliding across the water’s surface and passing through the curtain of the waterfall.

“Mother,” Rei greeted, kneeling before her in that same blue undergarment. Now a Celestials, her entire body radiated crystalline divine power.

“Well done, Rei,” Bishamonten said softly. “Though I wish I could let you rest, your little sister’s situation leaves us no time. Now, I shall bestow upon you the divinity of Bishamonten.”

“Mother…” Rei lifted her head, her violet-blue eyes flickering. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. If you give your divinity to me… then what will happen to you?” Her eyes brimmed with worry.

Bishamonten’s gaze softened with calm affection. “My good daughter, I know what you’re worried about. Don’t fret. At the very least, my life won’t be in any danger.”

“That… won’t there be any side effects?” Rei felt slightly relieved, but worry still clouded her face. This was her own mother, after all! How could she not be concerned?

“Such circumstances are exceedingly rare since ancient times. For a Supreme God, their divinity is the very core of their power and existence. As long as a Supreme God lives, they would never relinquish it. Only when slain can their divinity be seized by another. Even then, many choose to self-destruct their divinity before death, preferring to perish rather than let it fall into enemy hands. When that happens, that particular Heavenly Path becomes ownerless, waiting for another to attain enlightenment and claim it anew.”

“Then, Mother, will something happen to you?” Rei asked anxiously, kneeling closer and clutching Bishamonten’s long, graceful leg.

“Rei-Rei,” Bishamonten said gently, “I told you, there’s no need to worry. It’s true that most gods refuse to relinquish their divinity, and the reason is self-evident. But that doesn’t mean it’s inherently dangerous to do so voluntarily. Of course, if I surrender my divinity, I will lose my divine power. Yet my Spirit Palace and Soul Crystal will remain intact. A Soul Crystal that once belonged to a Supreme God will not weaken easily, it would still possess strength surpassing the Celestial Stage, second only to the weakest Supreme Gods. Moreover, my body remains that of a divine being, so there is no real harm done.” As she spoke, Bishamonten stroked Rei’s hair and brushed her ear tenderly.

Even for Rei, being touched there by her mother made her blush slightly from the sensitivity.

“Mother… but why must you pass the divinity to me? Even without it, my strength has already grown immensely. You’re far more adept in combat, with experience and secret arts. Why not restore your divine power yourself and lead us to strike Yuten Castle? Didn’t the Celestial Maidens say that back then, you could even slightly suppress Ame-no-Tajikarao in battle?”

Bishamonten shook her head helplessly. “Rei-Rei, I was once a goddess of war who commanded respect across Takamagahara. Do you think I don’t wish to reclaim that former glory? But I was gravely injured in the ancient war, cast down to the mortal realm without any divine relics to aid my recovery. For thousands of years, the wounds have festered, leaving irreparable damage.”

“And after being imprisoned, though Ame-no-Tajikarao is straightforward and refused to allow his soldiers to violate me, Tennin-Mikoto and those despicable goddesses used every vile method imaginable!”

“For years they tormented me with cursed formations and sinister tools, draining my divine power and ravaging my Spirit Palace. Now… no matter what treasures I might find, even if Amaterasu-Ōmikami herself blessed me with light and rain, the wounds to my Spirit Palace could never heal. The Celestial Maidens have no relic powerful enough to restore me, and even if they did, I could never return to my former strength.”

“I can no longer become a war goddess again, nor do I have any chance of battling Ame-no-Tajikarao. To cling to Bishamonten’s divinity now serves no purpose, it would only bring me greater pain.”

As she spoke, tears shimmered in Bishamonten’s eyes—tears of humiliation, regret, and defiance. Her elegant, mature body trembled slightly.

No matter how many years of imprisonment she had endured, this was once the war goddess who dominated Takamagahara! Among the Celestial Maidens, aside from Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, who else had ever dared to spar with her?

As for the likes of Wakarai, they weren’t even fit to be called dogs before her back then. Yet now… she could never return to her former splendor. How could she not be filled with regret?

“Mother…” Rei understood her mother’s emotions better than anyone. Kneeling, she embraced her tightly, pressing her face against Bishamonten’s lower abdomen, the very place she had once been born from, still carrying a deep, nostalgic warmth.

“My complete recovery is impossible now,” Bishamonten said softly. “But you are different. You’re young, full of vitality, blessed with the finest battle physique. You possess a talent no less than mine, perhaps even greater, and a mind more resolute than any warrior’s. You have within you a fierce and burning devotion. I believe you will protect Miss Lily.”

“Once you inherit my divinity, your strength will soar beyond measure. Even if you can’t yet reach my former peak, you will still be powerful enough to shake Takamagahara itself, and perhaps even stand against Ame-no-Tajikarao!”

“You must understand, this isn’t only about us as mother and daughter, it concerns Miss Lily’s life and dignity! Passing this divinity to you is our only chance!” Her voice carried sorrow, yet it held not the slightest trace of hesitation.

“Mother…” Rei clung to Bishamonten, breathing in her familiar scent and warmth. “Perhaps… giving birth to me in such a state only worsened your body’s condition. You gave all your life’s essence to me, your daughter…!”