Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 43 - Personally Escorted

A few days later, the escort officer sent by the Palace of Ritsuten arrived.

To everyone’s surprise, there was only one escort officer accompanied by four Celestial Stage enforcers. The escort officer wore a red hunting robe and a tall black hat. His face was as pale as powdered snow, yet painted with sharply arched brows and grotesquely exaggerated blood-red lips. Standing two meters tall, he looked lanky and sinister.

The four enforcers were all of the Kegaretsu Clan, while the escort officer himself was a Kunitsukami.

Although in Takamagahara, such a five-man team could already be considered a formidable combat squad, when they entered the grand hall to meet Ame-no-Tajikarao, the Heroic God still found himself astonished.

“Yahahahehehe!” The red-robed escort officer chuckled, covering his mouth with a folding fan. “This humble one is Hisashiki, a First-Rank Escort Officer from the Palace of Ritsuten. I have come to pay my respects to Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao.”

Ame-no-Tajikarao furrowed his thick brows. “Hisashiki, do you realize who it is you’re supposed to escort? How can only five Empyreans suffice? Even if I seal this female criminal with divine treasures, should the Celestial Maiden Rebels attempt a rescue along the way, how do you plan to deal with that?”

Hisashiki smiled slyly behind his fan. “Tennin-Mikoto is well aware of how critical this prisoner is. She wished to come in person to take her but was unable to free herself. Tennin-Mikoto said that even if every escort officer of the Palace of Ritsuten were dispatched, there would still be no absolute guarantee of safety. Only if Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao personally escorts this woman can we be at ease.”

“What?” Ame-no-Tajikarao slammed his palm against the armrest and scowled. “I have my orders to guard Yuten Castle! How could I possibly leave so lightly?”

“This… this humble one merely conveys Tennin-Mikoto’s message,” Hisashiki replied obsequiously. “As to whether Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao chooses to act, that is beyond my station. However, Tennin-Mikoto said this woman has committed countless grave sins across the Three Realms, and it’s even said she is the most seductive woman known to all worlds. Not only might the Celestial Maiden Rebels attempt to rescue her, but even other deities, whether Takamagahara’s Heroic Gods or members of the Kegaretsu Clan, may try to seize her. Should those of particularly high standing come to take her, our Palace of Ritsuten dares not interfere. Only a peerless divine warrior such as yourself, Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao, could suppress them. Tennin-Mikoto made this suggestion solely to ensure that this female criminal would receive a fair and just trial.”

As Hisashiki spoke, he waved his fan lightly, his gaze narrow and cunning.

Ame-no-Tajikarao pondered. Whether the woman was rescued by the Celestial Maidens or snatched away by the Kegaretsu Clan, both outcomes would violate the Heavenly order.

Besides, Yuten Castle was protected by the Great Imperial God Formation. With Lily and Bishamonten both absent, the only possible enemy, the Celestial Maiden Rebels, had no reason to attack the castle. Even if they did attempt to exploit the chaos, breaking through an army of one hundred thousand Heroic Gods and the protection of the Great Imperial Formation was nothing short of a dream.

“It seems there’s no other choice.”

Lily had broken the laws of heaven, and thus had to face divine punishment. That much could not be helped. Yet, how could he allow her to fall into the hands of the Kegaretsu Clan, to be tortured or defiled in their secret chambers?

“Thank you, my lord. Your dedication humbles us,” Hisashiki said in an effeminate tone of flattery. Yet though his face was smooth and pale, it was far from pleasant to look at, and his eunuch-like voice only made it worse.

“When does my lord plan to depart?” he asked.

“Since it’s decided, there’s no time to waste,” Ame-no-Tajikarao declared, slapping the table. “Once word leaks, even if I don’t care, it’ll be troublesome. We set out tomorrow morning!”

“As expected of Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao, decisive and swift as thunder! Yahahahehehehe!”

Late that night, deep in the mountains of a Hizan on the outskirts of Yuten Castle, the roar of the waterfall still echoed through the valley. Occasionally, a woman’s voice could be heard from within the torrent; resolute and unyielding, brimming with strength and conviction, yet steeped in pain and defiance.

“Lil’ Rei…” Bishamonten gazed solemnly toward the waterfall. “You must endure this… you must…”

The inheritance of divinity caused no lasting harm to Bishamonten’s body, only temporary weakness. Thanks to the potions and treasures from the Celestial Maidens and Furaku, her condition had improved significantly.

However, Rei was still within the cavern, struggling fiercely against Bishamonten’s divine power.

Whether she succumbed to that overwhelming force and was defeated, or overcame it to become the new Goddess of War who would make even the heavens tremble, depended on this critical moment.

“Lady Bishamonten!”

A Celestial Maiden hurried over, breathless.

“What is it?”

“We’ve received reliable news from our sisters stationed inside Yuten Castle. At dawn tomorrow, they’ll be escorting Miss Lily to the Palace of Ritsuten.”

“What!? So soon?”

“And… the report says Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao will personally lead the escort.”

Bishamonten’s body trembled violently, cold sweat forming on her brow. “So it has come to this… The very thing I feared the most has happened after all.” If Ame-no-Tajikarao himself led the escort, rescuing Lily would become a hundred—no, a thousand times harder.

However, at that moment, Rei had yet to complete the inheritance of the divinity. Whether she could finish it by tomorrow was something even Bishamonten was uncertain of.

“What should we do? If Rei-Rei doesn’t complete her inheritance, we have absolutely no chance of rescuing Lily!” Bishamonten’s heart burned with anxiety.

“Then why don’t we find a way to delay Ame-no-Tajikarao first?” From within the forest, Furaku stepped out, arms folded across her chest.

“You?” Bishamonten’s eyes narrowed. A few days ago, she had been humiliated and tortured by Furaku many times. The resentment and mistrust she harbored toward the woman had yet to fade. “Would someone like you really act out of kindness or righteousness, risking your life to stand against Ame-no-Tajikarao?”

“I don’t expect Lady Bishamonten to think highly of me,” Furaku replied calmly, “but don’t underestimate me either. I have nowhere left to go. Here in Takamagahara, if I’m not captured by Ame-no-Tajikarao, I’ll eventually be hunted down by the Kegaretsu Clan’s forces. Though I possessed the realm of a Supreme God, my combat strength is lacking. Moreover, all my treasures are with Lily. I have no path to flee, no treasures to fight with. Even if I could keep running, a life of exile would be too pitiful. I wish to rely on the Celestial Maiden Rebels to help me return to the lower realm, but if I contribute nothing, you would never agree to help me, would you?”

“Hmph! The real reason is that all your precious treasures are still with Lily, isn’t it? You simply can’t bear to leave without them!” Bishamonten sneered.

“Hehehe, I’m not that greedy,” Furaku laughed softly. “If I fall into the hands of the Kegaretsu, I’ll lose even my dignity. What use are treasures then? Still… I admit they’re part of my motivation.”

“Hmph! And you dare talk about dignity? You, the consort of Lord Shikikai, of all people!”

“You can’t put it that way,” Furaku retorted. “Though I was captured by that old monster at first, I later became his lawful wife. I may be an unfortunate woman, but not an unfaithful one.”

“You were innocent and pitiful at the start, but you should never have helped him commit his atrocities!”

“Lady Bishamonten, are you here to judge me, or to punish me?” Furaku lowered her head, her tone faintly mocking. “If you still hold resentment from when I interrogated you, then I won’t resist. Whatever punishment you deem fit, I’ll let you decide…freely, as you please.”

“Enough! I’ve no time to deal with you now! Our personal matters can wait. But I will not allow you to join the rescue mission for Lily. I simply cannot trust you!” Bishamonten said coldly.

“This… Lady Bishamonten, those words are truly disheartening,” Furaku said with an aggrieved expression.

Meanwhile, inside the cavern, Rei was drenched in sweat. Her blue undergarments had darkened several shades, and her silver hair clung to her flushed face. Her athletic body, restrained by chains, trembled uncontrollably under the strain.

Rei clenched her teeth, eyes shut tight. She had long surpassed her physical limits, yet through sheer, incredible willpower, she continued to resist, wrestling with Bishamonten’s fierce, untamable divine power.

Within her consciousness, amidst a vast shroud of black mist, Rei stood clad in silver armor and a blue-and-white feathered robe, a long blade in her hand. She faced an enormous ancient deity, engaged in a battle that shook the heavens.

That deity bore the appearance of Bishamonten’s ancestral guardian god; a wrathful, terrifying being. Yet Rei’s own aura was no less fierce and wild.

“Lily, I’ll defeat this thing, I’ll surpass myself! I’ll make sure we return to the time when we first met!”

“Hah!” Rei roared, unleashing a surge of chilling energy that burst outward in a storm of icy light. She charged straight at the monstrous god before her.

At dawn the next day, Lily was dragged out of Yuten Castle by four burly enforcers dressed in tattered black half-robes. Their chests were bare and muscular, adorned with copper rings and scars that gave them a brutish look. They pushed her roughly onto a prison cart. Yet strangely, Lily’s heart stirred with a faint glimmer of hope.

However, when she saw Ame-no-Tajikarao himself leading hundreds of Yuten soldiers to personally escort the cart, that hope faded into disappointment.

‘What? That oaf is personally escorting me? Then how am I supposed to escape?’ Her hands were tied behind her back, and hanging from her back was a long black wooden tag. Upon it, in bright red characters, were written the words:

Takamagahara – Wanted Criminal, Kagami Lily.

The humiliation stung. She could have easily destroyed the tag, but with Ame-no-Tajikarao present, she dared not act rashly.

During the past few days, she had been confined within his grand hall. Though he had not laid a finger on her, divine chains and enchanted ropes bound her body, sealing her powers completely. She couldn’t even begin to restore her divine power.

Yet Lily’s body far surpassed that of ordinary Celestial Maidens. She had managed to recover roughly twenty percent of her divine power, enough to obliterate those five petty escorts, perhaps, but nowhere near sufficient to challenge Ame-no-Tajikarao himself.

Her mind raced with thoughts. ‘I can’t just meekly accept this. Once they deliver me to that so-called palace, escaping will be even harder. And if the ones waiting there are the Kegaretsu inquisitors, I can only imagine the horrors they’d subject me to. I can’t allow that!’

‘I’ll have to seize an opportunity along the way, no matter what. I must escape before we arrive. And if no chance comes… I’ll have to call upon Senior Sister. But… asking for her help now, I really can’t accept that! If I were going to have her step in, I should’ve done so earlier! Otherwise, all the suffering I’ve endured these past few days would’ve been for nothing!’

‘The longer this drags on, the worse it’ll get… I must find a way to escape!’