Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 6 - Questioning Riyuki

Riyuki’s gaze turned cold. The kunai in her hand suddenly flipped direction at her wrist, and she reversed her grip to stab toward Lily.

This thrust was indeed subtle and sudden. Riyuki hadn’t released any divine power, nor had Lily, precisely because unleashing it in advance would alert Lily. So neither of them tapped into their power, it was a contest of pure speed and reaction. Riyuki’s plan was to burst forth with divine power at the very moment her blade struck Lily.

However, she had completely misjudged the situation. Even back when Lily fought against Lord Shikikai, Riyuki had stood no chance, whether divine power was involved or not. And now, her chances were even lower.

Lily’s body, even among Supreme Gods, was considered incredibly powerful, and her reaction speed far surpassed Riyuki’s.

With a sharp motion, Lily swiftly seized Riyuki’s wrist and twisted it behind her back in one smooth move.

“Ah!” Riyuki let out a cry as pain flared through her arm.

With a bit more pressure, Lily forced Riyuki to bend forward, completely suppressing her with no room for resistance.

Riyuki gritted her teeth through the pain, rage rising in her eyes. She could endure being scolded and humiliated by a high-ranking male god, but this woman, wasn’t she a wanted criminal from Takamagahara? Was she now to be bullied by a female fugitive as well?

She hadn’t expected this woman’s physique and reaction speed to be so utterly absurd.

Riyuki began circulating the divine power within her body, preparing to retaliate with all her might and fight Lily head-on.

But suddenly, a wave of chilling killing intent surged from the back of her neck and poured down her spine, extinguishing the divine power she was just about to unleash in an instant.

“If you dare activate your divine power, I’ll have no choice but to kill you,” Lily said coldly, her voice like icy steel.

That voice, that murderous aura, sent shivers down Riyuki’s entire body. A deep-rooted fear of death, stemming from her very spirit palace, overwhelmed her senses and sapped her strength.

Riyuki had carried out many combat and assassination missions as a Celestial Maid. Her combat instincts were not weak. In fact, competition among the Celestial Maidens was intense, and only the most elite could rise to the rank of unit captain.

Yet today, this once-promising elite found herself face-to-face with a peerless femme fatale. Relying on her many years of experience and battle-hardened instincts, Riyuki realized that if she dared to unleash her power, this woman would kill her.

“You… what do you want?” Riyuki asked, still bent forward with her arm twisted behind her back. Her other hand had to clutch the upper half of her loosened ceremonial robe, held up only by a thin sash and silken straps, to cover her heavy breasts. In this state, she couldn’t even use her free hand to resist. It was utterly humiliating.

“Listen carefully. No more tricks,” Lily warned coldly. “If you so much as attempt to alert or warn your comrades, or those Kegaretsu deities, you know what the consequences will be.”

“A wanted fugitive of Takamagahara, Kagami Lily… So you know fear too?” Riyuki sneered despite being pinned. “Makes sense. If those terrifying existences of Takamagahara found out you came here willingly… you’d be finished.”

Although Riyuki was being held down by Lily, she refused to yield in her heart. How could she accept being threatened by a female fugitive who should have run as far away as possible?

Lily narrowed her eyes. “Hmph. Don’t bluff. No matter how great they are, none of them can save you. I’m the only one who can. Now, speak. Where is that interrogator?” Her blade gleamed with killing intent, so sharp it carried the weight of countless gods slain. That alone made Riyuki’s legs weaken as if she could barely stand.

Still, she refused to yield.

“Interrogator? What interrogator?” Riyuki feigned confusion.

“Stop pretending! That so-called wife of Lord Shikikai, where is she? Is she inside this fortress?” Lily pressed.

“Lord Shikikai? Wasn’t he killed by you people already?” Riyuki replied with feigned surprise.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to in the Hekiraku Realm. Speak now!”

“What do you want me to say? I don’t understand a word you’re saying. Who is Lord Shikikai’s wife? What, are you going to kill me? Then do it already!” Riyuki realized Lily was desperate to extract information, she wouldn’t kill her before getting it.

“Lily, how about letting me handle the questioning? You just hold her in place,” Rei whispered through a sound transmission.

Lily frowned with frustration. She was capable of battling even ten Supreme Gods, yet in front of Sister Uesugi, she was struggling just to subdue one Celestial Maiden of the Celestial Stage?

“Hmph.”

Lily suddenly withdrew her blade. With a single hand, she grabbed Riyuki’s other arm, twisted both behind her back, then pulled out a spirit treasure rope and prepared to bind her.

“W-What are you doing?” Riyuki cried.

But her other hand was still clutching the hem of her feathered robe. She struggled with all her might, yet strength-wise she was no match for Lily. Her arms were both pinned behind her, and the robe slipped away from her body, leaving Riyuki’s face flushed red with heat and shame.

She was supposed to be the Celestial Maiden tasked with capturing fugitives, yet now, she was the one being bound by a wanted criminal? And worse… in a state where half her body was exposed?

“You shameless woman! Y-You’re taking advantage of my situation! If you still have even a shred of Celestial Maiden dignity, let me at least put my clothes on first!” Riyuki had already sensed Lily’s strength before and knew she bore the Celestial Maiden Physique and wielded the power of the Celestial Path.

“Shut up. And you still have the nerve to call yourself a Celestial Maiden?” Lily had no interest in exchanging words. She directly shoved the hilt of her short blade into Riyuki’s mouth.

Riyuki instinctively resisted, but Lily released a wave of Charm Heavenly Path power. Riyuki’s mouth opened against her will, and she was forced to bite down on the hilt.

“Mmm…” What in the world was this woman trying to do? In truth, Riyuki had no real intention of dying for her superiors. After the way they treated her, why should she cling to such secrets? It wasn’t as though it benefited her. She had only resisted out of pride, out of a refusal to be bullied into submission.

Who would’ve thought that Lily’s strength was so overwhelming? Riyuki was completely outmatched. If she had known earlier, she might have simply revealed everything and kept some dignity. But now, having already resisted, admitting defeat would only bring her more shame.

Riyuki had endured wave after wave of humiliation lately. She simply could not bear the idea of losing face once again.

And now she was being forced to hold Lily’s short blade in her mouth. Fortunately, it was placed in sideways, or the shame would’ve been even worse.

‘Hmph. Shoving the very blade you gripped into my mouth… You’ll regret this!’ Riyuki thought bitterly as she bit down, still looking for an opening to strike back.

But like this, she could no longer speak.

Lily turned Riyuki around so her front faced Lily and Rei. Then she shoved her against a wooden pillar and bound her tightly to it.

Lily was irritated as well, so she tied the rope harshly. Red marks quickly formed on Riyuki’s pale, delicate skin from how tightly she had been bound. Riyuki furrowed her brows in distress and whimpered softly. The pain didn’t even matter as much, what truly crushed her was the shame of being forced into such a state in front of two women who were her enemies. She lowered her head and closed her eyes in humiliation, but the moment she remembered Lily’s identity, anger flared in her heart again. She lifted her head and glared at Lily with eyes full of resentment, completely ignoring the firmness of her exposed chest.

Rei stood off to the side, watching calmly. She could see Lily’s technique was practiced, her attitude firm. Her little sister had grown. As for Riyuki, one of the main culprits who had harmed her mother, Rei held deep hatred toward her. If it had been her doing the questioning, she would’ve shown no mercy at all.

Once Riyuki was securely tied up, Lily withdrew the blade from her mouth. Her eyes drifted to Riyuki’s chest, and she felt a bit awkward, quickly averting her gaze as her face reddened.

Riyuki, who had been burning with humiliation just moments ago, saw Lily’s reaction and regained a measure of confidence. A cold smile crept across her lips.

“Hmph. I thought you were some great figure. Turns out you’re just a bashful little girl. What, did you learn this rope trick somewhere? Planning to interrogate your elder sister? Be careful you don’t die of embarrassment before I confess anything. Hehehe.”

Once she understood the situation, she didn’t care anymore. They were both women, so what if she was seen? What difference did it make? Still, Riyuki occasionally glanced at Rei out of the corner of her eye. That woman’s cold gaze was truly unnerving. Riyuki didn’t sense overwhelming strength from her, yet she couldn’t help feeling wary.

Lily, provoked for no reason, grew even more agitated. She pressed the blade tip to Riyuki’s chest. The chill of the blade made Lily’s own burning chest tremble uncontrollably.

“You, a Celestial Battle Maiden, sided with those monsters and betrayed your own kin. You aided in the ruination of our leader, Lady Bishamonten. Today, I purge you in her name. There’s nothing wrong with that. Shameless woman, don’t think I lack the means to deal with you. Speak the truth now, or prepare to humiliate yourself even further,” Lily warned.

“You can’t even look me in the eye. And you think you have ‘means’? Ridiculous little brat,” Riyuki scoffed. In a contest between women, it wasn’t about eye contact, it was about who held the upper hand psychologically.

“Who are you calling a brat?”

“What, are you not?” Riyuki’s gaze slid down to Lily’s waist and smooth lower body. “Or wait… Could it be… you’ve already become a woman? Who was it, then? The most beautiful woman across the Three Realms… and someone actually got their hands on you?”

“Shut up!” Lily shouted, both embarrassed and furious. She hadn’t wanted to go this far, but she had no choice now. She put away her short blade and drew the scabbard instead, pressing it firmly against Riyuki’s chest.

“Lily, for filth like her, you don’t need to hold back. Use the Maiden’s Command Technique,” Rinne transmitted sternly, her voice laced with disgust for Riyuki.

Lily was an extremely quick learner. Though she had only studied the first stage of Maiden’s Command Technique, and only superficially, it was more than enough to deal with someone like Riyuki.

“Sorry, Riyuki. But this is the consequence of your own choices.”

Lily channeled a wave of the Maiden’s Command Technique through the scabbard and into Riyuki’s body.

“Ah…!” The sudden and intense wave caught Riyuki completely off guard. Not even in her worst nightmares could she have imagined that this towering beauty, who clearly seemed unskilled at handling women, would possess such a devastating technique.

Riyuki felt her consciousness flung far beyond the heavens. She felt like she was the earth itself, like she was the mountains and rivers. And in that moment, the earth cracked apart, torrents erupted, and her pitiful body felt as though it were enduring the divine wrath of a goddess in a fury.

After what felt like an eternity to Riyuki…