Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 62 - So This Is the Great Imperial God!

Lily left Izanami’s room slightly out of breath. Somehow, she felt that although she had still been disciplined and bullied as usual, her mother had treated her a little differently today, unlike her usual self.

“So… I already called her ‘Mom’ so naturally…” Lily murmured to herself. Her legs were long and slender, yet they felt strangely weak at the moment. Perhaps it was because she had been lying prone for too long. She leaned against the wall, her thoughts drifting into a quiet haze.

In her original world, what her parents had been like was something she could barely remember anymore. The memories were vague, blurred at the edges. Why was that? Did this make her unfilial? Had she become some heartless, ungrateful woman?

“Where do I truly belong? Why is it that I’m starting to feel more and more that this place is my real home… while life in the original world feels like a dream that’s slowly being forgotten…”

“Lily? What’s wrong with you? Why are you leaning against the wall with such a flushed face? Don’t tell me you’re daydreaming about springtime romance?”

“Huh?”

Lily looked up and saw that Ayaka happened to be passing by.

It was painfully awkward.

She was wearing a narrow tube top and hot pants, something she usually only wore when training alone. She had not had time to change before going to see her mother. She never expected that on her way back, she would run into Ayaka like this.

“Sister Ayaka? Don’t joke around,” Lily said, her breathing uneven, her face burning red.

“Lily…” Ayaka hesitated, then stopped herself. “You look tired. Go get some rest early.”

“Sister…” Lily had many things she wanted to say to Ayaka, but in her current state, she felt too embarrassed to face anyone. Lowering her head slightly, she turned and left.

Ayaka gently closed her eyes, as if carefully savoring the lingering trace of Lily’s presence in the air.

“I like the way you smell…” Without realizing it, Ayaka brought her fan to her lips. Her hand trembled as it brushed over the white fabric along her chest, sliding downward… slowly downward… her delicate wrist tightening just slightly.

Just as Lily was about to return to her room, she ran into Rakshasa-Onna.

“Lily, oh? Why are you rushing back like this, all flustered and out of breath?”

“Huh?” Lily still felt a sense of distance toward Rakshasa-Onna. Instinctively, she lowered her head and used her arms to shield her body. Then again, this outfit was nothing more than training attire for sword practice. Why was she acting so guarded?

“Rakshasa-Onna, may I ask what you need me for?”

“Oh, it’s actually good news. A group of old acquaintances would like to see you.”

“Old acquaintances?”

“Oh come now, don’t tell me you enjoyed yourself so much that you’ve already forgotten the hundred slaves you took in?” Rakshasa-Onna said, covering her mouth as she laughed.

“Me? I did not enjoy myself!” Lily shot back, her face flushing crimson.

“So? Do you want to see them now, or should I tell them you’re tired and need to rest for a day before meeting them?”

“I would like to rest, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t explain it so… normally,” Lily snapped. “I’ll see them. Now.”

She was afraid Rakshasa-Onna would start spouting nonsense to those innocent girls, saying things like she had enjoyed herself too much and could not even walk, and needed to rest before seeing anyone.

“Your Majesty, could you please stop leaning on my shoulder?” Murasaki said, deeply troubled inside the ox-drawn carriage. “Your Majesty is a man, are you not? What man leans on a girl’s shoulder like this? Please conduct yourself with propriety.”

Although she could sense that Narinaga was not the lecherous type, precisely because he was not lustful, his timidly leaning against her shoulder made her feel all the more uncomfortable.

‘Why is there such a vast difference among people in this world?’ Murasaki thought to herself. ‘There are women among women like Lady Ayaka and Lady Lily, yet there are also men like the former emperor, who are nothing like men at all. To be a woman is to be like Lady Lily, to reach the very pinnacle of womanhood. Only then can life be said to have meaning.’

“I’m sorry… I’m afraid,” Narinaga said. “I’m afraid that my realm is finished, that my people are being invaded and enslaved by demons. Why hasn’t Sister Lily come to save me yet? If I could marry Sister Lily as my imperial consort, she could stay by my side every day and protect me. Then I wouldn’t be afraid anymore.”

As a former emperor, Narinaga actually knelt at Murasaki’s feet to apologize. She wore white socks, and when his gaze fell upon her beautiful feet, his heart stirred slightly, yet his thoughts could not help but compare them to Lily’s.

‘Although this Sister Murasaki has some ability, her feet still pale in comparison to Sister Lily’s. They cannot inspire my wholehearted devotion. If Sister Lily became my imperial consort, even if she stepped on me with her beautiful feet every day, I would accept it…’ As an emperor, he still had his pride and sense of decorum. Such thoughts remained unspoken.

Sadly… his elder brother, Emperor Go-Toba, had long since vanished. It was said that he had suffered relentless persecution and died in despair before even reaching twenty.

The imperial family appeared exalted, standing above tens of thousands, but once fallen, they were often more miserable than commoners.

The ox-drawn carriage traveled through the dark night for a long time. Along the way, they were attacked once by roaming nocturnal demons, but Murasaki and the driver managed to drive them off.

They finally arrived at a desolate temple on the outskirts of the Taira faction’s territory in Heian-kyo.

Inside the dim temple, several people were already kneeling, waiting to receive the emperor.

At the front was Ijuin.

By now, the Taira clan had nearly collapsed. Taira no Kiyomori had chosen seclusion, leaving Heian-kyo and entering monastic life. Shizuru had led a small force into the nearby mountains to wage guerrilla warfare, but there had been no news of her for a long time.

Only Ijuin remained, fully committed to leading the former Tsunaga Sisters and various factions opposed to the cloistered emperor and the new emperor, continuing to fight on in Heian-kyo.

“Your Majesty!” The last remaining resistors bowed to Narinaga.

A powerful surge of Eldritch Energy swept through the shadowy temple.

“So, these are my juniors?” A massive woman with a face like a Hannya mask and wild white hair emerged from behind the temple’s statue, frightening Emperor Narinaga so badly that he hid behind a pillar.

“Your Majesty, do not panic. This is my savior, Lady Hashihime,” Murasaki explained.

“Sigh… what meaning is there in all of this now?” By a black pillar, a tall woman with shoulder-length hair leaned against it, her voice cold. She was Shenzu. After so long, her hair had grown considerably.

“When my father was still alive, he held absolute power. At the very least, humanity could still contend with demons, and the imperial family was still respected. But now? All of Heian-kyo has become a playground for monsters. Men are reduced to forced labor, and young women… fare even worse.”

“Shenzu, are you blaming Lady Lily?” Ijuin asked solemnly.

“No, no, I was just speaking casually.”

“Even though Lady Lily is not here, she will forever be the spiritual leader of us revolutionaries!” Ijuin declared, his eyes shining. “From Kamakura onward, Lady Lily, a lone and fragile woman, defied darkness and tyranny, fighting all the way to this day. Her legend will inspire every one of us! As long as our will does not break, as long as we persist in the struggle, we will surely see hope!”

“Hmph.” Shenzu shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself, ‘They’ve deified that Kagami Lily too much. For all we know, she may barely be able to protect herself right now.’

After several days of travel, Herikaku City finally followed the Sanzu River and arrived at the river’s source.

Here, one could see mountain peaks shaped like inverted trees rising hundreds of thousands of meters into the sky.

Those were Mount Toshu.

Between Mount Toshu lay a long, narrow rift, from which threads of molten lava continuously dripped. Below the Big Dipper Stage, as long as one waited for the chains that were periodically lowered from the mountains and climbed up, then crossed that lava-filled rift, it was possible to reach the human world. Even originally, this had never been easy. But now, the rift had expanded dramatically, and the pressure suppressing those above the Big Dipper Stage had weakened. Even comparatively weaker Big Dipper experts could make the ascent. Passing through this rift led to Yomi Hirazaka.

Of course, some demons would also climb down from there.

Rei had descended via these chains back then. Descending carried no restriction on strength.

Herikaku City halted beneath Mount Toshu. The surrounding demons and monsters were terrified and scattered in all directions. Many small imps, their eyes gleaming brightly, hid among the distant mountains and peered over.

The monsters here were relatively weak. In their entire lives, they had never seen such an enormous fortress.

“Dad, what city is that? Why does it look so imposing?” a little imp asked, clinging to the back of a burly, bald demon holding a massive axe, pointing from afar at Herikaku City.

“Child, I’ve heard that’s called Herikaku City. It’s where the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms resides.”

“The most beautiful woman in the Three Realms? Prettier than Jasmine?”

The bald demon fell silent. “……”

At that moment, a group of figures flew down from the colossal city above.

Although they were all alluring, stunning women, not a single demon dared to approach. The demons might have been lustful, but they cherished their lives even more. Instinctively, they felt that being able to gaze at these women from afar, just once in their lifetime, was already an immense blessing. One careless move could mean utter annihilation.

Izanami stood among them, her height comparable to Ayaka’s. She wore a red robe with wide sleeves that trailed along the ground like a flying rainbow, stretching for dozens of meters and drawing every eye.

Yet the tall woman beside her, dressed in a short skirt and red attire, was even more captivating and seductive.

“Lily, once I set up the grand formation and perform the ritual, I will send you all up,” Izanami said.

Lily raised her head and looked up at the dark, looming bulk of Herikaku City above.

“Mom, then I’ll have Yanagihada order those demon gods to pull Herikaku City away.”

Izanami shook her head. “No need. Once I begin the ritual, you only need to return to Herikaku City and stay there.”

“Huh?” Lily and the sisters stared at Izanami in shock.

“Since I’ve promised you, I will see it through completely. I will send the entire Herikaku City to the human world,” Izanami said calmly.

“Huh?????”

Lily and the others were utterly stunned.

This… this… So this was the Great Imperial God! Lily, Rei, and Shimizu were all powerful Supreme Gods, yet none of them could break through the iron laws of the Three Realms and return to the human world on their own.

And now, her mother, Izanami, a Great Imperial God, was going to send this colossal city, tens of thousands of meters tall, along with the tens of thousands of Celestial Maiden experts upon it, all to the human world in one sweep!

What kind of audacity was this? What kind of overwhelming might!

Lily’s reverence for Izanami deepened even further. Thinking back on the punishments she had received before, she now accepted them wholeheartedly. With a mother this formidable, how could Lily possibly feel unwilling?