Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 71 - Divine Being

Within the wooden cottage tucked away in a corner of the grove in Cherry Blossom Valley. Lily lightly held her teacup. Kotoka held hers as well, yet she found herself unable to drink.

“Why? Something like this happened, and you still didn’t tell me.”

At this moment, Lily’s emotions were tangled and complex. On one hand, she felt fortunate that she had arrived in time. Though her sisters had suffered, they were ultimately safe, and that brought her relief. Yet on the other hand, she was angry that such a grave matter had been kept from her, that they had even avoided her. Did they know how worried she had been?

She knew very well the price Izanami-no-Ōkami had paid to send her back. Lily could clearly feel it.

Kotoka, however, felt no guilt in her heart. Lily had saved them, the sisters were safe again, and most importantly, Lily had not placed herself in further danger or diminished her own power because of this incident. That alone reassured her. Even if Lily was angry, Kotoka would accept it willingly.

As for the reason, Kotoka did not elaborate. She merely said she had not wanted Lily to worry. But the more she said that, the more Lily felt the depth of affection Kotoka and Haihime bore for her. They had not wanted her to take risks. And even now, they did not want her to blame herself.

At that moment, Ayaka arrived, bringing Sakiko with her.

Lily’s face remained somewhat stern, her chest rising and falling steadily with restrained emotion. She did not say much. Instead, she stood up. “Let’s go see how things are outside.”

“Oh, Lily…” Perhaps because Lily had been silent the entire way, and the atmosphere had grown too awkward, Kotoka asked, “Earlier, what method did you use? How did you suddenly make the Takashi brothers teleport out of the main hall?”

“Oh, that was the power of the Dark Lunar Force. It possesses the ability of spatial transference.”

“So miraculous… If I had such an ability, would that mean I could escape any danger?”

“The Dark Lunar Force is extremely difficult to cultivate. The requirements in aptitude are far too high. If Madam Kotoka wishes to learn, I can teach you. But first, you must reach the level of the Lunar Heavenly Path and comprehend the Lunar Force before there is even a possibility of practicing it. And among those who walk the Lunar Heavenly Path, only a very few can cultivate the Lunar Force at all,” Lily explained.

“Is that so… It is truly that difficult…”

In truth, the one currently most proficient in the Dark Lunar Force was Shimizu. Because Lily had undergone pair training with her, she had begun to perceive deeper layers of its power. However, the one truly capable of opening spatial gates and carrying others through transference by her own strength was still only Shimizu.

Lily’s affinity with the Lunar Force, however, was exceptionally strong. Though she had only grasped a fragment of the Dark Lunar Force and could not yet freely perform spatial transference alone, by combining it with the power of her Domain World, relocating two Big Dipper Stage adepts along with some objects was naturally well within her ability.

They soon arrived at Cherry Blossom Valley. There, the sisters still stood resplendent in the open clearing. But all around them, the demons, black-armored warriors, and soldiers lay strewn across the ground in utter ruin.

A ripple of spatial fluctuation appeared. Shimizu descended from a spatial gate, sheathing her blade as she landed.

“Lily, it’s all taken care of,” Shimizu said.

Since Shimizu had said so, Lily felt completely at ease. Her divine power had already enveloped the entirety of Cherry Blossom Valley. Not a single invader had survived. These wretches had dared to bully Kotoka and Sakiko. They deserved death.

Though they had not violated them, it was only because they feared Ashikaga Kiyoshi’s stern spiritual presence. Even so, Lily could see clearly that they had schemed relentlessly, seeking any excuse to claim possession of them. And how many nearby villagers had these black-armored warriors and demons slaughtered? How many women of the Kanto region had they ravaged? Their deaths were more than deserved.

“Lily, I will arrange for people to clean this place up at once.” Kotoka knew Lily was in a foul mood and tried her best to appease her.

“There’s no need. For now, this place is not safe enough. I will dispatch a squad of Dark Celestial Maidens to take over. Cherry Blossom Valley is, after all, a place where we sisters gather. It must not be abandoned, nor can it be allowed to be defiled. Leave the rest to them,” Lily said.

Naturally, the Dark Celestial Maidens would not personally scrub the battlefield. They had spells, artifacts, shikigami, and mechanical puppets at their disposal. Maintaining Herikaku City, which spanned tens of thousands of meters, posed no difficulty for them. Let alone Cherry Blossom Valley.

“Then what do we do now…?” Sakiko asked.

“We’ll go to Herikaku City. Until peace is restored to the world, everyone will remain there,” Lily said.

Soon, a troop of Dark Celestial Maidens arrived, riding upon swirling clouds. The ink-black clouds, reinforced by divine formations, were firm enough for even ordinary people to step upon.

Kotoka and Sakiko were both astonished.

But there was still one group that had not yet returned.

“Inugami and Kagura have gone to fetch Haihime and the others. It will take a little while. Kaguya-hime, Bishamonten, shall I take you for a stroll through Cherry Blossom Valley?”

“Mm, that would be lovely. We would also like to see this place,” Queen Kaguya said.

“Th-Those two Celestial Maidens… are they Kaguya-hime and Bishamonten? Their true forms?” Kotoka stared at the goddesses walking beside Lily in disbelief. Those were beings from ancient myth and legend!

“Lily, what kind of experiences did you have in Yomi-no-kuni and Takamagahara?”

Among the villagers of Cherry Blossom Valley were many skilled craftsmen from the surrounding Kanto region. Most knew the legends of Bishamonten. Quite a few had once served as soldiers or practiced martial arts. In their hearts, they revered this Goddess of War.

“Th-That is… Bishamonten?”

“I thought she would look fierce and terrifying like the statues in the temples… How can she be so beautiful?”

“Lady Bishamonten!”

The villagers suddenly dropped to their knees, bowing and kowtowing in reverence.

“Lady Bishamonten, bless my swordsmanship!”

“Lady Bishamonten, grant us success in martial fortune!”

“Kaguya-hime, bless me with a son…”

For Empyreans, especially those who had reached the level of Supreme God, they no longer merely drew from the world. By mastering a Path and embodying a Heavenly Law, they could influence its operation and thereby bestow blessings upon all living things.

Lily and the others entered deeper into the cherry valley. The grove here had been largely untouched. The Takashi brothers and the demons had not the refinement to appreciate such beauty.

Lily guided Kaguya, Bishamonten, and Chiya on a leisurely tour.

“Lily, I did not expect the mortal realm to possess cherry blossoms so beautiful. They rival even those of Takamagahara,” Kaguya remarked with a sigh.

“Though every blade of grass and tree in the mortal realm may be fragile, they all carry a certain artistic conception. In that regard, it surpasses Yomi-no-kuni by far,” Chiya said.

After a round of sightseeing, it was no longer suitable to soak in the hot springs due to the recent demonic invasion.

At this time, Inugami and Kagura had already brought Haihime and the others back.

“ “Lily!” ”

Several of them were clad in torn garments, looking utterly disheveled. When they saw Lily, a storm of emotions surged through their hearts.

Though they had stubbornly insisted on resolving the matter themselves, the moment they truly saw Lily standing before them and witnessed Cherry Blossom Valley reclaimed, each of them felt an overwhelming wave of joy.

Leaving behind two squads of Dark Celestial Maidens to guard and handle the aftermath, Lily and the others were preparing to depart.

“I-Is it… Miss Lily…?” From among the villagers stepped a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and a somewhat gaunt frame. His face was darkened by hardship, etched with the marks of time, and he wore a tattered hunting robe.

Lily turned her head, momentarily unable to place him.

“You are…?”

“I… I’m Kimura! The Kimura from the Matsuda household back then!”

“Mr. Kimura!”

Of course Lily remembered him. Not only from the days at the Matsuda family, but later, after she had been granted her own fief, Kimura had served as the magistrate of Takeshita Town.

Just moments ago, he had been escorting female captives here, deeply unwilling yet compelled to do so. But upon arrival, he found everything had changed beyond recognition. From a distance, he had even caught sight of Rei. Only then did he realize that Cherry Blossom Valley had already been retaken by the sisters who had returned in fury.

“Ah! My apologies, I… what am I doing?” Under the gaze of the gathered crowd, Kimura suddenly felt awkward and presumptuous. Remembering Lily’s status, he hastily threw himself to the ground and kowtowed. “Kimura pays his respects to the Taishogun! Forgive my earlier rudeness, my lady!”

Though to Lily now he was but one ordinary soul among countless others, in the past he had been someone who had cared for her and looked after her.

Within the Matsuda household, aside from Uncle Matsuda, it had been Mr. Kimura who had treated her the best.

“Mr. Kimura, it was you who took me to choose my first blade, was it not?”

Lily still remembered it clearly. Back then, she had been a powerless young girl with no strength even to truss a chicken, determined to learn swordsmanship for self-defense. She had endured the mockery of the other children around her. At the very beginning, she had chosen a long blade, and they had laughed at her as a foolish woman who knew nothing of the sword.

And yet, from that day onward, she had wielded that very type of long blade—cutting her way across heaven and earth, shaking the Three Realms.

Without caring that Kimura’s hands were dirty, Lily stepped forward and personally helped him to his feet. At that moment, Kimura felt as though he must have accumulated the blessings of eight lifetimes to be granted such fortune.

The most beautiful woman in the Heian Dynasty, the leader of all warriors in the realm, the Taishogun herself had, before the eyes of the multitude, personally lifted him up. This alone would be enough for him to boast about for ten generations in the village.

“General Lyn-hime…”

If Lily had been a man, he might not have been able to restrain himself from throwing himself forward and weeping. But though Kimura was timid and ordinary, he was an upright man. The most beautiful woman in the world was not someone of his standing to profane with reckless familiarity.

Tears welled in his eyes. His trembling hands, nearly overcome by emotion, forcibly pulled back as he murmured, “I must not dirty the general’s hands.”

“Mr. Kimura, you and I are old acquaintances. Please do not say such things.”

“Greetings to the General!”

At this time, the villagers of Cherry Blossom Valley also knelt and paid their respects. This General was far more astonishing than any of the previous ones. She walked side by side with Bishamonten and Kaguya-hime, and the two ancient goddesses even seemed to treat her with respect. Just how unfathomable were General Lyn-hime’s abilities? The common folk simply could not comprehend it.

Lily signaled for Kotoka, Haihime, and the others to step onto the black clouds. Since everyone had arrived, it was time to depart for Herikaku City.

One by one, the sisters ascended the clouds. The villagers were stunned beyond words and began worshipping Lily as though she were a deity.

“The General has become a god!”

“Lyn-hime has ascended!”

Even Kimura joined them, kneeling with fervent admiration in his heart.

Standing upon the clouds, Lily suddenly felt that something within her was missing, as though there were a hollow space in her heart.

“Uncle Matsuda… Lord Hojo Ujizane… all those in Kanto who once helped me when I was powerless… where are you now?”

Lowering her head, her long hair drifting in the wind, Lily looked down at Kimura.

“Mr. Kimura, come up.”

“Ah? M-Me?”

“I’ll take you on a visit to Herikaku.” Lily smiled gently.

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