Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 3 – The Septuple-Soul, Three-Eyed Bull Demon

Lily halted, her attention riveted on the septuple-soul level bull demon.

In her confrontation with Yoritomo, who had fiercely ascended to the septuple-soul level by burning his soul, victory was hard-won for her. However, mere hours into navigating Yomi-no-kuni, she found herself pursued by a mult.i.tude, culminating in an encounter with formidable bull demons, their leader boasting septuple-soul strength.

While Lily wasn’t destined to lose this battle, her concerns lay with Yomi-no-kuni’s collective might, suggesting her escape wouldn’t be straightforward.

“Why are you pursuing me?”

Ordinarily, a rationale would be superfluous; a beautiful woman falling into a demon’s den often finds herself pursued. Yet, the scale of the demonic a.s.sembly was peculiar. Was her beauty alone the cause? Despite the scarcity of women in Yomi-no-kuni, such a global stir seemed excessive.

Upon halting, Lily found herself encircled not just by bull demons but also by a myriad of other distant demons and spirits. The septuple-soul level bull demon advanced confidently, appraising Lily with a lascivious and unsightly demeanor.

“Kagami Lily, deemed the most beautiful woman, now in Yomi and yet you query our pursuit?” The bull demon’s voice, both gruff and potent, vibrated the very air.

From afar, a roving demon adorned in tattered, flamboyant attire, with crimson hair and a cerulean visage, proclaimed, “Human beauties enduring in Yomi-no-kuni are coveted by the realm’s overlords, more precious than spirit artifacts! Moreover, you’re the famed Mirror Girl Lily, correct?”

This revelation took Lily aback. Throughout her journeys in the Heian Dynasty, many had challenged her without recognizing her ident.i.ty. Having no prior dealings with Yomi-no-kuni and having just arrived, she wondered, how could her ident.i.ty, especially as a mirror girl, be common knowledge here?

“How do you know my name?” Lily inquired, her tone icy. Understanding this was crucial; without it, escaping might lead her into even more peril.

The moment Lily posed her question, the vagrant demon burst into laughter, inciting a chorus of jeers and vulgar threats from the others.

“Mirror Girl Lily, you’ve been listed on Takamagahara’s most wanted. It’s been ages since they’ve updated that list, and suddenly, there you are, topping it as the newest criminal sought, with a substantial bounty on your head. And your unparalleled beauty only adds to the fervor. News of you has spread far and wide across Yomi-no-kuni!” the vagrant demon explained.

Takamagahara’s wanted list?

Lily recalled that Rei’s mother, Bishamonten, had also been on that list. She fell into a trap set by Shuten Doji and others, leading to her capture and return to Takamagahara.

Considering her status as a celestial battle maiden, why would she become a fugitive wanted by Takamagahara?

Despite battling evil in the name of the heavens, Lily found herself the target of conspiracies. It wasn’t hard to imagine malicious ent.i.ties within the celestial ranks. But didn’t a wanted poster from Takamagahara carry the weight of divine authority?

Why was she targeted?

What had she done to provoke Takamagahara’s ire

¹?

The predicament was graver than Lily had antic.i.p.ated, explaining the horde of formidable demons and specters tailing her.

“Now you’re aware, Kagami Lily. Even the heavens have forsaken you. Escape is futile. Wouldn’t it be simpler to surrender?” proposed the septuple-soul bull demon.

Two adjacent bull demons produced dark spirit artifact chains, which, if fastened, would render even Lily powerless to escape.

In the mirror s.p.a.ce, anxiety pervaded as Kagura revealed Lily’s placement on Takamagahara’s wanted list. Despite her grave injuries, the sisters couldn’t ignore Bishamonen’s fate—a deity who was apprehended and returned to Takamagahara. Being mortal, Lily’s situation seemed even more precarious following her inclusion on the wanted list.

Lily found herself encircled by formidable demons, with the sisters too distant to lend support.

Lily a.s.sessed her surroundings, aware that any attempt to break through might result in an onslaught by frenzied demons encircling her.

“I’ll initiate an attack to disperse the demons and then find a chance to escape,” Lily resolved.

She unsheathed Oborozuki Muramasa, unleashing a hazy lunar force that intimidated the surrounding demons.

“First and foremost, I am Kagami Lily, the one who descended into Yomi. Given the natural discord between Yomi and the human realm, your desire to besiege me leaves me unfazed. Guard your lives well! Enough talk, come at me!”

Despite the demons unleashing intense demonic energy, none ventured an initial a.s.sault. Being listed as wanted was a mark of no ordinary expertise; they weren’t deceived by Lily’s outward appearance.

Suddenly, the aura of the three-eyed bull demon, exuding septuple-soul level strength, erupted with a force as thunderous as a clap of thunder. He held a hefty, black axe, its handle adorned with a sharp hook and its surface etched with fire patterns, all radiating an exceptional aura.

The three-eyed bull demon, wielding his giant axe alight with golden flames, swung it towards Lily.

In the face of peril, Lily’s fighting spirit was kindled. Opting not to evade, she met the attack directly, raising her sword to intercept the axe.

The exceedingly resilient ground of Yomi cracked and gave way under her feet.

The three-eyed bull demon and his demonic entourage were taken aback. Renowned for his sheer power as a septuple-soul Big Dipper Stage archdemon, his axe had been directly countered by Lily, whose prowess evidently transcended mere physical strength.

Nevertheless, Lily’s strength fell slightly short of the three-eyed bull demon’s. Despite intercepting the axe, the force left her arms numb, challenging her grip.

The bull demon’s inherent strength shone as he hoisted his axe for another downward swing.

This time, opting against a direct confrontation, Lily sidestepped and used Oborozuki Muramasa to nudge the axe’s trajectory off course, her blade grazing it en route to the bull demon.

This blow was imbued with a significant measure of hazy lunar energy.

Despite the three-eyed bull demon’s strength, his skill and agility paled in comparison to Lily’s. As he hastily retreated, he couldn’t avoid a swift slash from Oborozuki Muramasa across his chest, which left a deep cut oozing dark red blood intermingled with flames.

Nonetheless, the three-eyed bull demon’s regenerative capabilities were formidable. No sooner had he touched down than the wound began to close, swiftly healing to leave behind nothing but a scar.

Lily recognized that their earlier exchange was merely a preliminary skirmish, a way to gauge each other’s capabilities.

“It’s clear now why she’s on the wanted list—her power is exceptional!” bellowed the three-eyed bull demon. “Brothers, let’s join forces and take her alive!”

“What?!” It appeared that the concept of honor was foreign to these Yomi archdemons. A group of about a dozen bull demons rushed her simultaneously, with four or five exhibiting strength on par with Yoritomo at his baseline. They encircled Lily, coordinating their a.s.sault with their septuple-soul leader.

Under these circ.u.mstances, even Kagura’s intervention, despite her possession of one remaining Blood Spirit Magatama, would prove futile.

Lily’s gaze sharpened as a misty moon rose in the sky, surrounded by drifting cherry blossoms. Though her moonlit domain couldn’t harm the bull demons of quintuple-soul strength or greater, it served to suppress their movements.

The a.s.sembly of bull demons felt a collective pressure, their actions hindered by the encompa.s.sing power of the soul world.

With a swift motion, a s.e.xtuple-soul bull demon launched an attack on Lily, wielding a spiked iron rod aimed at her back. Immersed in her soul world, Lily had a heightened awareness of her surroundings, allowing her to acrobatically leap over the rod, land gracefully, and counterattack with her sword.

With a precise slash, Lily severed the arms of the s.e.xtuple-soul bull demon, then thrust her sword forward for another attack.

Yet, a chain hurled by a quintuple-soul bull demon ensnared her cursed blade. Lily vigorously shook her sword, its keen edge vibrating to slice through the chain.

As a machete cleaved through the air towards her, Lily responded with a swift swing of her own sword.

Remarkably, the blade of the quintuple-soul bull demon’s machete was cleanly severed.

The bull demons looked on in astonishment at the cursed sword in Lily’s grasp, marveling at its sharpness.

Seizing the moment, Lily lunged at the quintuple-soul bull demon with her sword. Despite his defense with diamond gauntlets, Lily’s thrust pierced through his wrist, hand, and into his chest, directly impaling his anima.

Just then, the septuple-soul bull demon aimed a powerful chop at Lily’s back. Without time to reposition her sword, Lily lifted her leg in a graceful arc to kick the axe’s handle.

The impact from blocking the axe caused her foot to embed into the ground, the force of the blow sending golden ripples throughout the vicinity. Lily felt a sharp pain, as though her foot might shatter under the strain.

Although the septuple-soul bull demon’s combat prowess was average, he showed remarkable agility. In a swift maneuver, he redirected his axe, its handle’s sharp hook targeting Lily’s abdomen in a cunning strike. Caught off-guard but quick to respond, Lily released her grip on her blade and leapt back.

Unexpectedly, she was met with a punch from the bull demon she had wounded earlier. The force from the quintuple-soul bull demon’s blow, while not gravely injurious, was enough to send her reeling due to her unguarded state.

Her impact with the ground sent shards of rock scattering in all directions.

As she attempted to rise, the combined might of a club, sword, and axe from three bull demons descended upon her with crushing force.

Swiftly, Lily summoned the sakura parasol into her grasp, unfurling it with a quick motion.

Each blow hammered down upon the sakura parasol in rapid succession, reverberating with the force of the impacts.

Out of nowhere, a kick from a s.e.xtuple-soul bull demon struck Lily’s waist from beyond the protection of the parasol, propelling her through the air once more.

Mid-flight, Lily caught sight of two chains hurtling towards her.

Executing a spin in mid-air, Lily summoned Dojigiri Yasutsuna to her hand, successfully deflecting one of the chains.

The second chain, slightly more distant, prompted Lily to extend her hand and command, “Return!”

Oborozuki Muramasa dislodged itself from the quintuple-soul bull demon and flew back to Lily. In a desperate bid for survival, the bull demon had shifted his origin soul to a concealed stellar soul within his abdomen, narrowly avoiding death but at a significant loss of strength.

“Demons deep within Yomi prove to be exceptionally ruthless adversaries,” Lily mused with irritation. Despite the numerous exchanges and the barrage of blows she delivered, not a single quintuple-soul bull demon had fallen by her hand

².

Having deflected one chain, Lily was soon targeted by another pair of chilling, shadowy chains. She contorted mid-air to evade, only to be taken aback as the blunt ends of the chains altered their course unexpectedly, as though guided by some unseen force.

Footnotes:

1. 
   

   Robinxen: Well regardless of the reason you already knew they didn’t approve of you many many many chapters ago.

2. 
   

   LazyButAmbitious: Yeah, I’ve seen Lily struggle in a fight but not get pushed around this bad in a while