Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 57 – That Voice

Far from where Lily narrowly escaped her ordeal, Queen Kaguya valiantly contended with Lord Umashi’s relentless onslaught.

Umashi’s formidable strength overshadowed all; his brute force rendered the Queen’s spells and interference tactics almost ineffective. Moreover, the robustness of Umashi’s physique meant he could withstand most of her attacks—while her most potent spells might incapacitate lesser Kunitsukami, they barely scratched him.

Umashi persistently pursued the Queen, launching attacks despite the slowing curses she cast to impede him. His superior speed notwithstanding, he couldn’t prevent her from teleporting to evade his strikes.

Currently, Umashi maintained the upper hand, undeterred by any retaliatory efforts. Yet, vanquishing her would not be swift.

“You aren’t my opponent! Why don’t you just surrender?” Umashi’s punches were powerful enough to distort the s.p.a.ce within the incredibly resilient Yomi dimension. Every mountain wall and boulder that encountered his fist’s energy was ground into dust.

The Queen continuously conjured various defensive spells to block his attacks.

Queen Kaguya’s layers of spells crumbled into dust under the force of Umashi’s blows, repeatedly knocking her back. Her divine energy was depleting rapidly, but she had many treasures that replenished her strength. Although the battle seemed to favor Lord Umashi, it hadn’t reached a decisive conclusion, as her divine energy consumption was not excessive.

With no one else around, she could focus entirely on her defense. Given that they were both ancient Supreme G.o.ds, the battle’s outcome wouldn’t be determined swiftly.

Meanwhile, Lily was over 100 miles away in Female Prison h.e.l.l, moving cautiously. She had no idea where to go, as Yomi-no-kuni had no stars to guide her, and the prison itself was like a maze.

As Lily moved through the prison, she glimpsed various tortures. Even if these women had sinned greatly, they should have been executed quickly; such prolonged torture seemed too cruel.

Lily could barely protect herself, let alone rescue the Queen or Commander Chiya, who were also in danger. All she could do was navigate the labyrinthine caves and mountains, trying to avoid detection.

“I must escape. But… where should I go?”

“Follow your heart and go… Return from whence you came…” An ethereal, ancient voice echoed around her, distant and almost imperceptible.

Lily felt she recognized the voice, though it was her first time hearing it. “Who are you? Senior, please guide me. I… I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do…” she whispered.

There was no response.

“What do you mean, ‘follow my heart’? I don’t even know the way here. What can I follow?”

Still, there was no response.

Lily closed her eyes, listening to the surrounding sounds of women screaming, demons hurling insults, volcanoes erupting, and distant combat. She felt enveloped in chaotic darkness.

“Huh?” Amidst the chaos and confusion, there appeared to be a faint, tragic beam of light. “What… is this feeling?” Lily frowned, eyes closed, trying to sense the source of the light.

“Sadness… I feel sadness from afar.” She couldn’t tell if this sadness was due to distance or age, as it seemed very faint, yet it made her heart ache.

“If I follow my heart…” Lily felt that this sadness, although painful, was somehow connected to her, as if it sympathized with her. “Does this sadness pity me?”

She opened her eyes and, guided by a weak intuition, moved in its direction.

Suddenly, several powerful auras pa.s.sed overhead, prompting Lily to hide behind a boulder. Without a moon in Yomi, the Sakura Parasol was ineffective, as she had discovered earlier.

However, Lily could still blend in by suppressing her aura. Among the captured women and demons, her Throned Stage aura was not unusual.

The figures landed on stone pillars several hundred meters away. They were Jamako, the female demon with a whip, and Enki, three Infernal powerhouses.

“Where did that woman go?” Jamako asked, swinging his iron fan, sweat glistening on his forehead.

“It’s impossible for her to evade so many powerhouses. If I were her, I’d hide among these punished women. With so many female experts’ auras here, it’s a perfect cover,” the female demon said, swinging her whip.

Lily was shocked by the accuracy of the demon’s guess. She remained silent, knowing that if they found her, escape would be impossible.

“But there are so many punished women here. How do we find her?” Enki asked impatiently. “And those Banjo Demons are in our way!”

“We can kill some Banjo Demons and imprisoned women, but not too many. If we disturb the heavenly order, we might provoke that supreme being in Yomi-no-kuni,” the female demon cautioned.

“d.a.m.n it! We have to avoid provoking the Banjo and search carefully,” Jamako grumbled. His ma.s.sive form took flight toward a burning cave, followed by the female demon and Enki, who split up to search.

Once they left, Lily sighed in relief. “That was close!”

It was clear that these powerful beings were still searching for her, so she had to be extremely cautious.

Lily stayed vigilant, taking cover behind boulders and cliffs. She advanced only after ensuring it was safe, gradually drawing closer to the sorrowful aura she sensed.

“What kind of place am I heading to?” she wondered.

She moved cautiously, nearly stumbling upon two more infernal powerhouses. Fortunately, she managed to remain hidden.

Ahead, a valley stretched out. As she prepared to cross it, an oppressive aura approached, forcing her to retreat and hide in a crevice between the mountain walls.

Jamako hovered above, scanning the area from the valley’s peak, less than a kilometer from Lily.

“It’s him again!” she thought.

“Hey, sister. Could they be searching for you?” A voice behind her made her startle.

She turned to see a small demon, barely reaching her thigh, with two short horns and wearing tattered armor. He was only at the Throned Stage.

She remained silent, staring at him, torn. Any noise could alert Jamako to her presence.

“Heheh! They’re looking for you, as expected. I heard them mention a woman. Most here are tied or chained, but you’re free and scared, aren’t you?” the small demon remarked.

Lily continued to stare in silence, worried he might shout and give her away.

Meanwhile, Jamako remained on the peak.

The small, pudgy demon eyed Lily l.u.s.tfully and whispered, “You’re a beauty, sister. Swear by the heavens you’ll let me hold you for a night, won’t resist, and won’t harm me afterward. Then I’ll keep quiet. Otherwise, I’ll scream and expose you.”

Despite his small size, the demon was likely over a hundred years old and cunning. He used this threat against Lily.

As Jamako was about to leave, the small demon grabbed Lily’s tattered skirt. “I’ll count to three. Swear now, or I’ll shout. One, two…”

Lily’s heart raced; she was being threatened by a mere Throned Stage demon.

“Swear now, or I’ll count!” As he spoke, he realized Lily wouldn’t resist. He reached his rough, green hands toward her thighs.

In a swift, silent move, Lily drove her sword into the demon’s head, piercing his Anima with almost flawless precision.

The small demon died without a sound.

“Huh?” Despite the faint movement, Jamako noticed it. He turned his head, staring at the crack.

As suspicion grew and he moved to investigate, a Throned Saint Yomi demon emerged from the crack, dragging the smaller demon’s corpse.

“I see, the weaker demons are just killing each other,” Jamako muttered, realizing what had happened. He then leapt into the air, flying away to a different location.

Inside the crack, Lily collapsed to the ground, her chest heaving uncontrollably.

She felt tears welling up, the pressure of being on edge overwhelming her. A mere Throned Stage demon had managed to threaten and humiliate her.

Once Jamako was out of sight, Lily emerged cautiously. She refrained from controlling her Yomi Demon projection remotely, letting it dissipate as it moved out of range to avoid detection by the powerful beings.

Lily grew even more vigilant, not only wary of the fifteen powerhouses but also mindful of her surroundings, determined to prevent another close call.

She advanced with heightened caution, willing to stand still for minutes if necessary to avoid risks. This had become a test of patience and nerves.

With the Banjo Female Prison h.e.l.l spanning over 100 miles in diameter, finding her would be difficult for the powerhouses if she fully concealed her aura.

While evading the search party, Lily gradually moved toward the pulse of sadness she felt in her heart.

Lily noticed the cave ceiling ahead was lower, with an opening that released gusts of wind mixed with a faint blue smoke.

She leapt up, tossing a stellar thread that wrapped around a stalagmite near the hole, pulling herself up through the opening.

The wind exiting the gap was fierce, almost blowing her away. She unsheathed her sword, stabbing it into the mountain wall to anchor herself as she climbed.

After much effort, she finally emerged from the windy pa.s.sage.

Outside the windy cave, the world was a deep, dark blue, battered by relentless winds and devoid of life.