Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 67 – Lily’s Promise (Part 1)

The vast azure winds howled across the ancient battlefield. Lily wasn’t aware that by slaying three Yomi powerhouses, she might have offered a fleeting peace to the souls of the celestial maidens who fell a thousand years ago. Yet, perhaps… it wasn’t enough. What is the right thing to do? Does it even matter? Maybe the entire world is veiled in darkness, and the celestial maidens, too, will one day be lost in the flow of history.

Lily halted and turned back to see Yaiba’s lifeless body on the ground. From his chest, pure blood divine power flowed out, condensing into a radiant blood crystal. This crystal, the final bloom of a warrior’s life, resembled a night-blooming cereus—its beauty sharply contrasting with Yaiba’s rugged and weathered form. Yet perhaps the heart of a warrior makes no distinction between beauty and the harshness of battle.

The blood crystal shimmered for a few moments before shattering into fragments, scattering across the ground. These pieces merged with the forces of nature and transformed into magatama beads. Thirty-six blood spirit magatamas in total. Lily understood that the number of magatamas left behind by fallen powerhouses—whether from Yomi or Takamagahara—might reflect their strength in life.

Yaiba’s magatama count matched Jamako’s, suggesting they were of similar strength, though not necessarily equal. Lily gathered Yaiba’s magatamas, along with his weapons and treasures. Among them, twelve prayer beads lay scattered, unclaimed. These were top-tier spiritual treasures, slightly superior to her unmerged Oborozuki Muramasa. Lacking a long-range, flexible weapon controlled by spiritual power, Lily knew these would prove valuable.

Lily gathered the twelve beads and infused them with her spiritual energy, quickly recognizing the treasure’s name: “Soul Binding Beads.” These could be controlled with spiritual energy to strike distant foes, their impact growing stronger with the wielder’s power. The energy fluctuations of the Lunar Heavenly Path could also be infused into the beads, further amplifying their potency.

Finally, Lily clasped her hands in silent prayer, offering a transference of merit for Yaiba. Though unfamiliar with the proper rituals, she believed sincerity held its own power. “You don’t yet deserve to be buried here. May you find rebirth soon,” she murmured softly.

After finishing her prayer, Lily pressed on toward the entrance. “I hope Her Majesty the Queen and General Chiya are alright!” she thought, her anxiety growing with each step.

As she neared the entrance, Lily spotted two Big Dipper demons searching for her. Instead of hiding, she walked straight toward them. “It’s her!” the demons exclaimed, stunned at her bold approach.

“We can’t capture her on our own. Let’s hold her off and call for reinforcements!” they decided, launching an attack from both sides.

“Hmph.” Lily scoffed, drawing Oborozuki Muramasa and unleashing two radiant, silver-white blade lights. The strikes were so powerful that they instantly obliterated most of the demons’ bodies, leaving only their legs to crumple to the ground. She didn’t even stop to collect their treasures—these demons hadn’t slowed her down in the slightest.

Without any further hindrance, Lily hurried toward the wind tunnel leading out of the ancient battlefield. Just as she reached it, a young girl’s laughter echoed through the air. “Hehehe, well done, Kagami Lily.”

“What!? How did I not sense this?” Lily muttered in surprise as mist rose from the rocks and mountains around her, slowly revealing the figures of female warriors.

“Kagami Lily, you’ve really kept us on our toes, leading us all the way here!” A tall, dark-skinned woman clad in ninja attire stood atop a large rock, hands on her hips, looking down at Lily.

“Renka?” Lily was startled, recognizing the warriors surrounding her. They were all from the Rakshasa dojo—Renka, Isshiki, and another female captain Lily hadn’t encountered before.

Taken by surprise, Lily realized that the Rakshasa dojo had tracked her down and was now blocking her path. She wasn’t sure whether they were friend or foe.

The fact that she hadn’t sensed the Rakshasa dojo’s ambush could only mean one thing… She was here too. Before the entrance to the wind tunnel, faintly glowing silhouettes of blue and purple formed into the shapes of women, surrounded by fluttering flowers—Rakshasa-Onna had arrived.

“Rakshasa-Onna?” Lily gasped in shock.

“Kagami Lily, how have you been? How’s the mission I gave you?” Rakshasa-Onna asked, her white robe with purple lace sleeves and purple headband fluttering in the wind.

But it was far from over. Before Rakshasa-Onna could continue, six red phantoms formed from murderous intent appeared beside her, swirling in a dance of red petals, their forms coalescing amidst the falling flowers.

From within the fiery red glow of murderous intent, a girl emerged, nearly identical to Rakshasa-Onna, but with a more severe expression. Her attire mirrored Rakshasa-Onna’s, though white replaced the base color and red lace adorned her sleeves, complemented by a crimson headband—the only distinction between them.

This girl, who appeared to be Rakshasa-Onna’s twin, radiated an aura strikingly similar to her sister’s, almost indistinguishable in intensity.

For a moment, Lily found herself at a loss for words.

Before Lily could respond, the girl clad in white and red lace, her long hair swaying in the wind, spoke. “Sister, is this tall, busty woman the one you’ve been searching for?”

“Exactly.” Rakshasa-Onna’s tone had a playful, almost mischievous lilt, contrasting sharply with her sister’s calm demeanor. “This busty woman is Kagami Lily, the one even Madam herself has vouched for.”

“Before I interrogate you, Kagami Lily, allow me to introduce my sister, Asura-Onna,” Rakshasa-Onna said, playfully brushing her sleeve against Asura-Onna’s fair face.

“When did you become so brazen in front of your elder sister?” Asura-Onna’s expression sharpened as she caught Rakshasa-Onna’s hand mid-gesture.

“Asura-Onna, Your Highness!” Around Lily, a dozen more figures materialized, including two female captains at the Celestial Stage. Their attire resembled that of the Rakshasa dojo warriors, though their garments were brighter and more vibrant in contrast to the dojo’s darker hues.

“……” For a brief moment, Lily was unsure how to react. The sudden appearance of Rakshasa-Onna and her unexpected twin sister caught her off guard. Nevertheless, she opted to remain courteous.

“Lily pays her respects to Rakshasa-Onna and Asura-Onna,” Lily said, bowing slightly in acknowledgment.

Asura-Onna’s gaze remained stern as she scrutinized Lily, her voice sharp and brisk. “Sister, have you not trained this woman properly? Does she not understand respect and rank? She dared to speak your name before mine, though I am the elder. Shall I discipline her for you?”

“Hehehe, sister, look at her. She’s likely been through countless perils on the ancient battlefield. The poor thing—let’s not get caught up in trivialities, shall we?” Rakshasa-Onna teased with a playful giggle.

“That won’t do. Discipline requires punishment. However, given the current circ.u.mstances, it wouldn’t be wise to focus on minor faults. We’ll note this and address it later. Her arrival here alone might const.i.tute betrayal—that’s what we need to determine. If she has betrayed us, there’s no need for punishment; we’ll simply execute her.” Asura-Onna’s gaze fixed on Lily, icy and unforgiving.

Lily’s heart clenched. She hadn’t completed the mission of the Night Parade of One Hundred Maidens, but had she truly betrayed them? Everything hinged on their interpretation and her explanation.

Though Lily’s strength had grown considerably, she knew she stood no chance against Rakshasa-Onna, let alone her newly arrived sister. Together, they might have techniques she couldn’t even imagine, and escape seemed far from certain.

Now wasn’t the time to get caught up in this confrontation. Lily needed to a.s.sist Queen Kaguya and General Chiya without delay.

“Wait!” An idea struck Lily. If she could gain the sisters’ help, it would significantly increase her chances of aiding Queen Kaguya.

With that thought, Lily knelt without hesitation.

“Your Highnesses, Rakshasa-Onna, Asura-Onna, I a.s.sure you I have no intention of betrayal. The situation is dire, and I only have time for a brief explanation. I came here under the Queen’s temporary command, without informing Lady Rie. We were ambushed by Wakarai, Umashi, and other powerful Yomi beings. Her Majesty the Queen is in great peril! I humbly beg for your a.s.sistance!”

“Kagami Lily, you’ve placed my name after hers once again. It seems you do need to be disciplined! However, the gravity of the situation takes precedence. We know of the Queen’s whereabouts. While the Asura dojo, Rakshasa dojo, and the Female Queendom have some relations, it’s not enough for us to involve ourselves in a battle against someone as powerful as Wakarai. Why should we aid the Queen of the Female Queendom?” Asura-Onna asked, her voice cold and probing.

“I…” Lily remained kneeling. “Though I entered the Female Queendom as a dancer, Her Majesty the Queen and General Chiya have shown me great kindness. I cannot stand by while they face the wrath of Wakarai and Umashi! If Your Highnesses choose not to intervene, then at least allow me to a.s.sist them!”

“Hehehe!” Rakshasa-Onna chuckled mockingly. “You? a.s.sist them in battle? This is a clash of Supreme G.o.ds, and you’re merely a Big Dipper. What could you possibly do? You’d only be a hindrance.”

“Your Highness, to be honest, I’ve had some fortune on this ancient battlefield. My strength… while no match for Wakarai or Umashi, might still be enough to distract them. I am prepared to risk my life to aid Queen Kaguya and General Chiya.”

“Silence, you wretch!” Renka suddenly jumped down, brandishing a long whip that lashed towards Lily’s back. “It seems you’ve grown too accustomed to the luxuries of the royal palace and forgotten who you are! You ungrateful fool! Do you even remember you’re one of the Rakshasa dojo’s Hundred Maidens?”