Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 71 – Fierce Battle

“Asura, do you believe we chased them across countless miles, fought this hard, only to leave just because you ask? How could I, Wakarai, maintain my standing in Yomi if I did that?”

“If it weren’t for the madam, I would’ve taken both of you sisters as slaves by now! So, apologize to me and Wakarai right this instant and leave!” Umashi’s voice carried a menacing force, his words delivering a clear ultimatum.

“Umashi, though we’re acting on behalf of someone else, insulting us leaves no room for retreat. Today’s battle is inevitable!” Asura-Onna declared, her aura flaring. Behind her, three crimson spectral figures materialized, each radiating lethal intent in their graceful forms.

Rakshasa-Onna mirrored her sister, summoning three ethereal blue figures to join the confrontation.

“The madam won’t mind if I hurt you!” Wakarai sneered, his head crowned with dark, swirling clouds, as a lightning spear materialized in his hand.

Asura made the first move. She and her spectral figures became four streaks of crimson light, hurtling toward Umashi. “You fools! Men are far stronger than women! Let me show you the difference between Supreme G.o.ds!” Umashi roared, launching a devastating palm strike, far more powerful than what he had used against Lily.

The very fabric of s.p.a.ce quaked under the force of Umashi’s palm, threatening to crack. One of Asura’s spectral figures collided with the strike, detonating an explosion of red divine energy. The battlefield was engulfed in a scarlet haze that stretched for nearly a hundred miles.

The leaders of the Asura and Rakshasa dojos ordered their followers to retreat to a safe distance. Renka, Isshiki, and the others obeyed, standing back helplessly, knowing that a battle between Supreme G.o.ds was far beyond their ability to intervene.

In the midst of the chaos, one figure rushed forward instead of retreating—Lily, her hair whipping wildly in the storm of energy, charged straight into the thick miasma.

One of Asura’s spectral figures clashed with a ma.s.sive palm imprint, both obliterating each other. Asura-Onna, accompanied by two remaining figures, pressed on toward Umashi, who countered by obliterating one figure with a powerful punch. Simultaneously, Asura-Onna’s scimitar, glowing with a vivid cinnabar hue, slashed at Umashi, who met her strike with a medium-strength blow as he retreated.

The ground quaked as another violent shockwave rippled through the battlefield, locking the two in a stalemate. Umashi, his movements hampered by the chains holding Queen Kaguya, found himself unable to retaliate effectively. The Queen, though weakened, continued to resist, slowly regaining her strength.

Suddenly, from within the thick miasma, a surprise attack landed. Distracted by his duel with Asura-Onna, Umashi failed to react in time. Emerging from the cinnabar mist, Lily struck a deep slash across his st.u.r.dy shoulder. Though the wound seemed insignificant against his divine power, the persistent bleeding began to drain his energy.

“You wretch!” Enraged, Umashi disregarded Lily’s life and threw a brutal punch at her.

“Watch out!” Asura-Onna shouted, unable to stop him in time, attacking Umashi from the opposite side.

Cornered, Umashi was forced to release the chain holding Queen Kaguya and defend against Asura-Onna’s incoming blade with his free hand.

A tremendous impact followed as Umashi blocked the blade and immediately launched another punch at Lily. Despite opening her Sakura Parasol in defense, Lily was hurled through the air, her body battered by the force.

“Aah!” Lily cried out in pain, the overwhelming disparity between her power and that of a Supreme G.o.d like Umashi all too clear in that moment.

The punch, both in speed and binding force, allowed no room for evasion. If not for Lily’s Supreme G.o.d-tier physique, the blow would have completely obliterated her.

Though she survived the blow, Lily suffered significant internal injuries.

“Umashi, are you trying to kill her?!” roared Wakarai, locked in battle with Rakshasa-Onna.

Lily’s body slammed into a cliffside, causing the entire mountain to collapse around her.

“Catch that woman!” Wakarai commanded, realizing Lily had survived. He summoned his shikigami—a colossal thunder phoenix—which swooped down toward her.

To Wakarai’s surprise, Lily, buried beneath the rubble, shot into the sky, unleashing a blade of light that spanned thousands of meters.

The slash severed one of the phoenix’s wings, sending it spiraling into the distant mountains.

“What?!” Wakarai was stunned. Although relieved that Lily survived, her ability to counterattack shocked him.

“That punch was terrifying. No wonder he’s a Supreme G.o.d. Even with Asura’s interference, if he’d used his full strength, I doubt I could’ve survived,” Lily thought, her heart racing. If it weren’t for the urgent need to save the Queen, she wouldn’t have dared to attack a Supreme G.o.d.

Lily shakily drew the Himiko Longbow, her body trembling from the residual pain. Suddenly, a soft light enveloped her, swiftly mending the damage from Umashi’s strike. Streams of vibrant light cascaded over her, enhancing her speed, sharpening her understanding of the Lunar Force, and restoring her strength.

From afar, Queen Kaguya, her tattered robes barely clinging to her body, wielded her Golden Jade Branch. Freed from her chains, she channeled blessings upon Lily.

Reinvigorated, Lily pulled the bowstring to its limit. The arrow, charged with Lunar Force, shot forth like a beam of pure moonlight.

Thousands of meters away, the eruption of lunar energy caught Umashi off guard as he gained the upper hand against Asura-Onna. Struck by the arrow, he faltered, giving Asura-Onna the opening to deliver a powerful kick that sent him flying.

“Argh! You vile woman!” Umashi roared, using his divine power to obliterate the arrow. But the wound persisted, refusing to heal, and continued bleeding profusely.

“d.a.m.n it!” Umashi growled, fury consuming him. He no longer cared about enslaving Lily—he wanted her dead.

He exploded forward, charging straight at Lily with terrifying speed.

Suddenly, a strange golden vine materialized from nowhere, coiling around Umashi and slowing his advance. Seizing the moment, Lily darted ahead, her speed outpacing his.

As Lily retreated, she spun mid-air and shot another arrow. Umashi blocked the arrow with a punch, but Asura-Onna launched a surprise attack from behind, forcing Umashi to pivot and face her.

It was then that Umashi encountered an even greater challenge: Queen Kaguya began using her divine arts to enhance Asura-Onna’s power.

Though Asura-Onna was initially only slightly weaker than Umashi, Queen Kaguya’s boost amplified her strength tremendously. With six spectral figures at her back, Asura-Onna’s attacks became fiercer and more relentless, catching Umashi off guard and wounding him multiple times. Umashi, now forced to exert his full strength, was gradually being overpowered by his former inferior.

In this critical moment, Lily unleashed a flurry of arrows without hesitation, targeting Umashi’s head and limbs. Each hit not only wounded him but threw him into confusion, making it even harder for him to counter Asura-Onna’s relentless onslaught.

“d.a.m.n it! Kaguya-hime, you wretch! I’ll beat you to death when I get my hands on you!” Enraged beyond reason, Umashi charged straight for Queen Kaguya.

However, Queen Kaguya, having restored some of her divine power through ancient artifacts, summoned protective shields and divine arts to hold Umashi at bay until Asura-Onna caught up. Forced to fend off Asura-Onna’s a.s.sault, Umashi had no choice but to redirect his focus.

Meanwhile, Wakarai unleashed violent bolts of lightning with one hand while wielding his spear in the other, pushing Rakshasa-Onna to her limits and slowly exposing her vulnerabilities.

“d.a.m.n it!” Though Rakshasa-Onna had been reluctant to fight, her pride wouldn’t allow her to lose to Wakarai. Above, Queen Kaguya waved her Golden Jade Branch, casting shimmering lights that enhanced Rakshasa-Onna’s abilities.

“Tsk, I have to accept help from that woman, but since we’re saving her, it’s only fair,” thought Rakshasa-Onna as she felt her speed and strength surge, now able to hold her ground against Wakarai.

“This isn’t good!” Wakarai thought as he fought, observing the battlefield. Though Queen Kaguya couldn’t normally challenge a Supreme G.o.d on her own, her support of the Asura and Rakshasa sisters—boosting their power while hindering him and Umashi—had turned the tide. Her divine dance was also speeding up their recovery, leaving Wakarai at a disadvantage in a prolonged fight.

“Defeating the Asura and Rakshasa sisters with the Queen’s support is impossible!” Wakarai considered burning his divine power but realized it would lead to mutual destruction with no real gain. So far, only Queen Kaguya had burned her divine power, and Chiya wasn’t a fully empowered Supreme G.o.d anymore.

For Wakarai and Umashi, the situation was deteriorating rapidly. With Queen Kaguya’s divine arts aiding her, Chiya regained enough power to join the fray. Instead of targeting Wakarai, she teamed up with Asura-Onna and Lily to concentrate their a.s.sault on Umashi.

“d.a.m.n it!” Enraged by the relentless a.s.sault, Umashi’s divine power surged, shaking the heavens and the earth. His unleashed power created a canopy that blotted out the sky, as giant spectral figures emerged!

“Fools! Burning our divine power is a waste—we’ll still end up with the same result!” Wakarai fumed inwardly.

“Lily, watch out!” Asura-Onna warned, reluctant to ignite her divine power. A Supreme G.o.d’s divine power was incredibly precious, and replenishing it required tremendous time and effort. But against an opponent who had already burned his power, she had no choice.

With a thunderous roar, both Asura-Onna and Kaguya-hime ignited their divine power. The combined radiance of their auras, fueled by Asura-Onna’s fiery rage, completely overpowered Umashi’s momentum.