Book 4: Chapter 19: Dance of Lyn-hime

“Bam!” Although Lily had managed to dodge the first samurai’s attack by rolling back, the samurai managed to get a kick in at her waist and sent her knocking to a corner with his 6th-stage Awakened level strength.

Lily was mentally disoriented right now and was even unable to use her domain, so she was forced to contend against the samurai’s blade with Yasutsuna!

“Crack!” The samurai’s blade broke like a weak twig, which left him alarmed. Lily then countered with a kick to his knee after leaning against the wall and since her power hadn’t actually diminished greatly, it ended up shattering the samurai’s kneecap, forcing him to his knees, following which she beheaded him with Yasutsuna.

Although she had been drugged, Yasutsuna’s power, in itself, hadn’t diminished at all, and the gap between the supreme grade 9 Yasutsuna and the grade 4 and grade 5 katana possessed by these samurai was too vast. This resulted in the latter breaking the moment they came in contact with the former.

Lily heard battle cries from afar as she rested against the corner and panted heavily, “I cannot let this continue. If it takes me this much effort to fight these ordinary samurai, how will I even confront a true powerhouse?”

Lily’s sight blurred further as she stood up and she could barely tell where she was supposed to head now.

How am I supposed to fight with my body like this? These samurai were much weaker than me, fortunately, or else… How fearsome, Mino’s Viper…

Lily tottered forward with a flushed face, a warm and powerful current flooding her whole body. This warm current deprived her of her rationality and prevented her from sensing her surroundings clearly, the sole exception being a certain thirst engulfing her.

This won’t do… How am I supposed to find my way out of this castle tower when I can’t even tell where I am heading? I am unable to summon the demon hound and also unable to exert the full power of Tsukuyomi Swordstyle because of my unfocused mind. Just what am I supposed to do now?

A certain item, however, flashed within Lily’s nearly blank mind in this moment of darkness.

It was the monolith within the mirror s.p.a.ce that depicted the erotic dance of Suzuhiko-hime. The graceful and charming dance movements of the indecently dressed parasol-holding woman appeared in front of her eyes clearly at this moment.

“J-Just what kind of weird sake is this! It’s made a mess out of my emotions, yet it has actually made my memories of this dance much clearer! It’s really too scandalous…” “Wait…”

Lily suddenly recalled that although the Dance of the Bell Maiden was just an erotic dance meant for viewing pleasure of deities in Takamagahara, it was actually an abstruse footwork for the people of Heian Empire1.

She was certain that no ordinary human possessed the ability to catch a dancing Suzuhiko-hime!

I might as well try performing those dance movements since I’m able to recall them even in such a bewildered state! Those dance movements seemed to contain a bewildering form and intent, too.

Lily actually managed to pull a costume from the mirror now.

This was the complexity of the Art of No-Thought. Although she was in a disoriented state, she was actually able to summon an item that she clearly desired from the bottom of her heart even though she was unable to summon Kagura and Yuki-Onna, managing to pull this dance costume out.

Lily judged that the enemies were still a bit far based on their battle cries, so she took cover inside an unoccupied dungeon cell to undress. The act of undressing within the darkness, however, quickened her pulse and filled her with unimaginable ecstasy for some reason.

Wearing the costume that would allow her to perform the Dance of the Bell Maiden also filled her with higher zeal.

The costume was actually a kimono minidress so short-hemmed that it barely concealed the back though it concealed the front with exquisite floral-patterned sleeves so long that they trailed down to her feet.

It also consisted of a white ribbon that Lily tied to her forehead in order to prevent her hair from covering her face as she danced unrestrainedly.

Her long, slim and pretty legs were secured safely in tight white stockings with a pair of elegant high-heeled wooden sandals jeweling her feet.

The tight stockings squeezed into her thighs a little and the sash of her kimono was tied into a big bow at her back.

Lily suddenly felt the shame catch up with her now that she was fully dressed, and her cheeks blushed so hard that they took the color of cherries. The Sakura Parasol also manifested in her hands according to her heart’s desire.

Lily’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaved up and down intensely as she summoned her courage, “Let’s give it a try…”

“She’s over here!” “W-What’s with this woman’s dress?2”

A group of samurai finally dashed over and discovered Lily.

Lily thought of pulling down the short-hem of her minidress, but it was a futile hope since it was really too short.

“Are we really going to kill such a stunning woman?” “It’s the lord’s order! Kill her!”

The samurai lunged their spears towards Lily.

Lily actually closed her eyes in response to this oncoming threat and recalled the impressions that monolith’s dance movements left on her. It was as if Suzuhiko-hime had descended unto Lily’s body as she reopened her eyes and a.s.sumed a bold, unrestrained and charming expression.

This charm, however, embodied a lethal aura, which was natural for a lovely and amorous dance originating from Takamagahara. The weak were simply unqualified to appreciate it!

Lily’s originally unstable form ceded to a gentle sway as she rocked her hips instinctively and danced her arms and feet to perform a beautiful leap forward, just like a warm and scented white rainbow.

“Whoosh!” Her elusive and divine profile manifested behind the samurai in the next second, and they were only able to see Lily’s afterimages within the dark pa.s.sage by the time they recovered their senses.

Although her movements felt slow and amorous, Lily had actually reached the stairs and begun climbing them quickly.

The samurai tried to chase after her, but their bodies quivered all of a sudden.

“W-What just…” “This is… Arrggghhhh!”

Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!

A series of blade wounds opened up on all their bodies and blood spewed out from them as their bodies broke down into pieces, painting the whole dungeon in blood.

As for the t.i.tillating dressed Lily, she had long reached the castle tower’s first floor ecstatically.

A fine layer of sweet-scented sweat covered Lily’s body and her eyes rippled with desire periodically. If it weren’t for the effects of the spring wine jar’s sake, she would’ve never actually shown such a side of her to anyone.

Lily knew it was better to go with the flow instead of going against it because of the shame, so she decided to harness the sake’s power to perform an intoxicated piece of ladylike blade-dance!

An even higher number of samurai and soldiers charged into the castle tower’s first floor.

Lily’s beautiful profile darted through the arrows shot by the samurai and the lunging blades and spears with elusive movements as she retreated towards the second floor and stood single-legged on the stair’s handrails occasionally while dodging through them. Her long, sweet-scented sleeves fluttered behind the samurai’s backs sometimes while she huddled like a shy, little girl at a corner at other times, blooming with the ripples of a young and charming bride at the center of the hall every so often!

The samurai were left dumbstruck by this development. It was almost as if there were multiple Lily’s present in the hall and each one of them looked as real as the original, each showing the different phases of a girl’s bashful countenance.

Lily had long folded the crimson parasol in her hand with a gentle spin by the time those mirages of her disappeared completely, and finally climbed onto the second floor while pulling her minidress’ hem down. Her charming set of eyes, however, flashed with an instinctive sorrow.

As for the samurai below—

“Aaargh!” “No!” “S-Save me!”

Splotch! All the samurai spewed blood from their bodies and broke down into pieces of flesh like the ones in the dungeon.

The first floor was dominated by silence once the screams ended.

Lily kneeled down on the floor on one knee wearily and panted heavily with her blade pressed against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and a string of sweat drops flowed down the dark blade hilt sandwiched between them before pattering to the floor.

However, Lily still raised her head determinedly as her body’s feebleness and her unrestrained emotions failed to whittle down her firm will.

I didn’t embrace these unrestrained emotions for debauchedness! I did it to alleviate the sake’s effects, and to win! I cannot lose! I have to win! It doesn’t matter what I have to do or what I manifest into, I must win for my senior sister’s sake and to protect the things I swore to protect!

A dozen or so transcendent sword saints of Mino charged at Lily on the second floor.

“Ngh…” Lily, however, rasped out a lovely and lethal m.u.f.fled moan before transforming into a dazzling white rainbow. It was as if she had become the reincarnation of Suzuhiko-hime and descended to the mortal world like a celestial maiden as she fluttered past the sword saints, leaving beauty and death in her wake!

The transcendent sword saints were all left dead by the time she finished performing an erotic piece of dance!

Lily leaned on her blade weakly and nearly pushed her shapely b.u.t.tocks up in the process as she climbed the stairs leading to the third floor. There was actually no need for her to continue climbing the stairs as she could’ve simply escaped by jumping out the window.

However, she was unable to forgive the man named Viper who cooked up such a crippling scheme and forced her to act so humiliatingly!

It was also possible that she might collapse after running out of strength, so she intended to launch an attack proactively and put an end to this threat before that happened with the hope that it would allow her to escape much safely.

Lily finally climbed up to the topmost floor and stood up tenaciously as she climbed the final step of the stairs.

Ouchi Koreyoshi sat at the front of the castle tower’s third floor with 3 fearsome samurai donned in black, red and blue armors standing in front of him. The 3 samurai emitted the fluctuations of the Spirit Jade level and were none other than the strongest samurai of Mino, the Mino Triumvirate.

Armored in black was Inaba Shigekado. Armored in blue was Ando Morimasa. Armored in red was Ujiie Huzen. As for Ouchi, he just possessed a mere 4th-stage Awakened aura.

Ouchi is dead for sure if I manage to kill these 3 people, but I’m doomed for sure if I lose to them.

“Hehehe,” Ouchi Koreyoshi gave out a hoa.r.s.e and ghastly chuckle, “You really deserve your fame as the strongest woman of the East, Kagami Lily. I never thought that you would actually manage to live so long after falling for the meticulous trap I laid out for you. You deserve an applause for that, indeed. You’re quite an amazing woman. However, this is where your saga ends.”

“Mino’s Viper!” Lily bellowed with a flushed face, her body breaking out in sweat unceasingly as she squeezed those words out, emitting a bewitching womanly body scent. She used one of her hands to support her body with the tachi and unfolded the Sakura Parasol by swinging it sideways with her other hand, “Letting you see this look of mine should be a fine enough reward for you and your Mino Triumvirate before you die. How dare you use such vile means to entrap me! Did you never consider the possibility of it firing back?”

“You’re really a naïve and stupid woman, I see. That beautiful and pristine body you possess seems to have really diminished the wisdom you possess! I considered all kinds of possibilities, even the situation we’re in right now, which is the reason I stationed the Mino Triumvirate beside me, while the current you are no longer their match. However, I’m quite surprised that you were able to make your way to the final trick I had hidden up my sleeve. Answer me. Just how did you manage to see through the fake mirror girl at the last moment and dodge that lethal hit? Even I’m utterly clueless about this,” Ouchi Koreyoshi stated with a deep gaze.

“You can never tell what might happen in this world, Viper! You, though. Just how did you make the elders of the mirror girl clan betray their principles and entrap me along with you?”

“Elders of the mirror girl clan? Hahahaha! They’re no elders. They’re my close confidants and old shrine maidens of Mino!3”

“But what about those secret records of the mirror girls… I wouldn’t have got fooled if it weren’t for those records!” Lily stated breathlessly.

“How would I be able to deceive a woman like you without paying some price for it, Kagami Lily? I really did murder a branch clan of the mirror girls in Mino a few years ago and obtained those records back then! They’re as authentic as they can be!4” Ouchi explained.

“What?!” Lily was stunned, “No wonder…”

Lily wouldn’t have got fooled that easily if it weren’t for the records and ancient martial arts related to mirror girls.

However, this also meant that the map detailing the 3 of the remaining monoliths of Tsukuyomi Swordstyle was actually real!

“Hehehehehehe!” Lily broke into loud and bright laughter.

1. Robinxen: Of course divine consort = powerful samurai. How could we have not known!?
2. Robinxen: We want to know that too!
3. Robinxen: Dun dun dun!
4. Robinxen: So this still brings up the issue of there being another surviving branch clan until relatively recently, but it does go to explain why Lily managed to spontaneously run into another lineage of them. They were just a setup using the ashes of an already persecuted group. Good use of the setting.