Volume 2 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 1 – Demons And The Beauty

Amidst the expansive, barren wilderness stood slender stone pillars reaching into the heavens, where ceaseless lightning strikes raged, each with the potential to reduce a Big Dipper Stage expert to ashes.

Aloft stood a man with a dark gray, metallic-l.u.s.tered body and untamed white hair. Tall and st.u.r.dy, his well-defined muscles were etched with secret texts that glimmered with electric luminescence.

Hovering in mid-air, the man’s eyes sparked like lightning, his entire being suffused with electric energy as though he were the nucleus of a thunderstorm.

“Following the grand conflict a millennium past, I found myself unable to ascend to the earthly realm, much less return to Takamagahara. Yet, unexpectedly, the world’s most exquisite woman has plummeted into Yomi, and within such proximity of ten thousand kilometers?”

The man declared, gazing down at a formidable, green-skinned demon with three eyes kneeling beneath him, the central eye flickering with fiery lightning.

“Your Highness Wakarai, it’s reported that the human beauty who descended nearby is ranked as the 99th most sought-after criminal on Takamagahara’s recent list of fugitives, carrying a bounty of 10,000 Blood Spirit Magatama,” said the green specter with three eyes.

“Hmph, what farce is this Takamagahara wanted list? Back when I resided in Takamagahara, Raijin and Denbo were mere naive youths! A wanted list, you say? Should any of Takamagahara’s enforcers dare venture into my domain of Yomi, I’ll thoroughly thrash them! Those faint-hearted Amatsukami dare only to squander vast fortunes as bounties! But irrespective of any proclamation, such an extraordinarily alluring woman retaining her splendor even after her descent into Yomi’s abyss, her worth is beyond measure! Can her significance truly be equated to a mere 10,000 Blood Spirit Magatama?”

“Do you imply, Your Highness, that…”

“Ultimately, it would demean my stature to personally intervene for a mere mortal woman. Yet, her exceptional nature will undoubtedly incite all powers within Yomi to contend for her. Despite our proximity, securing the first move is not a.s.sured. We must proceed with caution. Piru, dispatch Tsukou forthwith.”

“As you command, Your Highness.” Despite the three-eyed green demon radiating a presence at the septuple-soul Big Dipper Stage, within this realm, one of the Eight Thunder Prisons of Yomi, he was relegated to the role of a mere herald.

Perched atop a mountain sat an elderly figure towering over six meters, garbed in a frayed red kimono and a voluminous white cloak emblazoned with commanding black motifs. His disproportionately large forehead, marked by prominent green veins, and a wild, broom-like beard lent him an air of dignity. By his side rested a worn blade, its handle wrapped in verdant green.

The elder’s eyes were pitch-black voids devoid of sclera, within which two greenish-white ethereal flames intermittently surfaced, intertwining playfully.

“Lord Tsukou!” The three-eyed green specter approached with unmistakable trepidation as he neared the mountainside.

In a location less than a hundred kilometers from where Lily landed, significantly nearer than Wakarai. Within the limitless expanse of Yomi, such a distance was negligible.

At the entrance of a cave, guarded by a pitch-black pine tree and with lava spilling forth, flames ascended skyward. Within, amongst numerous formidable and towering bull demons, stood a particularly striking figure with three heads and six arms, adorned with golden-red fire motifs on his physique, and seven golden eyes that appeared to ignite the soul.

“Hehehe. Can this be true? Has fortune indeed favored me so? Only recently did I receive a wanted notice for a woman known as Mirror Girl Lily, and now, she’s fallen near our domain? Let all present bull demons rally; we set out at once to apprehend her!”

Drooling golden saliva from his three wide maws filled with razor-sharp fangs, the seven-eyed bull demon declared, “Upon capturing this woman, we shall first revel in her company, thereafter branding her with our Bull Demon Clan’s gilded fire insignia, indelibly marking her with our dishonor. Then, we shall present her to Takamagahara to claim our bounty! Hahahaha!”

Farther afield, traversing thousands of kilometers, black earth dragons of immense length weaved through lava, stone, and soil. Their pa.s.sage quaked the terrain, yet they moved with astonishing velocity.

Atop each earth dragon stood a female warrior, their attire ancient yet scant, leaving little to the imagination.

Leading them was a woman of tanned complexion, her stature tall and her form both alluring and athletic. She donned an orange warrior’s waistcoat and a slit skirt, complemented by black pantyhose that accentuated her shapely, enticing thighs. Her dark purple hair was gathered into a single, flowing ponytail.

Her eyes shimmered with a subtle demonic jasper hue, and her lips, moist and enticing, carried a soft purple tint.

As they progressed, another earth dragon veered closer, its rider a striking female warrior with snow-white skin and short, aquamarine hair.

“Captain Renka! Her Highness Rakshasa-Onna commanded us to scour the lands for blade maidens of potential. With the deadline nearing, yet far from our goal, we had just located the blade maiden mother and daughter. Why then, did we abruptly divert our course?” inquired the warrior, her short aquamarine hair framing her anxious, light blue eyes.

Renka, with her brown skin, height, and fitness, appeared to be in her twenties, though this was merely superficial. In the land of Yomi, the true age of someone of her formidable strength was a topic best left unexplored.

Renka crossed her arms, more defined and muscular than typical, over her chest. Her figure was undeniably feminine, though her bold contours might lack conventional allure.

“Why fuss over pebbles when there’s jasper before you?” Renka retorted.

“Captain Renka?” the aquamarine-haired warrior echoed, her confusion apparent.

“A confidential missive has just reached me. The details of the event above remain unclear, yet a female samurai, acclaimed as the world’s most beautiful, has descended into Yomi. Additionally, she is the 99th most wanted criminal per Takamagahara’s latest listing.”

“The wanted list of Takamagahara?” queried the gentle-featured warrior with aquamarine hair. Rather than disdain upon learning of the samurai’s infamy, her eyes sparkled with a hint of envy.

“Captain, are you suggesting we’re to…”

“Ridiculous! Wakaki Michi, have my numerous reprimands dulled your senses? Must I elaborate on such matters?” Renka rebuked, her tone icy.

Wakaki Michi, her aquamarine hair framing her face, displayed a bashful, remorseful look as she clutched the hem of her light blue skirt.

“Indeed, it seems I’ve been foolish. Securing this human female samurai from the wanted list would far surpa.s.s the value of apprehending mere blade maidens!”

Within the mirror realm, a profound sense of sorrow weighed upon the sisters.

“Lily, following your instructions, we’ve dispatched scouts far and wide, yet not a fragment of the ship’s wreckage has been found,” Kotoka reported.

“Given that the ship ventured beyond the sea’s bounds, finding its wreckage within Heian Dynasty’s lands seems implausible,” Lily countered.

“How could this occur…” Makoto sighed, her frustration clear as she leaned against the stone lantern.

Kimiko, having been immersed in the serpent’s blood, found both recent and past injuries healed, restoring her to her prime condition. She expressed her concern, “Given the dire circ.u.mstances, it’s worrisome that the ship’s several hundred pa.s.sengers might not have survived. Lily, your survival offers hope for Shizuka Gozen. Despite not matching your strength, she has numerous protective methods at her disposal. The uncertainty lies in where she might have ended up.”

“I fervently wish that Madam Shizuka Gozen wasn’t directly hit by that fearsome lightning strike,” Lily expressed.

The lightning strike harbored devastating power. A direct hit would have spelled certain doom for Lily. Similarly, should Shizuka Gozen have evaded a direct impact, survival was within the realm of possibility.

“Should Madam Shizuka Gozen have survived, her landing spot ought not to be far from mine. However, considering the great height, the immense force of the explosion, and the duration of the fall, we could be separated by thousands of kilometers,” Lily surmised.

“Lily, are you aware of your precise location?” Rei inquired, her concern evident.

Lily shook her head in confusion, “I’m not certain… Yet, there’s a sense of familiarity, as if… Hold on a moment!”

Upon uttering these words, Lily’s spiritual form vanished abruptly from the mirror realm.

“Lily?!” The sisters exclaimed in shock.

“Master is under attack.” Kagura, while her physical form resided within the mirror realm, maintained a connection with Lily, promptly informing the others of the external peril.

In the external world, a corpulent, st.u.r.dy evil spirit with a singular eye and gray skin swiftly descended from the sweltering black mountains. Brandishing an aged wooden mace, he aimed a strike at the back of Lily’s head.

The mono-eyed specter boasted the prowess of a double-soul Big Dipper.

Sensing the lethal intent from afar, Lily instinctively ducked. As the hefty mace whizzed past, she spun around, her eyes gleaming, drawing the Oborozuki Muramasa in a swift motion.

With a precise and balanced cut, she sliced through the anima connecting the chest and abdomen of the one-eyed demon. Blood erupted from its torso as it convulsed momentarily, then crashed to the earth.

In truth, the demon had succ.u.mbed before its body even touched the ground.

By now, Lily’s awareness had sharpened. She sensed myriad auras observing her from various distances. Aware of her exposure during her moment of disorientation, concealment was no longer an option.

She promptly engaged her blade pattern to a.s.similate the anima. The life force of a double-soul Big Dipper Stage demon held some merit for Lily’s progression.

Lily sensed mixed emotions from the envious beings lurking nearby. Rather than uniting in fury over the demon’s demise to avenge him, a few emitted snickers of schadenfreude.

“These demons appear disunited, clearly not allied,” Lily mused, finding some solace in this observation.

“With so many presences, why do they lurk instead of fleeing or confronting?” Lily pondered, eyeing the deceased demon. “This creature was foolish, lacking both keen awareness and sound judgment, leading to its rash a.s.sault.”

Aware of the prolonged surveillance, Lily did not hesitate to scan the area with her spiritual energy. A closer examination revealed her probing went undetected, her pursuers’ prowess and perception paling in comparison to hers.

The apex among them reached the quadruple-soul Big Dipper Stage, whereas the least powerful barely attained the Throned Monarch Stage.

Despite their modest strength, Lily discerned forty-nine ent.i.ties observing her within a ten-kilometer radius, including sixteen at various levels of the Big Dipper Stage—one at quadruple-soul and three at triple-soul.