Book 5: Chapter 141: Chief Advisor’s Retainer, Kagami Lily

There was only silence as the audience watched the red clad girl walk to the arena. Who was it? Who would dare openly question the foremost Genji genius?

“Who are you?” Tsukawa frowned as his arrogant boasting was interrupted.

“Chief Advisor’s retainer, Kagami Lily.”

Lily knew that with Ayaka’s ident.i.ty she would not argue with a junior, so she would do it. She could not stand the way this young man spoke so rudely to Ayaka.

“Chief Advisor’s retainer?” Tsukawa looked at Ayaka.

Ayaka’s expression was not good, but seeing Lily step out, she smiled. She raised her hand and a small beautiful white flower appeared in her palm.

“Lily, do your best.”

She pulled her hand back and let the flower go floating toward Lily.

Tsukawa’s eyes lit up and licked his lips, “Thank you Lady Ayaka for the flower!”

He slammed the sickle into the tournament arena and with a burst of speed jumped out of the arena holding the chain. He swung himself like a pendulum at the flower and opened his mouth wide wanting to bite the stem of the flower.

“Mine!” Lily’s purple eyes flashed as she jumped up, her red sleeved arm flickering up in front of the flower.

Reacting fast, Tsukawa tightened his hold on the chain, halting his momentum while one hand chopped at Lily’s wrist, “Bang!” An immense force blocked Lily’s hand while his other let go of the chain to grab the flower.

But he didn’t think Lily would flip her sleeves sending the flower high into the air before sending a kick!

A long slender jade white leg kicked out like a spear, landing straight on Tsukawa’s chest!

“Bang!” He was sent flying back and smashed straight into the arena creating a pit.

As for Lily, she gracefully fluttered in the air and gently covered the flower with her sleeve as it reached her hand and landed softly.

The audience stared at the smoking crater in wonder, “Though this isn’t an official match, to think this Kagami Lily can send Minamoto no Tsukawa flying with one kick. He’s Yos.h.i.tsune’s heir and the number one Genji genius, and yet he was kicked flying. Kagami Lily, also known as Lynne, what unfathomable strength does she possess!?”

“Thank you Lady Ayaka.” Lily smelled the flower, her face red as she saluted Ayaka.

Ayaka’s face also pinked, but she had to maintain the dignity of the Lord Chief Advisor here, she smiled virtuously, “Ah, as expected of my proud disciple. Under the skies, excluding the royal family, only you may call me by my name.”

“What——!??”

The uproar caused by Ayaka’s words was immense. The Heian dynasty placed great importance on protocol, etiquette and respect. Minamoto no Tsukawa’s arrogance made them fume despite not daring to speak up, but Lord Chief Advisor personally allowing Lily to use her name? Such honor, such privilege!

In the corner, the martial saint’s face turned green in anger. “How could this be? Is Fujiwara no Ayaka her backer? If I want to kill her, it won’t be easy.”

“Bam——!!!” Tsukawa stomped out a crater as he furiously got up, swinging his sickle he pointed at Lily, “Kagami Lily, come up here and fight! If I weren’t restricted to this arena, how could the likes of you ambush me!”

“Fight you? That would be against the rules of this compet.i.tion, no interest.” Lily proudly smelled the flower in her hand.

“B̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! A mere woman dares taunt me?” Tsukawa’s aura flared in fury as he charged at Lily, ignoring the tournament.

Lily sneered in her heart, calmly taking a few steps back, “A hero? That’s not something you label yourself with. All that power, but little intelligence, nothing more than a mad dog!”

“What did you say!!? I don’t kill women, but let’s see how you beg after a beating!” He howled as he accelerated towards Lily.

But Lily didn’t react, she just stared at him, the moment his foot stepped out of the arena, that would be his loss.

“Minamoto no Tsukawa! Have you gone crazy? Stop!” Minamoto no Yos.h.i.tada roared, flaring his aura, but even his suppression couldn’t hold Tsukawa back.

Suddenly a huge figure dropped down in between the two.

“Bam!!!” Honda’s spear and Tsukawa’s sickle collided, the immense shockwaves causing Honda to cough out blood and the wounds all over his body cracked open, spraying blood all over.

“Minamoto no Tsukawa! I am your opponent!!!” The huge samurai bravely blocked and resisted Tsukawa’s dash, being pushed back step by step.

“This, this stubborn headed man!” Lily was speechless.

Calming down, Tsukawa jumped back a step and confronted Honda again.

“So close! I almost fell into that woman’s trap!” He looked at Honda, “Is there such a foolish man as you in this world? If you didn’t stop me, I’d have probably chased that woman off the stage, it would have been your victory.”

“How is such a disgraceful victory any different from death? I am Honda Yahatarou, I will win an upright and fair victory as a man!”

Honda’s aura was completely released as he strode towards Tsukawa ignoring his injuries.

“Ahahahaha! Do you feel you’re very manly? The bravery of a man? I only see the foolishness of the weak! No matter how tenacious or righteous, the weak are always the weak!”

Tsukawa’s momentum pierced the sky as he rushed forward to face Honda.

Instantly their weapons crossed, spear and sickle clashing frenaticaly. Honda ignored his increasing injuries, ignored all the sickle slashes he was taking, ignored all the impacts of the counterweight and focused only on attacking!

Even when he lost consciousness, the spear in his hands was still attacking Tsukawa!

Even Tsukawa was shocked, “To think there is such a persistent man in this world, what is it that you are aiming for?”

He concentrated his strength and ——

“Pfft!!!”

A scorching thick golden blade beam slashed through Honda’s chest and armor, sending blood flying!

The blade beam had left behind a terrifying wound.

“Lord Honda——!” Lily couldn’t help but cry out.

The huge samurai fell to the ground.

“Minamoto no Tsukawa, ——Wins!”

“Hah, foolish thing! You want to prove your honor by fighting to the death? I won’t give you that privilege, you shall get only failure and shame!” Tsukawa stood looking down at him, turning around he raised the broken antlered helm with his sickle and shouted, “Lady Ayaka! Look! Among the younger generation in this world, who has the ability to compete with me! Who? I, Minamoto no Tsukawa, am the future greatest hero! Why can’t I boast? I will boast! Because I’m that confident! I will say it, and I will make it happen! Lady Ayaka, watch me! Watch this hero’s path to the peak! Ahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

He trod on the unconscious Honda and laughed provocatively. He deliberately walked toward Ayaka and arrogantly strutted around in front of her before raising his sickle to receive the cheers of his Genji clan members before finally leaving the arena.

In the midst of cheers, he walked toward Lily and her chilly stare.

The aggressive tension as he brushed past her could be cut by a blade.

“I’m not interested in little girls. If you can survive to the finals, ehehe!” Tsukawa taunted.

As the Taira attendants arrived to carry Honda down, Minamoto no Yos.h.i.tada rushed down, followed by Tokugawa and company. Minamoto no Yos.h.i.tada ordered Honda to be placed within a formation and pulled out a life-recovering magatama and ordered onmyouji to aid. Afterall, Honda was now also one of Genji’s important generals, though not as important as the first genius of the younger generation. Yos.h.i.tada felt that Tsukawa’s behavior was quite disgusting.

Lily had followed them to the formation and had wanted to check on Honda’s injuries, but Tokugawa halted her at the door.

Frowning slightly, Lily had to acknowledge that her relationship with the Tokugawas was not good.

She had thought Tokugawa was blocking her and was surprised when he saluted her respectfully.

“Miss Kagami, I have nothing to say about the actions I took back in the Eastern Land, I can only sincerely apologize, I, Tokugawa, was wrong! I’m sorry!” Tokugawa, an old man, an elder of the Genji clan, actually knelt and apologized to her.

“Lord Tokugawa——!” Sakai could not accept that his lord humbled himself so much and wanted to lift him up.

“Go away!” Tokugawa scolded, “There is nothing I can do to make up for my mistakes, I only beg Miss Kagami to forgive this old fool!”

Lily was at a loss, the events had happened so long ago. Her current vision and power was far beyond what it used to be, though she still didn’t like Tokugawa, she had long stopped hating him.

“Lord Tokugawa, forget it, let the past stay in the past. Though we won’t be friends, I won’t treat you as an enemy anymore.”

“Miss Kagami, I have nothing but grat.i.tude!”

Lily shook her head helplessly, her chest rising with each breath, “What’s Lord Honda’s situation?”

“It’s temporarily under control, his survival will rely on his fortune and vitality…”

Honda Yahatarou, born with an innate buddhist attendant physique had a tremendous vitality. Lily believed that Honda would definitely survive.

“The second round! Sinless Domain’s Makoto Oniwa versus Kawachi’s Minamoto no Takuo.”

Hearing the referee’s voice, Lily gave one last worried glance at Honda before returning to her resting area. It would soon be her turn and she had to make preparations first.

There was no suspense in the second round. The young patriarch of the famed Makoto kenjutsu dojo took no more than a quarter of an hour to defeat Minamoto no Takuo.

Minamoto no Takuo had his left arm chopped off and was carried off the stage. “Hurry, reconnect my arm! My training, my samurai life! I can’t live without that arm!”