Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 24 – Exactly what is Lily’s condition?

Rei swiftly restrained Momiji, forcing her onto her knees. Momiji, noticeably weaker than the rest, submitted without protest or embarra.s.sment. In her eyes, being physically subdued was inconsequential compared to the shame of showing discomfort or fear.

“Lily, how are you feeling?” Shizuka approached with concern. “That formation’s force was immense, strong enough to grievously injure a quintuple-soul big dipper expert. Yet, you seem unharmed…”

Shizuka reached to check Lily’s pulse, finding it robust but otherwise normal. As she moved to sense Lily’s heartbeat, Ayaka interjected, stopping her. “Madam Shizuka, there’s no need. Neither of us can discern anything unusual. The only oddity is the increasing intensity of seductive fluctuations…”

“Sisters, I’m fine. The formation is destroyed, and I… I need to rest for a while,” Lily insisted. Her radiant appearance contrasted with her desire for solitude, a departure from her usual demeanor.

Yoritomo, unaware of the formation’s specific effects, only knew it would target Lily. But what was its true impact? It seemed only Momiji and Lily herself held that knowledge. With Lily reticent, they were left in the dark.

Without further discussion, Lily ascended into the shimmering night sky, heading for the great sedan. Rei’s puppet soldiers escorted Momiji, who showed no intention of fleeing, to a temporary holding room in the sedan’s lower levels.

As they settled, heavy footsteps resounded. The vengeful spirit of Fujiwara no Hidehira returned. “I’ve slain most of Minamoto no Yoritomo’s minions! The rest have fled. I regret being manipulated by that traitor!”

Noticing Lily’s absence, Hidehira inquired, “Has Miss Lily retired to the sedan? I sensed a powerful fluctuation in the city but saw no change in your auras, so I didn’t hurry back. Is she alright?”

Ayaka rea.s.sured him, “Lily was a bit weary and has gone to rest. We appreciate your concern and a.s.sistance.”

“What are you saying? It was I who caused you trouble,” Hidehira responded humbly.

Ayaka thought to herself that he indeed had, but refrained from saying it aloud.

“Lord Hidehira, though my husband has pa.s.sed, I am grateful for your support over the years,” Shizuka Gozen expressed, bowing solemnly.

The mention of Yos.h.i.tsune brought a wave of sorrow to Hidehira’s aged face. He sighed deeply, “Takadachi, a few hundred miles north, is where Yos.h.i.tsune met his end. You should pay your respects there.” His words echoed with a sense of loss and regret.

“Lord Hidehira, as we aim to confront Minamoto no Yoritomo, would you join our cause?” Ayaka inquired, hope glinting in her eyes.

Hidehira paused, his expression clouding with somberness. “My awakening is a curse from Minamoto no Yoritomo, fleeting and unintended. I am but a spirit now, detached from the mortal conflicts. Fujiwara no Ayaka, since my lineage fell to Yoritomo, and you bear the Fujiwara name, I entrust Mutsu to you. Govern this land justly in my stead, and care for its people…”

Ayaka bowed deeply, acknowledging her duty. “I understand, my lord.”

Hidehira cast a final, worried look towards the sedan, then turned away, his steps echoing with a heavy heart, before fading into the mists.

“Everyone, I will visit Takadachi alone to honor my husband. Please, return without me,” Shizuka said softly.

“No,” Lily’s voice, soft yet firm, emerged from behind the gauze curtain. “I must go. Lord Yos.h.i.tsune is my mentor; how can I not pay homage at the place where he fell?” The group, upon hearing Lily, concealed their worries.

Together, they boarded the sedan, with Lily guiding it northwest, towards Takadachi. High in the sky, the sedan soared, carried by the wind that gently stirred the gauze curtain in Lily’s solitary room. She contemplated Momiji’s words, uncertain yet feeling a truth resonating within her body. It wasn’t harmful, nor was it a poison, but a complex, despicable fluctuation—akin to a curse, yet not. This pulse emanated from the great formation of Mount Ooe, a mountain steeped in the evil and l.u.s.t of Shuten Doji, who had brought misery to countless women.

The complexity of Lily’s situation was overwhelming, a puzzle that neither medicine nor art could resolve. The only respite lay in the method Momiji had shared with her sisters, yet it offered merely temporary relief. Ignoring the issue could lead to unforeseen consequences, with Momiji warning that it might ultimately result in Lily losing her sanity, transforming into someone she dreaded.

Lily grappled with these thoughts, unsure whether to believe Momiji’s words or to cling to the hope that they were false. The reality of her condition was undeniable, yet the only known solution was something Lily resisted with embarra.s.sment and reluctance. “Nn, I don’t want to!” she exclaimed, her face flushing red at the thought of what becoming a ‘real woman’ entailed, a state she, as a healthy, youthful woman, naturally understood.

The message from Momiji, inclusive of any gender as a potential partner, only added to her turmoil. Overwhelmed, Lily lay on the floor, weakened, her body barely responding. Reaching her limit, she doused her face with water, trying to regain some semblance of control. “Momiji’s words are not groundless,” she mused, “but they might not be the entire truth. For now, I can control myself, whether I have to fight or train. I must get accustomed to this feeling.”

With renewed determination, she focused on her willpower, vowing not to succ.u.mb to the curse. “I have defeated invincible enemies; I will not lose to this,” Lily whispered to herself. “I must endure.” Her resolve strengthened, but the struggle within continued, a battle of endurance against an unseen foe.

Lily lay weakly against the wall, her eyes closed. In her mind’s eye, crimson clouds and rain mingled with the images of Rei, Shimizu, and Ayaka, who appeared to be gazing down at her from an unusual perspective, as though she was lying down and watching them approach. The perspective was indescribable and somewhat disorienting.

Shaking her head, Lily tried to dispel these thoughts. “Senior sister…” she murmured. “If sister Rinne awakens now…then everything would not be a problem…” But then she chastised herself, “No, no, no! What are these shameless thoughts? Even if it’s sister Rinne, I can’t take it for granted!” Overwhelmed, Lily’s cheeks burned with embarra.s.sment. “I cannot, definitely cannot!” she resolved. “Oh… Senior sister, when will you awaken?” But then she questioned her own weakness, “No! How can I be so weak and push everything onto sister Rinne? Shouldn’t I resist and search out another method? Momiji may not know of other solutions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist!”

At night, Lily tossed and turned, finally falling asleep in the early morning. Despite the difficulty, she managed to sleep for two days. When she awoke, she appeared coquettish and lazy. “Lily, we’ve almost arrived at Takadachi,” Ayaka informed her from outside the room.

Takadachi, after so many years, no longer bore the scars of war. Deep mountain roads, abundant with bushes and weeds, were drenched by a gentle drizzle, the raindrops clinging to the green leaves. The rare glow of daylight illuminated the skies, deepening their experience as they climbed the moss-covered stone steps. This was the place where Yos.h.i.tsune fell, yet it looked so ordinary, as if time had forgotten and buried it.

Lily, clad in a white kimono that covered her entire body, stood silently to the side, reserving the day’s red clothes for Shizuka Gozen, the one who deserved to be the most beautiful today. Her hair was tied back into a simple ponytail with a green hairband, and she tried to maintain a dignified posture despite the inner turmoil she felt.

As the group ascended the stairs, putting away the sedan to show respect to Yos.h.i.tsune, they asked Lily, “Are you really fine?” Her face flushed pink, Lily replied, “Mm, I’m fine.”

Reaching the depths of the mountain, they encountered a foggy area radiating an evil and ferocious aura. Lily bit her lower lip, struggling to keep her body from reacting to the internal fluctuations. As they moved through the mist, they were confronted not by Takadachi, but by a tall, eighteen-meter warrior monk statue, standing in the middle of the path with a naginata. His eyes, hidden in shadows, seemed to radiate a fierce gaze.

Their hearts raced at the sight, nearly compelling them to request permission to enter. Yet, as extraordinary adepts, they quickly regained their composure. They realized that this warrior monk, Musashibo Benkei, had been dead for many years. His undecayed corpse, surrounded by the bones of those he had slain, formed an eerie circle around him.

In Ise, Lily had encountered Benkei’s vengeful spirit; now, she stood before his physical remains, motionless in eternal vigil before his master’s grave. The group, in solemn respect, clasped their hands in salute, preparing to bypa.s.s the monk to enter Takadachi. However, a commanding voice suddenly echoed through the forest, halting them in their tracks: “Who dares invade such a pure place! You will not take another step!”