Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 26 – Soldiers arrive at Lake Biwa
The sedan journeyed through the night air, traversing the expansive mountains and forests of Mutsu on its way back to Kiyosu. Lily’s condition, however, was worsening.
“Lily, it will take six to seven days to return to Kiyosu. Let’s just believe Momiji’s words and try the treatment method,” she suggested. Shimizu added, “We’ve already captured her, I don’t believe she’ll dare trick us.”
Shizuka was not present for this conversation, as she was resting in her own room. Rei then offered a solution, “Lily, according to the book Momiji gave us, a special ma.s.sage technique is needed to treat the fluctuations in your body. The ma.s.sage will allow your skin to release the seduction fluctuations trapped inside.”
Lily’s face flushed at the mention of the special technique. Ayaka elaborated on the treatment plan, “Each treatment will also have an effect on us, so we can’t perform the ma.s.sage too often or we’ll be endangered. It’s best for us to rotate, with two of us treating you at a time and then changing afterwards.”
Acknowledging the necessity of the treatment, Lily nodded in agreement. “Tonight, Shimizu and I will perform the technique, and tomorrow Rei will switch with Shimizu,” Ayaka announced.
“Wait, why am I the first to be switched?” Shimizu questioned.
“We all have to take turns, does the order really matter?” Ayaka responded.
“If the order doesn’t matter, then how about Lady Ayaka switches first?” Shimizu suggested.
“Do we really need to argue about such a trivial issue?” Ayaka asked.
“Yes, Lady Ayaka, you claim it’s trivial, yet you won’t yield,” Shimizu pointed out.
“It’s not a matter of yielding or not, it’s simply a meaningless argument,” Ayaka stated.
“Why are you so insistent if it’s meaningless?” Shimizu pressed.
Feeling overwhelmed by their debate, Lily interjected, “Uh… can we discuss this after the first treatment…?”
“Yes,” Ayaka agreed, helping Lily up alongside Shimizu and leading her to the backroom for treatment. Rei, unable to endure the tension and the flickering candlelight shadows on the paper sliding doors, excused herself to practice her swordsmanship.
After days of practicing Tsukuyomi swordsmanship during the day and receiving treatments at night, the fluctuations in Lily’s body were temporarily alleviated, allowing her to wake up feeling more relaxed, though progress with her swordstyle was slow.
Three days later, in a dimly lit backroom infused with a feminine fragrance, Shimizu expressed her thoughts while preparing for Lily’s treatment. “I feel that sister Ayaka’s dance is too charming and mature, it lacks the youthful resolution that a celestial maiden should have,” she said. As she spoke, Shimizu held down one of Lily’s arms. Lily lay on the sheets, facing upward, her kimono lifted from her shoulders. With her other hand, Shimizu moved the kimono further down to Lily’s waist, exposing more skin, and began to ma.s.sage the revealed area.
Ayaka, feeling criticized, retorted, “Are you suggesting I’m old?” As she ma.s.saged Lily’s legs and back, their fluctuating thoughts affected the ma.s.sage’s rhythm, causing Lily to blush from the sensations.
“Sister Ayaka, you should know I didn’t mean that,” Shimizu clarified. “You are mature and womanly, but the dance requires a bit more heroic spirit. Maybe a valiant woman would be more suitable.” Her fingers moved skillfully, like duckweed skimming water, floating gently and tapping endlessly.
Lily found the seductive fluctuations emitted during the ma.s.sage embarra.s.sing. “Just say it clearly, you want Rei to switch with me? It’s not impossible, but she said she doesn’t want to dance. Why can’t she take your place?” Ayaka responded, her fluctuating thoughts intensifying her ma.s.sage.
“Oh, ah…” Lily, overwhelmed, suggested, “Sister Ayaka, how about letting Sister Uesugi try?” She knew a decision was necessary to settle the argument and focus on the ma.s.sage, rather than the debate.
“Ah, yes…” Ayaka agreed, caught off guard by Lily’s rare decisiveness on such matters. The warmth of her hands made her hesitant to stop.
The next day, Lily approached Rei. Though initially unwilling, Rei understood the gravity of the situation and its relation to their battle against Yoritomo, and ultimately agreed. Rei, not adept at dancing and seldom having trained with Lily, began practicing various postures, eventually reaching the ‘unplucked flower’ stage. They then started practicing the Tsukuyomi swordstyle together.
Rei, though not fond of dancing, was not inept at it. Her style, characterized by a blend of heroism and strength, lent her the air of a ‘handsome beauty.’ This contrasted with Lily’s distinctly feminine and gentle manner, causing Lily to blush in their practice sessions.
During the subsequent days of training with Rei and Shimizu, Ayaka began to feel somewhat marginalized. She reflected on their group dynamics: they were all of similar age and each possessed a significant ancient artifact – a jade, a blade, and a mirror. Ayaka found herself questioning her role within the group.
Gazing at the receding landscape, Ayaka held onto the wooden railings, feeling a mix of emotions. She sighed, feeling slightly sour about being left out. As Lily’s skills in the Tsukuyomi swordsmanship rapidly improved, and as Rei’s training also progressed swiftly, Ayaka’s sense of being unnecessary grew. She couldn’t help but wonder, “Could it be that Lily no longer needs me?” This thought weighed on her, adding to her feelings of exclusion and uncertainty about her place in the group.
Upon reaching Kiyosu, Lily’s mastery of the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle Fourth Form had impressively progressed to about forty to fifty percent completion. The treatments she received had temporarily suppressed the fluctuations in her body and enhanced her purple lunar force.
In Kiyosu city, the distribution of troops was strategic. Of the seventy thousand, forty thousand were stationed outside, and the remaining thirty thousand had already left to attack Inabayama Castle. Lily’s group quickly made their way to Mino. At the base of Inabayama Castle, Little Kimiko and Kagura observed but did not engage in the battle, leaving it to General Ashikaga Makoto. They saw this as an opportunity to train the army, essential for its cohesion and combat effectiveness, especially for the forthcoming confrontation in Heian-kyo.
Lily’s group’s arrival was a welcome addition, though they were unaware of her condition, which Lily chose not to disclose. With Makoto focusing on training the newly a.s.sembled troops, Lily allowed the battle to proceed. The combat between Lily’s punitive army and Inabayama’s defenders was intense and balanced. Lily had set a ten-day limit to capture Inabayama, and on the eighth day, following Itagaki n.o.buyoshi’s strategy involving fire, they successfully seized Inabayama and occupied Mino.
After a brief rest, the army moved from Mino to Omi. As Omi was originally Ashikaga territory, they received significant reinforcements, bolstering the army to a formidable one hundred twenty thousand. The army set up camp around Lake Biwa, where Lily, Ayaka, and Makoto discussed the marching route. Although traveling by water would shorten the distance, the lack of boats meant they had to consider a detour.
Suddenly, from the mist, a fleet of black-armored, white-sailed ships appeared, catching Lily’s group’s attention. “Those ships have powerful eldritch auras, and that flag… it’s Yoritomo’s navy!” Ayaka warned.
Since capturing Mutsu, Lily’s army had marched from Kiyosu to Omi without facing any significant elite resistance. The approaching naval force, with ships resembling monsters lurking in the water and towers as tall as castle turrets, appeared to be an extraordinary navy. Some of these ships seemed familiar, perhaps part of the black-armored navy that had entered the Tange River, but the tall black warships were new to them.
The punitive army, lacking a robust naval force and with only a few small wooden boats from the Omi forces, was ill-prepared to face these armored battleships. General Makoto ordered the army to form a defensive formation on the hillside.
As the fleet of armored warships approached the lake sh.o.r.e, a towering samurai stood on the bow of the largest ship. Measuring four to five meters in height, with blue-gray skin and blood-red eyes, he wore dark gold armor and wielded a hefty, sharp weapon. His roar resonated across the sky, “I am Tomoe Gusato, one of the three great leaders of Yomi’s Matori Abyss! You foolish mortals, hear me! Have that woman Kagami Lily come out to die!” His shout generated a fierce wind that buffeted the hillside army and caused the trees in the mountain forest to sway.
Near the lake sh.o.r.e, under the army’s formation, stood a small bar, the same place where Lily and Tenba Goro once shared a drink. Inside, Lily and Ayaka were having tea, the jade white cups set on the table. “Matori Abyss… it’s the Matori Abyss again,” Lily noted, recognizing that she had encountered many from this force from Yomi before, likely leading to this confrontation for revenge, orchestrated by Yoritomo.
As Lily prepared to stand, Ayaka pressed down on her arm, urging her to stay put. “Lily, your body isn’t stable yet, let me handle this.” Ayaka, recognizing the gravity of facing an opponent beyond Shimizu or Rei’s capabilities, was determined to protect Lily.
“Sister Ayaka, my body may not recover for a long time. I will have to fight eventually,” Lily responded.
“Even so, wait until you adapt. I’ve already recovered, it won’t be a problem for me to deal with him,” Ayaka rea.s.sured her.
“Then, please be careful. This opponent is Yoritomo’s doing; you cannot be careless,” Lily cautioned.
Ayaka nodded, “Relax.” Dressed in a red and white miko outfit and wielding a wand, she stepped out, walking on a galaxy of stars above the lake. Confronted by Gusato, Ayaka was mistakenly identified as Kagami Lily. She responded defiantly, “Demons of Yomi, you’ve come to the mortal world to commit evil and dare to insult my sister! Although Yomi is perilous, and your journey here wasn’t easy, you will still meet your end today.”