Book 3: Chapter 55: A Legendary Battle

A gale sp.a.w.ned from the snowstorm within the valley filled with sakura.

Faced with three Spirit Jade powerhouses clad in spirit power, Lily also prepared to place her life on the line and go all-out with the next attack. However, even though she possessed enough spirit power, the fatigue and pain that plagued her body left her with little strength to counterattack.

She was barely able to stand up with the support of Crescent Moon and strengthened her grip on the weapons in her shuddering arms as she ruminated while observing Takeda, Tokugawa and Honda.

“If the three of them attack me at the same time desperately, I can only resist one of them at most… just… what should I do? The three of them have a very tough defense, and it’s pretty difficult to take down any one of them, so I have to neutralize their lethal attacks somehow.”

“If I were to compare them, Tokugawa’s attack possesses the lowest threat to me even though it would be powerful enough to injure me heavily. However, Honda’s pike arts are bold and fierce, and his golden light possesses a dharmic attribute that can purify all evil in the world. It also delivers double damage to blade maiden as its natural nemesis, so it will be pretty difficult for me to block it. As for Takeda Tsunen.o.bu, he possesses the might of a mountain deity, so I’ll die without a doubt if his tachi hits my vitals. Lord Tsunen.o.bu is a master of great virtue and prestige and also the top of the Furinkazan. If it weren’t for him losing his former wisdom after getting bewitched by the path of evil, he would’ve never taken part in such a dishonorable battle. However, nothing can be done about it now since things have come to this point already. Takeda’s tachi is even more threatening than Honda’s pike to me as Honda still holds some conscience in his heart and might hesitate to kill me, but Takeda, who has lost his wisdom, wouldn’t show any mercy at all.”

“Will I have to use the Blood Spirit Magatama?”

Lily didn’t want to use it even now.

Furthermore, Kagura’s attack—which held enough power to split the earth and rend the skies—could be only used just once. The gap in strength between her and these people was far too huge, and it was certain that neither Tokugawa nor Takeda would survive the attack. Honda, too, would die as well, but Lily didn’t have the heart to kill him.

“What should I do? Just what should I do?”

“Argh! Now isn’t the time to waver, me! My sisters and I will most probably die if I show any hesitation!”

Lily observed the ma.s.sive figures of her three opponents once again and a crazy thought sp.a.w.ned in her mind suddenly.

“Lynne! I never thought such a day would arrive after our meeting on that day. You’ve harmed my lord, so the choice left for me is to end you—Give your life to me!” A strong killing intent oozed out from Honda’s eyes, and even though this killing intent contained a sad undertone to it, it also contained the decisiveness of a gallant, born killer!

“K-Kill. K-Kill the Mirror Girl!” Takeda’s wisdom deteriorated even further along with the increasing intensity of the cloudy evil-natured earth spirit power. His mental faculties had declined below that of a human’s and the only thoughts left in his mind were to eliminate Lily.

“Kagami Lily! Hojo’s tragedy won’t repeat itself here. Although you are known as a genius samurai woman of this generation, today is the day you shall fall! Die!” Tokugawa screamed in fury and made the first move. He dashed towards Lily like a mobile fortress while wielding the flaming demon-headed cudgel in hand, causing the earth the tremor with each of his steps.

At the same time, the image of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman behind Honda released an omnipresent dharmic light almost as if Buddha had decided to lend a hand to Honda. The pike in Honda’s hand sped up rapidly and transformed into a golden light beam as he stabbed it towards Lily!

On the other side, each step Takeda took appeared like the descent of a mountain deity as he charged towards Lily in large strides. The tachi in his hands seemed to contain the rage of Kai’s boundless mountains and packed the weight of myriad mountains behind its strike!

“Master!” Yukiko cried out while hugging the unconscious Yumi. Shiu hugged the duo as well and unsheathed her katana, not to fight, but to end their own lives and spare themselves from getting humiliated if their master died.

“Is the Mirror Girl’s legend that the Midō clan has protected for hundreds of years going to end today? No! Don’t die, Lady Lily!” Yukiko’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the decisive moment fixedly.

Sakai, Sakakibara, Amari and the other generals sat cross-legged on the ground and bore witness to the decisive moment of this apex battle of the East while praying for the victory of their lord silently.

“Bless our lord, oh Great Bodhisattva Hachiman!” Amari screamed his throat hoa.r.s.e feverishly while pulling his long beard.

Although it looked as if Lily was in the center of the trio, she had shifted her position according to their respective speeds imperceptibly and didn’t even use her domain to suppress Tokugawa, choosing to suppress the other two instead.

Her gaze fell on the merciful dharmic image of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman behind Honda and closed her eyes while bowing her head, sending her prayers past Honda to the Great Bodhisattva directly, “Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, you are the guardian deity of Lord Minamoto Kurou Yos.h.i.tsune. Are you really going to allow your attendant to kill the inheritor of Lord Yos.h.i.tsune’s legacy? Oh merciful and compa.s.sionate Great Bodhisattva, please believe in me this once!”

Lily felt like she saw a ray of golden light within the darkness in front of her eyes suddenly.

The moment she snapped her eyes open, they gleamed with a bewitching hue and she then ama.s.sed all her power into the two katanas in her hands, and even supplemented her body with the power of her domain to invest her all into a single attack—

Lily split her legs apart and stooped down while lifting the two incessantly trembling katana shining with crimson spirit power.

As the first to make a move, Tokugawa was the closest to Lily while Takeda and Honda were a bit further from her.

“Sakura-Clad Moon—Dual Wielding!” Lily’s eyes flashed with a crimson hue.

Followed by a humming noise, two poignant-looking crimson crescent moons, one packed with the destructive rays of the sun and moon, while the other housing the image of a frolicking Koi carp prior to its draconic ascension, overlapped with each other and shot towards Tokugawa while nearly rending the air apart.

“Boom!” The Sakura-Clad Moons and Tokugawa’s demon-headed cudgel collided with each other, following which the moons transformed into countless sakura and engulfed Tokugawa in a vortex of crimson sakura-shaped blades.

“Argh!” Tokugawa screamed mournfully as the countless sakura blades attacked him and blood spouted out from his armor endlessly.

Although Lily had successfully neutralized Tokugawa’s attack and wounded him heavily with this move, it had nearly exhausted Lily of her entire spirit power, and she didn’t have enough time to circulate her spirit power again and counter the even fiercer attacks aimed at her from both sides.

Takeda’s katana and Honda’s pike were just a moment away from reaching Lily, and it wouldn’t have been feasible for her to block these two attacks at the same time even if she possessed her entire strength. Furthermore, she had gone all out with her previous move, so she didn’t even have the strength to lift her katana to block these attacks now!

Honda closed his eyes and had the same thought as Takeda at this moment, that Lily would die for sure.

Lily also didn’t attempt to lift her katana to block their attacks and leaned forward instead by borrowing the inertial momentum to stab the two katanas into the snow-covered ground. She took advantage of the fall and used the katanas as a crux to propel her body upwards and performed a handstand with her supple and firm waist, showing no regard for her falling crimson skirt as she split her slender and flexible legs to the extremities, executing a perfect handstand split in mid-air between Honda and Takeda!

Although her hands were tired, her plump and slender thighs that were stronger than her arms were still br.i.m.m.i.n.g with power even now! After executing an unpredictable handstand split, one of Lily’s legs just slipped under the tip of Honda’s pike by a hair’s breadth and hooked around the bottom of the pike’s three-p.r.o.nged tip from underneath while nudging it forward with her thigh in mid-air.

Unable to stop his momentum, Honda’s pike pa.s.sed above Lily’s privates straightly under the guidance of her leg and stabbed into Takeda’s chest on the other side who was just about to slash his tachi down.

“Splotch!”

The snowstorm and the sakura inside the valley were blown away from the resultant shockwave!

The surroundings also regained their tranquility once the snowstorm dispersed.

Lily held her handstand even though her crimson skirt and hair dangled down entirely, and her slender white thighs still maintained the perfect leg split even though she had flashed her white underclothing accidentally. The two Spirit Jade powerhouses on her two sides, though, simply didn’t have the time to notice this.

“What?! No! Lord Takeda!”

The moment the tip of Honda’s ma.s.sive pike stabbed inside Takeda’s chest, the dharmic light from the floating Great Bodhisattva Hachiman shot out via the tip of the pike and flooded Takeda’s body, dyeing his internal organs in dharmic light. It, however, didn’t injure this renowned master from the branch line of the Minamoto clan and purified his muscles, bones and organs that had been contaminated by evil instead!

“Argh! Ugh!” Takeda howled towards the skies and dharmic light seeped out from his mouth, eyes and nose as the omnipresent dharmic light purified the unclean energy inside him!

A warm and merciful voice echoed from the unseen world in the next moment: “Attendant Honda, wherefore doth thee harm a woman under the protection of my Minamoto clan’s scion…”

“What… C-Could this be… the divine manifestation of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman?” Honda released his grip over the pike subconsciously and it fell down to the snow-covered mound from Takeda’s chest in the next moment as Takeda’s armor had blocked a majority of the impact behind his attack. Honda stepped back sluggishly with a pair of pious eyes and kneeled down on the ground immediately.

“Thee hast hadst the divine blessing of Buddha since birth, so thee shall hast to see through good and evil with thine eye of wisdom and vow to never cause distress for the living again…” the voice from the unseen world enunciated before disappearing alongside the dharmic image.

Leaving behind a dazed Honda kneeling on the ground.

As for Takeda, even though he had gotten wounded severely in the chest, his gaze and skin color seemed to recover their normalcy gradually under the purification of the dharmic light…

Lily’s arms weakened at this moment and she fell to the side powerlessly, but she somehow managed to muster enough strength to lift her upper body and sat down on the ground as well. However, she still hadn’t recovered well enough to stand up as she had really exhausted all her physical and mental strength at this moment.

Tokugawa finally managed to break through Lily’s Sakura-Clad Moon at this moment and even though his injuries weren’t light and armor in a sorry state with several broken pieces, he still had some strength left in him despite drenching in blood all over right now!

“Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha! I’m the final victor! The treasure is mine! You’re finally out of strength, Kagami Lily! Die now! Hahahahahaha!” Tokugawa didn’t have the calm demeanor of the past and revealed his true demented colors at this moment as he strode towards Lily while lifting the demon-headed cudgel in his hands!

“Oh, no!” Lily had expended too much of her strength just now and still needed some time to recover enough spirit power to battle again, but Tokugawa was already in front of her now and she didn’t even have the strength to stand up!

Tokugawa laughed pompously while smashing the cudgel down towards Lily with fierce momentum!

“Clang!”

However, a splendid tachi and a golden-clad pike overlapped on top of each other in front of Lily! Takeda and Honda had acted at the same time to block Tokugawa’s demon-headed cudgel.

“What?!” Tokugawa was taken aback.

Takeda Tsunen.o.bu had his head lowered, but the dark eyes on his staunch face had already regained their humanity inside them…

“As swift as the wind, as silent as the forest, as fierce as fire, as immovable as a mountain!”

Blood trickled down from Takeda’s Tsunen.o.bu’s chest as he enunciated those words while ama.s.sing his spirit power, “Tokugawa, you vile villain! How dare you bewitch me with the path of evil and set me on an unreturnable path! I cannot allow you to harm the benefactor who saved my life!1”

“Boom!” Takeda swung his katana upward with all his might and deflected Tokugawa’s cudgel, but he fell to his knees on the ground because of the severe wound on his chest.

“What?!” Tokugawa staggered a few steps back in shock, “Brother Takeda… you actually regained consciousness. T-This can’t be happening! Honda, why did you block me just now?!”

“My lord… killing Miss Kagami goes against the wishes of Buddha, now is the time to turn around!” Honda also kneeled down on the ground after blocking Tokugawa’s cudgel with his pike.

“Honda, you traitor! How dare you have the nerve to betray me?! I’ll kill you first then!” Tokugawa charged towards Honda crazedly.

Honda, however, laid down the pike in his hands and put his palms together in prayer towards Buddha while bowing his head and offered no resistance as he had resigned himself to accept death for disobeying his master.

“Splash!”

A pair of crimson sword beams in the shape of moons flashed by at this moment!

Lily, who had recovered her spirit power by now, arrived in front of Honda’s body while sliding on one knee and flung her long sleeves up while slashing the two katanas in her hands upwards…

Bereft of the armor’s defense, Tokugawa’s arms were sent flying into the distance along with the foul scent of blood jetting across the snow!

“What happened?” Tokugawa questioned in doubt after seeing no results even though he had executed a smash.

His two thick arms flew up in the sky in the next moment and the ma.s.sive demon-headed cudgel fell into the distant snow.

Lily remained kneeling sideways in front of Honda with the two katanas in her hands raised up as her hair cascaded down the side of her beautiful countenance gently.

“Arrggghhhh!” Only then did Tokugawa realize that his hands had been bisected and began howling in pain after falling on his b.u.t.t.

Honda opened his eyes now and discovered that he was still alive.

Lily got up calmly and walked towards Tokugawa’s direction indifferently while holding the blades dripping with blood.

“Lynne! No, Miss Kagami! I beg you… please spare His Lordship’s life!” Honda caught up to Lily and kowtowed in front of Lily, “If you must have vengeance, please kill me instead to absolve it, Miss Kagami!”

The nearby Tokugawa only had a breath of life left in him and could only hope for Honda to save his life.

Lily hesitated after hearing Honda’s plea. Killing Honda was equivalent to killing the Buddhist attendant serving Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and the Great Bodhisattva had answered her prayer just moments ago, so she couldn’t kill just him.

Lily sighed and sheathed her katana with swift and nimble movements.

“Thank you, Miss Kagami!” Honda kowtowed deeply.

Sakai and the other Tokugawa clan retainers took this chance to step forward and picked up Tokugawa’s arms and weapon before carrying the dying Tokugawa towards the outside of the valley skittishly.

Honda got up and gazed at the exceptional woman who was shorter than him by a lot with complex emotions, “Lynne…”

The snow began storming again and a new layer of white snow began covering a few sections of the now bloodstained snow-covered mound again. As for the mountain temple, even though it looked even more ruined than before, it was still standing strong within the snowstorm.

Honda felt guilty and wanted to say a few words, but he refrained from doing so and just shook his head helplessly. He then bowed towards the kneeling Takeda and the Takeda clan retainers and followed behind the group that carried his lord outside.

Lily didn’t attempt to stop the retainers who were fleeing with Tokugawa, too.

In fact, she also didn’t possess the strength to chase after them.

“Thud!” Lily fell to the snow-covered ground powerlessly.

“Master!” Yukiko, the woken Yumi and Shiu rushed forward to support Lily immediately.

Lily was so weakened that she didn’t even have the strength to lift her hand up and just rested on Yukiko’s thighs, her bountiful chest heaving up and down powerlessly.

“I won…” Lily whispered faintly.

Takeda Tsunen.o.bu was also supported by his retainers as well.

“Take the lord back to get treated immediately!” said the bearded Amari.

“Wait!” Takeda, however, pushed everyone away and limped to Lily’s front even though blood trickled from his chest with every single step and then kneeled down with mountainous gratefulness.

“If it weren’t for the sudden idea that you had to exploit Honda’s dharmic light to purify me, I would’ve had no hope left for reprieve even if I managed to stay alive and would’ve ruined my reputation. You are the G.o.ddess of Mercy who has allowed me to revive again, Miss Kagami! Please accept this bow from Takeda Tsunen.o.bu!”

Takeda kowtowed towards Lily piously and remained in that stance, but Lily didn’t even have any strength left to step forward and help him stand up.

“Shiu… help me support Lord Tsunen.o.bu up.”

Lily then stated in a powerless yet warm tone, “You are a senior respected by Sister Uesugi, Lord Tsunen.o.bu, and still have a sense of conscience and justice within you, unlike that Tokugawa, who is much more vicious and viler than a demonized human even though he possesses a rational mind. Also, there’s no need for you to thank me, Lord Tsunen.o.bu. After all, the reason I saved you was also to save my own life.”

Amari, Oda and the other retainers looked at Lily dazedly. Grat.i.tude filled their hearts as they were powerless in the situation and could only watch on as their lord walked down an erroneous path.

“Kagami Lily, bearer of an exceptionally bewitching countenance and skilled enough in combat to dominate the East, as cruel as a rakshasa, yet possessing both a forgiving and merciful heart,” Amari’s profound eyes gleamed with tears as his thick beard swayed in the snowstorm, “Lily overwhelmed three Furinkazan-grade experts of the East alone in this battle, and not only did she win, but she also saved our lord with her mercy. No one under Lord Kamakura in the eight provinces of Kanto possesses such strength, courage, and wisdom! I will devote my remaining life to produce an excellent literary work that tells the legend of Miss Kagami in the form of a poem and eulogize this n.o.ble, desperate and emotional apex battle of the East to all corners of the world!2”

1. Robinxen: Well this was something I in fact did not see coming.
2. Robinxen: I shall name it “Demon Blade Maiden”!