Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 58 – Minamoto no Yoritomo’s Ambition! (Part 2)

In the midst of her spin, Lily extended her hand, summoning Oborozuki Muramasa back from Yoritomo’s defeated form into her grasp. Descending, she gripped her blade with both hands and executed a spinning slash, sending a hazy moonlit blade beam directly at Yoritomo’s chest.

The blade beam struck Yoritomo squarely, eliciting a m.u.f.fled grunt.

Blood burst from Yoritomo as he was propelled backward, crashing into the castle tower. The impact obliterated the Genji clan’s golden crest, scattering its fragments across the ground where Yoritomo, too, came to a heavy, final rest.

The five luminous stellar souls he harbored flickered into the distance, ultimately fading into oblivion.

Lily touched down gently as Yoritomo struggled to rise, supporting himself on trembling hands while blood streamed endlessly from his wounds, his body a tableau of violence.

“Ah… cough cough… I never envisioned my end to be thus…”

With Oborozuki Muramasa in hand, Lily approached Yoritomo, each step measured and deliberate.

“Don’t come closer!” Yoritomo, head bowed, his determined visage marred by blood and tremors, had lost much of his strength with six stellar souls destroyed.

Coughing, Yoritomo persisted in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, “Behind me, within the castle, lie vast stores of explosive spiritual artifacts, enchanted formations, and flame-generating mechanisms ama.s.sed by the Genji clan over years. Even you, with your formidable power, would be obliterated.”

Lily’s advance slowed as she heightened her alertness. Given Yoritomo’s brink of death, deceit seemed pointless. “At this juncture, what aim do you harbor?”

“Cough…” Laboring to maintain his stance, Yoritomo planted his broken blade into the earth for support. “My every deed was for the world… to ensure humanity… a future!”

“With my defeat inevitable, Lily, falsehoods serve me no purpose. Do you still fail to grasp my convictions?”

The conflict beyond the castle walls concluded; of the two heavenly kings, one lay dead, the other retreated, gravely injured. The demon and black-armored forces were largely vanquished, with scant survivors. Lily’s allies dominated the field, their attention now on the defeated Yoritomo.

“Yoritomo, in your own terms, what is righteousness? Victory alone defines justice.” Despite her disheveled appearance, bloodied skin, and torn attire, Lily’s formidable beauty remained undiminished in the light.

“Ahaha… Your words remain as relentless as ever. Recall our first encounter in Kamakura?” Yoritomo inquired, his body quaking from his injuries.

Lily offered no response to his query.

“Ah, Lily… Sometimes I muse, had I foreseen the turmoil you’d cause, I would have ended you then and there.”

Lily’s expression remained impa.s.sive. “What purpose do these words serve now? Do you seek absolution through mere speech? Even if I withhold my hand, do you believe those I stand with will show you mercy?”

“No, you fail to grasp the essence. My reign and ambitions were my all. With my aspirations now in ruins, I refuse to persist in ignominy. Indeed, upon our initial meeting, I sensed your uniqueness and the shadow of threat you posed. Yet, what of it? The world teems with those who might challenge me; slaughtering them indiscriminately would undermine my rule. Thus, I resorted to subtler means to imperil you—revealing your ident.i.ty as a mirror girl, or dispatching a.s.sa.s.sins to obstruct your journey to Heian-kyo. You’ve proven unlike any I’ve confronted, adeptly countering every strategy. By the time I recognized you as my paramount adversary, the prime moment for your eradication had pa.s.sed.”

Lily’s demeanor remained stoic and detached as she absorbed Yoritomo’s final utterances, suggesting he was loath to depart this life without voicing these concluding thoughts.

Seemingly unable to maintain his stance, his blade dragged along the ground. An indefinably bleak expression crossed his face as he labored to say, “Only, do you realize that even knowing you’d pose the greatest threat to me, I still wouldn’t have ended you.”

“What?” The word slipped from Lily involuntarily.

“Everything I’ve done, I did for the world, for humanity! Lily, you may disagree, but have you considered the fate of our world and people without you? In the face of collapsing heavens and looming disaster, should our world and race simply face obliteration without recourse?”

“……”

“The world’s future is grim, with monsters at every turn. Humanity must strive and adapt to endure. Those who fail to do so will perish, leaving only the adaptable to forge ahead. My actions were meant to hasten our readiness before the true catastrophe unfolds. However, I acknowledge this was merely my hopeful strategy, not a.s.sured of success. Had you fallen to me today, Lily, it would have validated my approach. Yet, my defeat suggests the world might find a better route for human survival.”

“Maybe, I was curious to see who would ultimately prevail. Only the mightiest can withstand the impending doom! I’m not merely the architect of a new era but also a contender within it!”

The castle lay in ruins, with the internal blaze spreading, intensifying into a vast inferno. Flames had engulfed Yoritomo’s form, yet he disregarded them, persisting in proclaiming his resolve to the world.

“What… this… is this truly your intent, Yoritomo? Did you seek from the outset to determine who was right, you or the world at large?” The fire’s glow mirrored in Lily’s eyes, leaving her at a loss for words.

“Exactly! You’re beginning to grasp my essence, but for me, all is now concluded. To be comprehended in my final moments offers some… solace… cough…” Yoritomo convulsed, expelling more blood.

“Yoritomo, you…”

“Are you aware of what triggers the castle’s explosives?” Lily stopped in her tracks.

Lifting his determined gaze, he continued, “It’s me; the explosives are set to detonate when my soul’s fluctuations cease.”

Just then, Lily’s allies reached her side, poised to advance.

“Stay back! Do you wish to be obliterated!? Since I’ve been defeated, none of you should perish…” Yoritomo, drenched in blood and barely able to remain upright, staggered toward the castle’s fiercest flames, murmuring, “I am Minamoto no Yoritomo, the grand shogun who subdued the Southern Outlander. In death, my spirit shall not linger in this realm nor be captured.”

“Lord Kamakura…” For an instant, Lily envisioned the figure she first encountered, the towering, deity-like warrior. He was forthright yet elusive, offering her experiences that blurred the lines between deceit and instruction—the most driven hero in this shadowed realm.

The flames consumed his body, yet he was indifferent. Leaning on his fragmented blade for support, he summoned his remaining strength to stand erect and pivot, his visage amid the fire fierce and steadfast, akin to a celestial demon deity making its descent.

He bellowed, “Lily! In my stead, safeguard this world

¹——!”

Flames, voracious as the heavens, surged skyward, enveloping the castle and obfuscating Yoritomo’s determined silhouette within their embrace.

Terrifying detonations ensued, causing the entire floating mountain to tremble and fracture. The castle and nearby towers succ.u.mbed to the conflagration and blasts.

Author’s Note:

Footnotes:

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   Robinxen: You’re still an idiot and I hate your logic.