Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 77 – Labyrinth Full Of Sin
Lily knew she wasn’t all-powerful. Watching Yoshiya feed the earth dragons, she felt a wave of grat.i.tude for the timely a.s.sistance. Even witnessing Yoshiya’s methodical actions, this wasn’t a skill that could be easily learned.
To manage it, one had to physically press against the dragons’ heads, soothing the grotesque, intimidating creatures with gentle sincerity. Just the thought of it sent an uncomfortable shiver through Lily.
When Renka saw the earth dragons well-fed and full of energy, she was visibly surprised. She ordered an inspection, and the results confirmed that the dragons were thriving—holding their heads high, even more vigorous than after being tended by the Rakshasa Dojo’s own dragon trainers.
“This must be Kagami Lily’s first time feeding the earth dragons. How did she manage without a single mistake?” Renka wondered, though she couldn’t openly question it. With Captain Isshiki present, she didn’t dare step out of line, fearing another punishment from her superiors.
For now, she had no choice but to let it go.
Later, the well-fed earth dragons resumed their journey, carrying the hundred maidens and the rest of the group. They moved swiftly, arriving at Okai Prison a full day ahead of schedule.
Okai Prison stood amidst a desolate ruin. The wind battered the greenish-blue sand, where dilapidated, leaning stone towers and crumbling ancient buildings dotted the landscape. Ma.s.sive statues of Nioh, each in a different stance, cast stern glares at the approaching women.
“Each of you holds a token,” Renka instructed, “You’ll use this token to enter the ruins. Infuse it with your spiritual energy while focusing on arriving at a random location within Okai Prison. The teleportation will send you deep into the prison. It doesn’t matter where you enter. Even if you all activate your tokens at the same time, the locations will be completely random.”
“There is only one exit,” Isshiki added, “If you leave before twenty-eight days have pa.s.sed, you’ll fail the trial. You’re required to remain inside until at least the twenty-ninth day. Keep that in mind, all of you.”
The hundred maidens nodded in succession.
“We’ll be waiting at the exit,” Renka said, her voice laced with meaning. “I hope every one of you comes out alive and intact.”
Lily clutched her token and turned to Hyozuhi. “You don’t need to enter. Wait for me outside with Captain Isshiki and the others.”
“Please be careful, Master,” Hyozuhi said, her voice full of concern.
Lily smiled gently and led the way into the ruins, as many of the other hundred maidens hesitated.
Meanwhile, high above in the distant sky, Queen Kaguya watched from her Hachiwan chariot.
“Who is that woman?” she murmured, her gaze landing on Hyozuhi.
“Your Majesty, based on our intelligence, there shouldn’t be any Supreme G.o.d-level beings in Okai Prison,” Yoshiya remarked.
“Of course not,” the Queen replied. “It’s a place meant for lowly criminals. We’ll wait here. It shouldn’t pose any real danger to Lynne.”
“But even though Miss Lynne’s strength is enough to keep her safe, she’s kind-hearted and gentle. Could she be deceived by the villains inside?” Yoshiya asked.
“Lynne won’t be fooled by men,” the Queen replied confidently.
At that moment, Lily stepped into the ruins and stopped beneath a colossal, crumbling statue of Nioh. She infused her token with spiritual energy, and immediately, a strange force pulled her deep underground.
She landed in a dark, damp, and stifling dungeon.
“A cell?”
Lily blinked in surprise. She had known the entry point would be random, but she hadn’t expected to be trapped in a cell the moment she arrived.
Thick, st.u.r.dy iron bars stood before her, with solid stone walls flanking either side.
“It’s unbearably hot in here…” Lily muttered, loosening her collar for a bit of relief. “Let’s a.s.sess the situation first,” she said to herself.
The teleportation had left her a bit dizzy; the magic embedded in the token was potent.
Lily sent out small pulses of spiritual energy to survey her surroundings. “Hm?!” She froze, startled by a strong male presence just behind her.
Spinning around, Lily spotted a hulking Kunlun tribesman. Strange patterns etched his skin, and he crouched in the corner of the cell, staring at her in shock. To him, she had appeared out of thin air.
“A woman?!” The man rubbed his eyes, blinking. “h.e.l.l, have I been locked up so long I’m hallucinating about women?”
“Is it really a woman?” He took another, longer look, catching the faint scent of her perfume in the musty air. His confusion quickly turned to excitement. “A woman! A beauty has just dropped from the heavens! You’re mine!”
The Kunlun tribesman leapt to his feet, his aura flaring as he lunged toward Lily.
‘Throne Stage?’ Lily thought with mild pity as the hulking brute lunged at her with l.u.s.t in his eyes. Without even unsheathing her sword, she simply slapped him.
The tribesman was sent hurtling backward, smashing into the unyielding stone wall of Okai Prison, leaving a sizable crater. The impact shattered several of his bones, leaving him pinned in place, unable to move.
Blood gushed from his mouth.
Lily tossed her hair back as she calmly approached.
“G.o.ddess, please, spare me!” the tribesman croaked, now fully aware of the terrifying power he’d just provoked.
“Let me ask you something,” Lily said coolly. “How long have you been imprisoned here?”
“I can’t remember exactly. Gozu and Mezume
Translated to j.a.panese for consistency.">1 dragged me here… it’s been countless days and nights. Probably decades.”
“And in all that time, you’ve never thought of escaping?” Lily asked.
“Escape? With my power, that’s just suicide. The cell’s safer. I’ve seen a few chances to break out, but I watched other inmates try. They didn’t even make it a hundred steps before they were killed.”
“Killed by the jailers?”
“No… by other prisoners.”
Lily was silent for a moment. Walking over to the iron bars, she ran her fingers across them and asked, “How st.u.r.dy are these?”
“G.o.ddess, although you’re strong, it’s better to wait for the right moment to escape. It only happens once every few years. These bars can’t be opened without a key, or unless the jailer forgets to lock up after patrol—which, strangely enough, he often does…”
With a swift motion of Lily’s sleeve, her blade flashed. The iron bars were blown clear off, crashing into the opposite cell, filling the dungeon with a deafening metallic clang.
“What?!” The Kunlun tribesman’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Lily turned to him calmly. “Do you know why you were imprisoned here?” she asked.
“Hehehe! Of course, I know!” Ignoring his injuries, the Kunlun tribesman grinned with pride and eagerly recounted, “Hundreds of years ago, I was a Kunlun slave sold to the Heian Dynasty on the Southern Barbarian Island…”
“My master treated me well, despite being a dojo master. He granted me the status of a free man and even taught me swordsmanship. Before long, I realized I had a natural talent for it. Training opportunities on the Southern Barbarian Island were limited, and with my dull brain, I wasn’t cut out for the work of artificers or craftsmen. But my body and reflexes thrived in the dojo. Soon enough, I surpa.s.sed my master in strength. So, I killed his entire family and all his disciples. I r̲a̲pe̲d̲ his daughter, took all the property and secret techniques, and set off on my own path of training. I got bold, though. When I tried stealing a treasure from a shrine, I killed several mikos, and the G.o.ds were angered. A group of mikos struck me down, and my soul fell into Yomi. Here, my flesh was reformed, and I ended up imprisoned.”
“In hindsight, I had it good at the dojo. I shouldn’t have killed my master’s daughter. Should’ve enslaved her and made myself the new dojo master, hehehe!” He reminisced, his expression twisted with excitement and longing.
“Lady G.o.ddess, tell me, how could someone be as foolish as my former master?” The Kunlun tribesman grinned maliciously.
Without warning, a streak of blade light flashed, illuminating his grotesque, twisted expression. Blood splattered across the rocky wall as the Kunlun tribesman was instantly cut down, his life snuffed out.
“All who end up in Okai Prison are beyond redemption,” Lily muttered coldly, her expression icy as she stepped out of the cell.
As Lily moved deeper into the dungeon, she quickly noted its intricate maze-like structure, corridors twisting and turning like an underground labyrinth.
“Hey, look! A woman!”
“She’s stunning!”
A group of ragged, fierce-looking prisoners emerged from the dark pa.s.sage ahead.
“What’s a woman doing here?”
“Does it matter? Let’s grab her and have some fun, brothers!”
Without hesitation, the prisoners charged at Lily.
“Throne Stage… Permanence Stage… And the one leading them is at the double-soul Big Dipper Stage,” Lily quietly a.s.sessed, her calm demeanor unchanged.
With a casual wave of her hand, Lily conjured a purple lunar blade, tracing it through the air with her fingertips.
“Go.”
The purple blade sliced through the dark pa.s.sage, radiating a sharp and merciless glow as it tore through the advancing prisoners with precision.
The blade light sliced through the prisoners effortlessly. Those below the Throne Stage were completely obliterated, leaving no trace behind, while only the Big Dipper Stage prisoner remained as a whole corpse.
Having already reached the peak of the septuple-soul level, Lily deemed their anima insignificant to her progress.
She calmly stepped over the fallen Big Dipper Stage prisoner, extending her spiritual energy to scan the surroundings. Despite the interference of the thick walls, she could still sense several thousand meters ahead—more than enough for her current needs.
A short distance away, the sound of a skirmish echoed through the dungeon.
“One of the hundred maidens?” Lily mused as she quickly moved toward the commotion, casually eliminating two prisoners along the way. Though Yomi’s system appeared oddly lenient with these irredeemable criminals, Lily had no such reservations. She executed them without hesitation.
Reaching the scene of the fight, Lily paused behind a corridor to observe.
In the dim light, she spotted Masako, her long, curly hair flowing down her back, dressed in revealing black combat armor, with only a thin pair of black panties underneath. Masako fought fiercely, dual blades in hand, striking down several prisoners with skill and precision.
Masako’s strength easily outmatched her opponents, as she had already dispatched two Throned Stage prisoners.
“This battle doesn’t need my intervention,” Lily whispered, a faint smile playing on her lips. “But I’m not here to offer help this time.”
A cold, delicate smile settled on Lily’s face as she watched the scene unfold.Footnotes:
TLN: In Chinese mythology refers to two deities who are often depicted as guardians of the underworld or as emissaries of the King of h.e.l.l. The “牛头” (niú tóu) translates to “ox-head,” and the “马面” (mǎ miàn) translates to “horse-face.”
Translated to j.a.panese for consistency.