Demon Sword Maiden

Book 12: Chapter 68: Lily's Promise (part 2)

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Renka’s first strike with the whip landed on Lily, who stood firm, silently enduring the sting. But as the second whip lashed toward her, Lily caught it in her hand, her grip firm and unyielding. Renka, irritated, channeled her divine power to pull the whip free, but it stayed taut, unmoving. “What?” Renka gasped, surprised and preparing to use another tactic. “You traitor! How dare you resist!”

“Hm?” Rakshasa-Onna, watching closely, narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Lily had managed to catch Renka’s whip. “Stop,” she commanded, her voice calm but firm. Turning to Renka, she added, “It’s too early to decide if Lily is a traitor.”

“Your Highnesses, while we’re discussing this, Queen Kaguya and General Chiya might already be in grave danger. Please, allow me to help them!” Lily pleaded, urgency clear in her voice.

“Kagami Lily, while I don’t believe you would betray us, we still lack the proof to support your claims. What remains true is that you left with the Queen without informing us. How can we be sure you’ll return if we let you go now?” Rakshasa-Onna questioned, her tone measured but skeptical.

“I swear, once Her Majesty and General Chiya are safe, I will return to the Rakshasa dojo without fail,” Lily vowed, her heart racing with the urgency of the situation. She knew that without offering this assurance, she couldn’t afford any further delay.

Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna exchanged a glance. “Kagami Lily,” Rakshasa-Onna began, “as one of the Hundred Maidens, no matter what your reasons were before, today you’ve made a vow before us. If you dare to break that vow, both the Asura dojo and the Rakshasa dojo will hunt you down across all of Yomi. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Lily replied solemnly.

“Your Highness, we can’t trust her! This wretch lies all the time; she won’t keep her word!” Renka interrupted, her tone urgent and filled with anger.

“I said I would return, and I will! If I break my promise, do whatever you want with me!” Lily declared, her eyes blazing with determination.

Rakshasa-Onna nodded slowly. “Very well, then…”

“Sister, the madam’s instructions…” Asura-Onna whispered, raising her sleeve and leaning in close to Rakshasa-Onna before she could continue speaking.

"So, it seems… we shall follow the madam's orders," Rakshasa-Onna declared decisively.

Asura-Onna stepped closer. "Kagami Lily, I don’t know much about you, aside from your beauty, but it seems you’re not only coveted by male demons for your talents. The madam herself seems to have a keen interest in you."

"Huh?" Lily was confused. Was this ‘madam' they spoke of the same powerful figure who had intervened and saved her from Wakarai?

"The madam has commanded that we assist you in rescuing Kaguya-hime," Rakshasa-Onna continued, "but after that, you are to return with us immediately. You will no longer be allowed to stay with Kaguya-hime or her allies."

"What?" Lily was taken aback. Though she had sworn to return, it seemed that according to the madam’s decree, she might not get another chance to see Queen Kaguya before the Night Parade of One Hundred Maidens concluded.

Despite her reservations, Lily understood that the most important task now was to assist the Queen. Defying the madam’s orders would be reckless and unwise.

"I will obey," Lily said, bowing deeply.

"Very well. We shall accompany you to find Queen Kaguya, as per the madam’s instructions," Rakshasa-Onna declared.

As they exited the wind tunnel, Rakshasa-Onna surveyed the dismal surroundings of the Hell of Torment. "What an unpleasant place," she muttered.

"Sister, this place is designed to punish women, so naturally, it feels uncomfortable for us. However, it is part of the heavenly order, and we must not interfere lightly," Asura-Onna commented.

Rakshasa-Onna glanced back at Lily. "While we managed to track you here, we’re still unsure of Queen Kaguya’s exact location."

"I recall where we were ambushed. Please, follow me, Your Highnesses!" Lily urged, her anxiety mounting as she quickly led the way, instinct guiding her back toward where they had been attacked.

"This woman… how dare she make us follow in her footsteps!" Rakshasa-Onna grumbled, taking to the sky alongside Asura-Onna, with the dozens of female powerhouses closely trailing behind them.

Lily pressed forward with urgency, weaving through mountains and purgatorial valleys, casting caution aside in her haste.

Without warning, the mountains ahead trembled. A massive blue demon with three heads, six arms, and elongated noses emerged from the depths of purgatory, leading a horde of similar creatures as they charged forth, blocking Lily's path.

A judge, perched atop a stone pillar beside the three-headed demon, pointed at Lily and bellowed, "Sovereign! That’s the woman! She’s recklessly disrupted our proceedings and killed Horse-Face and the Punishers!"

The sovereign, an Infernal Stage powerhouse—though not the strongest in Yomi—held divine authority over this part of the heavenly cycle. "Who is this wretch? A mere woman dares to violate the millennium-old laws of this Female Punishment Hell! Slaying my jailers, injuring my judges! I will personally subdue you and make you endure the tortures of this hell!"

The sovereign's Infernal Stage power surged, mighty and overwhelming, as turbulent winds of earthy yellow strength swirled around him. Seated upon a round throne forged from the skeletons of women and gold, he soared menacingly toward Lily.

Lily, startled, knew she had no time to waste battling Yomi demons. "Sovereign, I acted out of necessity! Let me pass!" she pleaded urgently.

"Silence! An escaped prisoner, guilty of murder, and you still dare speak? You are sentenced to death! You shall suffer endless torment for ten thousand years!" The sovereign roared, blocking Lily's path as a long whip materialized in his hand. "Behold, my Subjugation Whip! One strike, and you will lose all willpower, a slave forever bound to my command!"

"What!?" This realm, dedicated to punishing women, was under the command of the three-headed, six-armed demon. Lily couldn’t be certain if the whip had such power, but she dared not take any risks.

"Kagami Lily! Do not harm the Sovereign!" Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna called from behind her.

Though they had the strength to stop her, Rakshasa-Onna and Asura-Onna had initially allowed Lily to lead the way. Now, as the sovereign’s forces appeared, they could easily intervene, but they kept their distance, content to shout warnings while taking no real steps to halt Lily’s actions.

As the Subjugation Whip cracked toward her, Lily dodged swiftly, yet the wind trailing behind the whip stirred a strange, overpowering force within her. "Ngh…" She felt the curse in her body intensifying. Despite her enhanced self-control and newfound power keeping her mind steady, the energy radiating from the whip threatened to break her will, compelling her to submit to the sovereign.

"What kind of whip is this? Just brushing against its aftermath feels so overpowering—if it hit me directly, I can't imagine the consequences!" Lily thought, her face flushing with alarm.

The whip cracked toward her again, but constantly dodging was risky. The whip's energy was wreaking havoc on her body. Narrowing her eyes, Lily charged straight at the sovereign, unwilling to give him another chance.

"You dare strike me, woman?" the sovereign roared, enraged. As he retracted the whip, his other hands drew scimitars and magical artifacts, unleashing dark netherworld sorcery toward Lily.

Lily twisted mid-air, dodging the sorcery and closing the distance before the whip could fully retract. As the sovereign’s scimitars swung at her, she flipped gracefully, her long legs delivering powerful kicks.

With swift precision, she stomped down on the sovereign’s scimitars, shattering them in an instant and reaching him.

Lily raised her sword, intending to land a light strike on the sovereign and rush past. But unexpectedly, the sovereign had another trick—his three thick noses stretched out like pythons, wrapping around her legs, shamelessly attempting to violate her under her skirt.

Lily’s face flushed red with fury. In the heat of the moment, she unleashed a sharp, hazy blade light from Oborozuki Muramasa, unable to hold back her full power.

Slash! All three of the sovereign’s noses were sliced cleanly off1.

Blue blood sprayed from the severed noses as the sovereign let out an agonized howl, his body convulsing. With a swift kick, Lily sent the vile demon plunging into the abyss.

"Sovereign!" Several demons scrambled—some rushing to aid the fallen sovereign, others turning their fury on Lily.

"Out of my way!" Lily’s sword unleashed a powerful gust of wind, scattering the lesser demons like leaves. She pressed onward in the direction she sensed she had fallen from.

Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna exchanged a glance, with a faint smirk of satisfaction creeping onto Rakshasa-Onna’s face.

"Sister, Lily’s boldness in gravely wounding the sovereign—a vital figure in the heavenly cycle—is a serious crime," Asura-Onna remarked with a knowing tone.

"Indeed. If she's ever caught, her punishment will be beyond imagination," Asura-Onna replied coolly.

"Still… I can’t help but find some amusement in this," Rakshasa-Onna added with a mischievous grin.

"Enough," Asura-Onna chided. "Lily’s disruption of the heavenly order, regardless of how vile the sovereign may be, isn’t something to take joy in2. It's outside our jurisdiction. Let’s move."

The two sisters hurried after Lily, their forces from the Asura and Rakshasa dojos close behind.

"Queen Kaguya, General Chiya… where are you?" Lily thought as she pressed on, her heart racing with concern.

"Ah—You monsters! Let me go! You’ll pay for this!" A familiar voice rang out as Lily raced forward, the scream of a woman in distress echoing nearby.

Lily turned and saw Yoshiya Seki, another fallen celestial maiden. Her clothes were torn, and she was bound in an X-shape to an ancient wooden frame, surrounded by three powerful Yomi demons under Umashi’s command, poised to defile her.

"Ha ha ha! Scream louder! It only makes it more fun! No one’s coming to save you here!" sneered a massive demon with a rhinoceros head and three horns. His gray-white hair, styled like a samurai, hung over his face as he gripped Yoshiya’s chin with cruel disdain.