Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 32 – Goddess of Slaughter

A vast mist blew in, and from a distance, she could hear ancient and deep roars from all sides. Lily could feel that these roars were closing in on her.

“What should I do!?” Lily couldn’t erase this curse, and it was constantly sending out powerful aura fluctuations revealing her position to the surrounding demons!

This was Kuropi’s curse? How could she have known that killing members of ancient demon clans would result in such a vicious curse? This was a brutal hell where monsters constantly devoured each other!

To have her location constantly revealed was akin to committing suicide, but there’s no use concealing her presence and breathing now!

“What range does this curse have?”

In no time, murky apparitions emerged from the mist. They materialized in front, to the left, and behind her, taking the form of demonic entities.

What to do!? There wasn’t much time!

Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a gap amidst the throngs of demonic figures and darted towards it!

“I must keep moving! Otherwise, I’ll be surrounded in no time!”

“No!”

She skidded to a halt on an elevated ground.

“If I run haphazardly, won’t I get discovered by a big dipper arch-demon? And if I can’t conceal my presence, I’ll end up being pursued by multiple big dipper arch-demons. That would be even worse!? I can only hope that no big dipper arch-demons are within range of the fluctuations. I can’t be rash, but if a powerful Arch-Demon is nearby, then I have no choice but to flee!”

Slowly, shadowy apparitions materialized, encircling her from every direction.

With a metallic ring, Lily drew her flickering cursed blade. “Come then! Let us fight to the death!”

Emerging from the mist was a colossal, ferocious demon wielding a massive, crude weapon. His menacing aura pulsed as he advanced towards Lily.

Lily pivoted to confront the oncoming demon. With a single horn and towering six meters tall, the demon closed in on Lily and lifted its weighty club.

“Boom!” Lily’s crimson spirit power flared out, sending waves of energy fluctuating in all directions with an awe-inspiring force, like that of an invincible saint!

The curse had transformed these demons’ perception of Lily from that of a foreign presence to that of a foe to conquer and consume. Their eyes blazed with an even fiercer thirst for blood and flesh, each demon driven to rip her apart before feasting on her remains.

With a deafening crash, the stone club descended upon Lily’s head, unleashing a powerful gust of wind!

Enraged by the curse, the demons had become even more feral and ruthless in their attacks!

“Die!” Lily swiftly advanced, stepping forward before the club could strike and delivering an upward cleave!

Chop! Lily sliced through the demon’s arm, then swiftly followed up with a stab through the demon’s chest. Although she had already inflicted a fatal wound, she angled her blade downward and pressed down, bisecting the demon!

“Dream on if you think you can trap me!”

Cornered from all directions, Lily erupted with even greater ferocity and launched a more brutal counterattack!

Whoosh! From behind, a black-haired, eagle-headed demon as large as an ox cart lunged at Lily.

In a blur of motion, Lily dodged to the side. Having healed from her fall, she was now fully recovered and able to move with lightning-fast speed and agility.

“What?”

Beneath the eagle head was a thick, snake-like body covered in pitch-black scales.

Twisting her ankles and tapping the floor with her toes, Lily swiftly darted to the side of the eagle-headed demon with her blade raised. Her body was so light that even the slightest exertion of her strength propelled her with lightning-fast speed.

With a swift chop, Lily beheaded the large eagle head.

Clang! She quickly repositioned Yasutsuna with one hand and blocked a mace attack from behind. In her other hand, Kagura’s weapon, Brocade-Patterned Koi, appeared and she used it to stab the eagle head, absorbing its anima.

The Brocade-Patterned Koi was a weapon of the High Heavens, and even though Lily couldn’t fully unleash its power, the blade was tough, sharp, and capable of spirit-manipulation despite not being a cursed blade. Lily wielded two blades simultaneously, a long one and a short one, allowing her to adopt a dual-blade style that granted her greater speed and flexibility in defense.

Swish! A thick copper staff swept towards Lily from the front.

Lily swiftly ducked and rolled forward, evading the swinging copper staff and the mace behind her. She dragged her dual blades along the ground and sliced off one of the copper staff demon’s legs. Despite the endless appearance of demons on the high ground, she never stopped moving, her petite form constantly dodging heavy and ferocious attacks from all sides. Her movements were like that of a phantom as she unleashed multiple beautiful crimson arced blade beams.

Slash! Slice! Swish!

The continuous barrage of blade beams sliced through limbs and decapitated the demons, sending their flesh and blood splattering through the air!

With each swipe, the weakest throned monarch demons fell one after another, their numbers dwindling rapidly.

As Lily dashed left and right, her long hair fluttered through the air and her eyes glowed with a crimson hue. The silver gleam of her blades sliced through the air, leaving behind trails of blood with every strike.

The high grounds were gradually covered with a mountain of demon corpses. Atop that mountain, the young maiden fought and killed relentlessly. She had deployed her domain in a small radius of a few hundred meters, weakening her enemies and strengthening herself. The red sakura parasol appeared from time to time, either blocking powerful demon attacks or reinforcing her domain.

Lily’s killing spree continued without respite…

Two hours turned into three, then four, but the curse continued to emanate waves of energy that drew in an unending horde of demons from all directions. As she surveyed the lower grounds, Lily saw a black stream of monsters converging on her position.

Her eyes were now permanently stained red from the ceaseless slaughter. It felt as though even in the underworld of Yomi, a rain of blood was falling upon her. Soon, she entered a state of complete detachment, her body reacting instinctively without any conscious thought.

Lily’s domain and intuitive perception allowed her to detect all incoming threats, be it weapons, claws, fangs, or insidious arcane artes, from all directions. It was as if she had an innate ability to handle such situations. In her mind, she had categorized the different dangers, the enemy’s intentions, their strengths, their weaknesses, and formed them into a cohesive image. This image enabled her to effortlessly find the optimal movements, the ideal evasion spots, and the most effective opportunities to deliver fatal blows amidst the chaos of battle.

Lily’s movement abilities had transcended to a new level! In the past, her movements were precise and graceful. But now, they were almost otherworldly, beyond comprehension! Demons ranked higher than saints could still inflict damage upon her, and continuous attacks from monarchs would eventually overpower her. However, despite the relentless assaults of demons around her, they were unable to land a hit on her! Her movements had reached a level of misty fluidity, where there was no specific cultivation or secret technique. She relied solely on her instantaneous reaction to counter enemy attacks, with no fixed patterns. To handle attacks from all directions, Lily had to maintain an awareness of the overall situation and keep it at the forefront of her mind.

After immersing herself in endless slaughter, Lily entered a trance-like state and unconsciously reached a new level of movement and evasion! Although her defenses were not particularly strong, her attacks were deadly and her evasions were astonishing! No matter how many demons surrounded her or how powerful their attacks, they were useless if they couldn’t land a hit on her. Whenever Lily struck out, a demon was either maimed or slain! In this state of nothingness, Lily was not so much engaged in slaughter as she was in a graceful dance. It was as though she was performing an ethereal dance in this demonic abyss! Anyone who dared to interrupt this beauty met their doom!

Lily’s face was flushed, her breath ragged, and her body covered in sweat. In the midst of this deadly dance, her blade pierced through her enemies, and the aura it emitted extinguished their lives. The adrenaline and excitement of navigating a path of survival amidst a barrage of attacks caused her to emit bursts of energy. The thrill of teetering on the brink of life and death was indescribable! Amidst the sweat and tears, the queen of slaughter danced amongst the demons, exuding an endless allure. However, the demons of Yomi were not swayed by her seductiveness nor did they appreciate her skills. All they wanted was to tear her apart and devour her! Perhaps it was Lily herself who was intoxicated by the dance of death.

Lost in the ecstasy of slaughter, she was consumed by an uncontrollable urge!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

The pile of demon corpses grew taller and taller, like an insurmountable cliff! At the summit of the cliff stood a goddess of slaughter, adorned in red armor and wreathed in a crimson aura. She was dangerously exposed, yet seductively alluring! As the attacks gradually slowed and weakened, the final demon fell, and the onslaught came to an end.

“Pant, pant, pant!” Lily plunged her blade into the heap of demons to steady her quivering body, standing atop the mound of corpses.

The spiritual sea within her had undergone a purification process, and a radiant misty haze had emerged. Having expended all her physical strength in the thrill of slaughter, she panted heavily and leaned over, paying no attention to the fact that the hilt of her blade rested between her breasts or to her disheveled posture as she rested.

As for the demons in the vicinity, they had all been slain! At the base of the mound, only a handful of demons remained, hovering around the perimeter. However, upon sensing her aura, they dared not approach… Perched atop the mountain of corpses was an unconquerable queen!

Throughout the battle, despite facing hordes of demons, Lily was a force to be reckoned with. She could be killed, but she could not be subdued. For the demons, killing Lily was an insurmountable challenge!

It was inconceivable that in this world, a woman could stand atop a mountain of Yomi demons! Her very existence struck fear into the hearts of the dark creatures that feasted on the beauty of the world. She was the demons’ worst nightmare! To find someone of such legendary stature prior to Lily’s era, one would have to delve into the annals of antiquity…

From the distant, murky crimson mist, a formidable eldritch aura drew near.

Thud, thud, thud!

Even the sturdy, unyielding terrain of Yomi Hirazaka quaked with each footfall. Gradually, a gargantuan demon loomed into view, towering as tall as the mountain of corpses.

“You’ve finally taken the bait… Big Dipper Arch-demon!” Despite her panting, Lily’s eyes glinted with a fierce intensity.

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