Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 234 - Bound by Life and Death (Part 1)

Though Lily had slain two Supreme Gods and forced Kurorai to flee with grievous injuries, those she killed were, in truth, among the weakest of the enemy host. Most of the Abyssal demon gods besieging her still retained their full strength.

And yet, at that moment, the encircling forces hesitated. No one dared to charge rashly again. Kunhiza, Kuroyoku, Wakarai, and the others wavered.

In terms of numbers and sheer power, if they launched a full-force, all-out assault, without regard for injury or death, they could, in theory, overwhelm Lily. But at what cost? How many among them would fall? How many Supreme Gods and mighty Abyssal demons would suffer fatal wounds?

It was an overwhelming advantage, and yet, the sword in Lily’s hand, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, remained a terrifying threat. Worse still, her will to fight had not faltered in the slightest. Every strike she delivered was resolute, merciless.

The truth was, they had been bloodied. They were afraid to die. Their morale had been shaken. But after coming this far, how could they simply back down? If they retreated now, would the comrades they’d lost not have died in vain?

These were Supreme Gods! And more than that, this was the pride of Yomi and the Abyss. To have gathered more than a dozen of the strongest across half of Yomi, and still fail to subdue a single Kagami Lily? If word got out, would they not become a laughingstock across the entire realm?

For Kunhiza, Kuroyoku, Wakarai, and the rest, there was no road back. These beings had ruled for centuries, millennia. Their pride and status were far beyond those of ordinary adepts. How could they possibly accept such humiliation?

And as for Lily there was even less room for retreat. Defeat for a woman like her meant unspeakable degradation. She would sooner die in battle than kneel in surrender.

At that point, her divine power had been heavily drained. Her body was bruised in many places, battered by the heavy blows. Even someone as strong as Lily was nearing the limits of endurance.

She knew full well, if the fight dragged on, her injuries would eventually sap her strength, and when that happened, her power would plummet. She still had a final lifeline, she could call upon her senior sister to intervene. But if she did, Rinne would once again fall into a deep, long sleep… How could Lily bear that?

Besides, with so many enemies, would a single intervention even be enough to ensure everyone escaped the Boundless Abyss? Even Lily herself had no confidence in that. This was a battle with no guarantees. A battle whose outcome was beyond prediction.

And yet, she had no choice.

“Fellow lords of the Abyss,” Wakarai shouted, “this Kagami Lily has killed and wounded many of our Yomi brothers and Abyssal kin! If we still cannot capture her today, how can we ever show our faces again in the world? Let us not hold back any longer, bring out your strongest treasures, your trump cards! We must capture this woman alive and make her suffer the cruelest punishments under the Nine Hells! Let her atone in pain for every life she has taken!”

Wakarai himself was seriously injured. If Lily escaped, the Thunder Gods’ honor would be in tatters. There was no possibility of forgiveness, his hatred ran deep. Behind his words, he harbored even darker intent: he did not want Lily to die immediately. No, he wanted her humiliated, tormented, broken first.

His words struck a chord with the other Abyssal demon gods, reigniting their vicious, bloodthirsty battlelust.

“Hmph! If we, the mighty Abyssal Lords, cannot subdue Lily today, we are no true gods,” growled Kuralan-Chiyu.

“Yes! We must capture her alive and show her the power of the Abyss! That savage woman killed and crippled our brothers, destroyed entire tribes, she must taste the cruelest tortures of the Boundless Hells!” snarled Kyupigaki, his long red tongue flicking out as he laughed ominously.

“As long as you leave her alive for me to vent my rage, I, Wakarai, swear on behalf of the Thunder Gods: we will not compete for the Kusanagi. It is yours to divide among the Abyssal demon gods,” Wakarai declared with theatrical magnanimity.

“Do you mean it?” Kunhiza narrowed his eyes. He coveted the Kusanagi fiercely, owning it might even grant him supremacy over the likes of Kuroyoku.

“I swear. Let me have the woman, her treasures mean nothing to me,” Wakarai replied, playing the noble avenger.

“And me as well!” Fushirai added with venom. “Just the woman. Not her blade.”

“Excellent! Bold words!” Kuroyoku barked out a laugh, his hardened face twisting. “Then today, Kagami Lily meets her doom!” Though both of Kuroyoku’s arms had been severely wounded, he still exuded power. His fighting spirit remained unshaken.

A pair of jet-black gauntlets appeared over his damaged hands, massive and etched with golden runes, studded with cruel, deadly spikes.

“You actually forced me to use these ancient Abyssal gauntlets,” he snarled. “Kagami Lily… I’ll repay the humiliation you’ve dealt me tenfold, with your blood!” The fury in his aura surged, oppressive and fierce.

The horde of demonic gods once again reached a grim consensus, this time, each one was resolved to fight to the death. Previously, Lily had managed to fend off their assault in part because their attacks lacked coordination, each wary of their own losses. But now, if these apex beings truly went all out with no reservations, how could Lily possibly withstand them?

“Kagami Lily! You’re finished!” Wakarai shouted, voice wild with hatred. “We’ve set aside all quarrels and selfish interests, just to see you fall! Do you still think there’s a shred of hope left? Why not throw down your weapon now and kneel? Beg for mercy. Maybe, just maybe, the brothers of the Abyss will show you a sliver of pity during your punishment. What do you say, Kagami Lily? Still not on your knees? Still not surrendering?”

“Despicable,” Lily whispered coldly, her gaze like frost as she looked over Wakarai and the demons encircling her. She tightened her grip on Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the sword resonating with her fury, releasing an ethereal, icy hum filled with murderous intent.

“Come on, then,” Lily declared. “Maybe I can’t defeat all of you. But if I can take one more of you with me, then one more it shall be!” Scarlet light flickered to life in her eyes. Her killing intent surged without end.

That murderous will—it shook the hearts of even these demon gods.

“S-Still barking, even with death at your throat?” Kunhiza snarled. “Lords of the Abyss! Even if we burn through everything we have, let’s kill this stubborn b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!”

With a sudden motion, he brought out several ancient scrolls. Each one exuded an overwhelming power, rivaling that of divine weapons. And these were single-use artifacts, the culmination of countless ages of his hoarded trump cards.

Seeing Kunhiza truly reveal his bottom line, Kuroyoku, Kuralan-Chiyu, Wakarai, and other abyssal overlords also began summoning their most powerful treasures. The very heavens trembled as the clash of divine auras stirred the world into chaos.

Lily, by contrast, had no more treasures left. She had only her sword, and an unshakable resolve. She gripped her Kusanagi, a storm of resentment swirling around her like a dark halo. Her eyes were firm. She would fight to the final breath.

A figure suddenly flickered to her side. It was Shimizu.

“Sister Shimizu?”

“Lily,” she said simply, “we live or die together.”

“No, Sister Shimizu, you must leave. You all must leave…”

A soft, graceful laugh rang out from the darkness nearby. Queen Kaguya and Chiya emerged from the gloom, landing beside Lily.

“Your Majesty?” Lily looked on in disbelief.

“If you fall, Lynne, do you think we’ll be spared?” Chiya raised her blade, standing shoulder to shoulder with her queen and Lily, a calm smile playing at her lips even as the world around them burned. “Better we fight as sisters and meet our fate with dignity.”

“A dozen so-called ‘lords’ of Yomi ganging up on one woman, shameless to the last,” Ayaka’s voice echoed as she danced forward, silver droplets trailing from her blade. “No matter what happens today, Lily, your big sister Ayaka stands with you.”

“Who would’ve thought,” said Rakshasa-Onna, stepping forward, “that the woman I once dragged into Yomi, beaten and helpless, would today stand her ground against a dozen abyssal gods? I’m not a woman known for chivalry, but this time, I just can’t stand aside. Sister, what do you say?”

Asura-Onna flipped her long hair, dropping in beside her sister. Their twin curved blades glinted in the dark as they stood at Lily’s back. “Your Grace, leave the rear to us.”

The Abyssal gods could sense the tide shifting, this was the final moment, the decisive battle. They didn’t try to stop Lily’s companions from joining her. All across the field, those facing the other sisters also began drawing out their strongest treasures, preparing for a full-scale confrontation.

“Hahahahaha!” Kunhiza cackled. “Who would’ve thought, after all these eons of warfare, that the only ones with loyalty left in Yomi… would be women! How laughable! Fine then, die together if you want. All the easier to wipe you out in one go!”

“You there, tall one!” Fushirai shouted, lightning crackling from his claws as he pointed at Ayaka. “You dare call us shameless?” He sneered. “Let me tell you what true supremacy is. In this world, victory and defeat, power and weakness, have nothing to do with shame or honor! Brothers, this woman’s mine!”

Wakarai laughed. “Fellow lords, my brother lost a leg in this fight. Giving him the woman should be fair compensation, wouldn’t you say?”

“No objections!”

“No objections! But give us those twin sisters, hehehe…”

“I want the one who looks like the Boundless Imperial Princess,” someone jeered. “Just thinking about owning her, it’s like having the Boundless Imperial Princess of all three realms under me! Hahaha!”

They hadn’t even won the battle, yet they were already divvying up women like spoils of war. Their smugness, their arrogance, they believed victory was assured.

Ayaka’s face grew somber. Though she knew the odds were slim, she swept her gaze over the laughing monsters and let out a low, cold laugh. “You speak of strength, of victory… yet what I see is weakness wrapped in delusion. Whatever the outcome, I will make one truth clear before this ends; your so-called pride, your vaunted ‘dignity’ as rulers and gods… is nothing but a joke.”

“Hahahaha!” Wakarai pointed at her and roared with laughter. “The world laughs only at the losers! And in the end, the ones left in disgrace and humiliation will be you stubborn, foolish women who dared resist the rule of Yomi!”

Ayaka narrowed her eyes, her voice calm and cutting. “Do you even realize… the woman who forced all of you to gather here today… the one who killed and wounded so many of you… is just—”