Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 26 - I’m More Worried About Those Two Than You Are

Earlier, after the ship escaped Yuten Castle, the Yuten Army cleared the exit and dispatched a squad of soldiers in pursuit. Although the ship had already sailed far, the Yuten Army was faster, and just as they were about to catch up, the vessel, with nowhere left to run, charged straight into the roiling thunderclouds.

The Yuten Army had no choice but to give up. Yet they had not expected that these Celestial Maidens would willingly choose a road of certain death.

“General! Those maidens too are of the Amatsukami bloodline. Granted, they are guilty, but to drive them all to death, is this truly right?” A soldier with a thick moustache and an honest, resolute look spoke with grief.

The general too bore a complicated heart. “We of the Yuten Army act only on the orders from above. Nothing else needs to be thought of.”

The truth was, the Yuten soldiers were not saints. Had they captured these Celestial Maidens alive, turned into slaves of the courtesan district, most of them would have felt no guilt visiting them, even competing with coin to claim them. Yet to see so many beautiful girls forced to their deaths for nothing, it pained them as well. It could only be called a kind of raw, primitive cruelty entwined with rough-hewn compassion.

But in reality, when the ship plunged into the thunderclouds, not a single Celestial Maiden was aboard. Long before the Yuten Army stormed out, the maidens had disembarked with the rescued courtesans, hiding on a desolate Hakanajima nearby. The vessel was steered only by the snow warriors conjured by Yuki-Onna, luring the Yuten Army away. What perished in the thunderclouds was nothing more than an empty ship and a storm of swirling snow.

At this time, the Celestial Maiden Rebels had already gathered more than five hundred fighters, with over twenty at the Celestial Stage. It had become an undeniably formidable force.

This resistance had no single unified leader. Instead, they operated scattered across the land, guided by a shared purpose and spirit, each group acting independently, with squads as their highest structure.

If one were to speak of a leader, then Bishamonten, the goddess who had survived the great war a millennium ago and never ceased resisting, was their spiritual pillar. Yet Bishamonten had long been in hiding, always on the run. And when news of her reached the Celestial Maidens, it was only to tell of her capture.

Bishamonten had never truly led the rebellion in person.

The leaders of the Azure Squad, Sakura Squad, Chrysanthemum Squad, and others gathered before the assembled maidens to deliberate on their next course of action.

“At this point, we have no choice but to strike Yuten Castle head-on! How could we allow a goddess as noble as Bishamonten to suffer such vile torment at the hands of that debased demoness?” declared Kagami Meishin, the battle maiden of the Sakura Squad. She was a tall and alluring Celestial Maiden with rich violet hair coiled high, clad in a feathered robe of sakura-petal hues. At her waist were thrust two blades, one long and one short. Though her form radiated seduction, her bearing was unflinchingly resolute.

“Sister Kagami is right!” Asazora said. “I hear that the demoness tormenting Bishamonten is named Taira no Furaku, the wife of Lord Shikikai. She is a woman of unspeakable depravity, her methods unmentionably vile! For such a woman to interrogate Lady Bishamonten is not only a humiliation to her, but to all Celestial Maidens of Takamagahara. If we turn a blind eye, from this day forth, our sisters will lose all heart to resist! Especially those already forced to bow to the Dark Celestial Path, they may truly lose all hope!”

“But… there are one hundred thousand soldiers garrisoned inside Yuten Castle. That is the mightiest army among the Amatsukami. With the impregnable fortress as their shield, can we really hope to take it?” asked the leader of the Tea Squad, a small Celestial Maiden with twintails, her voice trembling with worry.

“We need not conquer it. We only need to strike suddenly, break into Yuten Castle, and rescue Lady Bishamonten!” Meishin declared.

“Even so, the risk is immense…” the Tea Squad leader hesitated, still fearful.

“If you are afraid, then do not come! This rescue is a path of nine deaths for every chance of life!” Meishin’s chest rose and fell as she spoke with burning resolve. “We Sakura Maidens were once the Lunar Palace Guard, composed of their sisters and daughters. I, Kagami Meishin, was one of the Lunar Palace’s personal guards. In those days, I even stood watch before Tsukuyomi no Mikoto’s own chambers! When the Moon Goddess lived, who in Takamagahara dared rise against us? All Three Realms trembled before us, for we Celestial Maidens were the sword of judgment for all existence! And yet now, we have fallen to the lowest of the divine clans, crushed beneath oppression and scorn. Such days of disgrace will not end by themselves! Tsukuyomi no Mikoto… is gone. Lady Bishamonten is the only goddess capable of uniting all Celestial Maidens of Takamagahara! Even if most of us perish, as long as Lady Bishamonten is freed, she will rouse all the oppressed, all the fugitive maidens across the land. If we can gather them, we still remain a force strong enough to threaten the dark forces!”

“If Lady Bishamonten is subjected to such vile humiliation, then by her nature she will surely choose death to protect her honor. And should that happen, then in the days to come, we—our sisters, our daughters—will face only an endless night! The Celestial Maidens will be reduced to a race of slaves in Takamagahara, even a race of courtesans! In such a future, what meaning would survival hold?”

As she spoke, tears streamed down Meishin’s cheeks. She had once been among the foremost of the Celestial Battle Maidens, even serving as a reserve in the Lunar Palace Guard. She had the rare honor of standing a night’s watch before Tsukuyomi no Mikoto’s own chambers. This was why she held such a high standing among the rebel maidens; her strength was great, and her experience deeper still. Yet even she had never glimpsed Tsukuyomi’s true visage, for the Moon Goddess always came and went veiled, moving unseen. All she knew was that it was said to be the most beautiful face in the world.

“Better to die in glory than live in dishonor!” Kagami Meishin drew her long sword, pointing it toward the darkened sky.

“Better to die in glory!”

“Better to die in glory!”

The Celestial Maiden Rebels cried out their creed, the conviction burning in their hearts!

None truly believed they alone could stand against the Yuten Army, much less overthrow the rule of the Dark Celestial Path. Yet they chose to fight, for honor, for dignity, for chastity!

Inspired by Meishin, the maidens’ morale surged. It was deep in the night. Though the Yuten Army maintained discipline in many things, it had one great flaw: their lust for wine. Each night they inevitably drank themselves into oblivion.

“May the spirit of Tsukuyomi no Mikoto watch over us! Those brutish Yuten soldiers will surely be dead drunk tonight! Now is the best time to strike Yuten Castle! Sisters, follow me!” Meishin shouted.

Asazora, the Chrysanthemum Squad leader Tachibana Daie, and several others unsheathed their blades, clashing them together, their steel flashing cold beneath the night.

The maidens’ spirits burned high, their strength poised to erupt.

“Ladies.”

At that moment, a cold, resonant voice cut across their fervor.

Uesugi Rei, her silver hair gleaming, stepped from beneath a tree into the night. She walked forward to stand before the assembled maidens and their leaders.

Rei’s tall figure radiated a commanding air, exuding a boldness few women possessed. The Celestial Maidens, sensing her uncommon presence, all turned their eyes upon her.

Rei said, “Everyone, your courage and your sense of duty were indeed moving, but with the force you currently possess, a full-frontal assault on Yuten Castle would be no different from marching to your deaths.”

“What did you say?” Tachibana frowned.

“Who are you to speak so arrogantly here?” Meishin stepped forward. In height she was about the same as Lily, slightly shorter than Rei. She was slender and graceful, quite beautiful but not dazzling in a way that made people uncomfortable. Rather, she looked pleasing to the eye, with a faint anxious warmth. Although she carried the greatest influence among the rebel maidens because she had once stood guard for Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, in sheer presence she seemed slightly outshone by the silver-haired beauty before them.

“Miss Uesugi?” Asazora said. “Why would you suddenly say such a thing? Do you not want to rescue Lady Bishamonten, to avenge your mistress?”

“Oh? So you were the retainer who risked everything to rescue Miss Asazora’s squad?” Meishin’s expression toward Rei softened considerably. She bowed slightly. “I must thank you and your mistress for saving our sisters. But your mistress knew how perilous Yuten Castle was and still risked her life to keep that last hope of rescuing Lady Bishamonten. So why are you here saying words like that? Do you expect your mistress’ sacrifice to be in vain?”

Rei replied, “First of all, my Lady Lynne is still alive.”

“Eh?” The maidens gasped, and most of them immediately showed looks of joy.

“Really! Miss Lynne is still alive!” Asazora exclaimed with relief. After suffering such a heavy blow, she had feared Lily was either dead or grievously wounded.

“How do you know, since you were with us all this time?” Meishin asked.

“There is no need for you sisters to pry. Of course I knew,” Rei said calmly.

Meishin felt a little relieved at Rei’s confidence. “Is that so? If our benefactor is still alive, that is indeed good. But even if she lived, she was surely captured by the Yuten soldiers. Those men are hateful. Though better than other Amatsukami, they may still abuse and torture her. As Celestial Maiden sisters, thinking of that pains us. Should we not storm in together to rescue Lady Bishamonten and your mistress?”

“Miss Kagami, I was even more worried about those two imprisoned inside Yuten Castle than you were,” Rei said. “However, our actions must have solid certainty, not be blind charges into the enemy.”

Meishin’s brow tightened. “What kind of words are those? We respected you because of your mistress. You are only a Big Dipper-level fighter. How dare you belittle us so? Do you think we do not understand the danger of attacking Yuten Castle? Do you think we are fools? Even if the odds were one in ten thousand, that would still be a chance. If we did nothing, Lady Bishamonten would have no hope at all. Perhaps even your mistress would be…! Is it not the duty of a retainer to sacrifice for her lord? Why now do you prefer cowardly survival?”

“Miss Uesugi!” Asazora’s face darkened as she rebuked. “It is because of Miss Lynne that we respected you and allowed you to speak. But think: Miss Lynne sacrificed herself to cover our retreat. What did you do besides prepare the ship and break the prison to pick us up? If not for Miss Lynne, I would have punished you for those words that undermine our sisters’ morale. So speak no more. If you are willing to be loyal and fight with us to rescue them, you are welcome. If you are afraid, then leave now and stop mocking us.”

“Exactly! Who are you to say you are more worried about those two than we are?” the Tea Squad leader with twintails demanded, pointing at Uesugi Rei.