Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 103 - The Legend of the Blade Maiden

“Reporting to the Demon Queen, she was just a few thousand kilometers away. However, that was yesterday’s information. Kagami Lily comes and goes like the wind, so there’s no telling where she is now. The resentment permeating the battlefields around here is far too intense and disrupts detection. Besides, I wouldn’t dare recklessly spread my eldritch power to investigate.” Domuru knelt on the ground as he answered.

“Mhm.” The Sanzu Demon Queen remained seated inside her palanquin and spoke directly to the ancient monster riding in the other procession, whose immense weight was being borne by dozens of sweating beauties.

“Old fellow, we arrived too late. We still haven’t managed to obtain even a single Oborozuki Soul. Without one, it’s difficult for us to truly get started. Even when we’ve encountered other powerful figures along the way, there’s no way to know whether they possess Oborozuki Souls. Given our status, it wouldn’t be appropriate to start conflicts without justification.”

“Indeed, Demon Queen. As this little fellow said, the resentment here is interfering too heavily. However, if that Kagami Lily is still within a few thousand kilometers, shouldn’t we be able to find her if we unleash our spirit power at full capacity? Even with this interference, we ought to detect her, no?” said Lord of Oblivion.

“Not necessarily. That girl Kagami Lily is far more cunning than you think. She usually suppresses her aura, making her difficult to detect. She possesses an Oborozuki Soul and can track other treasure seekers through it, so she has no need to use large-scale divine probes. Even if we search with all our might, finding her won’t be easy.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Hehehe…” The Sanzu Demon Queen chuckled. “Kawara, this isn’t actually a problem we need to worry about right now. Let me ask you something, old fellow. Even if we found her, what could we do? Leaving aside the fact that she’s the Madam’s beloved daughter, even if we disregarded the Madam’s dignity and tried to seize her treasures, the two of us together might not lose to her, but we certainly aren’t guaranteed to defeat her. Back in the Boundless Abyss, Kagami Lily fought ten Supreme Demon Gods by herself. Both you and I witnessed it personally.”

Though the Sanzu Demon Queen appeared seductive, her thinking was extremely pragmatic. She looked like a mature beauty in her prime, but her years in Yomi-no-kuni stretched back to an unimaginably ancient age. She was scarcely younger than Lord of Oblivion himself. She had come here primarily for profit, and secondarily because eternity was long and she sought a bit of excitement.

Kawara’s motives were much the same. That was why the two had joined forces. Even after entering the Celestial Demon Path, they traveled at a leisurely pace, never aggressively competing for treasures.

As a result, despite commanding two formidable groups of experts, they still hadn’t acquired a single Oborozuki Soul.

The fluctuations emitted by an Oborozuki Soul could only be sensed by someone who already possessed one. As fewer and fewer remained scattered throughout the Celestial Demon Path, it wasn’t fair to call their luck bad. At best, it was average.

“That does make things troublesome. If we can’t beat her, doesn’t that mean there’s nothing we can do?”

“Not entirely.” The Sanzu Demon Queen flicked open a black fan adorned with violet blossoms and waved it gently. “Kagami Lily is overwhelmingly powerful and far too conspicuous. I suspect it won’t be long before she becomes the common target of all the great experts within the Celestial Demon Path. When that happens, we can join forces with the many experts of Yomi. Together, we won’t have to fear being unable to suppress her.”

“I see!” Kawara exclaimed. “To be honest, I don’t have a bad impression of that girl. But treasure hunting in the Celestial Demon Path is a matter of individual capability. If she intends to monopolize a large number of precious Oborozuki Souls, then she can’t blame us for opposing her. Even the Madam would have nothing to say about that.”

He rose to his feet atop the palanquin, causing the enormous structure to sway. The scantily dressed female adepts carrying it below nearly buckled under the strain, their expressions filled with misery.

The Sanzu Demon Queen turned to Domuru. “Domuru, let me ask you this. If we decide to deal with Kagami Lily and help you vent your grievances, would you be willing to join us? If we obtain Oborozuki Souls, you’ll receive a share as well. Everyone will divide the spoils according to their contributions.”

“Yes! Absolutely yes!” Domuru answered repeatedly. “Forget sharing treasures with me. Even if I don’t get anything at all, as long as I get to see Kagami Lily suffer and fall into misfortune, I’d gladly do anything! If you capture her, please tie her up for me. Let me get a few good lashes in myself!”

Faced with Lily, he had been utterly powerless. Not only had he been injured, but he had also been forced to surrender his Oborozuki Soul. Fortunately, Lily had no interest in the rest of his treasures.

Generally speaking, when weaker opponents begged for mercy, Lily couldn’t even be bothered to kill them. Since Lily had spared Domuru’s life, he didn’t truly wish to kill her either. However, he was still a mighty Red Oni overlord in his own right. Being defeated so thoroughly by a woman was not something he could simply swallow. Deep down, he desperately wanted to capture Lily and vent his humiliation upon her.

The Sanzu Demon Queen did not rush to seek Lily. Instead, she continued advancing along her original route.

Several days later, before a vast and bottomless canyon, Lily stood dressed in crimson robes embroidered with blooming Higanbana flowers. The power of the Oborozuki Muramasa in her hand had grown substantially stronger than it had been only a few days earlier. Her long hair fluttered freely in the wind, while her flowing skirt continuously revealed and concealed her slender, snow-white thighs.

Standing opposite her was a burly wandering swordsman who called himself Ichitōsai.

Ichitōsai’s physique was extraordinarily robust, rivaling that of a Demon God. His body was covered in countless sword scars, and every single scar emitted an aura that made the heart tremble. One glance was enough to tell that he was a true supreme expert who had survived countless battles over millions of years.

“Kagami Lily, I’ve long heard of the Three Realms’ greatest beauty. Now that I’ve finally seen you in person, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined. A woman as stunning as you only needs to serve a powerful man to live a carefree life, obtaining anything she desires. Why bother coming out here to fight and struggle, enduring all these hardships? Such things are meant for rough men like us.”

Ichitōsai folded his arms across his chest as he called out to her.

“And who told you that women must depend on men?” Lily replied. “You’re a powerful figure from Yomi-no-kuni yourself. Surely you know that true experts cherish freedom above all else.”

“Only the truly powerful have the right to enjoy such freedom! Kagami Lily, I’ve heard all those legends about you in Yomi-no-kuni, but I don’t entirely believe them. Since we’ve met today, why not let me test your true abilities for myself?”

“Very well.” Lily answered casually. “The loser hands over all of their Oborozuki Souls. How about it?”

“No need. Today, I’ve had the fortune of meeting the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms and crossing blades with her. That alone is enough for me. Win or lose, all of my Oborozuki Souls will be yours.”

“Oh?” Lily raised an eyebrow.

“But if you lose, then you become my woman.”

“Hmph. And here I thought you were being generous.” Lily let out a cold laugh. “Turns out you’re just another lustful fool!”

Claiming he would give her the Oborozuki Souls regardless of victory or defeat was merely a pretext. What he truly wanted was to possess Lily and make her his woman. If Lily herself became his, wouldn’t all her treasures naturally become his as well? His fantasy was certainly a beautiful one.

“Hahahahaha! Kagami Lily, you dress so provocatively every day, yet you dare blame men? Food and desire are human nature! If you can’t even understand such a simple truth, how can you hope to comprehend the Great Path behind the very origin of life?”

Ichitōsai’s divine power erupted. He was a Supreme God of Yomi, and his Sword Heavenly Path had reached an extraordinarily high level.

Lily’s own dazzling flower of divine power blossomed forth as she charged toward Ichitōsai.

Crimson streams of light and azure blade radiance flashed repeatedly across the sky. Sword-energy storms raged in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the two were locked in a battle so fierce that heaven and earth seemed to lose their color.

Yet only a few seconds after the battle began, the outcome was already decided.

When true masters crossed blades, they immediately understood the real strength of their opponent. Unless it was a fight to the death, once both sides recognized the gap between them, there was little reason to continue risking everything.

Beneath the clear heavens, atop a cliff that towered tens of thousands of meters high, this incomparably powerful swordsman stood kneeling before Lily with his head lowered.

Across his neck was a wound, neither deep nor shallow, yet it was the closest he had ever come to death in his entire life.

At the Supreme God level, even having one’s head severed was not necessarily fatal. But that single slash had made Ichitōsai understand one thing: if he did not use a life-saving treasure to escape and instead continued a death match with Lily, the one who would perish in the end would undoubtedly be himself.

Yet Ichitōsai was a true swordsman of Yomi. Though rough and crude by nature, he had gained profound insight into many truths and possessed boundless pride and valor. How could a man like him tuck his tail between his legs and flee?

“Miss Lily, I lost.” Ichitōsai admitted his defeat honestly and without excuses.

“Ichitōsai, your swordsmanship has earned my respect,” Lily said from above, pointing her blade at him. “But what you said earlier made me very angry. What did you mean by saying that if I lost, I had to become your woman? Just because you’re powerful, you think violence gives you the right to possess women? If I were merely a weak girl, would I deserve to be enslaved by powerful men like you? Deep down, you simply look down on women.”

“I spoke carelessly earlier. Today, I lost to Miss Lily. I have nothing more to say.” Ichitōsai picked up his sword and presented it with both hands. His fingers trembled as he released the seal placed upon the blade.

One after another, beautiful and sorrowful Oborozuki Souls emerged from within the sword. Drawn by the attraction of Lily’s Oborozuki Muramasa, they all flew toward her and merged into the blade.

There were fifty-three of them in total. It wasn’t much fewer than the number Lily herself had gathered during this entire period. This Ichitōsai truly was a formidable Supreme God.

After obtaining the Oborozuki Souls, Lily merely glanced at him. Among the many powerful figures of the Three Realms, this man might have been lustful, but he could still be considered relatively upright. Without another word, she turned and departed.

“Sigh!” Ichitōsai slammed his fist into the ground, causing mountains to collapse and the earth to split apart. “I boasted before the battle, only to lose to a woman in the end. What face do I have left to continue competing for treasures here? I might as well return and temper myself further!”

“Kagami Lily, you’re incredible! But as you said, I truly do look down on women at my core. To me, women have always been little more than tools for pleasure. But you’re different. You’re the first woman I’ve ever truly respected… the first woman I’ve ever truly admired.

“One day, I will defeat you! I will make you kneel before me! I will make you willingly become my woman! In the first half of my life, I pursued strength for the sake of strength itself. From this day onward, I shall pursue strength for the sake of conquering you!”

With those words, Ichitōsai slung his sword across his back and walked away. His broad figure remained steadfast and resolute, yet there was also a trace of loneliness in his departing silhouette.

As time passed, more and more experts and powerful figures fell to Lily’s blade or were defeated by her throughout the Celestial Demon Path. Gradually, a legend began to spread. A legend of the Blade Maiden.

“Hey, have you heard?” asked a slender swordsman wearing a dark green mask while speaking to a short, stout expert of mixed human and brown oni bloodline who carried the rare demonic artifact known as the Fire Dragon Slave.

“Heard what?”

“The legend of the Crimson-Clad Blade Maiden!”

“Ah! You mean that woman who’s supposedly the most beautiful and seductive woman in all Three Realms…”

“You idiot! Is that all you know besides staring at a woman’s body?” the swordsman snapped. “That woman isn’t merely beautiful and seductive. She’s probably the most dangerous woman in all Three Realms!

“People say that on the Celestial Demon Path, anyone who encounters her has only two choices. Either surrender every Oborozuki Soul they possess… Or be cut down by her blade. All their treasures will be taken, and even their souls will be devoured by her cursed sword, never to be reincarnated again.”

“What!? She’s that terrifying!?”

“What did you expect? That’s what they call deadly beauty. Without the strength to stand above the Three Realms, what woman would dare walk such a path? No matter how beautiful she is, if you lose your life, what use is beauty to you then?”

“The Crimson-Clad Blade Maiden…” The half-oni expert swallowed nervously. “Brother, we’ve got two Oborozuki Souls ourselves. Let’s pray we never run into her!”

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