Demon Sword Maiden

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"Causing trouble again, aren't you? The Dark Celestial Maidens in the Boundless Abyss said you stir up chaos. Maybe they were right. No matter where you go, conflict and bloodshed seem to follow," Shimizu remarked.

"Why would you say that, Sister Shimizu?" Lily asked softly, hurt in her voice. It wasn't her fault the demons and powerhouses fought over her. Their desires caused the chaos, not her presence.

Even if she gave up resisting and submitted like a saint to every evil force, would that truly stop the others from fighting over her? Lily understood that someone like her could only be free by one of two means: belonging to the strongest or becoming the strongest herself. That was the fate she had come to accept.

The heavens had gifted Lily with breathtaking beauty, yet in return had taken away the simple freedom others enjoyed. Shimizu's words pained her. She turned away, a quiet ache building in her chest.

Realizing she had truly hurt Lily, Shimizu softened and reached out. "What's wrong? I didn't mean it. Please don't take it to heart."

"You just don't understand how I feel, Sister Shimizu," Lily murmured.

"Then tell me," Shimizu said as she gently wrapped an arm around Lily. "If you don't speak, how can I ever understand?"

A sudden scream pierced through the bamboo forest.

Deep in the forest, several twisted demons encircled Ryuen and Murasakiyo. Their skin was a sickly green, their bodies draped in rotting rags and adorned with severed limbs, all stained in sickening shades of red and grey.

They had no legs, their bodies suspended by swirling clouds of eldritch green and dark energy. The rags that hung from them moved like disjointed tails and broken limbs, drifting through the air.

"So these are the green demons?" Lily whispered.

There were five in total. The leader wore a crimson bone mask and radiated the power of a Quintuple-soul Big Dipper. The other four, masked in pale yellow-white bone, were at the triple or quadruple-soul stage. Their combined power far outmatched the sisters.

"The flesh of Shizutake women… I wonder if it's sweeter than the ones from the Kusunoki Tribe," the red-masked demon sneered, flicking its long, dark tongue toward them.

"This is bad! That one's a Gluttony Demon!" Ryuen muttered, her expression darkening. Knowing they were hopelessly outmatched, she released a surge of green spirit energy, ready to fight to the end.

"This is my fault, Sister… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off," Murasakiyo said, trembling. Despair crept into her voice. These demons were far too powerful.

"Don't blame yourself!" Ryuen said firmly. "We are Shizutake. We've always known we would either die fighting or be taken. This is our fate!" Her hands trembled, sweat beading on her brow.

At that moment, a tall, graceful figure clad in green robes appeared before them in a blur, her movement too fast to follow.

Behind the group, Shimizu emerged in silence.

"Sister Shimizu, I'll leave the ones in the back to you," Lily said calmly.

"Really? Are we still competing? You just had to go for the Quintuple-soul. Wouldn't it be easier if I handled them all?" Shimizu replied with a sigh.

"They're hardly worth the effort. Let's not argue over scraps," Lily said casually.

"What… are you two even talking about?" Ryuen and Murasakiyo stared at them in stunned disbelief.

The red-masked Quintuple-soul demon couldn't gauge Lily's power. With its dull instincts, it dismissed her as nothing more than another naive and pretty warrior.

"Heh… something even more delicious showed up," the red-masked demon hissed, flicking out his tongue as he lunged at Lily with lightning speed, his body trailing behind like an afterimage.

"So fast!" Ryuen gasped. She could barely follow the demon's movement with her eyes.

But Lily only narrowed her eyes and lifted her hand with a calm, graceful motion. A sliver of purple Lunar Force flickered from her fingertips, barely visible as it sliced through the air.

In an instant, the demon's tongue was severed and fell writhing to the ground, soaked in foul saliva like a flailing mudskipper. The demon howled in agony, his scream echoing through the hills.

"What just happened?" The sisters were stunned. It looked as if Lily had sliced off the demon's tongue with a single wave of her hand, without even drawing a weapon. They had no way of grasping Lily's true power.

Among her three Heavenly Paths, both the Lunar and Charm paths had already reached the fourth stage. Her Sword Path had advanced to the third stage after her battle with the Imperial Princess, and she stood on the threshold of the fourth. She was nearly ready to break through to the Celestial Stage.

She could now stand her ground against a weaker Supreme God. Even if she couldn't claim victory, she wouldn't fall unless her opponent fought with reckless abandon. A Big Dipper-level threat? To Lily, they were little more than insects.

The wounded demon let out a furious shriek and lunged at Lily in a frenzy. The rest of the green demons followed, attacking the women together.

Meanwhile, outside the Hekiraku Realm, within the battered walls of Hekiraku City… Three Dark Celestial Maiden commanders stood together: Yanagihada, Yinzuhi, and Ansha.

Dressed in black robes and light armor, the three stood atop the archer tower overlooking the city. Outside, Hekiraku City was under siege. Spells, cursed bolts, arrows, and divine strikes rained down relentlessly, lighting the dim sky with bursts of demonic fire.

Though Hekiraku City had once withstood the war of the heavens, it now groaned beneath the relentless assault, its defenses buckling under the pressure. A sudden shift in the ground caused the entire city to tilt violently, sending many Celestial Maidens stumbling.

"What was that?" one asked, while all three held their footing through the tremor.

"It's the chains!" a guard cried. "The eight demon gods tethered to the city have turned traitor. They're trying to bring us down!"

"What should we do? At this rate, the whole city will fall!" cried Ansha, her voice tinged with panic. She had curly hair, wore the skimpiest armor of the three, and struggled to stay composed.

"We have no choice. We must sever the chains," Yanagihada said firmly. Her black hair was tied in a traditional knot, and though the situation was dire, her expression remained calm and resolute.

"No, we can't!" Yinzuhi protested. Slender and tall with long braids and a quiet voice, she looked plain but carried an elegant air. "If we break the chains, the city will fall into the abyss forever."

The chains trembled again with a deep, grinding noise. Arrows pierced the skies and exploded within the city's borders, raining chaos across the streets.

"We can't wait!" Yanagihada shouted. "Activate the release mechanism and sever the chains! If we're overrun, we won't live long enough to worry about climbing back up!"

"Just wait a little more. Her Highness could still return!" Yinzuhi pleaded.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Ansha asked uncertainly. Though skilled in battle and magic, she lacked decisiveness. The commanders were left in deadlock as time continued slipping away.

"Commander Yanagihada is right. We need to sever the chains at once," said Ayaka as she stepped forward, her tall figure cloaked in a sheer coat that billowed slightly in the wind.

"Who are you to give commands here?" Yinzuhi snapped, her displeasure clear as her gaze dropped pointedly to Ayaka's prominent chest.

"This isn't the time to argue about status. I once served as Imperial Chief Advisor in the Heian Dynasty and commanded armies of tens of thousands, but I'm not here in that capacity. I'm offering a suggestion. If you don't want to end up as slaves to the hordes of lust-driven demons when Hekiraku City falls, then you should listen. Otherwise, we may as well prepare to die."

Yinzuhi hesitated, momentarily speechless. Though the city would become immobile, it was better than allowing it to be overrun. "Fine. We'll do as you say."

"Sever the chain mechanisms!" Yanagihada commanded without hesitation.

With a loud clatter of ancient metal, the eight chains broke free. The massive links, once tethered to demon gods, whipped wildly through the abyss, pulverizing countless lesser demons beneath their weight.

Hekiraku City began to shudder as it slowly descended. Though it possessed limited levitation, that power was only effective near the surface. The overwhelming pull of gravity deep within the abyss left it no choice but to sink, inch by inch.

A thin-bodied demon god surged toward the arrow tower, lunging at a Dark Celestial Maiden who was in the midst of drawing her black longbow.

A flash of silver blade energy lit up the tower. In a single clean strike, Ayaka cut down the septuple-soul Big Dipper demon god where he stood.

Yanagihada had been too slow to react. She could only watch in stunned silence as Ayaka ended the threat in an instant. Though reluctant, she gave a curt nod. "Thank you."

"No need. Whatever grudges we had before, our lives are now bound to this city. For now, we should work together," Ayaka replied.

"Agreed. But let me be clear… if Her Highness returns and seeks retribution, I won't plead for mercy on your behalf."

Ayaka met Yanagihada's gaze without a word, then lifted her naginata and dashed toward the opposite wall, where a winged divine bull had smashed through the defenses.

"You Dark Celestial Maidens lack both heart and honor," Queen Kaguya said, approaching from the corridor alongside Chiya. "But for Lynne's sake, I'll set that aside today."

She raised her golden jade branch and swept it through the air, sending waves of radiant divine energy across the battlements. The Dark Celestial Maidens felt their strength surge in response.

Their poison-tipped arrows and concealed weapons grew more potent, tearing through any demon bold enough to draw near.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. My bow is not for our alliance, but for the lives of my thousands of sisters," Yanagihada said, lowering herself in a rare display of gratitude.

"Commander Yanagihada, I entrust you to lead the defense well," Queen Kaguya said, placing additional divine blessings upon her as she spoke.

Just then, Rakshasa-Onna and Asura-Onna arrived with Renka and the rest of the escort team, rushing to join the defense.

Though Hekiraku City, battered as it was, managed to hold its ground against the demonic horde, no one felt at ease. The true threat—the Supreme Gods of Yomi and the abyss—had yet to reveal themselves.