Demon Sword Maiden

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By now, Ryuen finally understood that the situation was far more dire than she had imagined.

"Your Excellency, what is truly happening here?" Ryuen stared at the Celestial Maidens in stunned disbelief.

Riyuki responded calmly, "This is your final trial. By now, I'm sure you understand what's going on. For your own good, you should surrender and go with the demons peacefully."

"Final trial?" The girls looked around in fear and disbelief, their eyes fixed on the approaching demons.

"You've been lying to us from the beginning, haven't you? You're not Celestial Maidens, you're working with these Lust Demons! You tricked us just to hand us over!" Ryuen shouted, drawing her sword. Spirit energy surged around her in a burst of fury.

The other girls followed her lead, releasing their spirit power in defiance. They would rather fight to the death than give in.

The hulking demon with the walrus-like face lumbered forward. His eyes glowed with a strange energy. Combined with the forest's haze, it was enough to break the girls' will. Several collapsed to their knees, dropping their weapons as their bodies went limp.

"Don't meet his gaze!" Ryuen yelled. "It's a wicked demonic charm!"

"What?" Ryuen froze. The will to fight drained from her eyes. Everything she had worked for, every reason she had trained and sacrificed, came crashing down in that single moment.

"No! That can't be true! Real Celestial Maidens from Takamagahara would never stoop to something so vile!"

Becoming a noble Celestial Maiden in the heavens had always been her highest dream—greater even than her feelings for Murasakiyo. The idea that these Celestial Maidens were no better than demons was something she could never accept.

Riyuki descended from the towering tree with elegance, landing beside Ryuen and gently tapping her shoulder. She still radiated a noble and dignified air. Strangely, Ryuen's instincts told her this woman, despite her maturity, might still be untouched.

"You've misunderstood," Riyuki said softly. "You showed great loyalty and aspiration during the trial. Now is the time to prove your worth to Takamagahara. Even we, as Celestial Maidens, must sometimes make sacrifices… not just of our lives, but of our bodies. You understand what that means, don't you?"

"What…" Ryuen whispered, her voice nearly breaking.

"If you can pass this final trial," Riyuki continued with a gentle smile, releasing divine energy from her palm, "I will accept you as my personal disciple and raise you into a true Celestial Maiden."

"Ah… no…" Ryuen's body gave out, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

The weaker girls succumbed immediately to the demons' dark magic. Their bodies went limp, and they dropped to their knees, unable to resist. Those with stronger wills were captured regardless, overwhelmed by the combined efforts of the demons and Celestial Maidens. All were bound and restrained.

The walrus demon lumbered toward Lily. His stench made her frown. "What's this? You don't seem like you intend to fight back."

The demon sensed something unusual about Lily. She wasn't resisting, yet she wasn't fully subdued either. Her flushed skin and shallow breathing showed signs of the forest's haze, but her eyes remained sharp and aware.

Lily lowered her gaze and asked in a calm voice, "Are you Lord Shikikai?"

"Huh?" The walrus-faced demon blinked in surprise. "Heh, so you've heard of him. Do you admire our great lord, perhaps?"

Lily's heart sank. He wasn't Lord Shikikai, merely one of his subordinates. And yet, this subordinate was already at the Infernal level. That meant the real Lord Shikikai was likely far stronger, which deeply unsettled her.

Lowering her head once more, Lily spoke quietly, "It's not like I have a choice, right? I can't fight you or the Celestial Maidens. If I resist, I'll only suffer more. I value my life, so I won't run. If you don't trust me, go ahead and chain me."

"Oh? What a sensible girl," the walrus demon chuckled. "But I wonder, have you really given up? Not that it matters. Sooner or later, the Toraochi Domain will break you like all the others." With that, he shackled Lily's wrists and ankles with heavy chains and bound her beside the rest of the captives.

"Gather all their storage treasures," the walrus demon barked.

"Gladly," replied the Celestial Maiden in purple-pink robes. She waved her hand and sent divine energy surging through each captive, drawing out their storage treasures. However, the ancient mirror on Lily's waist remained unresponsive, untouched by the search.

"Hey now, I was going to inspect them myself. Why rush things?" the walrus demon grumbled, displeased.

"Hmph. You'll have your fun once they're in your den. But while we're present, show some restraint. We Celestial Maidens still deserve a shred of respect," the purple-clad Celestial Maiden retorted, handing the gathered treasures to Riyuki and her companions.

"As for these items, think of them as our well-earned bonus. You can't expect to have everything your way, after all."

"What greedy, self-righteous women. You're worse than the Cursed Maidens of Yomi-no-kuni!" the walrus demon laughed heartily.

Driven by his lust, the demon moved toward Riyuki and raised a massive hand to her shoulder. "No offense meant. You and your sisters deserve these gifts. In fact, why not come visit our cave? We'll make sure you're properly… entertained."

Riyuki channeled divine energy into her palm. A powerful burst sent the walrus demon stumbling backward.

"Watch yourself," Riyuki warned coldly. "Do what you want with those Hekiraku women, but if you ever lay a finger on me or my sisters again, I'll slice off your filthy hand."

"Just a joke, Your Excellency, just a joke," the demon muttered, backing off quickly. "I know better than to cross you. We still need your support for future dealings with Takamagahara."

"Enough talk. Take them to the cave and bring your Lord. I have an urgent message from Her Grace Tamai-no-Mikoto to deliver," Riyuki said sharply.

'So we're going to meet the Lord now,' Lily thought. 'But who exactly is Tamai-no-Mikoto?'

The name brought to mind a noble girl named Tamai from the Rakshasa Dojo. Could there be a connection between her and this Tamai-no-Mikoto of Takamagahara?

It could be similar to the Genji Clan—home to famed elites like Yoshitsune and Yoritomo, yet filled with ordinary members too. Perhaps this was a comparable relationship.

The unconscious girls were tied up and suspended upside down, their limbs bound to thick wooden poles. Those still able to walk were chained at the wrists and marched through the dense, haze-filled forest. Demons and Celestial Maidens surrounded them as they entered a vast, ominous cave.

The cave radiated a powerful aura of lust and dense feminine Resentment Energy.

This Resentment Energy wasn't from ordinary women. It had been released by female warriors of the Hekiraku Realm, with the weakest among them at the Throned Stage, and many others far stronger.

Lily felt deeply unsettled by this energy. Her heightened sensitivity to Resentment Energy made it difficult to ignore.

"Sister Shimizu… the demons are about to take me to Lord Shikikai. Can you locate the cave from where you are? I'm ready to strike once I confirm his identity, but I don't know his exact strength. They call him the master interrogator across all three realms… he might possess abilities beyond the norm. If I engage him, it's best if you attack from the other side while he's still unaware."

Lily sent the message through spiritual transmission to Shimizu.

"Sister Shimizu?" she called again, but there was no answer for some time. "What's going on?" Lily grew anxious. She tried reaching out several more times but received no reply.

"Sister Shimizu, where are you? Why won't you answer me?"

"I'm fine, Lily."

Shimizu finally responded, and Lily let out a breath of relief. "What happened just now?"

"I told you, I'm fine. Nothing happened. Just stay alert, Lily."

Shimizu's tone felt strangely off. Lily asked once more, but silence followed. Still, she had no time to dwell on it, she was already being led deeper into the cave with the other girls. There was no turning back now.

At the very least, she was reassured that Shimizu was safe. Besides, Lily believed that nothing in the Hekiraku Realm could pose a real threat to someone like her.

'Back when I first fell into Yomi, I was weak and still didn't fear the demons that hunted me. Now that I've reached the level of a Supreme God, why should I fear some perverted tyrant from this minor realm? Once I eliminate this so-called Lord, I'll reunite with Sister Shimizu.' With that thought, Lily quietly followed the others deeper into the cave, chains still binding her wrists.

Ten miles outside the cave, hidden in the forest beyond.

"Ah…" Shimizu suddenly dropped to her knees among the thick underbrush. Her face had turned pale, and her usually sharp eyes now appeared clouded and distant.

"What… what is this feeling?" she gasped. "This sorrow… this crushing guilt… where is it coming from? Lily… ah!" Her vision dimmed, and everything around her was swallowed by darkness.

From within the shadows, a vast and surreal world unfolded before her eyes. It was nothing like the forest she had been in. This world was ancient, ethereal, and seemingly on the verge of collapse.

The scene resembled a colossal battlefield, engulfed in demonic clouds and towering columns of smoke.

"Where… where am I? What is this place?" Shimizu muttered, her expression dazed and voice faint. She collapsed into the grass, trembling as her pale face stared blankly into the smoky sky.