Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 76 - Ashikaga Kiyoshi and Lily

“Are you Ashikaga Kiyoshi?” Yanagihada asked, her gaze settling on the handsome man clad in black armor.

“I am indeed.” Darkness lingered in Kiyoshi’s eyes, deeper than anything he had ever shown before. Lowering his head, he offered a respectful bow. “I humbly ask that the goddess relay my request.”

“Hmph… You are somewhat different from the rest of that rabble. If you had come out earlier, I would not have had to waste so much divine power.” With a swift flash of movement, Yanagihada shot toward Herikaku City.

After that, silence followed.

Herikaku City hovered quietly in the sky, while the battlefield below had already turned into a sea of corpses. The army had suffered catastrophic losses. One by one, the black-armored soldiers, still trembling in fear and confusion, gradually regained their senses and looked up toward the colossal castle suspended above them.

After a while, the grass rustled in the wind and the air itself trembled faintly. An unimaginable power began to spread outward from within the castle.

In the vast night sky, a butterfly drifted in from afar. Yet when it flew past Herikaku City, it gave people an eerie sense of unreality. The butterfly was black, etched with mysterious golden patterns, and even though it flew behind the castle, it was still clearly visible.

“No… that… that is no ordinary butterfly.”

Whoooosh—whoooosh—whoooosh.

A raging wind swept across the battlefield, carrying countless drifting bellflowers. As the butterfly spread its wings, the shadow it cast swallowed the sky above the hundreds of thousands of troops.

It was a gigantic phantom butterfly with a wingspan stretching tens of kilometers. The wind it generated was so fierce that nearly none of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers could remain standing.

The colossal phantom butterfly circled the battlefield once before hovering beside Herikaku City, its wings slowly beating as it radiated an aura of death. The scene resembled the end of the world itself.

“Wh… what kind of monster is that…” Tsukawa, who had barely managed to heal his wrist, stared at the ten-kilometer-wide butterfly. His legs suddenly gave out, and he collapsed to his knees without realizing it. “What kind of existence am I facing?”

At that moment, deafening battle cries echoed from the distant sky, as if the resentment and fighting spirit of countless ancient armies had merged into a single roar.

The sound shook the heavens and earth, thunderous enough to rupture the ears.

Phantoms of innumerable armies stretched across the horizon, and the distant sky transformed into something resembling a colossal mural of an ancient battlefield.

Amid the rumbling of war drums, a gigantic phantom of a war god emerged. Holding a pagoda in one hand and raising a double-edged great sword in the other, the towering figure floated forward, standing on a single leg, its overwhelming presence seeming to uphold heaven and earth itself.

“Ah… this…” With a thud, Tsukawa collapsed onto the hide of his boar mount, his body limp as if half paralyzed. “What is that now?! Why… why does it look exactly like the war god we worship in the shrine? Yet its presence is a million times greater… a million times more colossal! Could it… could it be Bishamonten manifesting…? Impossible, impossible! Just what kind of force are we fighting against?”

On the left loomed the massive black butterfly of death. On the right stood the phantom of Bishamonten, like twin guardians flanking Herikaku City.

At that moment, two thousand Celestial Maidens flew into the sky. One thousand to the left were all Dark Celestial Maidens, while one thousand to the right were dressed in pure white.

Even more terrifying waves of power descended from above.

Minamoto no Shimizu appeared before the giant black phantom butterfly, clad in flowing black robes. Meanwhile, Bishamonten and her daughter, dressed in blue-white feathered garments, stood upon the palm of the enormous war god’s phantom hand.

Kaguya-hime held the Golden Jade Branch, standing beside Chiya Kasumi as both of them radiated a dim and mysterious glow. On another side of the sky, Ayaka’s feathered robe fluttered gracefully as she appeared together with the Yuki-Onna and the Inugami, standing upon drifting clouds with ribbons dancing in the wind.

As all the goddesses manifested together, the oppressive pressure became overwhelming.

“It’s suffocating… Why is the pressure of the Heavenly Path so immense?”

Many of the black-armored soldiers had to lean on their weapons just to remain upright. Their bodies swayed violently, barely able to keep standing.

“S-so this… this is the true strength within Herikaku City?” The black-armored commanders were utterly dumbfounded.

“That enormous war god… could it truly be Bishamonten…?” Yuzo collapsed weakly to the ground, attempting to summon a shikigami to support him. Yet none appeared. The shikigami feared the oppressive aura and dared not emerge.

“And where is Lyn-hime? Where is Lyn-hime?” Yuzo muttered in a daze.

After the goddesses had taken their positions, a profound silence descended between heaven and earth.

The thousand black-clad and thousand white-clad Celestial Maidens lined on both sides began scattering flower petals from their hands. The petals transformed into countless black and white swallows that soared through the sky. Gathering together, the birds formed a floating bridge stretching across the heavens.

Then a tall young girl in flowing red robes stepped out from Herikaku City. Walking lightly upon the bridge of swallows, she advanced slowly forward.

Behind her followed Nanako, holding the Sakura Parasol above the girl’s head, her expression serene and distant.

The red-clad girl moved with effortless grace. Yet wherever she passed, the countless beings below, the vast black-armored army and demon troops alike, found themselves involuntarily dropping to their knees in worship. As she advanced, the sea of soldiers knelt like waves of humanity bowing before her.

“Let it be here.”

With a wave of Lily’s hand, a massive platform suddenly appeared before the swallow bridge. Upon the platform stood a thousand-year-old cherry blossom tree, beneath which a blanket had been laid out.

Lily walked onto the platform and seated herself beneath the tree. Nanako remained standing beside her, holding the parasol.

“Lord Ashikaga, please.” Lily sat calmly beneath the cherry blossoms, her voice light and indifferent.

At that moment, behind the cherry blossom tree atop the platform, a silver full moon slowly rose into the sky.

Although Kiyoshi was the commander of the army, he spoke no insolence. With a humble expression, he ascended the steps of the platform.

“Your Highness!”

“How could Your Highness lower himself like this!”

The generals behind him tried to follow, but a sudden gust of cherry blossom wind swept across them, knocking them all away. None of them even had the qualification to set foot upon the staircase.

The wind along the steps was fierce. Every short distance, Kiyoshi was forced to kneel on one knee to rest. Yet he refused to appear weak before Lily. With astonishing willpower, even with only one arm remaining, he used his sword to support himself and continued advancing through the raging storm of cherry blossoms.

Finally, Kiyoshi reached the top platform and stood face to face with Lily. Kiyoshi knelt and bowed deeply in greeting. Lily did not return the gesture.

“Lord Ashikaga, it has been a long time. Are you well?” Lily’s voice was gentle, yet distant and cold.

“Miss Lily… Seeing you again, you remain as radiant as ever. No… I should say you have grown even more mature and beautiful. For me, that alone leaves no regrets.” Kiyoshi’s weathered and resolute face carried a trace of the deep affection of the past.

“Lord Ashikaga, I have always remembered your feelings for me and the care you once showed. Yet the Lord Ashikaga of today feels like a completely different person. I can scarcely recognize you anymore.”

“Miss Lily… I am no longer the Ashikaga Kiyoshi you once knew.”

“But I,” Lily replied softly, “am still the same Lily I was before.”

“Perhaps. That is also why, after seeing you again, Miss Lily, my obsession with you has only grown stronger.”

“If that is the case, Lord Ashikaga, why would you launch a rebellion that sweeps across the entire dynasty? Why ally yourself with demons and create an army of corpse demons? If what you wanted was the title of Taishogun, then I, Lyn-hime, would gladly yield that position to you. After the decline of the Genji clan, your Ashikaga house was already the one most supported by the warriors of the realm. Why, then, would you do something that brings such disappointment upon the world?” Lily looked at Kiyoshi with sincere eyes, unable to understand.

“In the past, I lived for you. But from this day forward, I shall live to conquer you.” The once clear and straightforward gaze of Kiyoshi was now veiled by a darkness so deep that even Lily felt a chill in her heart.

“How dare you!” Nanako shouted. “How can you speak such rude and indecent words to Lyn-hime!”

Countless emotions surged within Lily’s heart, yet her expression remained calm and unreadable.

“Lord Ashikaga, I do feel a measure of guilt toward you. If you resent me for that, I cannot object. But you should understand that what lies between us is impossible. If there is anything else you desire, power, territory, treasures, I can grant them to you.”

Kiyoshi shook his head calmly. “I once risked my life for you. Those things are worthless to me. Rather than saying that I still cannot forget you after all this time, it would be more accurate to say that I have come to see many truths. If sincere feelings cannot move your heart, then I can only resort to other means. In other words, I, Kiyoshi, will stop at nothing.”

Kiyoshi knelt before Lily, but when he raised his head, his eyes burned with an unwavering and resolute light.

“What kind of calamity could transform a man like you into someone so obsessed? A mere threat of death could never have shaken you like this,” Lily said softly, a trace of sorrow surfacing in her heart as she looked at the man before her.

“Miss Lily, you think too highly of me. The man I once was was nothing more than a hot-blooded youth, ignorant and reckless. When a person dies, everything truly ends.”

A cold gleam flickered within Kiyoshi’s eyes. “Answer me honestly, Miss Lily. That night I charged forward for your sake, nearly dying amidst the chaos of battle. But afterward, how much space did I truly occupy in your heart? At most, perhaps you thought of me occasionally and felt a fleeting moment of sorrow.”

Kiyoshi’s words struck Lily like a shock. It was not only Kiyoshi. There was also Lord Matsuda, and so many others who had sacrificed themselves for her. What could she possibly do for them? Other than grieving for them, what could she truly offer in return?

“Kiyoshi, I know I have wronged you. But I do not wish to deceive you. I told you long ago that I already love someone, and that person is also a woman. That will never change. Kiyoshi, we belong to different worlds. There can never be anything between us.” Lily knew such words were useless, yet they were all she could say.

“I know. I have known for a long time. That is why this time I have decided not to consider your feelings any longer. Instead, I will conquer you with the strength of a man! I have already died for you once. I do not mind dying a second time. But with this rare second life, I will accomplish the one thing I could not do before.”

“Kiyoshi… don’t. Must we truly become enemies?” Sorrow filled Lily’s eyes. “You are one of the very few men in this world whom I sincerely admire. I do not wish to stand against you.”

“Kagami Lily.” Kiyoshi slowly drew part of the blade from his sword. A cold glint flashed along the steel. “You will either become my woman… or you will fight me to the death.”

“……”

Kiyoshi and Lily gazed silently at one another for a long time.

At last, Kiyoshi sheathed his sword and bowed deeply to Lily once more. Kneeling there, he touched the empty sleeve where his arm should have been.

“With the abilities I possess now, I could restore this arm. But if I did, it would be like severing my past feelings for you with a single stroke. From this moment onward, Kagami Lily, you are no longer the woman I once loved. You are the goal I must pursue, the ultimate peak that Ashikaga Kiyoshi must conquer.”

“Farewell. I will withdraw my forces from Heian-kyo. My mother remains there, and she is safe. She has nothing to do with any of this. Lily, we will meet again very soon.”

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