Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 80 - The Mystery of Tsukushi Island

In Takamagahara, within an exceedingly remote region, ink-dark clouds blotted out the sky as if the entire world were slowly churning and rolling.

A group of Kegaretsus, clad in crude, oversized ancient robes, rode upon a colossal leviathan as they arrived at this place.

“Young Master, look.” A scruffy, sharp-faced little man pointed ahead. In the sea of dark clouds stood a massive black torii gate, towering tens of thousands of meters high, its upper reaches partially swallowed by the clouds. Beyond the torii loomed an even greater vortex formed from pale gray clouds, vast and swirling like a nebula.

“Mhm.” The one addressed as Young Master was a tall, burly figure who appeared no older than a teenager. He wore his hair in a childlike style, dressed in a lavish golden vest and loose white hakama, his chest bare and exposed.

Though he looked young, he had in truth honed his strength for several centuries.

“Mhm.” The wealthy young lord nodded with an oddly world-weary expression. Standing atop the giant leviathan, the group passed through the torii and arrived above the immense vortex.

“Young Master, this is the entrance to the Celestial Demon Path.”

“Mhm.”

“According to the intelligence sent from our informants on Tsukushi Island, the Celestial Demon Path has indeed been opened! The terrifying sword energies that once circled along it, rising from the depths of Yomi, have all vanished!” the little man said excitedly.

“Mhm!”

“Since our territory lies closest to Tsukushi Island, we used to send weaker divine troops there to trade with its demons. Because of that, we likely received this information first, or at the very least, we are among the earliest to arrive.”

“Not bad,” the young master said. “Father keeps nagging me to become the future leader of our clan, but with my elder brothers around, as long as they’re alive, what does it have to do with me? I’ve long heard the human world is an interesting place, so this is the perfect chance to go have some fun!”

“Young Master, I’ve heard the beautiful women of the human world have a charm all their own, unlike those celestial maidens. Those ones are far too rigid, always threatening death at the slightest provocation,” the little man said with a sly grin.

A smile spread across the young master’s face as well. “I’ve already played plenty of celestial maidens to death. Each and every one of them would rather die than submit to me, utterly disgusting! So I grant their wish and let them die. Hopefully, the women of the human world will be more sensible.”

“Young Master, in Takamagahara, aside from the Kunitsukami, it’s all our domain anyway. What does it matter if a few celestial maidens die? Ordinary members of our clan might not dare act so openly, but who are you? The heir of the great clan! Those celestial maidens dared defy you, so their deaths were only fitting.”

“Stop talking about being an heir. What’s the point? I still want to enjoy myself for tens of thousands of years!”

After some investigation, the group rode the great leviathan straight into the vast vortex.

Coincidentally— far away in the depths of Yomi-no-kuni, upon an ancient battlefield, more and more demons had begun to gather. They too discovered that the power of the blade mark had vanished.

Thus, they cautiously began to enter the Celestial Demon Path as well.

“Lord Mauro! We advanced hundreds of kilometers upward along the Celestial Demon Path and remained completely unharmed! Just as the intelligence said, it has truly been opened!” A bull demon knelt before the three-headed, six-armed bull demon god, Mauro.

Golden light flashed from Mauro’s six eyes.

“Good!” He stomped the ground with excitement, the earth trembling with a heavy boom. “In Yomi, I am merely the lord of a single mountain stronghold. But once I reach the human world, hehe… I will be powerful enough to rule the entire land! When that time comes, all the beauties and fine wine of the human world will belong to me! Follow me there, and you will never lack women again! Hahaha—!”

The surrounding bull demons roared in response.

“However, we must act quickly. We cannot let the other overlords of Yomi get ahead of us,” Mauro warned.

“It would be best if we could seal the exit again once we reach the human world,” one of the bull demons suggested.

“Mhm… though that may not be easy. In any case, whoever arrives first will gain the most! Brothers, pick up the pace! Charge! The beauties of the human world are waiting for us!”

“Moo—!”

Yet in truth, Mauro was already far from being among the first wave of Yomi’s demons to surge into the Celestial Demon Path.

Meanwhile, Herikaku City had already departed from the vicinity of the Heian Capital and traveled west, reaching Nagato Province. This was the westernmost edge of the Akitsu Shima, separated from Tsukushi Island only by a strait spanning thousands of kilometers.

Lily and the others stood atop Herikaku City, gazing out over the vast ocean.

“Even from here, we still cannot penetrate the barrier array surrounding Tsukushi Island. This is highly unusual,” Bishamonten remarked in astonishment.

“I’m afraid there may be an array at the level of a Supreme God on Tsukushi Island,” Kaguya-hime said grimly.

“What? A Supreme God?” Ayaka gasped.

“No. A Supreme God directly descending into the human world is nearly impossible. However, it is entirely possible for such a being to send artifacts or formation arrays through their subordinates,” Bishamonten analyzed.

Lily looked out across the boundless sea. On the far horizon, dark clouds churned violently, an ominous aura spreading through the air. “We must investigate this thoroughly.” Her gaze turned cold.

If beings beyond the Celestial Stage, or even formations of the Supreme God level, had truly appeared in the human world, it would spell an unprecedented catastrophe. They had to uncover the truth. Otherwise, not only the human world, but even Lily and her companions themselves would be in grave danger.

Why was this happening? For a thousand years, those above the Empyrean Stage had been unable to traverse the Three Realms. So why had power beyond the Empyrean Stage appeared on Tsukushi Island?

“Any news about Lady Tamamo yet?” Before setting out, Lily’s greatest concern remained Tamamo-no-Mae.

“…No.” Ayaka shook her head anxiously. Hoshi Murasaki stood beside her, the two long since reunited.

Along the way, Lily had not only sent people to search everywhere, she had also used her divine power to sweep across nearly the entire continent. Yet there was still no trace of Tamamo. That was deeply unsettling.

“At this point, the only place beyond my reach is Tsukushi Island, shrouded in that fog and gloom ahead… Could it be that Lady Tamamo went there?”

Originally, Tamamo should have been the least worrisome among them. Even against the forces of Ashikaga Kiyoshi, as long as she avoided direct confrontation, she would never have been captured.

But if she had truly gone to Tsukushi Island… and if that place harbored beings beyond the Celestial Stage… Then Tamamo would be in grave danger.

It could not be concluded that Tamamo had definitely gone to Tsukushi Island; it was also possible she had gone somewhere else entirely, a place beyond Lily’s ability to perceive, something unimaginable.

Yet Tamamo was not the type of woman to act willfully or irrationally. She should have known Lily would worry about her, so why had she not made contact for so long? She clearly had the ability to enter the Mirror Dimension.

Lily shook her head. “No matter what, we must head deep into Tsukushi Island as soon as possible and uncover the truth!”

She left Herikaku City stationed in Nagato, both to deter Tsukushi Island and to safeguard the realm. Together with Shimizu, Rei, Ayaka, and Nanako, she quietly crossed the strait atop Inugami, heading toward Tsukushi Island to investigate.

Makoto, skilled in controlling the broader situation as a former leader of the samurai class, remained behind to assist the human forces of the Heian Dynasty in maintaining overall order. Bishamonten and Kaguya-hime stayed in Herikaku City, while the other sisters also remained behind to guard it.

Originally, Lily had not wanted to bring Nanako along, but Nanako insisted on going no matter what. In truth, bringing her along had its advantages; disguising her as a personal maid would make their infiltration easier. Besides, no matter what secrets Tsukushi Island held, Lily did not believe it could rival the dangers of Yomi or Takamagahara. It seemed unlikely to be overly perilous, and taking Nanako along could serve as valuable training.

As for Shimizu, she had once stayed somewhere on Tsukushi Island during the Jade Maiden trial, though she could not recall exactly where.

Ayaka, on the other hand, was even more familiar with the island. The Fujiwara Clan had long maintained numerous forces there, and there might still be old family connections they could rely on. Moreover, Ayaka herself strongly wished to accompany Lily, and Lily found it difficult to refuse her.

Rei was currently their strongest combatant, wielding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Should any unforeseen danger arise, she would be able to respond, so her presence was essential.

Lily simply refused to believe that Tsukushi Island could produce a being on the level of Ame-no-Tajikarao.

Riding the Inugami at tremendous speed, the group quickly reached the opposite shore.

Since the enemy was using divine power to obscure the island, it was likely covered by a large-scale detection array. Lily and her companions suppressed their auras, making themselves appear no different from ordinary female adepts.

Though called an island, it spanned nearly five thousand kilometers, vast beyond measure. Yet for Lily and the others, who were accustomed to traversing distances of hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilometers in Takamagahara and Yomi, such a distance was trivial at full speed.

However, since they were now under the enemy’s surveillance, they had to avoid detection if they wished to uncover the secrets of Tsukushi Island. Aside from a few “old acquaintances,” Lily had never set foot here before. The likelihood of being recognized was extremely low.

Upon entering Tsukushi Island, they found the terrain relatively flat, but the trees were extraordinarily tall. Many ancient trees rose even higher and thicker than the mountains of the Heian Dynasty.

The air was oppressively humid, like a tropical primeval forest. No sooner had Lily stepped in than a fine sheen of sweat covered her body. She loosened her collar slightly, though she hesitated to fan her chest openly, settling instead for adjusting her clothing just enough to remain decent.

It could not be helped. Lily was full of vitality and particularly sensitive to heat.

Towering trees rose like great pillars, vines twisting and hanging between them, while thick mist drifted through the forest. Strange cries of birds and beasts echoed one after another, and the ground was covered in shrubs, moss, and fungi.

“It’s really hot here,” Lily could not help but complain.

“Come, lean against me. I’ll cool you down a little.” As she spoke, Rei stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lily from behind, her soft, ample chest pressing firmly against Lily’s back.

Rei circulated her frost power, and a refreshing chill spread from her body. It felt undeniably soothing. Yet even though it was comfortable, being held like this in front of the others… it was rather inappropriate.

“Um… Sister Uesugi, I’m really fine…” Lily said awkwardly.

“Fine? I think you’ve built up far too much heat here. Want me to help you release some of it?” Rei whispered softly into Lily’s ear, her breath warm against her skin.

“Don’t say things like that… it’s nothing like that.” Lily’s cheeks flushed faintly. She tried her best to remain composed, her demeanor restrained despite the situation.

This scene, however, left Ayaka, who was walking behind them, in a rather sour mood. Her spirits had already been low lately, and this only made it worse.

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