Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 111 - Challenge!

“So what if it’s a million gods and demons?”

The moment those words left her lips, an uproar erupted. It was nothing less than utter contempt for the assembled gods, demons, and countless mighty experts! The millions of powerful beings surrounding the Celestial Demon Assembly exploded with fury.

“What!?”

“How arrogant!”

“That woman has gone too far!”

At that instant, every one of the millions of gods and demons wished they could pounce upon Lily and tear her to pieces. Even Kiyoshi was stunned. Just moments ago, Lily had been unable to discern his intentions. Now, it was his turn to be unable to understand hers.

With this single move, Kiyoshi had cornered Lily without spending even a single treasure. She either accepted his proposal and married him, or faced the wrath of a million gods and demons.

Yet to his surprise, Lily had gone even further, deliberately provoking the fury of those millions. Just what was she trying to accomplish?

Nanako also found Lily’s intentions impossible to fathom. Though fear gripped her heart, she remained unwaveringly at Lily’s side.

Standing before the genuine fury of the gathered gods and demons, Lily felt not the slightest trace of fear. Her mind was incomparably calm.

Even Lily did not believe she could truly contend against a million gods and demons all at once, especially with so many supreme experts among them. Though her enemies were innumerable, with her and Nanako’s combined strength, breaking out of the encirclement was still entirely possible.

But if she did so, those millions would inevitably unite into a single force to hunt her down. If that happened, how could she ever seize the majority of the Oborozuki Souls?

Even wresting the Oborozuki Souls from any one faction alone would already be extraordinarily difficult. Their strengths were evenly matched, making victory uncertain. To oppose all six major factions simultaneously would be even more impossible.

If matters reached that point, collecting every Oborozuki Soul would become exceedingly difficult.

She had to admit that Kiyoshi’s move had been brilliant. Yet to feign agreement, deceive him into handing over the Oborozuki Souls, and then simply flee… even though she now regarded Kiyoshi as an enemy, Lily would never stoop to such deception.

The only thing that could make her cast aside all her principles was her sisters, never her own ambitions.

“Everyone.” Lily walked gracefully to the center of the platform. Her long black hair fluttered behind her, her elegant figure standing proudly as she called out. Though her voice was nowhere near as thunderous as the roars of the countless demons, it possessed an incomparable power to penetrate both ears and hearts.

Such was the influence of her Charm Heavenly Path.

“Gods and demons, since today is the Celestial Demon Assembly, and since Lord Ashikaga Kiyoshi himself declared that he was willing to hear every side, then before you all unite to force me into submission, why not first listen to my solution? It won’t be too late to decide afterward. I, Kagami Lily, make you this promise. Until this matter is settled, I will neither hide nor flee.”

“Oh?”

“What’s this woman up to?”

“She insulted all of us. She deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces. What trick is she trying to pull now?”

“Woman! If you’re going to beg for mercy, strip naked before you speak!”

The gathered gods and demons erupted once more.

Yet beneath the drifting cherry blossoms, Lily’s Charm Heavenly Path transcended space, time, and even souls. No matter how enraged the assembled gods and demons became, they found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from her, irresistibly drawn to her presence.

“Everyone, why not hear what Kagami Lily has to say before making your decision?” Hakushaku spoke, turning toward Kiyoshi. “Lord Kiyoshi, what do you think?”

Kiyoshi replied, “Since I have already given my word, then naturally, Miss Kagami may present her solution.”

The gods and demons gradually quieted.

“Fine. Let’s hear what tricks this b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲ has planned.”

“There are so many of us here. Even if she grows wings, she won’t escape.”

Several gods and demons shouted.

Lily merely smiled faintly. Without making the slightest effort to appear seductive, every movement she made naturally radiated an irresistible charm.

“Lord Kiyoshi’s proposal may sound generous, but looking across these millions of gods and demons, how much would each of you truly receive? A share of the treasures? How many merits have most of you accumulated? Can you really be certain you’ll receive anything at all? As for me, I’d be forced to marry Ashikaga Kiyoshi. And what would the rest of you gain? Aside from the fleeting satisfaction of seeing me humiliated, what would actually become yours?”

The supreme experts frowned, while the majority of the millions exchanged uncertain glances. They could not deny that her words carried some truth.

“Hah! Do you take us for fools? Those pretty words are nothing more than an attempt to sow discord among us. What a cunning woman!” one of the Amatsukami shouted.

Lily answered with a dazzling smile. “Though I stand here alone, and cannot defeat every one of you together, if I truly wished to leave, no matter how many of you there were, you couldn’t stop me. But I don’t wish to simply flee. I want every single Oborozuki Soul. As for what all of you desire… I know that very well.”

With a graceful flick of her long hair, her enchanting aura spread across heaven and earth, painting the Celestial Demon Path in a crimson glow. “I will give every expert here… a chance!”

“What!?”

Every male among the assembled gods and demons was captivated by Lily’s overwhelming charm. Yet they were equally bewildered, unable to grasp what she meant.

Seeing the curiosity and anticipation filling the faces of the assembled gods and demons, Lily continued.

“I do not look down upon the million gods and demons. What disappoints me is that within these millions of miles, among all you countless mighty experts, the only thing you can rely upon is overwhelming numbers to threaten a single woman.”

The gathered gods and demons were on the verge of erupting into furious shouts. But Lily immediately continued before they could. “So I shall give each of you an equal opportunity!”

She slowly spun in place, her flowing black hair dancing with the motion, while her captivating curves swayed with an irresistible allure that no one present could ignore. “Every expert present who possesses an Oborozuki Soul may challenge me in a one-on-one duel! Only the victor shall earn the qualification to propose marriage to me, Kagami Lily!”

“And…” Lily’s soft, melodious voice seemed to whisper directly into every expert’s ear. “The victor will also receive every Oborozuki Soul in my possession.”

For a moment, the entire assembly fell silent. Lily’s proposal was undeniably tempting. But the gods and demons were not fools. Alone, Lily possessed strength equal to an entire faction. Among everyone present, how many could truly face her in single combat? As for defeating her… not a single one dared claim certainty.

Then someone finally shouted, “Kagami Lily, do you really think we’re idiots? Your proposal sounds fair, but your strength only exists because you shamelessly deceived others to obtain it! Whether we like it or not, you’re undeniably powerful now. We don’t have the luxury of accumulating power through those disgraceful methods. We’re simply weaker than you. Accepting your one-on-one challenge? We’d have to be out of our minds to agree to such a ridiculous proposal!”

“So that’s it? You really think we’re idiots?”

“Hehehe… Hehehehehe…” Lily let out a sweet, enchanting laugh, its alluring melody bewitching heaven and earth. Then, all at once, she withdrew her divine power.

“Regardless of who challenges me, as long as you do not use divine power, secret arts, or treasures, then I too shall fight using only my physical abilities! We shall rely solely upon our swordsmanship and our true, fundamental bodily strength. In that case, whether you are a Supreme God or a Celestial Stage expert, wouldn’t it become a genuinely fair contest, one that measures nothing but true swordsmanship and martial skill?”

The moment Lily spoke those words, the gathered demons and gods wavered.

“This woman may be powerful, but that’s only because of her treasures, her Supreme God strength, and her mastery of secret arts. If all of those are stripped away, she’s nothing more than a Celestial Maiden! Even if she’s a Supreme God, the body of a female Supreme God is naturally much weaker than the physical forms of many Empyrean Stage gods and demons!” countless gods and demons calculated silently.

“Then… doesn’t that mean I have a chance as well?” thought a one-eyed giant with a golden horn. His body possessed overwhelming strength, yet his comprehension of secret arts was pitiful. He had reached the Infernal Stage almost entirely through the natural growth of his body, possessing hardly any divine power or secret techniques at all. When it came to sheer physical might, even many male Supreme Gods could not compare to him.

“Compete in physical strength? A woman wants to compare bodies with us Bull Demons?”

“Hahahaha! We of the Kegaretsu Clan may be slow to comprehend the Path, but our hides are thick and our bodies are massive! If she isn’t allowed to use divine power, treasures, domains, or anything like that, dealing with her will be no harder than squeezing a little chick!” a burly member of the Kegaretsu Clan roared.

“Just look at that delicate skin, those slender arms. How much physical strength could such a dainty woman possibly possess? She must have become so obsessed with obtaining the Oborozuki Souls that she’s lost her mind. As long as I’m careful not to let her resort to any tricks, if it’s purely a contest of basic physical ability, how could I possibly lose to her?” A three-meter-tall, battle-worn seraphim warrior’s heart surged with excitement.

Originally, those at the Empyrean Stage, and the weaker Supreme Gods had accepted that their strength was insufficient. They would receive few treasures regardless, and there was nothing they could do but surrender their Oborozuki Souls, for they had never possessed any real chance to compete.

They were, by nature, practical.

But which was more satisfying? Watching Lily suffer humiliation, or personally claiming such a peerless beauty for themselves while monopolizing all of her Oborozuki Souls?

If someone won before the entire Celestial Demon Assembly, even the supreme experts would hardly dare shamelessly go back on their word.

An opportunity! A heaven-sent opportunity! This foolish woman, cornered and desperate, had proposed such a solution. Wasn’t she handing every ordinary expert present the opportunity of a lifetime?

Even those whose physical strength wasn’t particularly outstanding remained confident in their swordsmanship. Besides, once only physical ability was allowed, the disparity in strength would no longer be so overwhelming. No matter what, everyone believed they had a chance.

Everyone who had reached this place had lived with death hanging over the edge of their blades. Who among them feared death? They simply refused to die meaninglessly.

Now that opportunity had appeared, countless hearts immediately stirred with restless anticipation.

“Kagami Lily!” The obese Mudobozu was even more confident than the others. His physical strength was extraordinary; only his dull comprehension of secret arts had left him an inferior Supreme God. “Let me ask you this. You said you’ll accept every challenge from anyone possessing an Oborozuki Soul. Then how exactly will these matches be arranged? How much time do you intend to spend? And what intervals will there be between each duel?”

“Hehehehehe…” Lily laughed freely, like a queen looking down upon the world with unconcealed disdain. “Intervals? Why would there be any? The moment one match ends, the next challenger may step onto the stage immediately. As long as it’s one-on-one, there’s no need for any break.”

“What!?”

This time, the assembled gods and demons were utterly exhilarated.

No matter how peerless Lily’s swordsmanship was, without divine power, her stamina would eventually run dry. If someone challenged her at the right moment, even a weaker opponent might very well defeat her, seize unimaginable treasures, and win the hand of an unrivaled beauty.

It truly was… An opportunity beyond belief! Had this woman really lost her mind?

The million gods and demons erupted once more, their excitement surging like an unstoppable tide.

“So then…” Lily said with an alluring arrogance, the charm of Heavenly Will radiating from her eyes. “Among the million gods and demons and countless mighty experts gathered here, which proposal do you believe is better? Ashikaga Kiyoshi’s… or my solution, one that is truly worthy of the spirit shared by all martial artists?”

“I challenge you! Kagami Lily!”

“Kagami Lily is mine!”

“The hell with all of you! Get to the back of the line and let me go first!”

“Challenge!”

“Challenge!”

“Challenge!”

The million gods and demons exploded into an overwhelming frenzy!

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