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“Ugh!” Holding the Sakura Parasol above her, Ayaka shut her eyes and frowned. “We’re not out here on a leisurely outing, yet you’re flirting and bickering like this. Do you two have any sense of the burden you carry for the entire realm?”

Taking the opportunity, Lily gently yet firmly pushed Rei away. “I’m sorry, Sister Ayaka. Sister Uesugi meant well. I’ll be more mindful from now on.”

Ayaka looked at Lily, feeling that something about her had changed. Compared to before, when she would become flustered and shy when teased, her tone and choice of words had grown steadier, more composed, and carried a refined elegance. There was now a distinct charm of a mature woman about her.

‘A mature woman… Has her mind matured as well, now that her body has truly become that of one…’ Without realizing it, Ayaka’s gaze drifted downward, lingering below Lily’s abdomen. A trace of bitterness welled up in her heart. ‘Lily… I’ve watched you become more and more like a mature woman, but… it wasn’t because of me. Lily, what am I supposed to do? How could you treat me like this…’

Lily faintly sensed what Ayaka meant and turned her head away with a slight blush. Steering the conversation elsewhere, she took out an old, worn map. “Let’s take a look at where we are now, and decide where we should head next.”

The girls gathered around. This map had been reforged into an artifact by Kaguya-hime, based on a Tsukushi Island map once provided by the Taira clan. On the map, their current position was clearly marked.

“About 350 kilometers away lies Osaifu,” Ayaka said. “That area should be under the control of the Fujiwara clan, though we haven’t had contact with them for several years. Back when I had just assumed the position of Chief Advisor, the lord of Osaifu at the time, I believe his name was Fujiwara no Kafurai, even sent gifts to congratulate me.”

“If they’re part of your clan, Sister Ayaka, then we should head there first and gather information directly from the local lord. If…” Lily began, though a trace of concern flickered in her heart, unspoken.

Ayaka glanced at Lily and more or less understood her meaning. Still, wherever they went, they would have to investigate step by step. If they could rely on their clan’s intelligence, it would naturally save time.

Within an enemy’s barrier, concealing oneself from detection depended on the relative strength of both sides, as well as the sophistication of their formations and treasures.

However, Lily and her group had intruded into a powerful formation set up by others. Unless their mastery of formations surpassed their enemy by a clear margin, or they possessed a miraculous treasure, it would be extremely difficult to remain undetected.

The Sakura Parasol could prevent demons from noticing them, but it was useless against forces of the Celestial Stage. Moreover, while it rendered the user invisible, it required them to refrain from releasing divine power.

Thus, Lily and the others advanced at their fastest physical speed without unleashing any divine power. Among them, Nanako was relatively the slowest, but she had already reached the Big Dipper Stage and was improving rapidly, nearing the Quintuple-Soul level. With her Celestial Maiden Physique, her speed was by no means lacking.

Through the primordial forest under the extended night, the group darted swiftly between the trees. Ahead, within the dense mountain woods, faint fluctuations of spirit power could be felt.

“Aah—!”
“Help! Someone, help us!”

It sounded like the desperate cries of villagers.
Then came the roars of demons.

“Let’s go take a look,” Lily said. “Something’s happening.”

The group rushed toward the source of the screams.

After sprinting several kilometers and crossing a hillside, they saw a wooden village nestled beneath towering trees. The settlement had already been overrun by demons. Many samurai, along with onmyoji and scholars dressed in worn, inelegant hunting robes, were locked in desperate combat against the monsters.

But they were clearly outmatched. Many had already fallen into pools of blood. One vicious ogre grabbed two small children, preparing to carry them back into the forest.

“Let go of my children! Let them go!”
“Mom! Save us!”

A young court lady collapsed onto the ground, crawling forward as she cried out, trying to reach her children. “You can do whatever you want to me, just spare them!”

“Oh?” The ogre turned its head, noticing that the woman, though in tears, bore the appearance of someone from a prominent household and possessed a certain beauty. Its intentions shifted. It tossed the children aside and hoisted the woman over its shoulder.

“Ryoko!” A court noble dressed in formal robes shouted from afar, panic-stricken and helpless. Lacking any martial ability, he could do nothing. “Quick, save my wife and children!”

But the samurai in the village were no match for these demons.

**Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!**

Talismans shot through the air. Any demon struck by one would explode together with it within seconds.

Ayaka had no desire to alert the grand formation that enveloped the entire island, so she used only low-level talismans.

Meanwhile, Rei and Shimizu had already charged into the village. Had they not wished to avoid exposure before uncovering the secrets of Tsukushi Island, enemies of this level, at most in the Permanence Stage, could have been instantly annihilated with a single domain world.

Even so, their speed was overwhelming. It took no more than a few dozen seconds. The female warriors swept through the village, moving so fast that ordinary people could not even perceive their actions.

In the blink of an eye, every demon lay dead. None survived.

“Y-you… who are you…?” The surviving samurai and villagers stared in stunned disbelief.

At that moment, the court noble, who appeared to be the master of the estate, ran forward trembling and dropped to his knees before them, his face filled with reverence. “I am Kagami no Hidé, the thirty-fifth head of the Kagami family of Kansai. I pay my respects to you, Celestial Maidens,” he said, bowing repeatedly.

Without using divine power, Lily relied on her keen senses to scan the surroundings, confirming that no demons remained. She then asked, “Who are you? And why do you call us Celestial Maidens?”

“I may not be a warrior,” Hidé replied, “but I have some appreciation for the way of the sword. Your swordsmanship surpasses even that of the greatest hero I have ever witnessed in the Heian Dynasty, Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The intent within your blades far exceeds that of any swordsman I have seen. Such a realm… I believe it no longer belongs to the mortal world.”

“Since childhood, I have studied the ancient texts preserved within my family. The descriptions of the Celestial Maidens recorded from a thousand years ago… they bear a striking resemblance to you, my ladies.”

“I see. You’re quite perceptive,” Nanako remarked.

“Sir, you say you belong to the Kagami family of Kansai. Are you vassals of the Ogasawara clan?” Lily asked.

“Indeed,” he replied. “In recent years, demons have run rampant across Kansai. The Ogasawara clan’s main city was overrun by creatures that crawled up from beneath the earth, forcing them into constant flight. Our Kagami family was fortunate to board a merchant ship belonging to Lord Fujiwara and escape to Tsukushi Island. But who would have thought… after only a few days of peace, we would be attacked by demons again? If not for your intervention, Celestial Maidens, our entire family would have been wiped out!”

“Wuu… wuu…” The other clan members, especially the women, broke into tears as well.

“Kansai… the Kagami family…” Lily murmured, a look of sudden realization crossing her face.

Back then, when she had first stepped into the Heian world, she had taken on the surname “Kagami” because she carried that mysterious ancient mirror. Later, she had even become a Mirror Girl. Though she had no real connection to the Kagami family of Kansai, she had once been forced, for the sake of survival, to falsely claim she belonged to them.

At the time, she had only been a weak young girl with no other choice. Even so, it still counted as a kind of fate tying them together.

With a wave of her hand, on the damaged open ground within the estate, a massive wooden automaton turtle several meters long and a mechanical wooden bird suddenly appeared out of thin air.

These were spoils Lily had casually seized during her battles in Takamagahara. She had long since forgotten where exactly she had taken them from. After all, on the battlefield, defeating a sufficiently powerful opponent naturally meant claiming their treasures.

“W-what… what are these things?” The crowd recoiled slightly in fear.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lily said calmly. “These are the Four-Quadrant Mechanisms: Genbu and Suzaku. Genbu will expand in size once activated and can carry all of you across the sea. Suzaku will protect you from demons below the Big Dipper Stage. Take these two treasures, head west, cross the strait, and return to the Heian Dynasty. It is far safer there now than it is here.”

“What…?” Hidé, though lacking in martial ability, was a man of experience. He had once shared tea with Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Yoritomo. At a glance, he could tell that the treasures this Celestial Maiden had produced so casually were anything but ordinary.

They were likely far superior to even the treasured heirlooms of the Genji clan he had once seen under Yoritomo’s possession.

“Such priceless treasures… Our deepest thanks, Lady Celestial Maiden! Our deepest thanks!” Hidé and the members of his clan kowtowed repeatedly. “If our Kagami family survives this disaster, it will be entirely thanks to you, my ladies!”

“There’s no need for that,” Lily thought to herself. How could she allow the Kagami family to be wiped out? That she had encountered them here today… perhaps it, too, was a thread of fate.

“My ladies… have you also descended from the heavens recently?” Hidé asked again.

“What?” Nanako’s expression sharpened instantly. Drawing her short blade, she pointed it directly at him. “You’re nothing but a mere mortal. How do you know anything about matters of the heavens? Don’t tell me your family’s old records can predict recent events as well?”

“N-no, not from ancient texts!” Hidé shook his head frantically. “I heard it from a vagrant in Osaifu. He said that recently, Osaifu has fallen into complete darkness. From the heavens and from beneath the earth, countless overwhelmingly powerful gods and demons have arrived and seized control of the entire place!”

“They devour people, toy with women, and force court nobles who have never practiced the sword to train in martial arts within three days, then throw them into battle against ferocious beasts and monsters for their amusement. They sit back and watch as entertainment. In short, there is no atrocity they would not commit. To them, ordinary people are nothing more than tools for pleasure!”

“That vagrant claimed to have reached the Big Dipper Stage, yet he still barely escaped with his life,” Hidé said, his face pale as death.

“Osaifu… from the heavens and from beneath the earth…” Lily’s gaze grew grave.
“Do you know how those gods and demons came here?” Rei asked.
“I-I don’t know. We haven’t entered the city recently. The roads are too dangerous, so we dare not travel freely. Everything I know came from that vagrant.”
“Is that vagrant still around?” Lily pressed.
“He left a few days ago. He said he intended to make his way back to Heian-kyo.”
“Lily, it seems we chose the wrong method… but the right destination,” Ayaka said.

Lily and Rei exchanged a meaningful glance and nodded. After arranging for the Kagami family’s escape, Lily and the others wasted not a single moment. Without using divine power, they set off at full speed toward Osaifu.