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Lily drew out the Oborozuki Muramasa. This blade was the heartfelt masterpiece of Princess Asuka, a peerless sword she could craft only once in her lifetime. Though it had been forged using the ancient traditional methods of the Celestial Battle Maidens, the very same techniques used to create the original Oborozuki Muramasa, when judged by the standards of Takamagahara, it appeared almost ordinary. And yet, from such seemingly simple craftsmanship, a truly supreme blade had been born.

The simpler and more unified something was, the harder it became to create distinction within it.

Yet the Oborozuki Muramasa in Lily’s hands had been forged by Princess Asuka with her feelings poured into it, refined through devotion and care, achieving a state that could only be described as perfectly natural and complete.

Every aspect of the blade had been pushed to its absolute limit, flawless in every regard.

Even across all of Takamagahara, after the defeat of the Celestial Maidens, it would be nearly impossible to find another piece of foundational equipment so perfectly crafted, using such pure and uncomplicated materials.

It seemed basic, yet its foundation was so solid that it was utterly unassailable. It was the foundation among foundations. It could be said to be an exceedingly rare prototype among the Three Realms, the finest base form of any Oborozuki-type blade.

Although Takamagahara possessed many extraordinary craftsmen, those truly skilled in forging Oborozuki blades all belonged to the Celestial Maiden lineage. Now, under suppression, humiliation, and forced labor, even if they were still made to forge weapons, they could no longer create works with such focus and heartfelt dedication.

Lily’s expression turned solemn and sacred as she sensed the fluctuations of the Oborozuki Muramasa, perceiving the Oborozuki soul within the blade’s form. She activated her Soul Manipulation Art, drawing the Oborozuki soul into the sword.

The form of the spirit blade created by the Oborozuki soul almost perfectly overlapped with the body of the Oborozuki Muramasa, matching it without the slightest deviation.

The first fusion of an Oborozuki soul was the most crucial, as it determined the blade’s inherent potential. Although in the early stages the difference in quality between blades might appear negligible, once many Oborozuki souls had been absorbed, that gap would grow wider and wider.

Possessing a prototype whose shape and rhythm perfectly matched the manifestation of the Oborozuki soul itself would have an enormous impact on the blade’s ultimate achievements.

Of course, no matter what, as long as all the Oborozuki souls could be successfully absorbed, the result would still be an unprecedented legendary blade, one that would shake the Three Realms and far surpass the weapons wielded by even the most elite Supreme Gods, inevitably drawing countless factions into conflict over it.

The so-called difference lay only in how much of the original divine sword’s power, once wielded by Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, could be restored after all the Oborozuki souls had been absorbed.

If it could recover more than seventy percent, it would already rank among the top three blades across all the Three Realms.

**Shiiing—**

A faint streak of moonlight swept across the Oborozuki Muramasa.

The movement was subtle, almost imperceptible, the fusion flawless, like duckweed brushing across water, effortless and light despite its weight. It was just like the former grace of Tsukuyomi, whose gentle gestures could, in the span of a flick, reduce heaven and earth to dust.

This was, after all, only the first Oborozuki soul.

Yet Lily could already feel that every minute detail of the blade had been infused with the essence of moonlight, expelling the microscopic impurities inevitably left from forging through the tiniest seams of the blade, sealing them completely, and strengthening the entire sword more than tenfold.

Even the minuscule nicks along the edge, invisible to the naked eye, had fully fused, forming a single flawless line, making the blade even sharper.

At the same time, a piercing, sorrowful obsession now flowed through the entire blade. That obsession made the Oborozuki Muramasa seem almost alive, as though it had gained a soul of its own.

This, in turn, unified the blade’s power, merging every aspect of its strength into something far greater.

“Unbelievable…” Lily’s chest rose and fell sharply. With just a single Oborozuki soul fused into it, the blade had already reached an extraordinary level among Divine Artifacts.

Before, Rinne had taught Lily about such things.

Divine Artifacts themselves were divided into tiers. The supreme artifacts wielded by Great Imperial Gods were naturally not the same as those used by ordinary Supreme Gods.

According to their rank, Divine Artifacts were divided, from low to high, into:

Amatsukami Artifacts, Kunitsukami Artifacts,
Dotsu Artifacts,
Imperial Artifacts,
and Great Imperial Artifacts.

As the names suggested, each type corresponded to the level of its wielder. However, in reality, Divine Artifacts were far rarer than gods themselves. The vast majority of Amatsukami and Kunitsukami did not possess artifacts of their own tier. In fact, most gods could not even obtain the lowest-grade Divine Artifacts and instead had to rely on top-grade spirit artifacts. Some fallen gods only had mid- or high-grade spirit artifacts at best.

After all, there were many gods in the world, but very few Divine Artifacts.

Take someone like Lord Shikikai, who specialized in dealing with women but possessed relatively average combat strength among Supreme Gods. Although he owned several unique Kunitsukami Artifacts designed for interrogating women, when it came to the weapon he relied on for survival, he only had a single Kunitsukami Artifact and no Dotsu Artifact at all.

Dotsu Artifacts were already exceedingly rare. As for Imperial Artifacts, those were treasures wielded by Great Imperial Gods, true relics possessed only by beings on the level of Izanami-no-Ōkami.

It was almost unheard of for any Supreme God to possess an Imperial Artifact.

Once the Oborozuki Muramasa reached its complete form, according to Yoruko’s claim that it could rank among the top three blades in the world, it would at the very least be among the strongest of Imperial Artifacts.

The birth of such a weapon would shake the Three Realms, and no force in existence would refrain from trying to seize it. If Lily were not the adopted daughter of Izanami, the goddess might have already sent other subordinates to compete for it.

“Lily… your Oborozuki Muramasa… should now have reached the level of a Dotsu Artifact… don’t ask further. Let me rest a bit longer… that woman Izanami was right this time. Do as she said… when I wake, I’ll summon you again…”

Rinne’s weak voice echoed through, sounding utterly drained. Recently, she had been in poor condition, often slipping into deep sleep, which worried Lily greatly.

“A Dotsu Artifact… I never imagined that among so many Oborozuki souls, just one would elevate my blade to that level, leaping two whole tiers in a single step.”

Yet Lily instinctively felt that even in its current state, although immensely powerful, the Oborozuki Muramasa still fell far short of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi wielded by her Rei. The gap between them remained vast.

“Just what tier is Sister Uesugi’s Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi… it’s truly terrifying…” Lily had wielded the Kusanagi even more than Rei herself, so she understood its power with absolute clarity.

With the dramatic enhancement of her blade, Lily’s own strength had risen accordingly, filling her with renewed vigor and confidence.

“Oborozuki soul.” Her eyes gleamed with fierce fighting spirit.

She immediately used the Mirror Dimension to have the sisters stationed in Herikaku City notify Yanagihada, ordering her to move Herikaku City at once toward Tsukushi Island.

If any resistance was encountered, they were to crush it with the combined strength of the Dark Celestial Maidens and Herikaku City.

Now that the immense struggle over the Oborozuki souls lay right before them, there was no secret more valuable than this. There was no longer any need to conceal their movements.

Meanwhile, Lily and her group set off ahead of Herikaku City, rushing at full speed toward Yamatai.

“Madam Yoruko, I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’m afraid we don’t have time to rest here.”
“That’s not true, I’m not tired. Oh, right, Lily… could you stop calling me ‘Madam’?”
“Huh?”
Yoruko hesitated slightly as she explained, “Although that’s the customary way people address me in Heian-kyo, in truth… I’ve never been married…”

Lily nodded, somewhat noncommittal.

***

Inside the fortress tower beneath the great mountain of Yamatai. Ashikaga Kiyoshi stood up, his gaze calm and composed. “Let’s go,” he said.

“What? Kiyoshi, we’re really just going to withdraw like this?”

Kiyoshi replied, “With the forces we currently have on Tsukushi Island, we are no match for Kagami Lily. If we stay and fight head-on, we will only suffer needless losses with no chance of victory.”

“But… where else can we even go?” the Cloistered Emperor said in a panic.

“You damned old bald fool!” The avatar of Amanozako flared her wings and strode forward, yanking aside the curtain before kicking the Cloistered Emperor to the ground with a heavy thud.

“You still haven’t lived enough, you fossil? How about we leave you here to guard the city? Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa, the so-called greatest Tengu among humans, you’ve utterly disgraced our Tengu clan, do you understand? If His Highness hadn’t said you still had some use, I wouldn’t have let you join us at all! Do you still think you’re the mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes? In the eyes of us Tengu of Takamagahara, you’re worth less than a dog!”

“Lady Amanozako, he is, after all, of imperial human lineage. For the sake of the entire Tenson Clan, please show him some respect… I beg of you.” Kiyoshi bowed slightly. In truth, he also looked down on the Cloistered Emperor, but he rarely revealed his emotions, except when facing Lily.

Amanozako was notoriously short-tempered. Even her avatar was this violent, and one could only imagine her true form. At the slightest displeasure, she would beat messengers and onmyoji alike, even tearing at the robes of female onmyoji to humiliate them.

“Everyone, Lily and her group will arrive soon. We should depart. Since this place can no longer be concealed, maintaining the great formation here is meaningless. As for stopping Lily… we can leave that to those powerful beings emerging from Takamagahara and Yomi.”

With that, Ashikaga Kiyoshi, Shizuka Gozen, the Cloistered Emperor, and their retainers departed through a side passage toward the rear of the fortress tower.

***

Within Herikaku City. Inside Yanagihada’s private residence. Emperor Narinaga no longer showed fear or worry in his eyes. Wearing a collar and dressed in a shoulder-baring feminine kimono, he knelt at the side of Yanagihada’s long, elegant legs.

Beneath Yanagihada’s black feathered robe were long black stockings. Reclining on her couch, she sat with one leg crossed over the other.

“Big Sister Yanagihada, please have some tea.” Emperor Narinaga lifted a cup of tea above his head and respectfully offered it to her.

Yanagihada accepted the tea, sipping it thoughtfully, barely sparing a glance at the cross-dressed youth at her feet.

“Being by Big Sister Yanagihada’s side is already enough for me. I no longer have to worry about the chaos of the world or the schemes of the court… it feels as though the only thing left in this world is…”

Emperor Narinaga rested his pale cheek against her leg, feeling its smoothness, his thoughts drifting. ‘Only the warmth and scent of Big Sister’s long legs… She even gives me spirit medicine. After taking it, I can remain youthful forever, serve her forever, and obey her every word. Even if I make mistakes, there’s no need to worry. Big Sister will discipline me harshly, punish me… This kind of life feels so full… I don’t want to be any emperor anymore.’

For centuries, the shogunate, the Cloistered Emperor, and the Grand Council had taken turns seizing power, struggling endlessly for control. The emperor had long since become nothing more than a symbol of sorrow and the darkness of the age.

Perhaps Emperor Narinaga was one of the more fortunate among them.

Yanagihada rose to her feet, her hips swaying as her long legs carried her out of the room. She glanced back and said, “Big Sister is going to lead the army to Yamatai. Stay here obediently and wait for me. When I return, wear something… more surprising for me. Understood?”

“Yes… please take care, Big Sister.” Emperor Narinaga bowed reluctantly, seeing her off.