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Hanatomi puffed out his thick, powerful chest, spread his arms wide, and roared, “What does the mortal world amount to? Takamagahara is where countless Celestial Maidens dwell, where treasures are beyond number, and where the finest opportunities for training await! Brothers, who says our Blue Demon clan must spend our lives lurking in the dark depths of Yomi? Follow me! We’ll storm Takamagahara, seize Celestial Maidens, and drink sacred wine!”

“Woooo! Woooo! Woooo!”

The Blue Demons erupted into a frenzy. Looking across the horde, there were hundreds upon hundreds of mighty Blue Demons, and even the weakest among them had reached the Big Dipper Stage. This was the true elite of Yomi’s formidable Blue Demon race.

The uproar and surging desires even affected the surrounding demons and monsters. Many who had originally intended to invade the mortal world changed their minds and instead gathered into groups, preparing to assault Takamagahara itself.

It was not merely desire driving them. It was also the resentment accumulated over countless ages of being oppressed and slaughtered by the gods.

“Only the weak conquer the mortal world. True demons attack Takamagahara!”

No one knew which monster had shouted it first, but the slogan spread through the countless fiends of Yomi like wildfire, further inflaming their boundless savagery.

Meanwhile, the armies led by Rakshasa-Onna and Asura-Onna had established their formations, remaining concealed underground. Their forces had withdrawn to distant positions to stand guard, avoiding unnecessary conflicts with the demons of Yomi, since their troops consisted entirely of women.

A ripple passed through space as a dark gate opened in the air. Asura-Onna’s white-and-crimson robes fluttered as she stepped out from within.

“Elder Sister, why did the Madam summon you?” Rakshasa-Onna stepped forward and asked.
“Sister, I must enter the Celestial Demon Path and travel to the Heavenly Gate Vortex.”
“You’re going to the Eye of Heaven?” Rakshasa-Onna asked in shock.

The Celestial Demon Path connected to the Heavenly Realm through the enormous Heavenly Gate Vortex. Those in the lower realms referred to it as the Eye of Heaven. However, Takamagahara itself never used that name, for from their perspective it resembled a vast abyssal vortex opening beneath their feet.

“That’s right.”

“Though we sisters reached the Supreme God realm under the Madam’s guidance, neither of us has ever entered the Celestial Demon Path, much less approached the Heavenly Gate itself. That place is dangerous even for us,” Rakshasa-Onna said worriedly.

“Indeed. But these are the Madam’s orders. I am to deliver this letter to Takamagahara.”

“I see. Then please be careful, Sister. Leave the defenses here to me.”

Asura-Onna nodded. After exchanging a few more instructions with Rakshasa-Onna and her subordinates, she donned a veiled hat and silently flew toward the Scar of Heaven.

***

In the mortal world, at the Ancient Tomb. The land was engulfed in smoke and chaos. Eldritch Energy and Celestial Energy raged violently, mingling together in turbulent currents.

The waterways surrounding the Ancient Tomb had all turned crimson with blood.

Whether demons, monsters, spirits, or heavenly immortals, any who ignored the warnings and dared force their way into the mortal world had met the same fate. Corpses littered the area around the tomb’s exit, and the rivers flowed with blood belonging to both demons and gods.

Many of the fish and crocodiles dwelling in those waters had even been altered by divine and demonic blood, transforming into powerful monsters themselves.

Guarding this place was none other than Herikaku City, once the foremost fortress of the Celestial Battle Maidens. They had only just repelled a group of horse-faced demons when another band of Kegaretsu Clan members arrived.

Herikaku City floated high in the distant sky above the Ancient Tomb’s exit. Around the exit itself, the Celestial Maidens had erected walls, towers, formations, and countless defensive mechanisms.

The Celestial Maidens did not construct walls piece by piece. The fortifications, watchtowers, and defensive devices had all been built beforehand within Herikaku City and deployed directly onto the battlefield using spatial treasures. Thus, a formidable defensive line could be established overnight.

The Dark Celestial Maidens were renowned for their ruthless ferocity in battle. Under the leadership of the Boundless Empress, they had once stood against the endless hordes of the Boundless Abyss. Those ancient monsters were among Yomi’s oldest and most savage fiends. Compared to them, the ordinary demons attempting to invade the mortal world were hardly worth mentioning.

This group from the Kegaretsu Clan consisted of one Celestial Stage expert accompanied by several clan members. Every one of them was obese and bloated, clearly men addicted to drink and pleasure. Each Kegaretsu noble was further surrounded by a retinue of fierce celestial enforcers.

Seeing the walls, formations, defensive towers, and the ranks of Celestial Maidens aiming bows at them, the Kegaretsu leader showed not the slightest fear, even though he had already determined that the maidens’ forces vastly outmatched his own.

Planting his hands on his hips, the Kegaretsu expert pointed at the Dark Celestial Maidens atop the walls and shouted in a thick Kegaretsu accent, “What are you all putting on airs for? Do you know who I am? You’re nothing but Celestial Maidens, yet you dare point bows at us Kegaretsu deities? Which tribe do you belong to? Planning a rebellion? Lower those bows immediately!”

The Dark Celestial Maidens merely tightened their bowstrings and paid no attention whatsoever to his shouting.

“Damn it! Are you s̲l̲u̲t̲s̲ asking to be screwed? Still putting on an act in front of your grandfather? Where’s your leader? Tell her to come out here and kneel before me!” The Kegaretsu leader stood there with his massive belly protruding, pointing at the maidens as he hurled insult after insult.

At that moment, Shimizu happened to be present atop the city walls. She was waiting for Lily’s arrival and found herself mildly amused by the Kegaretsu clan’s incessant shouting.

“Yanagihada, who are these people?” Shimizu asked with curiosity rather than anger.

Yanagihada immediately called down to them, “Who are you people?”

“A bunch of stupid women! Don’t even recognize your grandfather? Fine, I’ll tell you. But tonight your leader must come serve me personally. Otherwise, you’ll be severely punished for offending me!

“Listen carefully! I am a direct descendant of one of our Kegaretsu Clan’s two great sovereigns, Lord Yasomaga himself! A pure-blooded Kegaretsu noble! My noble bloodline is beyond comparison. How could lowly Celestial Maidens from Takamagahara ever measure up to us?”

The Kegaretsu expert showed absolutely no fear of the maidens’ swords or bows. When a person had never learned to fear something and had grown accustomed to it, even an opponent vastly stronger than themselves would fail to inspire fear.

The Kegaretsu divine clan was generally weak in combat, but within Takamagahara they had always delighted in bullying Celestial Maidens. They acted with complete confidence and impunity.

“Kegaretsu nobles?” Shimizu rested her cheek on one hand and gazed at the group indifferently.

Silence lingered for a moment.

“What? Scared speechless already? Why aren’t you down here on your knees welcoming us?” the Kegaretsu leader shouted. The others joined in the taunting. Had they encountered a demonic army, they might have exercised caution and prepared for battle. But Celestial Maidens? They feared them not at all.

“How boring.” Shimizu spoke those words indifferently to Yanagihada. “Kill them all.”

With that, Shimizu turned away and stepped through the air. A black gate appeared out of nowhere in the sky. She entered it, and both she and the gate vanished together.

“What… was that?” The Kegaretsu expert stared blankly at such effortless spatial manipulation.

The heavens suddenly darkened. Countless Godslaying Arrows swept across the sky, blotting out the sun as they rained down upon the Kegaretsu clan.

***

Deep within the Celestial Demon Path, a large procession of gods from Takamagahara advanced from above. Waves of Celestial Energy radiated from them, while banners overflowing with spiritual power fluttered gracefully in the air around the group.

At a glance, there were nearly a hundred of them.

The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had been a famous spectacle during the Heian Dynasty, but today Lily witnessed something equally extraordinary: a grand procession of a hundred gods.

Lily and Nanako concealed their presence and hid behind a massive boulder, quietly observing the divine procession.

“Sister Lily, should we make a move?” Nanako transmitted her voice.

“No need. These traveling gods aren’t particularly powerful. There are only three to five Celestial Stage gods among them, while the rest are merely weak clan members. None of them carry even the slightest fluctuation of Oborozuki souls. Let them pass,” Lily replied through voice transmission.

“Then what are these people doing? If they aren’t fighting over Oborozuki souls, are they planning to bring disaster to the mortal world?”

“Nanako, although many gods have hunted and persecuted us, don’t assume that every god who descends to the lower world does evil. These people appear kind and dignified. Though not powerful, they possess an admirable bearing. Perhaps they are a group of fortune gods bringing blessings to the mortal realm,” Lily said.

“Is that so…” Because Lily had been hunted and tormented by the gods so many times, Nanako instinctively harbored hostility toward all divine beings.

Besides, with strength at this level, even if they truly intended to wreak havoc in the mortal world, they would never make it past Herikaku City.

Lily’s mission was to gather the Oborozuki souls. She had never intended to single-handedly prevent gods, immortals, demons, and spirits from descending into the mortal world.

As for guarding the entrances to the mortal realm, Lily trusted her sisters. The Celestial Demon Path stretched for thousands of kilometers. Even if she could defeat every intruder, there was no way she could stop them all by herself. All she could do was place her faith in them.

‘When I gather all the Oborozuki souls, my sisters will gain another powerful source of support. Until then, I’ll be relying on all of you.’ Lily silently spoke those words in her heart to her sisters.

The two quietly withdrew.

“Trying to leave?”

Suddenly, a sinister and chilling fluctuation seeped out from within the rocks.

A gigantic mantis emerged. Its body was the same color as stone, yet countless fine golden patterns flowed across its surface. Standing over a dozen meters tall, it spread its twin blade-like forelimbs, each extending more than ten meters. Its triangular head was grotesque enough, but where its eyes should have been were two white smiling human masks, creating an extremely unsettling sight.

Though this creature made Lily’s skin crawl even more than the vicious demons of Yomi, it radiated the unmistakable aura of a god.

“A Celestial Stage being? This mantis-like monster is actually a god?” Lily was genuinely surprised.

“Women? Their flesh is too tender. No chewiness. Not tasty!” the mantis god declared, the fangs within its mouthparts opening and closing as it spoke. “Hand over the Oborozuki souls, and I’ll let you die painlessly.”

Lily had always been rather afraid of insects. A wave of instinctive revulsion ran through her body. “What kind of god are you? Are you here to seize Oborozuki souls as well?” Lily asked.

“Heh heh heh!” The mantis laughed sinisterly. “I intend to fuse the Oborozuki souls into these twin blades of mine, which were born with power rivaling Divine Artifacts! I am the Martial God Moritsu Kaiben! Woman, the Oborozuki soul fluctuations coming from you are astonishing. It’s almost unbelievable!”

The mantis raised its twin blades and assumed an attacking stance.

“Countless demons throughout the world are bewitched by female beauty. I’ve never understood it. Women are weak and inferior creatures. The only time they’re even remotely satisfying is when they’re being cut apart by my blades. Other than that, what’s so good about them?”

Facing the gigantic mantis and its twin blades, Lily replied coldly, “You despise women so much, but do you know something? I hate insects too.”

“What!?” Moritsu Kaiben felt profoundly humiliated. Its wings instantly spread open as divine power erupted from its body. Kicking off the ground with all four limbs, it lunged toward Lily at terrifying speed, its twin blades slashing forward.

A silver blade-light flashed through the air.

The mantis’ twin blades were severed into four pieces and flew helplessly into the sky. Its slender neck was cut cleanly through at the center, and its head crashed to the ground. Even the Divinity located near the upper portion of its neck was shattered in a single strike.

Moritsu Kaiben was killed instantly.

By now, Lily’s Oborozuki Muramasa had absorbed fifty to sixty Oborozuki souls she had acquired over these past days. Its power had grown even greater than before. Now, with a single slash, it could shatter a Celestial Stage’s Divinity.