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Nanako nodded. Lily’s concerns were not without reason.

If some of the major factions possessed the strength to defeat Lily, then there would naturally be nothing she could do against them. Even those unable to overcome her directly would become exceedingly difficult to deal with once they retreated behind the protection of their own strongholds.

“Sister, I understand your reasoning,” Nanako said uneasily, “but that Ashikaga Kiyoshi has always harbored feelings for you. This so-called Celestial Demon Assembly… I’m afraid he’s up to no good!”

Lily, however, shook her head. “Kiyoshi… he truly does care for me, but he is not such a despicable man. I firmly believe he would never deceive me by creating something like the Celestial Demon Assembly just to lure me into a trap.”

On that point, Lily still held unwavering faith in him.

“Sister, perhaps the Kiyoshi of the past wouldn’t have done such a thing. But now… he is no longer the righteous man he once was! The methods he uses and the ambitions he pursues, how are they any different from those of Minamoto no Yoritomo? People change.” Nanako still refused to trust Kiyoshi.

Lily could not deny that such worries had crossed her own mind. Her ample chest rose and fell gently as her beautiful hair fluttered in the wind.

“Ashikaga Kiyoshi once lost an arm because of me, and nearly gave up his life for my sake. Though he and I could never be together, everything he has become today… happened entirely because of me. Even if one day he were to betray me, that would be his failure in righteousness.

“But if he sincerely invited me and I refused to go, then it would be I who betrayed the loyalty and devotion he showed by risking his life for me time and time again.” Lily slowly shook her head, a trace of sorrow in her eyes. “They say that beauty brings calamity… Ever since I began my journey from Kamakura City across the Three Realms, how many brave and honorable men have lost their lives because of me?”

She remembered Uncle Matsuda. She remembered those rare yet truly admirable men of the Heian Dynasty, men who had laid down their lives for righteousness, for loyalty, and for her.

“I have to go. Otherwise, I would have no answer for the souls of those warriors who died because of me.”

“Sister…” Nanako realized that Lily’s journey was not merely about repaying the kindness Ashikaga Kiyoshi had once shown her. More than that, she wished to give an answer to the souls of all those true men who had sacrificed themselves for her.

Realizing this, Nanako could no longer persuade her otherwise. She opened the Sakura Parasol above Lily’s head. “If you’ve made up your mind, then I shall accompany you.”

“Huh? N-No, Nanako. Even if Kiyoshi has hidden nothing from me, the other factions attending certainly won’t all have good intentions. Countless demons will be gathered there. It’s far too dangerous. Don’t come. Just find somewhere safe and wait for me.”

“Back then, when you and I were nothing more than dojo apprentices, we were hunted across Mt. Yoshino by countless demons and monsters, yet I never felt afraid as long as I was with you. Today, my strength has nearly reached that of a Supreme God, and you stand among the upper ranks of the Supreme Gods of the Three Realms. So what do I have left to fear?”

Her lovely face shone with unwavering determination.

“Nanako…” Looking at her, Lily’s heart was deeply moved. The thought that Nanako had followed her faithfully ever since she herself had been weak, standing by her without the slightest hesitation, filled Lily’s heart with warmth.

Smiling gently, she drew Nanako into a tender embrace.

Surrounded by Lily’s intoxicatingly feminine fragrance, as though she were embracing an entire chamber filled with the essence of womanhood, Nanako felt both enchanted and a little inferior. Why, though they were both women, did she herself lack such irresistible femininity? If only she possessed a figure as eye-catching as Ayaka’s or Rei’s.

Yet perhaps it was precisely because of that. Nanako found herself even more captivated by women overflowing with feminine charm. She longed to remain by Lily’s side, and the feeling deep within her that she could never compare to Lily gave rise to a powerful impulse to conquer and master her.

But Nanako did nothing. She simply wrapped her arms around Lily’s waist and buried herself tightly against her soft bosom.

***

Meanwhile, within the Celestial Demon Path, at the entrance leading to Takamagahara, the place known in Yomi-no-kuni as the Eye of Heaven, a massive army of demons was advancing.

Most of them were Blue Demons and Red Demons, accompanied by numerous other powerful beings. Their numbers exceeded several tens of thousands. Leading this formidable host was a young, powerfully built Blue Demon covered in intricate tattoos.

He was the hero of the Blue Demons. Hanatomi.

As this mighty legion of fiends approached the Eye of Heaven, it immediately drew the attention of the forces stationed at the Heavenly Gate.

Hirotake, one of Ame-no-Tajikarao’s trusted officers, commanded a contingent of the Yuten Army drawn up in formation before the Heavenly Gate. Nearby stood several Celestial Maiden units, as well as mercenary forces hired by the Kegaretsu Clan.

“Damn it! Didn’t Lady Tennin-Mikoto say that leaving the Celestial Demon Path to that Heaven-Blessed would be enough? Then why has such an enormous demon army been allowed to reach the Heavenly Gate?” Hirotake stomped his foot in fury.

He glanced back at the forces guarding the Heavenly Gate beyond the Eye of Heaven’s vortex. Of all the troops present, only the three thousand elite Yuten soldiers he had brought could truly be considered battle-ready. The Celestial Maiden armies had long suffered from withheld military pay, abuse from the Kegaretsu Clan’s military overseers, and constant discrimination, leaving their morale pitifully low. As for the rabble of mercenaries hired by the Kegaretsu Clan, they were even less worth mentioning.

“My lord, the enemy numbers are immense!” a Yuten soldier reported. “As far as the eye can see, it’s an endless tide of demons. There are at least several tens of thousands!”

“What? Such a massive force? Then how strong are they?” Hirotake demanded.

“They look incredibly formidable!”

Hirotake looked over his own forces. Even counting the mercenaries, they numbered over ten thousand, but they possessed virtually no real combat capability.

“Lady Tennin-Mikoto took so many troops with her. Why didn’t she stop these demons?” Hirotake roared.

“I… I do not know, my lord.”

“Damn it! Other than the Yuten Army, everyone in Takamagahara responsible for strategy and command is nothing but a pack of incompetents!” Hirotake cursed in exasperation.

Originally, Ame-no-Tajikarao had personally commanded thirty thousand Yuten soldiers to defend the Heavenly Gate, making it virtually impregnable.

However, after news spread that the Celestial Demon Path had opened, the various opposition factions within Takamagahara anticipated that the realm’s main military strength would be concentrated there. As a result, rebellions by Celestial Maidens, certain Amatsukami, and members of the Seraphim erupted one after another across the realm.

Since the main forces led by Tennin-Mikoto and Amanozako had already entered the Celestial Demon Path and were believed sufficient to control the situation there, the higher authorities redeployed the bulk of Ame-no-Tajikarao’s army to suppress the uprisings.

Everyone had assumed that with Tennin-Mikoto’s and Amanozako’s armies inside the Celestial Demon Path, the defense of the Heavenly Gate would be little more than a formality, leaving it dangerously undermanned.

Yet who could have expected such a vast demon army to march here so openly?

“Send word to Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao immediately!” Hirotake ordered at once.

By then, Hanatomi had already defeated the small Yuten detachment stationed within the Celestial Demon Path. Leading the demon horde through the vortex himself as the vanguard, he brought the finest young Blue Demon warriors forward to confront the defenders of the Heavenly Gate.

“You mere fiends of Yomi dare invade the Heavenly Realm?” Hirotake barked sternly at Hanatomi.

“Hahahaha! Cut the crap!” Hanatomi laughed boisterously. “Takamagahara has always belonged to the strong! If you don’t like it, then come fight us!”

“You insolent brute! If Ame-no-Tajikarao were here, would you evil monsters still dare act so arrogantly?”

“Ame-no-Tajikarao? I’ve long heard that b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲’s strength is unmatched. I’d love the chance to test myself against him! But first…” He grinned savagely. “I’ll use his underlings to warm up. Kill them all!”

At Hanatomi’s command, countless demons and monsters, led by the elite young Blue Demons, poured out of the vortex and charged toward the Heavenly Gate.

Though the vortex itself was enormous, there was only a single path leading through the Heavenly Gate. Beyond it lay the vast, perilous Sea of Clouds Labyrinth, making any attempt to bypass the gate virtually impossible.

Three thousand elite Yuten soldiers held the narrow pass. It was by no means a hopeless battle.

“Loose the arrows!” Hirotake commanded.

Each Yuten soldier possessed tremendous strength, and the bolts fired from their heavy crossbows carried overwhelming force. In sufficient numbers, even Empyrean Stage experts would have to evade them, while anyone below the Big Dipper Stage could easily be slain.

As the demon army advanced, many of the weaker monsters fell beneath the relentless barrage. Yet the elite Blue Demons at the front feared no arrows. They crashed headlong into the Yuten Army’s finest warriors guarding the pass. Both sides specialized in overwhelming strength and savage combat, and the battlefield erupted into a brutal melee.

At that very moment, however, chaos broke out behind Hirotake’s lines. The Yuten Army’s archers and spear throwers in the rear abruptly ceased their support.

“What’s happening?” Hirotake had just cleaved a young elite Blue Demon in two with his massive two-handed sword.

“General Hirotake, bad news!” a Yuten officer rushed over. “The Celestial Maiden troops in the rear have rebelled!”

“What!?” Their defenders had already been critically outnumbered. Who could have imagined that, at such a crucial moment, these weaker Celestial Maiden troops would not only fail to support them, but instead revolt? They launched a surprise attack on the Yuten Army’s ranged formations, plunging the rear lines into complete chaos.

“Hirotake! Though we once fought side by side, this is the will of the Heavenly Path. Don’t blame me!” Riyuki led several of her Celestial Maiden sisters, weaving elegant spells while their ethereal blades danced through the air. They charged straight into the Yuten Army’s archer and spearman formations from behind. Caught completely off guard, the Yuten soldiers were utterly routed.

“Riyuki! You b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!” Hirotake roared. Seeing himself trapped between enemies on both sides, while facing such overwhelming opposition, he knew the battle was already lost. Raising his greatsword, he charged directly toward Riyuki. Compared to the Blue Demons, he hated traitors even more.

“You are Celestial Maidens, yet you’ve allied yourselves with demons! Riyuki, I’ve never seen a woman as shameless as you!”

His greatsword came crashing down.

“Even demons are more honest than you so-called gods!” Riyuki retorted. “Hanatomi made an alliance with us as equals! Unlike the gods of Takamagahara, who treat us Celestial Maidens as slaves… and as prostitutes!”

As it turned out, Hanatomi had already found a way to establish contact with the rebel Celestial Maidens who had infiltrated the treasure-seeking forces inside the Celestial Demon Path. They had agreed that, once his army arrived, the Celestial Maidens would serve as the force within.

Meanwhile, Riyuki and the other rebel Celestial Maidens had quietly infiltrated the loyalist Celestial Maiden ranks. These troops did not belong to Suseri-hime’s five main forces. Having long endured humiliation and abuse, they were easily persuaded to defect when presented with such a heaven-sent opportunity.

Riyuki was no match for Hirotake. After only a few exchanges, she was overwhelmed and forced to retreat.

“Trying to run? Dream on! I’ll kill you first, you b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!” Hirotake bellowed as he gave chase.

“Who dares harm my ally?” Hanatomi let out a thunderous roar. His speed exploded as he carved a bloody path forward, smashing straight through the Yuten Army’s battle formation. His bluish-gray fist, harder than a Divine Artifact, hurtled toward Hirotake with world-shaking force.

Startled, Hirotake hurriedly raised his greatsword to block.

Hanatomi was one of the youngest powerhouses among the Supreme Gods. Having lived for only a few thousand years, he had already attained astonishing strength. His single punch shattered Hirotake’s greatsword outright.

The shockwave from the blow struck Hirotake squarely in the chest, caving it inward. Even his Spirit Sea was shaken to the brink of collapse as he was blasted backward, hurtling through the air.

“Lord Hirotake!” Several Yuten soldiers immediately flew after him, catching their gravely wounded commander before beginning an orderly retreat.

As for the mercenaries hired by the Kegaretsu Clan, they fled like frightened birds the moment they realized the situation had turned hopeless. Some of those mercenaries had been demons to begin with, and simply switched sides on the spot, joining the army pillaging Takamagahara.

“So you’re Miss Riyuki?” Hanatomi landed beside her and gently helped her to her feet. “Are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine.” Riyuki politely but firmly pushed him away. Although she was attracted to men, Hanatomi simply was not her type. While she could not deny he was a hero in his own right, he was still, in the end, a grotesque demon.

This battle… Hanatomi had already taken advantage of the weakened defenses, and with the Celestial Maidens coordinating their attack from within, the Heavenly Gate quickly fell.

After capturing the Heavenly Gate, the demons had no intention of holding territory or maintaining orderly formations. They immediately dispersed on the spot, with vast hordes flooding across every corner of Takamagahara to begin the plundering and vengeance they had dreamed of for so long.

“Brother Hanatomi!” one of the demons shouted. “Where are we heading next to loot treasures and women?”

Hanatomi grinned broadly. “Miss Riyuki told me that Takamagahara has the most exquisite courtesans in all Three Realms, the women of the Tennin Clan. They’re noble ladies who normally serve only the gods. Brothers, follow me! Let’s head for the great city of the Tennin Clan and enjoy ourselves to our hearts’ content!”

Hanatomi raised his thick arm high into the air, and the demon horde erupted into deafening cheers.

“Brother!” an obese, lecherous Blue Demon called out. “Those rebel Celestial Maiden girls are pretty fine too. How about we have them keep us company as well?”

**BAM!!**

Hanatomi’s massive foot lashed out, kicking the lecherous Blue Demon flying.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! Miss Riyuki and the others are our allies. Who dares lay a hand on them? If you fancy a Celestial Maiden, then ask her openly. But no one is allowed to force her. Otherwise… if any of you can survive a single punch from me, then I won’t interfere!”

The assembled demons shuddered in unison and immediately abandoned any thoughts of taking the rebel Celestial Maidens by force.