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Tomoe Gozen, with her remarkable prowess, charged across the expansive Lake Biwa. Her strength was so formidable that even quintuple-soul Big Dipper Stage experts would hesitate to confront her. Though she was the strongest among quadruple-soul experts, her Spirit Skeleton Horse also wielded quadruple-soul level power, enhancing her combat effectiveness significantly.

Utilizing the advantages of her cavalry, Tomoe Gozen executed long-distance charges with a force surpassing ordinary quintuple-soul experts. Her speed as she maneuvered through the ironclad ships was astonishing, sowing chaos among the enemy ranks. The intense spiritual energy waves generated by her charges disrupted the energy fluctuations and formation links between the heavy warships, ultimately leading to the failure of the three demon generals in maintaining the great formation, even after they had burned their souls.

The collapse of the massive water dragon was dramatic, resembling a river plummeting from the sky, threatening to flood the village. Lily, quick to react, activated her soul world and used a gust of cherry blossoms and snow to disperse the impending flood.

“Lady Tomoe Gozen!” Lily exclaimed with joy upon seeing Tomoe Gozen’s timely intervention.

With the great formation broken and facing their limited double-soul strength, the three demon generals made a hasty retreat, burning their souls in desperation. Tomoe Gozen’s lightning bow and arrow took down one; Ayaka’s arcane arts fatally wounded another; the last, injured in the leg by Lily, barely escaped.

The other armored warships began to scatter in disarray. Comprised mostly of undead samurai, Ayaka and Tomoe Gozen showed no mercy, decimating many with their arcane arts and lightning bow and arrows. The remaining ships eventually dispersed, but Lily and her allies did not pursue them further.

The surface of Lake Biwa was now littered with damaged armored warships…

Tomoe Gozen approached, walking on the surface of the lake. “Lily, I promised to come to your aid in your war against Minamoto no Yoritomo! Though we didn’t defeat him last time, I won’t let him be as long as he and I exist in this world,” she declared.

“Lady Tomoe! We are deeply grateful for your and Lady Shizuka’s help last time,” Lily responded, bowing deeply. With Tomoe Gozen joining them, the strength of Lily’s army had significantly increased.

Tomoe Gozen’s ability to break formations and her prowess in large-scale open-field battles were invaluable assets.

The army rested temporarily on the shore of Lake Biwa. The once beautiful scenery was now overshadowed by dark clouds, particularly in the west, where endless darkness loomed, punctuated occasionally by volcanic eruptions. The western sky was filled with thick volcanic ash mixed with the aura of Yomi, forming a black fog.

Lily, standing on the deck of the huge sedan, gazed at this scene, reminiscing about the former beauty of Lake Biwa and feeling a sense of worry.

“Miss Lily, what are you thinking about?” Tomoe Gozen, clad in revealing armor, approached Lily. Almost as tall as Lily, Tomoe Gozen’s presence was imposing. Lily turned to her, feeling a strange sense of incongruity. This was the first time Lily had seen Tomoe Gozen standing on solid ground…

“Lady Tomoe, I’m worried about the changes in this world… Can we really make a difference? Sometimes, I feel like there isn’t anything we can do,” Lily expressed her concerns.

Tomoe Gozen, with a contemplative look, replied, “Lily, in my view, these changes are highly unusual. I’ve never witnessed anything like this. Not even Minamoto no Yoritomo has such power. Following your and Shizuka’s plan to ascend to Takamagahara and pray to Amaterasu-Omikami might be our turning point. This situation can’t be resolved solely by human efforts, so don’t burden yourself with too much worry.”

“Mmh…” Lily nodded, though her expression remained pensive. Tomoe Gozen turned and departed, leaving Lily alone with her thoughts.

Despite Tomoe Gozen’s assurances, Lily couldn’t shake off her doubts. She thought back to the Takadachi memorial and wondered why Yoshitsune hadn’t mentioned anything about these significant events, how the mirror ended up in her hands, and her own inexplicable arrival at Kamakura.

Her mind drifted to the memory of fainting in Takadachi, a fragmented recollection of her fall from the airplane, before finding herself in the streets of Kamakura. The circumstances of acquiring the ancient mirror seemed more than mere coincidence. And why had Yoshitsune called her the key to everything without mentioning the mission of the mirror girls?

However, now wasn’t the time for these musings. Yoritomo’s ambition to transform humans into demons, as a supposed improvement to adapt to this broken world, was the more pressing issue.

“Is turning into demons…the only way to survive?” Lily mused aloud, gazing at the tranquil lake.

“What are you muttering about, Lily?” Ashikaga Makoto approached her.

“Foster mother,” Lily greeted her with a bow.

“Why aren’t you resting? You seem troubled,” Makoto observed.

Lily voiced her doubts about Yoritomo’s philosophy. “Is turning into a demon truly worse than dying in a disaster for ordinary mortals?”

Makoto, leaning on the railing, gazed into the distance before replying, “Shouldn’t such a choice be left to the people themselves? Minamoto no Yoritomo has no right to impose his will on all of humanity. The right to choose their fate belongs to each individual. If someone enforces their ambition on others, it will never lead to a true future for humanity. Focus on your heart’s intentions, Lily. Your safety is crucial, not just for you but for those you care about. Are you still unsure why you fight?”

Lily assured her, “I’ve never hesitated. I’m just afraid that defeating Yoritomo won’t reverse these changes.”

“Lily, I believe you’ll find a way,” Makoto said, taking Lily’s hand with a reassuring smile.

“Eh?” Lily responded, a bit surprised.

“No matter how the world changes, we will walk together and face it together,” Makoto declared confidently.

Lily nodded slowly, expressing her gratitude, “Thank you, Mother Makoto.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lily embraced Makoto, seeking solace on her shoulder.

Makoto reciprocated the embrace, her arms wrapped gently around Lily’s waist. “Lily, I’ve heard about your condition. I’ve learned some massage therapy from Lady Ayaka. Let me try to treat you tonight.”

“Eh? Mother Makoto, not to be rude, but with your strength, won’t this be dangerous for you?”

“Haha, I specifically asked Lady Ayaka and she said just once or twice should be fine. The effectiveness of the treatment doesn’t depend on the difference in our strengths, but… Anyway, you can trust me.”

Lily walked somewhat unsteadily out of Makoto’s room, her delicate hand clutching her waist, clad in a thin yukata. “Mother Makoto used so much strength, even stopping me from using my power to resist. It feels like my waist might break…” Despite this, the release of tension left her feeling somewhat refreshed, her earlier agitation noticeably eased.

Returning to her room, Lily soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the darkness of her room, a voice, both cold and gentle, whispered intimately in Lily’s ears, “Lily, Lily…” This voice, unfamiliar yet deeply evocative, stirred something within her. It had been so long since she heard such a sound in this world, yet the familiarity was undeniable. It was a tenderness that she recognized instantly, a kind that could melt her defenses and control her in the subtlest of ways.

Her heart started racing, her breathing quickened, and a warm flush spread across her cheeks. Despite the years and the distance from her past life, the connection to that voice remained unbroken. “Senior Sister! Rinne!” Lily called out, her voice tinged with a mix of yearning and confusion.

Surrounded by darkness, Lily found herself in a liminal state, hovering between sleep and wakefulness. She attempted to rise, to move towards the voice, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It felt as if she was submerged in water, her limbs heavy and unresponsive.

“Sister Rinne! Where are you? Rinne, don’t leave me alone. Rinne…”

Feeling suddenly able to move, Lily stood and walked out in a daze, feeling an inexplicable heat throughout her body. She shed her white yukata, leaving herself in just a small white strapless bra and G-string panties, and quietly exited. Her sisters, deeply asleep, remained unaware of her departure.

The deserted lakeshore was silent as she continued walking, Rinne’s voice echoing again in her mind, intensifying the warmth she felt despite the cold night air. Her attire, barely held by thin straps, seemed almost ethereal in the moonlight.

Drawn to Lake Biwa, Lily stepped into the water, wading deeper until fully submerged. Despite her strength, the lake’s pressure felt like a gentle touch, rousing her from her drowsy state. Looking down at her scant attire and the marks on it, she felt a wave of embarrassment. “What am I doing here, like this, in the middle of the night? Sister Rinne?” she wondered, scanning the dark waters around her, finding no trace of her senior sister.

Ordinary fish swam by, their eyes gleaming eerily in the dark water, which she attributed to her heightened sensitivity.

Her attention then turned to the silent ruins of a palace at the lake’s bottom. “Biwa Palace?” she thought, recalling her previous venture here and the celestial maiden undergarment she had found. As she prepared to leave, she sensed something enigmatic about the palace, something beyond her current spiritual perception. Intrigued, Lily swam towards the Biwa Palace, entering through the familiar water gate. Inside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary initially, but as she ventured deeper, the path ahead became shrouded in darkness.

Suddenly, Lily was struck by an immense water pressure, so intense that only those with strength at the Throne Saint level or above could withstand it. Along with this pressure came an unusual fluctuation, potent enough to disorient and mislead those with weaker souls.

Yet, none of these daunting elements could deter the current Lily.