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The use of such an unusual formation by Daitengu for a duel with Lily wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed.

Lily, no longer the naive girl who first arrived in this world, had faced trials from heaven’s punishment to the Yomi underworld. With Kagura in the mirror space holding three blood spirit magatama, ready to strike at any moment, along with Yuki-Onna and the Record of One Hundred Demons, she was far from defenseless. Lily knew if Daitengu truly intended a fair duel, that would be more worrying than any trick. But Lily was prepared for anything.

Confronting Daitengu with an icy gaze, Lily challenged, “What other tricks do you have? Just use them! Or, shall I make my move?”

Daitengu’s response was charged with audacity. “Woman, your power has grown, but remember your place! Now, feel my wrath!” With a wave of his round fan, he unleashed gusts of greenish-black wind towards Lily, resembling dark blades stretching a hundred meters long.

Lily countered effortlessly, her voluminous sleeves unleashing strands of silver ribbons that danced in the sky, dissipating the powerful wind gusts. “You think I’m here for games?” she retorted.

“Indeed, you possess many peculiar techniques, woman!” Daitengu conceded, stowing his fan and brandishing his golden club. “But what use are techniques against absolute power?” he questioned, his tone laced with derision.

Ayaka, observing anxiously from outside the formation, frowned. She had tried to break the ancient, rare formation, but it was clear that dismantling it would take a considerable amount of time, longer than it would take for two powerful experts to engage in multiple duels.

Michizane, witnessing the scene, couldn’t help but express his frustration. “That despicable, deceitful Cloistered Emperor! By confining the battle to such a small space, he’s put Lily at a disadvantage!” His voice was laced with anger, lightning crackling in his mouth.

The tight confines of the hundred-meter space significantly restricted Lily’s room to maneuver, limiting her renowned agility and speed.

“Miss Kagami…” Masakado, deeply concerned, voiced his worry for Lily’s well-being.

“Prepare yourself, Kagami Lily!” Daitengu, fully aware of the limited space, activated his demon god physique, enlarging his form to over ten meters. His golden club grew proportionally, dominating the confined area. The looming shadow of the club, now magnified, posed an even greater challenge for Lily to evade.

With a resounding crash that reverberated through the air, Daitengu swung the massive club, conjuring a phantom image of the weapon that descended upon Lily with crushing power.

“Lily!” The worried cries rang out as everyone watched the looming threat. Lily, facing Daitengu, a supreme archdemon known for his brute strength, might find herself at a disadvantage. The phantom club, extending over ten meters, loomed large, nearly filling the confined space, making evasion a challenge.

Yet, Lily stood unfazed, her hand casually resting on her sword’s hilt. With a graceful half-turn, she swiftly raised her leg, clad in black silk, and delivered a powerful kick. As her celestial maiden wooden sandal connected, it conjured the illusory image of a purple moon, which surged forward like a tempestuous storm.

With a resounding boom, the illusory moon collided with the massive dark phantom club, scattering it upon impact. The residual force of the moon, still pulsating with energy, hurtled towards the astonished Daitengu. With a loud bang, the force of Lily’s kick struck Daitengu squarely. The ten-meter-tall figure of the Cloistered Emperor staggered backward under the impact, his black feathers detaching and scattering in disarray.

Shock reverberated among the onlookers, particularly Michizane and the other vengeful spirits. The Cloistered Emperor’s spirit artifact, known to knock down Ayaka with a single blow, was effortlessly neutralized. Though merely the phantom of the club, its formidable power was reputed to shatter mountains and rivers. Yet, Lily, without drawing her sword, dismantled it with a mere kick. The kick’s residual force left the Cloistered Emperor reeling in a disheveled state.

This pivotal clash between Lily and the club underscored a startling revelation: Lily’s strength surpassed that of the Cloistered Emperor. Opting not to use her sword wasn’t a mere whim; Lily knew her legs, fueled by innate power, could rival the brute force of the phantom club. Her decision to dismantle it with a kick rather than cleaving it with Dojigiri-Yasutsuna was a calculated choice, exploiting her own strengths.

Daitengu, his voice tinged with disbelief and agitation, confronted Lily, “Kagami Lily… Despite my elaborate preparations, I never anticipated this. How did you gain such strength in so short a time? It defies reason! Who exactly are you? What mysterious origins do you conceal?”

Lily replied coolly, “If someone could first provide answers to my own origins, I’d gladly share the truth.”

Daitengu, his agitation evident, rebuked Lily, “Hmph! Your evasive tactics won’t work on me! With such astounding power, you’re no ordinary being. Perhaps a celestial maiden or a Yomi demoness, or even their descendant? Your arrogance now might soon attract Yomi or Takamagahara’s attention, seeking your capture! You remind me of the fallen celestial maiden, Bishamonten, from ages past!”

Lily, unfazed by Daitengu’s conjectures, replied with a calm, enigmatic smile, “If I truly were a celestial maiden, why would I engage in this battle? Couldn’t I simply return to Takamagahara and request the great gods to rid the world of darkness?”

Daitengu, his laughter echoing with scorn, retorted, “Ah, Kagami Lily, your naivety is almost pitiful! Possessing such strength, yet you fail to see the bigger picture. Why wait for them to come for you? I shall personally apprehend you on Takamagahara’s behalf for your ignorance!”

The intensity of the situation escalated as the ground within the enclosed area burst open, revealing six powerful tengu, each wielding a thick black chain. They soared into the sky, their chains aimed at Lily. In the confined space, evading these chains while contending with the Cloistered Emperor would be an arduous task. Even if she managed to dodge for the moment, maintaining such evasive maneuvers was unsustainable in the long run.

Lily, upon seeing the chains hurtling towards her, couldn’t help but express her disappointment with a resigned “Tsk,” acknowledging Daitengu’s unwillingness to honor his word. “Daitengu, so this is your true nature,” she remarked quietly.

The sight of the chains flying towards Lily caused her sisters to worry. Despite having the option to let Kagura intervene, Lily chose not to utilize her trump card for a threat of this magnitude.

Lily’s approach to the incoming chains was not one of evasion but of confrontation. She displayed remarkable agility, reminiscent of a leaf dancing in the wind. Evading two chains effortlessly, she then caught another with a swift movement. Using the chain she had grasped, Lily ingeniously whipped it around, entangling another chain that was headed her way. Facing two more chains from above and below, she utilized her agility once again. With a precise kick, Lily deflected the lower chain, while the upper one narrowly missed her, passing closely by her long hair and sweeping across her back in a swift motion.

The chain forcefully kicked by Lily collided with a double-soul tengu, sending it flying through the air with a loud crash. As two more chains rapidly approached from opposite directions, Lily, with a graceful twirl, allowed them to intersect beside her. She swiftly caught both chains in one hand, while her sword skillfully snagged the others. The momentum of the chains slowed, allowing Lily to gain control over all five. She began to spin, generating an immense force that whirled the five attached tengu around in a dizzying display. In the confined space of a hundred meters, a slight tug from Lily sent two of the tengu smashing into the formation’s barrier with a resounding impact.

The force of the collision disintegrated their bodies into a mist of blood, with black feathers scattering in the aftermath. Lily expertly released two more chains, propelling two additional tengu—one crashing against the formation with a loud thud, the other flying directly towards the Cloistered Emperor, who caught his subordinate with a frustrated grunt.

The last tengu, left spinning on its chain, was flung to the ground with such force that it caused a tremor, shaking the Heian Palace. The impact of the tengu being driven deep into the earth resonated through the area.

Undeterred, Lily reeled in the remaining loose chains, dragging the four disoriented tengu back. Two let go of their chains, while the other two, tangled and unable to dodge, were at Lily’s mercy. With swift precision, her sword, Dojigiri-Yasutsuna, descended upon the bound duo with a swift whoosh.

In a single, clean strike, the two entwined tengu were severed at the waist, their halves falling with a soft thud.

Enraged by the unexpected turn of events, Daitengu swung his massive golden club at Lily. She nimbly retreated, seizing the last tengu still clinging to its chain, and flung it towards the Cloistered Emperor.

Daitengu was forced to repel his own subordinate with the club, the impact echoing with a loud bang.

In that moment, Lily, following the trajectory of the tengu’s body, lunged forward with Dojigiri-Yasutsuna, ablaze in a brilliant purple light. The collision of her sword with the golden club produced a resonant clang that echoed through the night. The impact sent Daitengu reeling back, crashing into the formation’s boundary with a thunderous rumble, then tumbling to the ground, creating a crater amidst a shower of rocks.

In the center of the formation, Lily stood still and composed, a stark contrast to the chaos around her.

The onlookers, including her sisters, Michizane, Masakado, and various officials and military generals of Heian-kyō, as well as numerous demons and ghosts near the Heian Palace square, were stunned by the display of power. The formation, while limiting Lily’s movements, also served to protect those outside from the battle’s shockwaves.

On a nearby pavilion, Minamoto no Hiromasa, Abe no Seimei, Bhikkhuni, and several others watched in awe.

“Lily… This, what kind of shocking power is this?!” Hiromasa exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

“It’s hard to imagine that such a beautiful and charming girl can possess such immense power!” Seimei observed, his voice tinged with amazement.