| Author: Carrot Sauce | Original Source: SFACG | Word Count: 3143 characters |
| Translator: Keissen | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1476 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
As Lily attempted to regain her balance, Lord Kamakura and Daitengu unleashed waves of dark blade energy and spells. She skillfully swung her weapon, deflecting them all. However, she suddenly found herself under the looming shadow of the crimson red demon, Ikusa, as he stomped down from above. With remarkable speed, Lily dodged but stumbled into his tail, which was thick, strong, and more agile than his limbs. Reacting subconsciously, Lily chose to ignore the impending threat of the tail swipe and instead counterattacked with Yasutsuna.
With a resounding impact, her blade sliced across the tail, propelling her back against the formation wall. Although Ikusa’s tail was deeply wounded, it seemed to have little effect on him, instead cleverly reducing the force of his earlier attack.
“Lily!”
Ayaka, Rei, Shimizu, and the other sisters expressed their concern. Despite the heavy blow, Lily was not seriously injured.
By this time, Daitengu had recovered enough to mend his wounds slightly using various treasures. He attacked Lily with a barrage of spells from his fan. As Lily hit the formation wall, Lord Kamakura charged at her before she could recover. She deftly somersaulted away from the spell impacts and simultaneously evaded Lord Kamakura’s assault aimed at her waist. Using her Sakura Parasol to block his blade, Lily descended while pushing up his blade, spinning around to reach his waist and stabbing Yasutsuna in a swift backhand motion.
Yasutsuna sliced into Kamakura’s waist, eliciting a low roar from him. He instantly retaliated with a massive slap, sending Lily flying back into the formation wall, tumbling painfully before bouncing off. In response, Lily enlarged her Sakura Parasol and swung it hard, whipping Lord Kamakura’s head and slamming him into the wall.
Just as she created some distance, Ikusa’s claws came flying towards her. Despite the pain from previous attacks, Lily waited for the right moment and then executed a high kick against the claws, thicker and longer than her blade. The impact from her Celestial Maiden’s slippers was so forceful that it snapped three of Ikusa’s claws. His scream of agony echoed as the pain from the broken claws overwhelmed him.
As Daitengu swung his club, Lily leapt up in response, but she was struck in the leg, having no time to fully evade. The blow sent her rolling in the air, but she used this momentum to launch a counterattack with her sword. She inflicted a cut spanning from Daitengu’s face to his chest, shattering his red mask and revealing half of Daitengu’s disfigured face. The spectators were left in shock by the reveal.
Lily’s bravery was undeniable. In a situation that seemed insurmountable, she fought with the ferocity and grace of a goddess of war. Her ability to counterattack fiercely, even under such pressure, spoke volumes of her courage and skill.
From a distant rooftop, Abe no Seimei watched, overcome with a mix of respect and amazement. He sighed, unable to contain his admiration. “A genius…” he muttered to himself. “Kagami Lily is maintaining focus in combat despite these dire circumstances, as if she was born for the battlefield, destined to embrace the dance of death. She’s a true prodigy!” His words echoed the sentiment of all who witnessed her relentless fighting spirit.
Daitengu, with half his face exposed, instinctively covered it, still reluctant to show his true appearance. Meanwhile, Lord Kamakura and the crimson demon continued their relentless assault on Lily. In the heat of battle, Lily was so focused that she forgot she could call on Kagura for assistance. Her mind was entirely consumed by the fight.
As Lord Kamakura missed an attack and kicked at her, Lily blocked Ikusa’s claws with her weapon while raising her knee to block Kamakura’s kick, sending her flying towards the wall again. In a swift maneuver, she turned around, ran up the wall, and then leapt behind Lord Kamakura, striking him with a downward blade slice from above.
Lord Kamakura sustained a terrible wound on his back, black blood and smoke trailing from it. Having landed, Lily quickly tossed her Sakura Parasol towards Daitengu, while releasing stellar threads from her hand to bind Lord Kamakura’s legs. She wrapped the threads around her sword-bearing arm, suddenly yanked them, sending Lord Kamakura crashing into Ikusa’s tail, which was about to whip towards her.
The impact sent Lord Kamakura flying, splattering black blood on the formation wall. Lily then hurled Yasutsuna, piercing Lord Kamakura’s chest.
Ikusa stomped towards Lily, who skillfully dodged by rolling away. In a fluid motion, she slid on the ground and drew Himiko’s longbow. With a swift release, an arrow struck Ikusa’s eye. He covered his eye, screeching in pain.
Meanwhile, Lily rolled over and yanked the threads, pulling the nearly crucified Lord Kamakura towards herself. As he rapidly approached, Lily leapt up, grabbed the weapon embedded in his chest with both hands, and spun her wrists before pulling back. A tearing sound echoed as the blade passed through his chest and sliced out of his shoulder, shattering Lord Kamakura’s Spirit Sea. As a clone, Lord Kamakura had no soul, but a Stellar Soul and three reserves. This attack destroyed two of his Stellar Souls. He fell to the ground, severely injured.
Having his spells blocked by Sakura Parasol, Daitengu found a new position behind Ikusa, continuously casting spells at Lily. Ikusa, with only one eye, swung his fists at her, but his impaired perception allowed Lily to evade and leap across his arm, using his massive body as cover to target Daitengu.
“What?” Daitengu was shocked, quickly using his club to block. The force of Lily’s attack pushed the club away, striking his shoulder. He roared in anger, his voice shrill with pain as Lily’s Yasutsuna dug into his shoulder. Ikusa swiped his claws at her from behind. “Hahahaha! Kagami Lily, you’re dead!” Daitengu screamed joyously.
Lily’s eyes hardened as her blade descended, severing his arm and most of his shoulder. Ikusa’s claws then hit her, sending her flying. Daitengu, now missing an arm and half his shoulder, dropped his club and screamed, blood spraying everywhere.
“Lily!” Ayaka and the others focused on destroying the formation, especially targeting the cracked spot. As Lily flew backward, she released lunar threads to wrap around Ikusa’s horns, slowing her momentum. Ikusa whipped his head, sending Lily to the side, but her momentum was reduced. She spun in the air and started running on the formation wall.
Ikusa, filled with rage, gathered all his energy. With a thunderous sound, he charged at Lily, his sharp horns leading the attack1. This charge was significantly more destructive than his previous tail and claw assaults, posing a lethal threat to Lily. Reacting with extraordinary agility, she twisted her body, narrowly evading the horns. The impact of the horns against the already damaged formation wall caused a loud crash, piercing through and creating a network of cracks.
With a resounding thud, the massive formation crumbled. Cries of “Lily!” and “Lady Kagami!” echoed as Ayaka, Shimizu, Michizane, Masakado, Tomoe Gozen, Lily’s sisters, and numerous powerful Archdemons rushed into the breach without hesitation.
Lord Kamakura, gravely injured, had just managed to stand when Shimizu’s Yakumo struck his heart from behind. Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to penetrate his skin in one strike, but Kamakura’s strength had significantly weakened after losing two souls, and the attack was a surprise. His dark energy, already compromised, began dissipating and was absorbed into Shimizu’s body. “Aaaaaargh!” Lord Kamakura swung wildly in response.
Tomoe Gozen’s massive bone horse added to the chaos, stomping down on his hand, the impact resonating through the battlefield. She then raised her red lightning blade, her voice resolute, “You killed my husband, you must pay! This is what you get!” Her blade was poised threateningly at his head.
Hundreds of miles away, the original Yoritomo felt the abrupt severance of his connection to the clone. “Damn it2!” he cursed, his frustration evident in the eerie green light that bathed his contorted face.
On the battlefield, the black-armored soldiers and demon commanders were quickly overpowered and defeated. The group, including Sugawara no Michizane, Ayaka, Shizuka Gozen, Taira no Masakado, and Hashihime, surrounded Ikusa and delivered a thorough beating, leaving him no chance to retaliate.
“No, no way. How could this be?” Realizing the tide had turned against him, Daitengu, engulfed in black feathers and smoke, clutched his injured shoulder and made a desperate attempt to escape into the palace. “Lily! We’ll handle this! Don’t let Daitengu escape!” Ayaka shouted, launching her spells at the red demon. Despite his formidable strength, Daitengu was overwhelmed by the combined force of the Archdemons and Heian Dynasty powerhouses.
“Don’t think about running3!” Refusing to let Daitengu flee, Lily quickly retrieved her Sakura Parasol and pursued him through the air at a speed matching his black-winged flight, determinedly chasing him into the palace.
