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For over ten days, Lily traveled atop an earth dragon, escorted by the Rakshasa warriors. Throughout the journey, she witnessed the peculiar hues of Yomi and braved its tempestuous winds and rains.

Their path led them through various hells: the Hell of Flames, Hell of Iron Winds, Hell of Passion, Hell of Hunger, and the Hell of Frost…

Lily witnessed the underworld’s torment; the Hell of Iron Winds featured devastatingly sharp gales year-round. Even a careless demon of significant power could be sent hurtling through the air, while ordinary beings would be shredded upon arrival by the fierce winds.

The Hell of Hunger presented a dire fate; those who fell into it were forced to vanquish tens of thousands of famished ghosts or be consumed to their very bones.

The Hell of Passion was exclusive to females, inhabited by myriad alluring men who pursued incoming women with various schemes. However, their ultimate aim was to swindle her treasures and sap her essence. Common female souls cast into this hell, driven by profound yearnings for love and safeguarding in life, risked eternal entrapment without reincarnation, leading to the dissolution of their souls.

The names of the Hells of Flames and Frost aptly described these domains – one enshrouded in chilling, white snowfall, the other a world ablaze with scarlet flames.

Eventually, they reached the Rakshasa Dojo.

The dojo sat within a vast rift across Yomi’s boundless wastelands, spanning a valley of several tens of thousands of miles in length and three miles in width. It featured solitary mountain peaks, dense jungles, and myriad places of dread. While the dojo was under the Rakshasa clan’s dominion, and the clan boasted a handful of elite experts, numerous perilous and enigmatic creatures lurked within its bounds.

A singular taboo governed the territory: the prohibition against the entry of male beings, specifically humanoid male gods or demons, with no such ban on non-humanoid males. The permitted monsters served predominantly as training for the Rakshasa’s forthcoming generations, yet the danger remained substantial.

Navigating the vast valley, the earth dragons wove through the dense greenery. Towering trees stretched up to ten thousand meters, enveloped in thick, thorny vines, while luminous flowers and radiant crystals adorned the landscape.

Nestled within the forest lay modest pavilions, their ancient rooftops illuminated by the pure light of crystalline stones, shrouded in a gentle mist. Despite the overarching darkness, the place exuded an undeniable beauty.

To Lily, this might have been the most breathtaking locale she’d encountered in Yomi.

The earth dragons halted in an open area before a pavilion.

“Come with me!” Renka commanded, securing Lily by the waist before leaping to the ground.

“Please… put me down, I can walk…” Recognizing her situation, Lily opted for a more polite and submissive tone, understanding that rudeness would not serve her well here. Escape, she realized, would have to be a long-term goal.

Lily felt a sense of relief upon learning that males were forbidden from entering the valley. With death or being handed over to a male seemingly off the table, she wondered what intentions they could possibly have for her.

Regardless of their plans, she was prepared to endure; this situation, she realized, could have been far worse.

Concerning the whereabouts of Shizuka Gozen, Lily acknowledged her current inability to save herself, let alone another.

Renka set Lily down but remained unresponsive to her inquiries, merely pulling her into the grand edifice. Inside stood a statue of a fearsome demon god, bathed in the light from crystalline stones, its appearance strikingly intimidating.

“Captain Renka,” greeted numerous female guards within the building, offering salutes upon noticing her arrival.

Renka guided Lily across the spacious building to an inner courtyard filled with women, either standing or in meditation. Survival here implied considerable strength; each was a beauty, with several female human adepts among them.

Lily observed that their attire varied significantly from that of the Rakshasa warriors. Several were bound to a copper pillar, while others, mostly disrobed, dangled upside down from ghost-headed racks—a sight that appeared deeply humiliating.

From nearby came the wails of a female adept, the cause of her punishment unclear. One Rakshasa warrior restrained her on a black iron rack as another removed her skirt and began to spank her vigorously.

The other women in the area seemed unfazed, indicating a troubling familiarity with such scenes.

Renka eased Lily’s shackles before nudging her into the atrium, cautioning, “Stay here. Attempt to flee, and her fate will be yours.”

“……” Lily, silent, dreaded such humiliation. Had they really expended so much effort and risked so much just to torment her in this manner?

After Renka’s departure, Lily scrutinized her surroundings, noting Rakshasa warriors on guard throughout the complex—corridors, courtyards, rooftops—and sensed elaborate, potent formations and traps. Escape would demand a thorough understanding of her environment to avoid precipitating her own misfortune.

Moreover, safety post-escape was far from guaranteed.

With her limited knowledge of Yomi, Lily recognized that immediate action was imprudent. Escaping, only to fall into the clutches of a formidable male demon, could result in an even graver predicament.

Approaching a warrior nearby, Lily observed her human-like appearance, marked by a purple band on her forehead and a masculine warrior’s attire, which was notably torn, exposing areas of her back and legs adorned with bruises.

Lily inquired cautiously, “Miss, do you know why we’ve been captured and brought here?”

The woman glanced at Lily and shook her head, warning, “Don’t ask questions. Whispering is prohibited here; you risk being beaten.”

Lily fell silent, joining the other women in a prolonged, disregarded wait. Though they could signal Rakshasa warriors for brief excursions, doing so too often risked punishment.

They remained in a daze for over ten days; any disturbance resulted in being strung up and disciplined.

Silence was their only recourse.

Periodically, additional blade maidens and female adepts were imprisoned alongside them. Renka made several visits solely to verify the captives’ presence, leaving shortly after. Lily’s inquiries ceased following threats of punishment.

Even the least powerful captive was a single-soul Big Dipper, for whom enduring ten days to a fortnight here posed no issue.

Eventually, Renka and other captains, whose auras far exceeded Lily’s perception, arrived, declaring the assembly now sufficient.

Renka proclaimed, “Heads up, her highness Rakshasa will meet you shortly. Spruce up and spare us any tears—true grievances lie ahead.”

With that, the captives all felt a jolt through their hearts.

Soon after, Rakshasa-Onna made her appearance, hovering midair in her white kimono adorned with purple threads, surveying the captives with her gown billowing around her.

“A count of one hundred. Pay attention: you are among the premier blade maidens and adepts from across Yomi, chosen for favor by my Rakshasa Dojo.”

The captives wore complex expressions, puzzled over the significance of such a declaration given their forceful abduction.

Disregarding their looks, Rakshasa-Onna proceeded, “To be favored by my Rakshasa Dojo represents a significant chance, albeit fraught with peril. You will join as members, part of the newly forming Night Parade of One Hundred Maidens—an event that occurs but once in a millennium.”

“Night Parade of One Hundred Maidens?” The declaration left the captives bewildered

Rakshasa-Onna commanded, “Renka, explain to them the specific principles and rules of the Night Parade.”

Renka stepped forward, affirming, “For the next three years, you, the chosen hundred, will train at the Rakshasa Dojo. You’ll learn our secret skills and methods. The extent of secret techniques and resources you gain will rely on your own efforts. Moreover, we’ll instruct you in our clan’s songs, dances, and the ways of the maiden, enriching your grasp of seduction arts.”

A blade maiden inquired, “How does this differ from the practices of other tribes?”

“An excellent query. Training in the Rakshasa dojo, particularly as a Night Parade member, is rigorous. You aren’t just regular dojo members; you’re part of the elite Night Parade, devoid of personal freedom until the ultimate triumph.”

“Ultimate triumph?” Lily’s confusion was palpable. Given this was a training regimen, why was ‘victory’ a factor?

Rakshasa-Onna smiled and succinctly added, “Put simply, escape is impossible.”

Renka went on, “We’re committed to thoroughly training the Night Parade, subjecting you to rigorous evaluations. You’ll be tested through competitions, night missions, and trials. A single failure results in disqualification! After three years, only the final trial’s victor will emerge as the true leader of the Night Parade.”

A three-year timeline, a decisive final trial, and a single failure leading to elimination, leaving only one victor? In essence, the rest—ninety-nine participants—would face elimination.

While many were devoted to their training, this revelation imposed immense pressure on the room’s adepts and blade maidens.

Additionally, some were averse to the idea of enduring such rigorous training.

A female adept clad in green questioned, “What fate befalls the eliminated? Are they released?”

“Release? Ehehe,” Renka sneered with a cold laugh, “And who, pray tell, will reimburse us for the resources we’ve poured into your training? Be warned, those eliminated will be dispatched wherever we deem fit. This could mean laboring in mines under brutal conditions, serving in brothels managed by the Kijou Valley’s overlords for the denizens of Yomi, or being sold directly as a concubine or slave to a Yomi overlord. Our decision is final, and what I’ve described are merely the more common fates. The rarer ones, well, might just haunt your dreams.”

Rakshasa-Onna, covering her mouth with her sleeve, interjected, “Bear in mind, failure in the Night Parade guarantees a fate most dire—unbearably grim. Ehehehehe…”