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Listed on Suzaku Avenue’s noticeboard were the Yoshitsune Memorial Martial Tournament’s final eight competitors. They had been grouped according to the drawing in the previous rounds.

Taira no Shizuru
Minamoto no Hiromasa
Nanashi
Yokota Daizo
Minamoto no Tsukawa
Makoto Oniwa
Lynne
Akimoto Hara

In a few days, north of the Suzaku Avenue, in front of the Heian Palace, the Yoshitsune Memorial Service would be held. Naturally the highlights of this would be the martial competition!

After qualifying for the finals, Lily didn’t celebrate but returned to the Cherry Blossom Valley.

It had already been a month since Ayaka had arranged for master level shikigami craftsmen to excavate magatamas in the valley.

Arriving at the valley, she found it much quieter than her last trip. Though the outer valley was still lively, of the inner valley residents, except for Kotoka, Sakiko and the female ninja mystic guards, her other sisters had all gone out to adventure and test themselves.

Arriving at the wooden cabin, Kotoka came out to welcome her.

“Lily, you’ve returned.”

Smiling, Lily responded, “Madam Kotoka, how has the valley been?”

“Ah, it’s been going well, Haihime, Yukiko and the others have all gone out to adventure, but because of the maze, no one can find Cherry Blossom Valley to create trouble.

Lily nodded before making her request, “Madam, I want to use the magatamas that were mined.”

“Ah, how many do you need?”
“All.”
“Eh?” Kotoka was stunned for a second, but quickly made arrangements. Within half a day, all the crystal clear magatamas mined had been packed into a box and delivered by the female ninjas. “A total of 1021 magatams. Within the eastern land, I do not think anyone else can bring out this number of magatamas.”

Seeing the big box of magatamas, Lily was satisfied, “This looks to be enough, I plan on using these magatamas to raise my strength to the peak of spirit jade.”

The peak of spirit jade, one step away from permanence. Once Lily sensed a path’s true meaning, she could condense a permanence essence and breakthrough to the permanence stage, she would not need any magatamas for the breakthrough.

Of course, she could rely on magatamas to forcibly breakthrough, but that would be an empty breakthrough. Only her energy would be at that of the permanence stage, her perception would be lacking and combat ability far lower.

Lily was only one step from understanding either the Lunar True Intent or Charming True Intent. How would she be willing to forcibly breakthrough?

Taking the magatamas with her to the depths of the Cherry Blossom Valley, she began to absorb.

In a few days, she had absorbed a total of 1001 magatamas and felt she could no longer absorb anymore. Her strength had reached the peak of the spirit jade.

Lily’s eyes focused and hair fluttered as she stood up full of confidence. If she encountered a late staged Throned General, she would still have the ability to put up a fight!

But if she encountered a peak staged Throne General, she would not be a match. She would not bother mentioning the much stronger Throned Sovereigns.

Even though throne adepts were rare, the gap in strength between the stages was as wide as the skies.

With the tournament about to start, Lily returned to the Chief Advisor’s mansion to rest and prepare.

“I must get the Izumo Mountain’s Invitation Scroll. For others, it may just be an opportunity, but this is related to senior sister’s fate! Although praying to the gods may not work, this is my only option! I need to try! Even if it’s not possible, I need to ask the gods for guidance!”

She had traveled so far, faced so many difficulties, and improved so much, but she still had no clear answer to senior sister’s slumber.

Lily could only feel worry and sadness.

But could worry or sadness solve the problem? If she let her worry or sadness disturb her mind and her powers stagnated or regressed, who would rescue senior sister? Who would wake pitiful senior sister sleeping in that cold stone room?

Even if Lily was sad, she had to cheer up and maintain the best state for training.

But how difficult was that? And how many could commiserate.

At times, she would become vulnerable to big sisters like Ayaka, but in front of an enemy, she was only resolute and strong!

In the face of someone who cared and loved her, she was so weak… The truth could not be told to anyone.

She would not think about it. Focus on training, the higher she stood, the farther she could see. Senior sister’s slumber would one day be cured!

……
……

While Lily was training for the tournament, in faraway Tanba’s maze forest. Powerful auras clashed within the forest maze!

Uesugi Rei and her group were once again besieged, but this time their opponents were not demons, but humans! A group of Tanba samurai and black clad onmyouji surrounded them in the forest.

“Kill! Kill these adepts! Take their weapons and treasures!”
“Catch the two women!”

From all directions, dirty wild samurais howled and charged at the group while the Onmyouji cast arcane artes from behind.

Strange light flashed everywhere in the mist as various artes flew at them.

“Pew! Pew!” Bolt after bolt of arcane artes exploded all around.

“Ah!” The ninja was hit on the shoulder by a flame bolt, half of his shoulder was charred black.

Hatano aimed at the origin of a streaking light and delivered a shot. Within the mist a scream echoed out as a black clad onmyoji fell down the hillside.

“Protect Nakajou!” Minamoto no Kenko and Toyama had put down the stretcher and countered the flying artes from both sides. Nakajou had already fallen into delusion and could not judge the danger. “This, is this the night market’s fireworks? I want to go home…”

Uesugi Rei stood at the front of the small team, her domain could only bless her team and suppress enemies but could not directly attack her opponents. The arcane artes posed little threat to her as she faced the charging samurais.

“This woman is so beautiful!”
“She must be from Heian-kyo! Capture her! Take her back for some fun!”

The wild samurai went berserk after seeing Rei’s snowy white legs, scanty clothes and elegant face and charged towards her.

“Pow—!” Rei swung around her ancient tachi, sending streak after streak of silver sword light at the wild samurais, chopping them up into pieces, but they continued to charge.

Tanba’s wild samurais wandered the mountains all year, they were not much different from the demons. Brutal, savage, and unafraid of death.

Rei was besieged by ten plus samurais, their strengths were uneven, some were weak but some were as strong as a spirit jade adept.

“Kyaa——!” Hatano let out a cry as she was knocked over, her firearm was grabbed by a samurai as the others started tearing at her clothes.

Rei kicked away the samurai in front of her before blurring away and beheading the enemies surrounding Hatano.

However, when Hatano retrieved her firearm, she found the firearm had been slashed and broken, she could no longer fire it.

On the other side, the ninja traveled through the trees avoiding the surrounding samurai and attacked the onmyouji with shurikens. Instantly he was the target of several arcane artes.

“Pew pew pew!” Multiple missiles exploded on him, sending him crashing down from the trees.

The surrounding wild samurais charged up to the fallen body and repeatedly stabbed down.

“Eiji!” Rei shouted his name and rushed over slaughtering the enemies surrounding him, but it was too late. He had suffered multiple wounds and his aura deprived spirit jade had also also been stabbed along with his heart.

“Miss Uesugi…” Eiji trembled as he spoke, the mask covering his face was depressed down on his mouth, he was suffering extreme pain.

Rei knelt down and removed the mask.

Eiji gasped for breath and managed to choke out a few last words “Miss Uesugi…coming here…was a mistake…live, live on, leave……”

Kuki Eiji’s pupils dilated and his body stiffened.

Infuriated, Rei no longer restrained herself to defense and slaughtered all enemies, samurai and onmyouji. Whoever she saw, she killed!

Finally, the enemies retreated after paying a huge price!

The sky drizzled with rain.

Rei took large breaths of air, her tattered clothes had long been soaked with sweat and stuck to her wet heated skin.

When they had gathered in the Land of Mino, they all had different goals but a common purpose, that purpose was Tanba’s Mount Ooe. Six different famed warriors of the younger generation had departed together.

But today, one of them had fallen.

Kuki Eiji had died, and if Nakajou’s wound was not tended to soon, it would be infected and his days would not last much longer.

In that battle, one of Toyama’s legs had been slashed. He was now wrapping the wound up with a bandage, but he would only be able to move forward with a cane in the future.

Kenki took deep breaths lying on the ground, he was covered in old wounds and some not so serious new wounds.

A wrecked firearm laid in the mud.

“Nn!? Where’s Hatano?” Rei had a bad feeling.

Only then did Kenki and Toyama notice that Hatano had disappeared. They looked around and only found one of Hatano’s shoes.

“No! She must have been captured!”

If she had left by herself, why would she leave behind a shoe? The little group looked desolate and the rain made things look even more gloomy.

“Those wild samurais must have a stronghold nearby. We must rescue Hatano.” Rei urged.

“Rescue? How are we going to rescue her? Miss Uesugi, I admire your comradeship, but look at my leg. I don’t even know if I can leave this place alive, how can we rescue her?” The tall Toyama looked down at his leg in despair. His leg bone had been cut clean apart, and he could only brace his leg with a tree branch.