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Having gained a better understanding of the rules of the area, Lily pushed forward cautiously, making sure to steer clear of any inhabitants, either by avoiding them entirely or darting past them quickly. However, her lack of familiarity with the surroundings led her to be pursued by a sizable band of vagrants, ultimately leading to her entrapment at a crossroads.

“We are the Sinless Domain’s Iron Fang Dojo! Woman, if you don’t want to die, hand over your blade and valuables! And strip!” The leader, a hefty vagrant dressed in a black karate uniform, aimed his weapon at Lily, while twenty of his underlings surrounded her.

“Strip!”
“Strip! Unless you want us to strip you, woman!”
“……”

Most of these vagrants were at awakened level, and the leader was only an early-stage spirit jade adept. Lily had no intention of killing them, but their insults were becoming unbearable. As an expert at the throne level, she could not tolerate such disrespect!

“Huu—” Lily’s domain pulsed and sakura blossom petals floated.
“What?”
“Flowers?”
“How can there be sakura blossoms in the Sinless Domain?”

The group of vagrants looked around in confusion. Suddenly, the cherry blossom petals began to emit a bright glow, transforming into sakura-colored needles. Invisibly and silently, the needles darted among the twenty vagrants, attacking and destroying their spirit seas. One by one, the twenty individuals collapsed to the ground, lifeless, without any visible wounds. Lily continued on her way, unaware that her actions had been detected by some surveillance tools hidden within the Sinless Domain.

The Sinless Domain was teeming with vagrants who were quick to attack upon encounter, as well as numerous ancient mechanisms hidden amidst the ruins. Unless Lily stopped and conducted a thorough investigation, some of these mechanisms would be exceedingly difficult to identify, let alone preemptively destroy.

Lily refrained from deploying her domain on a large scale, as doing so would effectively signal her presence to all within the Sinless Domain. Currently, she wore a veil to conceal her identity. Since many individuals came and went on a daily basis in the area, no one paid particular attention to a solitary traveler such as herself.

At this time, on the outskirts of Nara-kyo, in a dimly lit dojo, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro sat cross-legged, wearing a brown karate uniform adorned with the Sakanoue family crest.

“Teacher! We have discovered Kagami Lily’s location¹!” A vagrant reported.

“Oh?” In the shadows, Tamuramaro’s eyes blazed with ferocity. “I have heard news from Heian-kyo that Fujiwara no Ayaka was defeated by Minamoto no Yoritomo. It can be said that Kagami Lily has lost her most formidable supporter. It seems that the time for revenge has arrived!”

Tamuramaro stood up and inquired, “Given such circumstances, does Kagami Lily dare to return to Heian-kyo? Ehehe… is she intending to rescue her master? She’s merely seeking death! I must depart for Heian-kyo immediately!”

“That… Teacher…”
“What?”
“That… that hateful woman… isn’t at Heian-kyo, she’s… she’s here in the Sinless Domain!”

“What!?” Tamuramaro’s eyes brimmed with ferocity as he burst into maniacal laughter. “Ahahahahaha! She has delivered herself right to my doorstep! Marvelous! Today, I shall offer a blood sacrifice for my son!”

……

Wearing a veil may have been sufficient to deceive the common people, but the Maro Dojo regarded Lily as their top adversary! They were intimately acquainted with Lily’s physique, mannerisms, combat techniques, aura, and spiritual energy. Merely donning a veil would not suffice to conceal her identity from them, particularly if she employed her Domain Attack – a distinctive technique that was one of Lily’s trademarks.

Unaware that she had already been exposed, Lily reached the outskirts of Nara-kyo. This locale was replete with dilapidated and abandoned dwellings, serving as a testament to its former status as the most prosperous capital in the realm. Lily could sense that the animosity in the atmosphere was intensifying.

Boom——!!!

A formidable battle aura materialized at the base of the city walls.

“Throned Monarch!??”

Even though a throned monarch was not a match for Lily, the presence of an absolute expert demanded her attention. She couldn’t ignore this level of battle. So, Lily leaped onto a nearby rooftop and cautiously made her way towards the clash.

As she drew nearer, she observed a young, diminutive woman engaged in a fierce battle with a formidable late-stage throned sovereign arch-demon.

The creature was a massive lizard, its body spanning over ten meters in length, with green skin and three heads of red, yellow, and black, emanating a potent sense of anger and hatred. Lily could sense that the source of the resentment didn’t feel like an animal’s but rather a human’s. As she observed the beast, she noticed that the red head in the center was adorned with a small court hat. The two powerful throned beings engaged in combat, unleashing gusts of wind and causing earthquakes that toppled numerous buildings.

“Mm?” Lily observed the young girl more closely and realized that she was very peculiar. The girl had no shadow, and the only shadow Lily could see was that of her nodachi, which appeared to be out of proportion to her small frame.

“This girl… is she not human?”

Lily watched in awe as the battle between the unusual girl and the giant lizard unfolded. Despite the monster’s lower realm, it relied on its superior strength to hold its own against the girl. Lily observed as the lizard’s sharp claws pierced through the girl, only for her body to turn transparent and her aura to weaken slightly. However, as the girl’s aura weakened, the nodachi glowed with eldritch energy and sliced off one of the lizard’s heads. The monster howled in pain and spat out a cloud of green mist before attempting to flee. However, the girl swiftly pursued the lizard and slashed through the mist with a powerful strike.

Blood sprayed out from the green mist as it dissipated, revealing the transparent figure of the young girl standing before them. Although she wasn’t sweating, Lily could sense her heavy breathing. In front of the girl was a large lizard tail with neat blade cuts, which was clearly wounded by the girl’s nodachi. It seemed that the main body of the lizard arch-demon had already fled. The girl appeared slightly disappointed, but she still collected the lizard tail.

The girl’s eyes started darting around vigilantly, “Who!?”

Lily didn’t intend to cause trouble and had turned to leave, but…

“Mm?” The blade in the girl’s hand drew her attention, that was a cursed blade!

The young girl didn’t seem to be human. Lily wondered if this was the legendary fate of all cursed blades – to slaughter until the cursed blade consumed everything and became the main body. As a naturally awakened blade maiden, Lily was still unaware of many of the blade maiden’s secrets. Perhaps she could learn something from this young girl. She jumped off the roof and landed on the ground.

“It looks like your target has fled?”
“If it weren’t for you, Uehara Taisei would not have escaped me,” the girl replied in an indifferent and ethereal voice, without even looking at Lily.
“Taisei? That… that lizard was Taisei?”
“Uehara Taisei was a nobleman from the Nara dynasty who died thousands of years ago. His body was burned in a fire, but his spirit was filled with resentment and later possessed a gecko on the palace walls, eventually becoming a monster.” The girl explained.
“Mm…” Lily nodded

The girl finally turned to face Lily and extended her hand. “Give me a treasure,” she demanded.

Lily was taken aback. “Why should I give you a treasure?” she asked.

“Because of your appearance, Uehara Taisei escaped, and you have to repay my loss,” the girl explained.

“That had nothing to do with me. You were the one who allowed that lizard to use the mist and escape technique,” Lily retorted.

The girl nodded as if convinced. “Mm, is that so…that does make sense. So, you should still give me a treasure,” she insisted.

“But you agreed that it had nothing to do with me. Why are you still asking for a treasure? And who are you? Are you a blade maiden of the Sinless Domain?” Lily questioned.

“I’m Azusa, Kazama Azusa,” the girl replied. “I am indeed of the Sinless Domain, but I am not a blade maiden.” A hint of sadness appeared on her expressionless face for some unknown reason.

Lily decided not to pry into the girl’s identity any further.

“I’m Lynne, and I come from Kanto. Where are you from?” she asked instead.

“Kanto, the land of the samurai, where Lord Yoshitsune embarked on his final journey.”
“Do you worship Lord Yoshitsune?”
“I do not think I am capable of feeling such an emotion.”
“Why do you care about Lord Yoshitsune then?”
“It is not me, but my teacher who cares for him. She is the woman who loves Lord Yoshitsune the most.”

“Is your teacher Shizuka Gozen?” Lily asked in surprise. Had she just met the student of the legendary Shizuka Gozen?

“Don’t mention that lowly, cunning woman who only knows how to seduce Yoshitsune,” the girl replied with contempt. “Those are my teacher’s words.”

“Then… who is your teacher?”
“My teacher is Tokiwa.”

“Tokiwa?!” Lily was completely shocked. Tokiwa was the acknowledged most beautiful woman in the world and Lord Yoshitsune’s mother!

Lily then asked, “Is Madam Tokiwa still alive?”

To which Kazama Azusa replied, “Of course, she lives in Nara-kyo.”

Lily continued, “Miss Kazama, could you please help me deliver a message to Madam Tokiwa?”

Kazama Azusa seemed skeptical and asked, “Why? Madam Tokiwa doesn’t usually meet with outsiders.”

Lily explained, “I have received much guidance and blessings from the spirit of Lord Yoshitsune. As Madam Tokiwa is his mother and is nearby, I wish to pay my respects. However, I have pressing matters to attend to and cannot visit her in person. Please help me convey my greetings and deepest respects to her. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will visit her myself. Please…”

After considering for a moment, Kazama Azusa agreed, “Alright, I will pass on your message. But you caused me to lose my prey. How do you plan to make it up to me²?”

Lily was at a loss for words.

1. Robinxen: Well that didn’t last long.
2. Robinxen: I like this girl.