Demon Sword Maiden

CHAPTER 67 – SHUTEN’S PLAN

Shuten’s eyes flashed devilishly, emitting a glow that was capable of bewitching most young ladies of Heian, but the smile on his face just looked despicable to Rei, and filled her with hate.

“Although I don’t know who gave you the wanted notice, I bet it was someone from the samurai clans. However, it’s no easy feat to make the notice reach one of the samurai clans. There’s only one person who can achieve this, and that’s none other than one of the three supreme experts of humanity—Fujiwara no Ayaka!”

“Fujiwara no Ayaka?!” Rei asked in a shocked voice. Even though she did not know much about Ayaka, she had heard of her name before. However, this did not mean she was ready to believe Shuten’s words. “Hmph. Why would the leader of the Fujiwaras even do such a thing?”

“Hahahahahaha! The Fujiwaras have been in cahoots with Mt. Ooe for a long time now! The Heian Empire’s chancellor, Fujiwara no Renbo, and the imperial vassal, Fujiwara no Arima, conspired together with Mt. Ooe to weaken the strength of the samurai clans because they hated the fact that these clans held greater strength than them! This wanted notice was just one of the dealings I had with them! Hahahahahaha!”

Shuten laughed out loud despite having his own doubts internally. He naturally knew who had given the wanted notice to Rei, but the person who told him this did not tell him how that person had obtained it when they had warned him. He had just mentioned Ayaka casually because he wanted to probe Rei, but it seemed like she knew nothing about the matter.

“Just who was it that stole the wanted notice from Mt. Ooe without my knowledge?” Although Shuten felt glad about capturing Rei, this matter always bothered him. He was also curious about the identity of the expert who had taught Rei how to handle him.

“Do you still intend to play with people’s hearts, you heartless demon?!” Rei said, “There’s no use telling me all this now that things have come so far. I already resolved myself before I set out to kill you and am prepared to meet my death! If you still have any pride left as an expert, just let me cut my belly open and die with dignity!”

“Although you have a voluptuous body, you are really unwomanly, Uesugi Rei. Letting someone cut their belly open and die with dignity is an honor reserved for men, not a woman like you.”

“A woman, you say? Since you claim to know everything about us humans, don’t tell me you don’t know that I’ve never considered myself a woman after meeting Lily? Unfortunately for you, the tricks you use to bewitch women aren’t going to work on me. Well, you might have a chance at bewitching me if you become a woman, though. Hahaha!” Rei laughed arrogantly despite finding herself in a desperate situation.

Shuten had ravaged several women, but he had to admit that he had never met one who actually had the gall to joke with him like this.

“Although I like tormenting women, you are the first woman who has really angered me, Uesugi Rei! No matter what you believe, there’s no denying the fact that you are still a woman.”

“Enough now. Did you think I would give you the chance to humiliate me?” Rei hung her head down and showed a smirk on her face as her hair scattered sideways.

“I know you still have ways to kill yourself, Uesugi Rei! However, have you wondered what would happen to your beloved Lily if you chose to die to protect your dignity? She’s deep in Tanba with the court’s army right now!”

“Hmph. Did you think I’m not aware that the court’s army has already lost and is in the middle of retreating?”

“Although it’s true that they are retreating, do you know who’s covering their retreat?”

“What?!” Rei’s pupils narrowed, and the chains binding her arms issued rustling sounds as she put strength into them.

Shuten waved his hand and sent a transmission orb flying towards Rei.

The orb reflected an ancient hilltop temple in it, and countless demons had surrounded this temple.

“Even if you don’t consider yourself a woman, that doesn’t mean Lily is the same1, Uesugi Rei. Are you not afraid of her falling for my tricks? After all, she’s the prettiest woman in these lands, and no one knows how to handle women better than me in this world.” Shuten revealed a devilish smile on his face.

Rei struggled hard to break free, but she was not even able to make the chains budge an inch. “You better mark my words, Shuten. I’ll become a vengeful spirit and turn this Mt. Ooe into a hell of ice if you dare to even lay a finger on Lily!”

“Don’t get so worked up now, Uesugi Rei. Feel free to kill yourself if you don’t care what happens to Lily. I won’t stop you.” Shuten took another chug from the wine pot and said, “Just die if you wish to die so much! You will never be able to see Lily if you do that, though, and won’t ever know what I will do to her. There’s nothing you can do to protect her, and even if you really become a vengeful spirit, it would be too late to avenge her at that time.”

Rei shuddered after hearing Shuten’s words. The fact that the court had made a talented, beautiful samurai woman like Lily cover the retreat for the army meant that someone in the court was colluding with the monsters. Although Shuten had caught Rei, she would really lose any chance she had to save Lily if chose to die now.

A red-dressed girl appeared in the temple on the distant mountaintop reflected within the transmission orb.

Rei recognized her as Lily immediately even though her figure was pretty small in the image and realized that Shuten had indeed told her the truth. The demons had surrounded Lily. However, Rei had no means to break free of the chains and save her.

Rei could not afford to die just like this when the woman she cared about the most was in such danger.

Shuten revealed a pleased smile when he saw Rei’s reaction. Lily’s matter had already shaken her firm resolve, so he believed that it was just a matter of time before he had her in the bag.

Shuten knew a lot of ways to handle women. The fact that he had caught an icy woman like Rei despite all the difficulties was proof of that.

His vast experience told him that the ever resolute Rei had begun to waver now. However, there was still a chance for her to kill herself if he pushed her too hard. Which would end up ruining his plans.

Shuten was not in a rush to pressure Rei and wanted to make her witness Lily fall into his hands little by little. Once catches Lily, he intended to use her to waver Rei further, and take his time with both of them until they were both his. He could not act with haste as forcing either of them to die would make the surviving one put up a desperate struggle. That would ruin everything.

Considering how powerful he was, Shuten found it meaningless to kill two talented samurai women who were no threat to him and believed that it was actually a huge loss instead.

This was the reason he wanted to capture both of them and push them to their breaking point by exploiting their feelings for each other.

Shuten was best at playing with people’s hearts, especially women’s hearts. Even the mighty goddess, Bishamonten, had fallen for his trap, so dealing with two mortal women was just child’s play for him.

“Haha. Don’t worry, Rei. I’m not that interested in an unwomanly woman like you, at least not for now. Besides, there’s better prey than you. I want you to watch helplessly as your beloved Lily falls into my hands, and witness how she submits to me after losing all her dignity once I’ve ravaged her! Hahahahahaha! You’ll realize how worthless your so-called resolve is at that time! You said you wanted to die with dignity, right? Just kill yourself, then! I won’t stop you! Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!” Shuten laughed wildly.

He then passed on a message to Ibaraki via the transmission orb, “Begin the attack, Ibaraki! The others don’t matter. This battle’s sole objective is to capture Kagami Lily2!”

“You bastard…” Rei gritted her teeth so hard that blood seeped out of her mouth, her heart filling with deep hate for Shuten.…

…

In Honganji Temple.

The demons had begun moving again and had launched a large-scale attack this time.

Lily felt no fear as she looked at the demons climbing up from the foot of the mountain. Her long hair fluttered in the air as her eyes turned a crimson shade.

“Come. I’ll kill every single one of you!”

Lily raised her Sakura Parasol up, making countless sakura blades manifest in the sky, before she sent them flying towards the demons attacking the mountain. The weaker demons perished one after the other under the offense of these sakura blades and fell off the cliff.

The cavalrywomen and samurai women also launched arrows, spells and puppets at them to defend Honganji Temple. However, there were just too many demons. Tens of thousands of demons had launched a frantic attack this time without giving a care about the losses.

“Lil’ Lily!” Rei looked at the image in the transmission orb with deep worry.

Lily did not look as demure as she did usually right now, though, and had a murderous expression on her face. The killing intent in her eyes was tinged with slight excitement.

She jumped onto the fence and swung Yasutsuna, unleashing a hundred meter wide crimson sword beam towards the demons, turning hundreds of them into corpses along with wails.

Lily then jumped onto a tall tree and leaped towards the demons, her blade dancing like a crimson phantom in her eyes.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One sword beam after the other flew towards the massive demon army, sending blood flying in all directions from the massacre.

The anima of the dead demons flew towards Lily’s blade in the next moment and replenished her spirit power immediately3.

“Ngh… Hah!” Lily yelled out excitedly.

She laughed at the demons coming at her and said, “Come at me, demons! I’m overflowing with power right now! Even killing tens of thousands of you isn’t enough to quench my thirst for slaughter!”

Lily did not even catch her breath once she finished speaking and rushed back to the temple immediately. A rain of sword beams descended on the monsters who were climbing the mountain, and their corpses rolled down the mountain like a landslide.

Lily launched a crazy offensive.

Even though the demon army numbered several ten thousand, the demons were dying so fast that even they could not withstand such a one-sided offensive.

Shuten planned to show Lily’s despairing face to Rei and waver her resolve using it so that she would beg him to let Lily off, paying any price for it. He naturally would not let Lily off, but he could push Rei deeper into the abyss of despair as long as she did that.

Lily was one-sidedly killing the demons now, though, which had surpassed his expectations a little, and made his expression distort.

Rei also observed Lily’s feats and said, “I haven’t seen you for a few months and you’ve changed so much already, Lil’ Lily?”

A smirk rose on her lips.

“Is this what you planned to show me, Lord Shuten. It’s a wonderful sight, indeed.

Shuten furrowed his brows and shouted at the orb, “What are you doing, Ibaraki? Make a move quickly4!”

Robinxen: No… Lily is definitely the furthest removed from a woman currently among the main cast. For now, at least. Robinxen: Yeah this isn’t going to go well for anyone. Robinxen: Lily feeling the euphoria gamers get when they level up immediately after using all their skills, letting them use all their skills to immediately level up again. Man those invincibility loops really make you feel like a god. Robinxen: COME ON AND MAKE YOUR MOVE. Damn now Dinosaur King theme is stuck in my head.