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Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 22 – Protect Mutsu

Visible traces of a recent military departure were scattered across the city, suggesting a strategic withdrawal. It became evident that Yoritomo had likely pulled back his forces from Oshu, leaving behind only the sick and weak commoners. This abandonment rendered Oshu a ghost town, its eerie silence a testament to its rapid decline from a bustling center to a dark, ruined shell of its past.

Upon disembarking from the sedan, Lily and her companions made their way to the ancient stone square before the castle. There, they encountered a teleportation array.

“Lily, be careful of ambushes,” Ayaka warned telepathically.

Lily, acutely aware of the hidden dangers, nodded. It was evident that the enemy, though seemingly withdrawn, was actually lying in wait. Many troops were concealed around the stone square and adjacent buildings.

As they stepped into the stone square, the teleportation array sprang to life. A billowing eldritch cloud swirled, transforming into a towering figure—an eight-meter-tall old man with a gray turban and an ancient, tattered hunting robe. His eyes, deep and fierce yet tinged with sadness, exuded power comparable to that of Sugawara no Michizane.

Lily internally acknowledged, “Yoritomo used his banner as a decoy, drawing us into this ambush. As I suspected.”

The old man’s green-flamed eyes fixated on Lily’s group. “Daring to invade Oshu, a land even the Taira and Genji fear to tread! You seek death!” he thundered.

“Fujiwara no Hidehira?” Ayaka gasped in recognition. “Senior, are you the lord of Mutsu, Lord Fujiwara no Hidehira?”

The old man’s presence seemed to vibrate with ancient authority. “A young girl like you knows of me? Who are you?” he demanded.

“I am Fujiwara no Ayaka, from Heian-kyo.”

“You belong to my Fujiwara clan?” he questioned, surprise evident in his tone.

“I have always revered Lord Hidehira’s esteemed reputation, and now that we finally meet, I must inquire: why does Lord Hidehira aid Minamoto no Yoritomo?” Ayaka questioned.

“Minamoto no Yoritomo?” Hidehira’s eyes shifted from green to an intense, unstable purple. “Ah! Arghh——Aghhh!!! Who is Minamoto no Yoritomo… I will kill… you dare invade my land, I will kill you!” Overcome with overwhelming resentment and engulfed in black flames, Fujiwara no Hidehira charged at the group, brandishing a giant naginata in a frenzied attack.

“What has happened to you?” While Shizuka had never met Hidehira in person, she was in disbelief that he could have turned into a demon after death and aligned with Yoritomo. “Lord Hidehira, aren’t you Yoshitsune’s benefactor? I am Shizuka Gozen, his wife. We’re seeking vengeance for him. Why are you attacking us?” she implored.

“Yoshitsune!?” Hidehira halted abruptly, his face contorting as veins throbbed on his forehead. “Who is Yoshitsune… who… who? Aghh! My head, it hurts! What eldritch artes are you using on me? Die!!” he roared, launching a wild attack with his naginata at Lily’s group.

The group swiftly retreated as Hidehira’s naginata strike hit the ground, causing the entire city of Oshu to tremble as if struck by an earthquake. In response, black-armored troops and demons emerged from their hiding places in all directions. The castle unleashed a barrage of arrows and eldritch artes.

Rei summoned fifty cavalry and charged towards the attackers emerging from the city, while Shimizu leapt onto a nearby building, preparing to flank the castle. Ayaka and Shizuka Gozen deployed their arcane artes, bestowing powerful blessings on both Rei and Shimizu that significantly amplified their combat abilities. Rei’s strength, in particular, was drastically enhanced, ascending from a throned saint to a single-soul big dipper, a transformation made possible by blessings from two quintuple-soul big dipper experts.

“Why are you attacking us, Lord Hidehira?” Ayaka demanded, attempting to restrain Hidehira with arcane artes. However, he proved too powerful, easily breaking free of her magical bindings. Despite their capability to fight him, none of them truly wanted to engage in battle with Fujiwara no Hidehira, Yoshitsune’s benefactor and a respected elder of the Fujiwara clan.

Lily, floating in mid-air, observed Hidehira’s frenzied state with a heavy heart. “It must be Yoritomo’s doing!” she concluded bitterly. “That man is a true demon, manipulating and tormenting Yoshitsune’s benefactor in such a way!”

Hidehira was very powerful, and had he been alive, Yoritomo’s armies would likely have hesitated to chase the injured Yoshitsune.

The tragic irony of Hidehira, now a vengeful spirit, attacking Yoshitsune’s wife, filled Lily with deep sorrow. It was heartbreaking to think how devastated Hidehira would be to realize he had swung his naginata at Yoshitsune’s wife.

While Lily, Ayaka, and Shizuka could potentially join forces to defeat Hidehira, the moral implications of such an action weighed heavily on them. As Hidehira’s massive, vengeful form once again charged towards Lily, the intricacies of their predicament were starkly apparent.

“Sister Ayaka, Madam Shizuka, retreat!” Lily called out.

“Lily?” Ayaka’s voice held a note of surprise.

“I— I will face Lord Hidehira,” Lily declared resolutely, aware that a vengeful spirit like Lord Hidehira, if killed, would vanish forever, eliminating any chance of reincarnation.

Hidehira, in a frenzied state, swung his naginata with ground-cracking force, but Lily adeptly dodged each attack. Suddenly, the long blade of the naginata swung towards her waist. Lily met it with her blade, the impact sending a reverberating ‘Clang!’ through the air and catapulting her through a pavilion, leaving it half-destroyed.

“Lily!?” Ayaka and Shizuka exclaimed in shock. They hadn’t expected such a disparity in strength between Lily and Hidehira.

“What’s happening?” Ayaka, worried that Lily might be injured, dashed over, ready to confront Hidehira. But Hidehira stood there trembling, unmoving, his eyes vacant. He didn’t pursue Lily.

“This… Why do you know his sword style? Ahhh——Aghh——Aghhh!” Hidehira clutched his head, howling in pain and confusion.

Emerging from the debris, Lily was unharmed but her clothing was torn. In the clash, she had deliberately used Yoshitsune’s sword style, resulting in a significant disparity in force.

Lily slowly walked towards the kneeling elder. Despite his severe pain, the elder lifted his head to look at her. The crimson in his eyes faded, leaving behind a gaze that was aged, stern, yet kind. “What, what am I doing? You, who are you? Why do you know the swordsmanship of my adopted son?” he asked, bewildered.

“Lord Hidehira,” Lily responded, kneeling down to salute him respectfully.

“Miss, why do you kneel?” Hidehira asked, puzzled.

“My swordsmanship was taught to me by Lord Yoshitsune. Though I never met him while he was alive, I consider myself his true successor,” Lily explained.

“Yoshitsune’s successor?” Hidehira’s confusion deepened. “What have I done? What have I done!”

“Lord Hidehira…” Lily began, her voice soft with empathy.

“Minamoto no Yoritomo!!!!!” Hidehira, fueled by a sudden surge of fury, stood up abruptly. He turned and unleashed a violent blow against the castle, splitting it into two and killing countless black armored troops in a demonstration of his immense power. The attack, while untargeted and vast in its reach, fortunately did not harm Shimizu, who was quick to evade.

“Minamoto no Yoritomo! You killed my adopted son, took my land, cursed me even after death, and now made me attack Yoshitsune’s successor!” Hidehira’s voice thundered with rage as he rushed into the city, his intent clear: to annihilate any black armored troops he encountered. The troops, lacking in strength against such a formidable opponent, were torn apart and scattered in all directions.

Hidehira’s rampage continued unabated, his anger and hatred manifesting in a wild onslaught. The ground shook violently as if echoing his fury, turning the battle scene into a maelstrom of chaos and destruction.

“Lord Hidehira…” Lily murmured, her heart heavy with sadness as she witnessed the elder’s descent into frenzied vengeance.

“Lily, let us first destroy the array,” Ayaka suggested, her voice steady amid the turmoil.

“Yes,” Lily agreed. She understood that while sealing the array with arcane artes might leave it vulnerable to being unsealed by expert onmyouji in Mutsu, destroying it would render it virtually irreparable.

Without hesitation, Lily drew her cursed blade and brought it down upon the array. The sound echoed as the stone formation shattered, and to their astonishment, the world around them turned a surreal shade of purple. Countless eldritch inscriptions emerged, swirling in the air.

“Ahahahaha! Kagami Lily! Even if I die, I’ll take you with me! You b?i?t?c?h?!!!” A massive, demonic phantom appeared, its form that of Shuten Doji, but wrought from pure resentment.

The inscriptions generated a strange eldritch energy that, ignoring the others, converged towards Lily. “This aura, this is the strange formation in Mount Ooe that harmed Lady Kimiko!” Lily realized with alarm, but the formation’s power had already ensnared her. Her clothes tore further as the energy invaded her body. The sensation was not painful, but intensely uncomfortable and unbearable.

“Ah, ah…hah…” Lily’s face flushed a deep crimson, her legs giving way beneath her as she collapsed to the ground.

“Lily!” Ayaka exclaimed, rushing over to her. Despite the formation’s formidable power, it had no effect on Ayaka.

The formation’s energy continued to invade Lily’s body unabated…

“Lily, Lily!” Ayaka cried out, checking Lily’s pulse with one hand while pressing the other against her heart. There were no signs of physical harm, but Lily’s body radiated intense heat and an aura of seductive power.

“Ehehehehe…” A coquettish laugh broke through the tension. Momiji emerged from the shadows of the alleys, her lips hidden behind a fan, her eyes glinting with amusement as she gazed at Lily. “As expected of Minamoto no Yoritomo, a trap within a trap. Even the exceptionally intelligent and wise Lord Chief Advisor were fooled.”