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Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 62 – The Journey To Ezo And The Unbelievable Realm

While Lily had previously journeyed through Echigo and Akita Province, embracing the winter of the northern lands, it was only upon her arrival in Ezo that she truly grasped the essence of a winter landscape. The place felt like a realm unto itself.

A stark contrast presented itself: the sky a clear blue above, the land below a vast expanse of silver.

She considered herself fortunate to witness daylight in this season.

Adorned in white attire, Lily stood atop the carriage. Draped in a hip-length jacket with a fur scarf wrapped around the exterior, she held a white Sakura parasol, standing by the balcony to observe the extensive snowfield.

Yet, the pleasant weather proved ephemeral. Shortly after her arrival in Ezo, a blizzard descended, enveloping the world in a veil of gray fog.

The wind shrieked through the air, rendering visibility to less than ten meters for those traveling on the ground.

Beneath her, numerous hostile auras brimmed with ancient, robust hatred, as though forged by the extreme cold itself.

“What lies beneath? Is that the chilling presence of Resentment Energy?” Lily peered downward, her doubt evident.

“Those are Emishi’s Spirits,” Kagura materialized beside her to explain. “For millennia, the Heian Dynasty’s conflict with Ezo has raged on, resulting in the deaths of countless Ezo natives. Their Resentment Energy gave birth to Emishi’s Spirits, guardians that persist in defending these lands, harboring immense hostility towards outsiders.”

“Emishi’s Spirits…”

For any Shikigami, such Anima proved to be of immense utility.

Yet, amidst the pristine beauty of the snowscape, the sight of undying souls steadfast in protecting their homeland against the harsh blizzard stirred a profound sadness within Lily.

The idea to pursue Emishi’s Spirits was never broached. They merely soared above, leaving them in peace, allowing their existence to persist, undisturbed by the harsh blizzard.

After half a day’s flight, they arrived at a secluded snowy mountain valley, home to a frozen stone stele that had remained untouched for years.

Clad in white and clutching a white parasol, Lily descended gracefully beside the stone stele, her presence akin to that of a deity.

Just as she prepared to retrieve it, figures emerged within the snowstorm, encircling her with their glowing blue eyes fixated on Lily.

She found herself surrounded by a large congregation of Emishi’s Spirits, each radiating with Resentment Energy.

Rather than launching an attack, they knelt in the midst of the blizzard, commencing a ritual of worship towards Lily.

Originating as unenlightened beings, it’s conceivable they mistook Lily for a goddess descended among them.

With a wave of her arm, Lily secured the fifth stele.

Witnessing the mountain-sized stele vanish with a mere flick of her fingers, the Emishi’s Spirits began to prostrate themselves, uttering cries of devotion.

While Lily couldn’t fully comprehend their actions, she sensed an underlying plea for her to save their homeland.

This realization brought with it a tinge of guilt; she possessed no means to alter the destiny of this island and its denizens.

The eyes of certain ancient Emishi’s Spirit elders began to twinkle, their faces wrinkled but their gazes imbued with an age-old venerability.

Unable to answer their entreaties, Lily leaped up and unfurled her parasol. Resembling a snow fairy, she tread upon sakura petals, ascending into the air and vanishing amidst the blizzard.

The Emishi’s Spirits let out a collective scream, “Uaaaah!”

Within the snowy night, Lily made her way back to the carriage, brushing the snow from her jacket before stepping into the warmth of the room.

After removing her jacket, she projected her consciousness into the Mirror Dimension.

In the training chamber’s second floor, the previously vacant last spot now housed the returned fifth stone stele!

Hence, the circular cave was now complete with all six stone steles duly installed.

At last, the collection was whole.

With the impending task of escorting Shizuka Gozen to ascend, it was natural for Lily to secure the final piece beforehand.

Suddenly, the entire second floor began to tremble. Silver light emanated from the base of each stone stele as carvings of stars and moons emerged on the cave walls, adorned with embedded crystals.

The gemstones, impeccable in their make, twinkled under the lunar light.

Lily sensed that practicing the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle beneath this spell-crafted artificial sky would yield enhanced effectiveness.

Approaching the fifth Tsukuyomi Swordstyle stele, Lily observed the intricately carved Celestial Maidens engaging in sword dances, their complexity eluding her full understanding. Beside the stele, she noticed small inscribed texts.

“Tsukuyomi Swordstyle, fifth style: Accessible only to those at the Empyrean Stage.”

“Empyrean Stage?” Lily echoed in confusion. “What constitutes the Empyrean Stage?”

Lily understood that beyond the Big Dipper Stage lay either the Celestial Stage or the Infernal Stage. The nature of the Empyrean Stage, however, remained a mystery.

It was purported that attainment of the Celestial Stage bestowed a divine status.

Could the Empyrean Stage simply be another designation for the Celestial Stage, or did it represent a realm even beyond? For the moment, Lily remained unsure. What was clear, however, was that this stage far surpassed her current level, as she had yet to achieve the Big Dipper Stage.

“It appears that, despite assembling all six pieces, I’m not yet ready to learn the fifth style,” Lily admitted, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

Nonetheless, the completion of the collection offered her reassurance. The prerequisite of the Empyrean Stage for the fifth Swordstyle underscored the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle’s status as a supreme technique.

Upon returning to the first floor and preparing to depart, Lily’s attention was drawn to the vicinity of the third stele, a location that traditionally led to an unoccupied cave.

Yet, she now discerned an alternate route, one that veered into a different cave concealed behind numerous boulders.

“A new cave entrance?” pondered Lily in confusion.

The Mirror Dimension’s every facet was nothing short of extraordinary. Venturing through this new entrance, she navigated its serpentine path. After dozens of steps, she emerged into an open area.

Lily recognized she had entered a cavern along the mountain’s flank. The cavern’s walls enclosed to form a vast cylindrical chasm, its depths unfathomable. Vines clung to its sides, with white clouds and daylight visible above, where a sliver of blue sky peeked through.

This immense cylindrical space spanned roughly ten kilometers in diameter. Above the clouds floated myriad mountainous islets, each dotted with ancient pines. On one such distant islet stood an age-old torii gate.

“What is the purpose of this place? What function does it serve?”

Propelled by a mere thought, Lily ascended swiftly. As the sovereign of this Mirror Dimension, she possessed the ability to fly or teleport at will, though some areas remained beyond her direct teleportation reach.

Lily approached the distant torii gate and observed the adjacent boulder, intricately carved with images of Celestial Maidens engaged in dance, blade wielding, or meditation on the floating islets. Odd artifacts and pavilion structures also floated amidst the clouds.

Lily noted that, absent the surrounding artifacts and edifices, this locale mirrored the depictions etched into the stone.

“Might this have been a training ground for ancient Celestial Maidens?”

Within the Mirror Dimension, Lily’s acquisition of abilities and sword techniques was markedly accelerated compared to the real world, a benefit unique to her and not shared by her sisters.

The extensive depiction of Celestial Maidens in training suggested that this site was designed for the use of many, not merely a solitary individual.

“What would happen if I invited my sisters to train here?”

As such, Lily decided to test this idea with one of her sisters. Only the consciousness of her sisters could enter this realm for information exchange. In their physical absence, Lily was unable to disregard the intervening distance to bring them here inversely.

However, at that exact moment, she noticed lights flickering in the sixth stone chamber. Mido Yukiko and Yuki Mayumi arrived simultaneously.

“Yukiko, Mayumi!”

Lily was overjoyed. She immediately invited them into the training chamber. Traversing the cave’s passage to the cylindrical chamber, they encountered the cloud-filled expanse.

Yukiko and Mayumi were profoundly astonished upon standing at the entrance.

“What place is this? It’s… breathtakingly beautiful,” Yukiko marveled, sighing with realization.

“This is magical… akin to a realm for celestial beings,” Mayumi whispered in awe.

Grasping their hands, Lily leaped gracefully to a floating island more than ten meters across. Despite its modest size, it boasted an ancient tree, boulders, a crystal-clear pool, and water streaming through bamboo tubes emerging from gaps in the rocks.

“Give training a try here, sisters,” Lily suggested with a smile.

“Train? While it’s indeed a beautiful spot for training, we are present only in consciousness. What exactly can we train?” Mayumi inquired.

“Anything you wish. Feel free to practice your ninjitsu or any other skill. There’s no harm in trying,” Lily encouraged.

Exchanging glances, Yukiko and Mayumi seated themselves and began forming hand signs to practice their ninjitsu.

After several repetitions, Mayumi’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Did I really execute that so smoothly?”

“I’ve struggled with this technique over the past few days, barely succeeding once or twice out of ten attempts yesterday. Yet, here, out of five tries, I’ve succeeded three times.”

As Mayumi continued her attempts, she remarked, “Just now, out of twelve tries, I succeeded eight times! That far surpasses my success rate from yesterday. Even accounting for skill improvement, this progress is astonishingly rapid!”

Mayumi was astounded.

“Since I’m not practicing ninjitsu, I can’t offer a direct comparison. However, I can affirm that meditating here renders me significantly calmer and more composed,” Yukiko observed.

“Truly? Is that the case?” Surveying her surroundings, Lily could sense the extraordinary nature of this place.

Consequently, Lily too sat down to practice the Lunar Heavenly Path.

Regrettably, with no moon present, she felt no resonance.

“Let’s set this aside for now. I’ll delve into it further later. For the moment, let’s invite a few more sisters to test it,” Lily decided, rising to her feet.

Within half a day, Ayaka, Shimizu, Rei, and Shiu had entered the Mirror Dimension, initially seeking updates on Lily’s quest for the stone stele in Ezo. Instead, they found themselves brought here to undertake training exercises.

Indeed! Despite their varied strengths and talents, all the sisters recognized the training here to be far more efficient than in the external world, ranging from several to even tens of times more effective.

Ayaka too was taken aback. Gazing around the enchanting realm of floating clouds, she felt a surge of excitement, evidenced by the movement beneath her white robe. “Training here for just half a day equates to a half month’s worth of training in reality

²! This efficiency is truly beyond belief!”

Footnotes:

Robinxen: Still has more content than Starfield.

Robinxen: Author?! I know you want a catchup system to keep the heroines relevant, but this is nuts! It’s not even a double exp event!