Volume 4, Chapter 6 – Kiyoshi and the Mysterious Samurai from the West

Volume 4, Chapter 6 - Kiyoshi and the Mysterious Samurai from the West

Translator: Aoi

All kinds of spooky voices filled the desolate and ruined Kiyosu Castle at night like always, but these voices weren’t necessarily from demons and actually originated from the pains suffered by the hunger, chaos and despair inflicted residents of the city that made them moan out in barely audible heart-rending whispers.

A group of samurai passed by the main street at a distance no further than 100 m from Lily’s and Oda’s backs while they made for the west side of Kiyosu Castle.

This group, consisting of Ashikaga Kiyoshi and four of his samurai attendants, had just left the castle tower of Kiyosu Castle and were planning to exit the city after their meeting with Shiba Yoshishige.

Kiyoshi only intended to investigate Owari in casual clothes and wasn’t expecting to discover Kiyosu Castle under the control of humans with the city lord still being Shiba Yoshishige, the guardian of Owari, so he went to meet him immediately.

The high-spirited Kiyoshi was dressed in blue samurai robes and an Eboshi hat with two katanas at his waist as he walked through the street. ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

“It’s quite surprising that Kiyosu Castle was still under the protection of Lord Shiba and the surviving people. Let’s mobilize the Ashikaga army once we return and ally with Lord Shiba to retrieve the land of Owari from the hands of the monsters and demon samurai,” Kiyoshi stated excitedly.

“That Lord Shiba doesn’t look that reliable to me, my lord,” said one of the tall samurai beside Kiyoshi.

“I also felt that Lord Shiba really isn’t a tough and accomplished leader suitable for these chaotic times, but I’m confident that he’ll ally with us against the monsters as fellow humans in such times,” Kiyoshi stated.

“You’re right, my lord. Shiba has no choice but to ally with us unless he plans to ally with the demons,” said the samurai, the other samurai nodding after him successively.

“It’s possible that there’s a lot of samurai clans still protecting their lands in the Endless Wastelands that the East has lost contact with. We might even have a chance at ruling the whole realm if our Ashikaga clan allies with them and recovers this vast land gradually!”

“How wise you are, my lord!” The samurai praised him.

Kiyoshi’s ego heightened a little as he voiced out his magnificent aspirations, “The moment I become an indomitable hero who supports the Heian Empire is when I propose to Miss Kagami!”

“You’re a master of the brush and the sword and a holder of high aspirations, my lord. Only a man like you can win the affection of Miss Kagami!”

“You think so too, don’t you, Takashi Atsushi?!” There wasn’t much distinction in ranks between Kiyoshi and his followers, so he pushed Takashi Atsushi playfully as if they were brothers and the rest of them chuckled in unison.

A tall and lean, white turbaned samurai dressed in a long, red-patterned white coat and dark blue inner armor whose face was hidden under white cloths on both sides blocked Ashikaga and his men’s path by standing in front of them.

Ashikaga’s group raised their vigilance after coming to a stop as they had never seen a samurai dressed in such an attire in the East. The man blocking their path also looked quite somber and powerful as he stood in front of them.

Ashikaga greeted the man humbly, “I am Ashikaga Kiyoshi. I wonder what you are called, sir, and why you’ve blocked my path.”

The white turbaned and masked samurai replied in a deep voice, “I know you are the young lord of the Ashikaga clan. I am Kiuchidera Tesshin from the West. I’ve come to request your help for a certain matter this time.”

The archaic pronoun character used by men in the Heian period, Maro (麿), was written on the back of the long coat worn by the tall and lanky samurai, exuded an ancient and transcendent aura.

“So it was Lord Kiuchidera Tesshin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I wonder what help you need from me?” Even though Kiyoshi felt that the man in front of him was quite unusual, his personality made him treat even such a mysterious person with courtesy.

The Ashikaga samurai behind Kiyoshi also looked at the man vigilantly as just the fact that he had come from the West was enough to displease them.

“Lord Kiyoshi, you’re acquainted with a woman named Kagami Lily, right?” The white-masked Tesshin asked.

Although Kiyoshi acted with courtesy initially, his expression turned solemn the moment he heard Lily’s name. He felt a little hostile towards this mysterious man from the West as he had asked about her in such a tone.

“I do know her, Lord Kiuchidera, but I wonder why you wish to inquire about her?” Kiyoshi asked warily.

“It’s here!” Lily raised her attention to the maximum and focused on the monster in front.

A 3 m tall and ugly donkey-headed monster with a long and girthy neck as well as a piggish body emerged out from the surging black mist, its neck and protruding pot belly filled with rough wrinkles.

Its two legs were tiny in comparison to its body while its arms were slightly long and slender.

“Woman... woman...” the donkey-like monster shrouded in black mist stopped in front of the gate, “Give me a woman...”

“Give me a woman or else I’ll kill all the people in this city!”

The monster raised his neck up high and issued a long howl, causing the wooden city wall to shake because of the resulting wind and spooking the samurai and the soldiers at the same time.

Oda looked at this donkey monster with caution and fear as he waved his hand, hinting the guards to disperse and reveal a tall, lean, and gorgeous, red-dressed girl.

The long, black hair, as well as beautiful looks that were close to perfection and brimming with femininity, caused the donkey monster’s eyes to open wide and lick its moist nose with its massive tongue as it salivated unceasingly.

“W-W-What a pretty woman! I never imagined this Kiyosu Castle had such a stunner. Good. Good. I’m quite satisfied with the women you’ve found for me! Why haven’t you come over to my side yet, darling?!” The pot-bellied donkey monster got closer with an unsteady gait impatiently.

Oda and the other samurai witnessed all this transpire quite nervously.

Lily, however, remained calm, and walked towards the monster with her bountiful chest silently without a hint of coquettishness or fear.

Lily noticed a bunch of hair locks hanging from the belt constraining the monster’s pot-belly when she got closer and immediately realized that they belonged to different people.

It seemed that this ugly and wicked monster had tied the hair of all the women that he had harmed around his waist to show them off.

An unpleasant stench assailed Lily’s nose when the monster arrived in front of Lily, saliva dripping down towards Lily’s head as it opened its mouth wide. Lily, however, dodged the saliva with unnoticeable movements.

“Huh?” The donkey monster was taken aback by this, but blinded by lust, the monster just didn’t care about it and lowered its long neck towards Lily’s chest in an attempt to lick it with its flag-sized tongue.

“You have such a sweet scent, pretty woman. Let me have a taste now!”

Lily’s eyes turned cold and Crescent Moon manifested in her hands instantly.

“What?!” The monster was shocked by the killing intent coming off from the tachi.

“Clang!”

A crimson sword light flashed by and bisected the monster’s long and thick tongue into two!

“Argh!!!” The monster howled in pain while holding its severed tongue, causing blood to splash in all directions.

The black mist surged higher and the raging monster bit at Lily with its massive buck-toothed mouth. Lily, however, didn’t meet it with her blade and instead moved tens of meters away with elusive movements. A massive white hound pounced out towards the fallen donkey monster from her blade in the next moment and began tearing at it crazily!

“Arrggghhhh!!!” The donkey monster wailed in pain as flesh and blood flew out in all directions, its howls echoing through the darkness of the night. The demon hound’s attacks turned vicious by the second and its attacks even seemed to assimilate the grudges of the girls killed by the monster, empowering each of its attacks successively.

Lily watched the monster struggle under the demon hound’s attacks while howling with a calm and collected gaze.

The donkey monster finally breathed out its last breath after putting up a dozen or so minutes of struggle.