Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 17 – Martial Saint

Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 17 – Martial Saint

“Treasure...” Lily struggled to come up with a suitable treasure to give the girl, but eventually an idea came to her. She reached into her bag and pulled out an ancient book

“Genji Swordstyle, Tenth volume?” Azusa flipped through the book, “Empty? Except for the title, it’s all empty, what sort of treasure is this?”

“Miss Kazama, please give this swordstyle book to Madam Tokiwa. Perhaps she will reward you with a treasure. For a mother, there is no greater treasure than a relic of her child.”

Lily was uncertain about Lord Yoshitsune’s motives for giving her the book. Maybe it held some hidden mystery that she was unaware of. However, she planned to visit Madam Tokiwa in the future to pay her respects and inquire about it. Madam Tokiwa was a renowned scholar and beautiful woman who had devoted herself to the Taira clan’s head, Taira no Kiyomori, to protect her child. Though that was a long time ago.

Lily pondered whether she would ever have the opportunity to visit and pay her respects to Madam Tokiwa. Since the future was unpredictable, she decided to hand over the relic of Lord Yoshitsune.

“Is that so? Genji Swordstyle... Teacher said this was written by Yoshitsune, is this... the original volume?” Kazama’s lack of understanding of human emotions did not stop her from having exceptional perception in her realm.

Lily nodded, “Please.”

Lily’s original intention was to befriend a blade maiden to gain a deeper understanding of herself. However, she discovered that Kazama Azusa was not just any blade maiden, but a cursed blade. Lily didn’t inquire about the reason behind this as she felt it didn’t concern her own training. Nevertheless, this unexpected encounter presented an opportunity to connect with Lord Yoshitsune’s mother. In a sense, it was a chance worth taking.

“Then... I shall entrust it to you, Miss Kazama.”

“I see. I will go and exchange this book for a treasure from my teacher,” Kazama said, displaying her trust in others without appearing naive.

Although Lily couldn’t quite comprehend her behavior, she didn’t dwell on it too much, “Then, farewell, Miss Kazama.”

“Ah, right, what was your name... can you tell me again? I think I forgot...”

“Kagami Lily...”

Lily couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised that Azusa could remember the matter about the treasure so clearly but had forgotten her name. However, she didn’t say anything and bid farewell to Azusa before entering the ancient city of Nara.

The dust-covered city wall was riddled with shattered and collapsed spots. Lily realized that entering through the main gate was unnecessary.

“Ah!” Lily blushed and covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

“This is bad!” She had underestimated Kazama Azusa’s intelligence and had unintentionally revealed her real name. During their first meeting, Lily had used the alias Lynne, but due to her trust in Madam Tokiwa, she had revealed her true identity without even realizing it.

Although Lily wasn’t too worried about the consequences of her name being revealed, given her current abilities, she still hoped that Kazama Azusa would forget her name to avoid any potential embarrassment.

“Never mind.”

Amidst the bleak ruins of Nara-kyo, Lily pressed on. Dilapidated buildings surrounded her, and a sense of deep unease pervaded the air. Though there were still many samurai and vagrants on the outskirts of Nara-kyo, this particular area was devoid of people, and it was unsettling.

The Rashomon lay at the center of Nara-kyo, and regardless of which direction she entered from, Lily knew that she would have to venture deeper into the ruins to reach it.

How arrogant! Lily had the audacity to respond to the Martial Saint Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in such a way! The other swordsmen in the dojo were infuriated by her response.

“Kill her! Avenge the young master!”

“Kill!”

Sakanoue no Tamuramaro’s eyes were cold as if he was already looking at a lifeless body. “Then, die!”

Clang! Tamuramaro’s sword was drawn with incredible speed, and the blade flickered like an electric arc towards Lily!

If Sakanoue no Tamurakonoe held the title of the number one quickblade of the Sinless Domain’s younger generation, then his father, the martial saint Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, held the title of the number one quickblade of the Nara Sinless Domain.

As Lily half unsheathed Yasutsuna to catch the blow, a loud “Boom!!!” echoed around them. The impact created a massive shockwave, engulfing her in a cloud of smoke and dust. The force of the blow blew away her bamboo hat and tore off her veil, which fluttered away in the wind. Eventually, the bamboo hat floated down to the ground and landed at the feet of the surrounding swordsmen.

With a look of contempt at the billowing smoke and dust, Tamuramaro sheathed his blade and declared, “My son, you can now rest in peace. Take that woman’s body and chop it into a thousand pieces! Hang her head on top of the city as a warning.” Confident of the outcome, he then turned to leave.

The martial saint’s imposing demeanor left the surrounding swordsmen in awe.

“Cut off that woman’s head! Chop up her body!” The group of swordsmen drew their blades and charged into the cloud of dust.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

In the midst of the dust, crimson sword shadows flickered and flesh and blood flew, but not a single sound was heard.

“Mm?” Tamuramaro paused, sensing that something was amiss. Why were the swordsmen so quiet as they hacked away at the woman’s body? Suddenly, a wet thud sounded, and something red and bloody splattered on the ground behind him. He turned around to investigate and was shocked to see a severed hand still gripping a sword. As the smoke began to clear, Tamuramaro looked up in surprise.

Before Tamuramaro stood a young woman, dressed in red with long black hair fluttering in the wind. In her hand, she held a cursed blade dripping with blood. To Tamuramaro’s surprise, she was unscathed, and the dozen swordsmen who had rushed into the cloud of dust lay dead at her feet.

Tamuramaro furrowed his brows and gasped, “What!?? How... How is this possible? You are only as strong as my son, how could you not die after taking my blow!?”

“Senior Martial Saint, surely you understand that strength is something that can be improved, do you not?”

“Nonsense! It has only been six months. No matter how quickly you progress, there is no way you can reach my level from the permanence realm!” he retorted, his forehead veins bulging.

“Just like how it is impossible for you to lose to a woman, right, Senior Martial Saint? If I am not mistaken, you are the one who used spirit power to ambush me at the Yoshitsune Memorial. I can empathize with your pain of losing a child at your age, but how about we stop here for now? I respect your prestige and strength, but I am not an easy target. Why don’t you let it go, and I will continue with my business, and you can maintain your illustrious reputation

1?”

“Outrageous! You arrogant witch! You hid your strength to plot against my son! Why did you kill him? With your strength, why did you mask your realm to the permanence realm? Die, witch!” he roared furiously.

Sakanoue no Tamuramaro’s body erupted with a deafening “Boom!” as his spirit power flared up. The red dust and spirit power swirled around him, enveloping the sky. In a flash, he turned into a blur of motion and charged towards Lily with great speed.

References

Robinxen: Lily does not take prisoners in verbal battles.