Volume 10 - Dream Eater: Chapter 51 – Taken Away

Volume 10 - Dream Eater: Chapter 51 – Taken Away

Baku made a desperate, if futile, attempt to rise and flee, momentarily forgetting that escape was no longer an option for him. “Thousand Sakura Linger!” With those words, Lily conjured threads of spiritual energy that looped around his legs like lunar tendrils. With a resounding thud, he tumbled back to the ground.

“This is the source of my power! Without it, the demons of Iyo Mountain will defy me!” he protested.

“Consider yourself fortunate that I’ve spared your life, Baku. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?” Lily warned.

As time passed in the shadowy cave, the dark energy swirling around Baku began to dissipate, and his form started to contract, smaller and smaller. Shimizu couldn’t absorb the immense reservoir of dark energy all at once; instead, she channeled it into her ancient jade, a Miracle Treasure in its own right.

After an indeterminate period, Baku’s dark energy had been entirely drained. He had now been reduced to the size of a small, black pig—rotund, fluffy, and sporting a single broken fang. Lily’s spirit threads, adaptable as they were, had shrunk in kind, preventing the pig-sized Baku from wriggling free.

“Wow, you actually look cute like this,” Shimizu remarked, chuckling behind her hand.

“Your insolence is unbearable! I’d rather face death than endure such humiliation,” Baku blurted out, clearly disoriented by his new form.

“Silence!” Lily’s foot descended onto his rotund body, causing him to squeal in indignation. “How dare a mere human trample on a divine beast!”

Stripped of his dark energy, Baku seemed to have acquired a sort of innocent naivety. It was then that a hidden storage pouch materialized from his now shrunken form, and Lily seized it.

“At least... Return my treasures...” Baku’s voice wavered, his eyes tinged with fear. Now barely holding onto his status at the Throned Stage, he could no longer resist Lily and seemed almost ready to plead.

Yet this diminished form revealed his true strength, the extent of his capabilities when divorced from the power of dreams. Unlike other beings, whose power was an integral part of them, Baku’s was rooted in the illusions of dreams. Stripped of this ephemeral source, he had regressed, something that would not have happened to a typical powerhouse even if completely drained of spirit power.

“With so little strength left, other demons will devour me the moment I leave this cave,” Baku fretted. “Having ruled over Iyo for so long, I’ve made enemies. Not even my so-called friends will hesitate to turn on me.”

Lily offered a dismissive smile. “Don’t worry; you won’t be alone here.”

“What? Oink!” Baku’s terrified squeal filled the cave, but he remained immobilized by Lily’s spiritual threads.

“What are you doing?” His eyes widened with fear.

“I’ll hand you over to Sister Ayaka,” she announced.

At the mention of Ayaka, a paralyzing dread washed over Baku. Ayaka herself, meanwhile, examined the creature who had tormented her for years. She felt a fleeting urge to crush him underfoot but dismissed the idea. “Lily, do whatever you think best. I don’t want to see this creature again,” she said, emotion drained from her voice.

Baku sighed in a mix of relief and agitation, comprehending that he was now abandoned to an uncertain fate.

“I can’t just abandon you,” Lily declared. “The world’s becoming more perilous. Your nightmare powers could return, and we can’t risk that. I’ll hand you over to Lady Kimiko, and we’ll see what comes of it.”

“Kimiko? Who’s that?” Baku inquired.

“Tamamo-no-Mae

1,” Lily responded, her gaze stern.

“That’s worse than being eaten by demons! We’re both divine beasts

“Why are you here?” Lily asked in response.

“Madam Tokiwa advised that the world is on the brink of substantial change and directed me to return to Iyo Island. However, I’ve lost my former ties here and ended up joining this place,” Kazama explained.

Princess Asuka quickly gave an order. “Reika, make the proper arrangements for Miss Kazama. She shouldn’t be relegated to mere gate duty.”

“Understood,” Reika affirmed.

Leading the group to the top floor of Tenshu Castle, Princess Asuka invited Kazama as well. “You mentioned the world is about to change significantly. Can you elaborate?”

Separated by a massive ocean, voice transmission between Iyo Island and the Akitsu Continent was virtually impossible. Even if Ayaka spent days crafting powerful formations to bolster their voice transmission orbs, there was no guarantee of success.

“When I left, it seemed the massive change hadn’t yet occurred. But on the final day, a long night enveloped the land. Even daylight brought only gloom, each raindrop saturated with immense Eldritch Energy. The winds howled as if filled with demonic screams,” Kazama said, her demeanor calm despite the gravity of her words.

However, Lily’s expression turned solemn. They had overstayed their welcome in this place; it was time to return home. While Ayaka was now able to unseal her memories without issue, Lily considered the unfolding events to be too significant. It would be best to deal with it after they returned to Cherry Blossom Valley.

“Princess Asuka, the chaos on Iyo Island seems to have stabilized for now. I’ve been out of touch with the happenings in the Heian Dynasty for far too long. I don’t know if Minamoto no Yoritomo is concocting more wicked schemes. We must return as soon as possible,” Lily stated.

“Huh? Miss Lily, why the rush? I understand you’re concerned about the Akitsu Continent, but you’ve just fought a massive battle. Perhaps you should rest a while,” Princess Asuka said, taking Lily’s hand in hers.

“We’re actually not tired; we had some rest during the carriage ride,” Lily replied.

“No, no, please—stay the night in Himeji. You can leave tomorrow,” Princess Asuka insisted.

Swayed by the princess’ sincerity, Lily found herself unable to decline. She glanced at her sisters, who all nodded in agreement. “In that case,” Lily began, and they made plans to return to their accommodations for a warm bath and rest.

As they moved toward the door, Princess Asuka halted them. “Miss Lily, please wait.”

“Huh?” Confused, Lily looked at Princess Asuka, who wore a solemn yet somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Lily, we’re going back for now,” Ayaka chimed in, understanding the situation

3.

“My oh my...” Shimizu observed Lily and Asuka, her finger thoughtfully resting on her lip

4.

“Miss Shimizu, let’s go,” Ayaka said, squinting her eyes as her forceful smile emerged. She grabbed Shimizu’s sleeve and led her away.

Footnotes:

Robinxen: Well... takes one to control one? Fight fire with fire?

Robinxen: RIP Baku, may you live a peaceful life.

Robinxen: How tactful...

Robinxen: The harem makes way for expansion.