Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 52 – Power of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 52 – Power of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox

With the extraordinary speed of the combatants, the large heads of Yamata no Orochi often struggled to catch the swift and nimble humans. However, in his enraged state, Mita had become careless, stunned by the serpent’s tail and subsequently bitten.

“Grandpa Mita!” Lily cried out in alarm. She sensed Mita’s aura weakening. Although the injury wasn’t fatal, she feared that Yamata no Orochi would pursue him into the ocean of fire where he had fallen. Acting quickly, Lily rushed towards one of the heads and struck it with her blade, Dojigiri-Yasutsuna. As her sword cut deep, blood splashed out. The head, much harder than the body, caused a significant recoil shock that Lily felt acutely.

Instead of retreating, Lily bravely leaped onto the top of the snake’s head, striking down again with her blade now glowing in a purple lunar light, penetrating deep into the snake’s skull. Clinging tightly to her weapon, she remained steadfast as the head thrashed wildly.

Yamata no Orochi, unable to dislodge Lily, continued its frenzied movements. Despite Dojigiri-Yasutsuna’s deep penetration, even reaching the brain, the creature’s resilience was evident in its eight heads. When the head charged towards the sea of fire, Lily was forced to withdraw her sword. The powerful movement hurled her far away.

In the midst of this, Lily detected an eldritch arte flying towards her. With agile rolls and twirls, she evaded the attack, spotting a heavenly king of Yomi atop the castle tower using hidden weapons. She couldn’t afford to be distracted; in just a moment’s glance, a massive tail loomed before her.

“No!” In a split second, Lily opened the Sakura Parasol. Barely managing to block the blow, she was sent flying. After traveling several thousand meters, the parasol expanded, slowing her descent.

Meanwhile, the other experts continued their relentless assault on Yamata no Orochi, skillfully dodging its heads and tail. Despite the creature being wounded repeatedly and black blood flowing from numerous injuries, it remained a colossal, world-destroying monster with undiminished power. None of the wounds were critical; its core remained unharmed due to its immense size and strength.

On the side of the experts, their treasures were being depleted. Thirty to forty percent of their attacking treasures had been consumed without significantly weakening Yamata no Orochi.

Suddenly, Mita reemerged from the sea of fire with a force that echoed like a thunderous boom. Harnessing arcane arts, he had fashioned a temporary prosthetic leg from the ancient Manbu wood. His hatred for Yamata no Orochi now burning fiercer than ever, he unleashed a barrage of various treasures in his relentless attack against the serpent.

The battle raged on endlessly. The experts’ attack treasures were almost completely exhausted. Despite the countless wounds inflicted on Yamata no Orochi, its aura had only been weakened by less than ten percent. Alarmingly, the serpent’s huge body was constantly absorbing energy, healing itself.

With few spirit treasures remaining and Yamata no Orochi still far from being seriously wounded, Ayaka unsheathed the naginata Fubuki and Kimiko wielded the Celestial Spirit Blade. The experts drew their melee weapons and engaged in close combat. Even Tokiwa, wielding a short sword emanating a tremendous aura, joined the fray.

Engaging Yamata no Orochi at close range was the only way to continuously inflict damage, but the risk was significantly higher. The prolonged battle had drained the experts of much of their energy.

Only Shimizu was able to maintain her energy levels by absorbing Yamata no Orochi’s dark energy. While this constant absorption was enhancing her strength, it was insignificant to Yamata no Orochi. Shimizu’s physical condition, already not the best, was further taxed by the ongoing battle, and absorbing dark energy alone couldn’t mitigate her exhaustion.

The three snake heads of Yamata no Orochi exerted their strength, hurling the colossal nine-tailed fox into the mountains, shattering several peaks in the process. The fox lay in a pool of its own blood, grievously wounded. Kimiko, having transformed into her true form despite her already precarious state, now bore even more serious injuries. The sight filled the onlookers with distress.

Michizane, observing Yamata no Orochi, noted that two of its heads were slightly deformed, two others were injured, and one was blinded in an eye, with black blood flowing torrentially. The nine-tailed fox, in her prime, would have been a formidable adversary for Yamata no Orochi, but in her injured state, Kimiko was clearly overmatched.

“Everyone, if this continues, the world will really be destroyed. Instead of waiting for death, let us fight to the end!” Michizane declared, rising into the clouds with lightning flashing around him and a resolute look in his eyes. He prepared himself to burn his stellar souls in a final stand.

The group realized there was no point in preserving strength any longer; none would abandon their comrades to flee. Escape was no longer an option; they all steeled their resolve for the battle ahead.

Lily lamented her inability to burn her stellar souls, being outside the big dipper realm. “Yamata no Orochi...is this ancient monster really going to push us all to this desperate point?”

“Kill!” The battle cry echoed as Michizane, Masakado, Ayaka, Mita, and others began to burn their stellar souls, launching a relentless assault on Yamata no Orochi. Their attacks, fueled by a do-or-die determination, posed an unprecedented threat to the ancient beast.

Yamata no Orochi fought back with wild ferocity. The experts, empowered by their burning stellar souls, were faster and more formidable, but the serpent, despite its serious wounds, was in a state of violent counterattack.

Lily, too, unleashed her full power, bursting forth with purple lunar energy. She soared into the air, attacking with everything she had. She could sense Yamata no Orochi weakening, its aura diminishing under the fierce onslaught. However, her concern grew as she felt her companions’ auras diminishing even faster than the serpent’s.

“Dammit! If this continues, we won’t be able to hold on!” Lily realized, even with her all-out effort and use of every technique at her disposal, her attacks paled in comparison to Kimiko’s earlier bite. If things continued this way, they would be exhausted before Yamata no Orochi could be defeated.

The realization dawned on all the experts: even after burning their stellar souls, they still couldn’t kill Yamata no Orochi. There was no path of retreat – they would fight to the end, or their sacrifice would be in vain.

As they pondered their next move, a bright phoenix appeared in the sky. Asuka Shizu stood on its back, holding a long, cloth-wrapped blade. “Princess Asuka?” Lily, amidst the fierce battle, was taken aback by her unexpected arrival.

“Catch!” Asuka called out, unraveling the red rope and tossing the bundle to Lily. Midair, the cloth unwrapped, unleashing a powerful sword intent

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Footnotes:

Silva: Time for a reversal?