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“Miss Tomoko, your words reveal how little you appreciate our master’s gentle kindness,” Rie said calmly, her tone measured but firm.
“Gentle? Kindness?” Tomoko scoffed. “She beat us down with sorcery and brute force, forced us into slavery, and you call that gentle kindness?”
“Miss Tomoko, let me ask you this—if our master hadn’t taken us in during this trial, do you think we would have stood a chance against her later? Do you not understand the fate of the defeated? In the Night Parade of the Hundred Maidens, there can be only one winner, and the outcome has already been decided. Master has even promised to return our freedom once the trial ends. Isn’t she offering us the best outcome possible?”
Some of the Hundred Maidens nodded thoughtfully, finding logic in Rie’s words.
“That’s right. What Sister Rie said makes sense,” a green-haired onmyoji mused aloud. “My sister and I are in the middle to lower ranks. Even if Kagami Lily hadn’t defeated us, someone else would have eventually, and we’d have faced a hundred years of hard labor or ended up in a demon brothel. When you look at it that way, this situation is clearly better.”
“Pathetic! Cowardly!” Tomoko snapped. “I’m nothing like you weaklings! There are still two and a half years left, countless trials, endless opportunities! The final outcome is far from decided!”
Rie gave Tomoko a long, measured look, shaking her head with a slight frown. “Miss Tomoko, you’re far too perceptive not to see the truth, just as I do. You simply refuse to accept it.”
“When I regain my freedom, I’ll make every one of you pay!” Tomoko declared coldly, glaring at the group before stalking back to her cell.
Escape? Impossible. She had already been defeated—there was no point in running unless she could somehow break free from the grasp of the Rakshasa Dojo.
While Tomoko remained defiant, the other Hundred Maidens cooperated, working together to set up several defensive formations and fortify their position.
With no distinction between day and night in the prison, the women returned to their cells to rest once the defenses were in place, leaving only a few behind to patrol the area.
By then, Lily had returned. She sat quietly at the end of the tunnel, her eyes closed in rest.
From the depths of the darkness, heavy footsteps echoed, accompanied by the overwhelming aura of a powerful demon.
“What kind of monster is that!?” one of the patrolling women cried out in alarm.
“Monster? You dare call me a monster after breaking into my Okai Prison, you uninvited wretches?”
Three massive figures emerged from the shadows.
On either side stood monstrous figures—a towering beast with a terrifying sheep’s head and a robust warrior with the head of a pheasant. These were no prisoners—they were the prison’s jailors!
Clad in ragged samurai armor, the sheep-headed jailor gripped a curved hook sword, while the pheasant-headed one brandished a long blade. Both radiated the powerful auras of septuple-soul Big Dipper adepts.
Between them stood a towering ox demon with three heads and six arms, his body etched with glowing crimson runes. He appeared to be from the same clan as King Mauro Kidou—both were formidable three-headed, six-armed powerhouses.
The ox demon exuded a terrifying aura that permeated the entire prison.
“Miss... Miss Rie...” The patrolling guards shrank back under the crushing aura. Moments later, Rie, Masako, and several others rushed to the scene.
Their defensive formations could barely hold off the two septuple-soul jailors, but the ox demon in the center was far beyond the Big Dipper realm. The ox demon tore through the formations effortlessly, sending shockwaves through the tunnel walls, causing them to groan under the pressure as if the entire structure might collapse.
“Me?” Lily’s voice was cool, indifferent. “I’m just one of the Hundred Maidens, here for training.”
“What? A member of the Hundred Maidens? That’s impossible! With power like yours? There’s no way you’re the same as those weak women!” Lord Okai bellowed in disbelief.
Lord Okai swung his colossal axe toward Lily, aiming to cleave her in two. But Lily’s leg shot up, striking the side of the axe mid-swing with bone-crushing force.
The impact sent rippling shockwaves through the dark tunnel. Lord Okai, along with his massive axe, was hurled backward, slamming into the stone wall with devastating force.
Lord Okai’s body crashed through multiple walls, shattering stone as he barreled through several adjoining tunnels, leaving destruction in his wake.
“What kind of power is this?” Tomoko muttered, stunned.
The walls of Okai Prison were known to be nearly indestructible. Even with her full strength, Tomoko could only crack the stone and leave a small crater. Yet, with a single kick, Lily had blasted the Lord of Okai through multiple walls—and it didn’t even seem like she was using her full strength.
“Lord Okai is an Infernal Realm adept... What kind of opponent am I up against in this Hundred Maidens competition?” Tomoko’s mind reeled, her confidence shaken to its core.
“Damn you!” Lord Okai snarled. “I’ve never encountered a woman with power like yours! You must be a Celestial Realm adept—why are you pretending to be a Big Dipper adept and competing in the Night Parade? I’ve faced plenty of Hundred Maidens, but I’ve never met anyone like you!”
Lord Okai’s eyes blazed gold as he ignited his divine power. With all six arms wielding deadly weapons, he launched a relentless flurry of attacks at Lily.
Lily responded in kind, her movements swift and precise. Despite Lord Okai’s overwhelming strength and six-weapon barrage, Lily’s speed far surpassed his.
“Arcane Moon!”
A brilliant crescent of lunar energy sliced through the prison, its light illuminating the dark corridors. The beam struck Lord Okai square in the chest, severing two of his arms and carving a deep, gaping wound. Crimson and golden divine blood gushed from the wound, splattering across the walls and floor.
The force of the blast hurled Tomoko into a corner, divine blood splattering against her skin. Dazed and shaken, she could do nothing but stare in disbelief.
Staggering backward with a howl of pain, Lord Okai raised his axe toward Lily and cursed, “Fine! You’re strong! Let’s end it here—I’ll let you and your women live!”
“Let’s go!” Lord Okai barked, realizing too late that the wound on his chest refused to heal. Blood continued to pour from it, staining the ground beneath him. With a fierce glare, he limped away, signaling his subordinates to follow.
“Stop. Who gave you permission to leave?” Lily’s voice rang out, cold as ice.
“What!?” Lord Okai jolted in alarm, watching as Lily advanced, her blade gleaming ominously in hand.
“Woman, what more do you want? I am the Lord of Okai! I spared the worthless lives of your Hundred Maidens—what more could you ask?”
“Tell me, Lord of Okai—if I had fallen to you, would you have let me go?”
“You invaded my prison! Anyone who falls to me becomes my plaything—my slave until death takes them!” Lord Okai sneered, his six eyes gleaming with wicked lust1.
“Is that so?” Lily’s voice was calm, yet laced with menace. “Then tell me—since you’ve lost, why should I let you go?”