Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 39 – Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

A crowd continued to gather in front of the Heian-palace, their faces weighed down with the knowledge that a great and powerful person was about to be executed. The somber mood was palpable and seemed to spread throughout the people gathered there. Ijuin Reira, Taira no Shizuru, and others stood nearby, silently watching the execution platform with nervous anticipation. They knew that the numerous crimes that Fujiwara no Renbo was reading out were nothing but lies and slander, a fabricated attempt to frame the accused.

The Tsunaga sisters’ faces darkened as they blended into the crowd, feeling infuriated and wishing they could rush forward at that moment. Though there were powerful samurai among the crowd, they would not dare to make a move against Yoritomo’s eight great experts who were too powerful. These samurai could not hide their auras or strength and each one emanated a powerful aura that demonstrated the strength of royal authority. What was even more discouraging was that Minamoto no Yoritomo himself was seated on the high platform behind them.

Ijuin and her companions were unaware of the true identity of the Cloistered Emperor. However, four hours before midnight, a horde of tengu emerged from behind the billowing clouds and encircled the execution platform in the air. These tengu were formidable, with the weakest among them being at the spirit jade realm, and the majority being at the permanence realm. The strongest among them exuded the powerful aura of a throne realm arch-demon. This caused Ijuin and her companions to become even more grave.

Ijuin pondered, ‘Even though the rumored Daitengu, who attacked Lady Ayaka, has not yet appeared, the massive tengu army surrounding the execution platform suggests that one of the three great arch-demons, Daitengu, could be nearby.’

Even without considering the Daitengu, Minamoto no Yoritomo and his eight great experts, along with the regular black armored army, were enough to overpower them. Though they anticipated a large number of guards, the hundred or so tsunaga sisters could potentially use their treasures and talismans to stage a successful rescue with the element of surprise on their side.

However, the presence of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the potential involvement of the Daitengu, and the deployment of the elite black armored army had left them feeling overwhelmed. How could they take advantage of surprise in such a situation? What was the point of trying to surprise someone as powerful as Minamoto no Yoritomo? Even with a well-thought-out plan, was there any chance of success against him and his formidable guards? It seemed impossible.

But… could they stand by and allow Ayaka to be executed? The tsunaga sisters’ purpose was to defend the Way of Heaven. Yet, the greatest defender of the Way of Heaven was about to be unjustly executed. How could this be the Way of Heaven?

Yet, if they all charged forward, did they have any chance of success?

With three hours left until midnight, the onmyouji of the Fujiwara clan started to construct intricate and ancient formations in order to extract Ayaka’s remaining spirit power. The extraction was so painful that even though Ayaka was unconscious, her body trembled as she let out a heart-wrenching groan.

The tsunaga sisters, standing below the platform, clenched their fists in anger. Yagyuu Shiu was struggling to keep her temper under control; seeing a powerful and noble lady being treated this way made her furious. If Lily were here, perhaps she would be unable to hold back her anger as well.

“Sister Lily, where are you?”

On the other side, Shimizu’s face was adorned with a chilly expression. Although she had no deep affection or loyalty towards Ayaka, the cruel punishment being publicly displayed made her want to help rescue her. But was there really any chance of winning? Shimizu pondered, “Even if there is no relationship, if I have the ability, I still want to help her… But what would you do, Lil’ Lily, if you were in my position?”

……

As time passed, minutes trickled by, and there were only two hours left until midnight.

At the main gate of Heian-kyo, Suzaku Gate, several imperial soldiers were guarding the entrance, appearing to have nothing to do. The black armored troops had been recalled to guard the execution platform, and the curfew had been lifted. With only them guarding the gate, it felt a bit dreary.

“Hey, have you heard? That a big shot is getting executed today.”

“I heard it’s the lord chief advisor.…”

The group of soldiers continued to gossip, their voices low and lazy in the quiet night.

Suddenly, an older soldier interjected, “Shh! Don’t talk about it. We don’t want to attract trouble.”

One soldier scoffed, “We’re just soldiers. Why should we worry about such things? Our job is to guard the gates.”

As they spoke, a soldier leaned against the walls, gazing absentmindedly at the large, half-lunar shaped wooden bridge before them.

“Hm?” he exclaimed as a crimson aura appeared on the old wooden bridge, and within the red light, a person seemed to be walking. It was a young girl dressed in red, alone and wearing a long-sleeved, long-skirted kimono. Her messy black hair fluttered and swayed in the bleak wind. Despite her height, on this bridge wide enough to hold ten horse carriages, she looked frail and lonely.

The soldier’s voice echoed through the quiet night. “Hey, who goes there at this hour?”

“Halt!” another shouted. “Identify yourself! Human or demon?”

But the young girl in red continued walking, seemingly oblivious to their warnings.

“I’ve finally arrived,” Lily murmured as she gazed upon the sprawling city before her. Her steps echoed softly on the ancient wooden bridge.

“Halt!” The soldiers grew more agitated. “We said stop!”

Ignoring them, Lily lifted a large scroll from within her kimono and held it up in front of her.

Whoosh!!! With a flick of her wrist, the thousand-meter-long white scroll unfurled behind her, fluttering in the night breeze.

“What in the—?” The soldiers gaped at the sight.

“Who are you?” one demanded.

Ignoring the soldiers, Lily continued to walk forward, letting the long scroll flutter behind her. The soldiers and samurai raised their spears, ready to confront her. Suddenly, they witnessed something incredible:

Poof! Poof! Poof! Huge powerful feet stepped out of bursts of smoke from the scroll

¹ and onto the wooden bridge, one by one.

Boom! A large eldritch cloud surged behind the young girl as the creatures continued to emerge.

“Waaaa—hahahahaha!” A wild, arrogant laughter sounded as a demon stepped out on wheels of flame behind the girl. The demon radiated the powerful aura of a throne realm expert.

“What!?? What is that!??” The soldiers were shocked and confused, shouting out in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Boom! Another huge eldritch cloud appeared, and a white-bearded raccoon standing ten meters tall, holding a wooden staff and wearing a bamboo hat, stepped out.

“Ah! R-raccoon… such a huge raccoon!?” The soldiers were taken aback.

Boom! Boom! Boom! More and more eldritch smoke appeared behind the girl in red as cloud after cloud materialized. Four-tailed demon cats, huge floating red carps, and several bouncing little raccoons holding weapons or lanterns joined the group.

In addition, towering clouds of mist and various demonic creatures, whether tall, thin, bulky, or bizarre, emerged from the abyss of Yomi and followed their summoner. The samurai and guards’ faces turned pale at the sight of these powerful and terrifying creatures following the young girl. How could they dare to block the path of such beings?

The old soldier’s voice trembled as he spoke, “This…is this…” He paused, his eyes widening in fear as he tried to remember what day it was. Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the air, and a blood-red eldritch cloud materialized behind the demon. The cloud dissipated to reveal a demon fox that was over a hundred meters long. Its eyes glowed a menacing crimson, and its massive jaws were filled with cold, sharp fangs.

The group of guards yelped in terror as they stumbled backwards and dropped to the ground in shock. The demon fox had six long tails that swayed like clouds and mist behind it. This was the last painting that Lily had created in Yomi Hirazaka, depicting the terrifying original form of Tamamo-no-Mae. However, despite her efforts, she had been unable to draw the final three tails, and so could only summon a six-tailed demon fox. While it may not have been comparable to Tamamo-no-Mae, the fox was still a formidable creature with the ferocity and cruelty of a thousand-year-old demon fox. The overwhelming aura emanating from the demon fox was enough to prevent the guards from even attempting to stand up.

The ground shook as more and more demons emerged from behind Lily. The little raccoons accompanying them transformed into floating taiko drums, beating out a powerful rhythm that echoed throughout the area. Amidst the chaos, a figure emerged from the sea of demons. It was Kagura, who leaped onto the back of a demon hound and held the famous Sakura Parasol in one hand and a clear green flute in the other. She blew on the flute, and a slow, melancholic tune filled the air, stirring up deep emotions within everyone who heard it. Meanwhile, a stream of sakura petals swirled around the group, adding to the surreal atmosphere.

Whoosh! Crystalline snowflakes floated behind Yuki-Onna as she appeared in fluttering gauze behind Lily. Walking in front of the processions

², Kagami Lily’s beautiful eyes were filled with an incomparable obsession and her long hair danced in the wind. She remembered that on this day last year, she had arrived in this world, clad in crimson and without strength or preparation. Despite facing all sorts of terrifying monsters and feeling lost at times, she remained tenacious, overcame fear, relied on her will and obsession, and with a bit of luck, managed to survive.

A year had passed, and now the young girl, accompanied by powerful shikigami and a summoned demon army, had returned to Heian-kyo. She was not motivated by greed or a desire for prosperity, nor was she afraid of the darkness and horrors that awaited her. Her sole reason for returning was to rescue her beloved sisters, who were the most precious treasures in her life in this dark world.

Lily strode forward, radiating power and momentum as she called out, “Sister Ayaka, I’m here!” She was determined to face any terror that lay ahead, refusing to be deterred.

Today was 15th July

³, the day that marked the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

⁴.

References

Robinxen: Is she literally spawning all 100 demons she has in the scroll to fabricate her own parade?! The balls on this woman.

Yuki: I know this is to build anticipation up… but shouldn’t she be running full speed? As far as she knows, Ayaka could be executed at any moment.

Robinxen: Just a shame we’re posting this ONE WEEK before the 15th of July. Timing could have been awesome.

Silva: It only took a year and 874 chapters to reach a full circle~

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