Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 27 – Ayaka’s Recovered Power

As Gusato confronted Ayaka, he mockingly underestimated her. “Who are you to challenge me, a mere mortal woman? You might possess some strength, but that’s hardly enough to survive in Yomi. You’d be crushed or enslaved within days. Your future is a bleak one!” he sneered, ogling Ayaka’s figure.

Unfazed, Ayaka replied with a hint of sarcasm, “Yomi, really? Do you actually think you’re in Yomi right now?”

Gusato laughed condescendingly. “Ahahaha, you truly don’t grasp the bigger picture. You might have some strength, but you’re still naive. You’re just like frogs in a well, thinking you’re strong. But true strength is honed in the ruthless, treasure-rich environments of Yomi. Remember, as a woman, you’re even more vulnerable there. It’s tragic how quickly your arrogance would be your downfall in Yomi.”

Ayaka, unfazed by his arrogance, retorted sharply, “You boast about your size and strength, yet you waste time with such drivel. If you’re here for revenge, let’s see you act on it!” She wasn’t interested in his lecture on Yomi. Waving her wand, she summoned three crystal clear white lotuses, which swiftly transformed into three razor-sharp, crystalline white swords.

As the swords hurtled towards Gusato, he swung his heavy weapon in an attempt to deflect them. However, when his weapon collided with the first crystalline sword, a shockwave surged through it, numbing his arm and causing searing pain. Overwhelmed, Gusato couldn’t defend against Ayaka’s other two swords, which struck his shoulder and thigh.

“Aghh—!” Gusato roared in agony, stumbling back. “What kind of arcane artifact is this? Terrifying!” he exclaimed. The first sword, having been initially deflected, circled back, targeting him again.

Now injured and unable to use one arm, Gusato tried to fend off the attacking sword with his remaining arm, but Ayaka skillfully maneuvered the flying sword, slicing off his other arm.

As Gusato’s arm was severed, he stared in disbelief. Ayaka, embodying an unfettered crystalline spirit energy, moved towards him with a holy and tranquil ferocity, resembling a graceful yet formidable force. Her swift approach caught Gusato off guard.

Gusato, despite being a formidable quadruple-soul big dipper, found himself at a disadvantage. Ayaka’s full power was evident; she was a force to be reckoned with, one who could potentially match Yoritomo in combat. Had it not been for Daitengu’s ambush, even Yoritomo might have struggled to fend her off completely.

Gusato, noticeably slower than Ayaka, armed himself with a short sword in his remaining hand. Despite the blade already piercing through his shoulder, causing him immense pain, he gritted his teeth and lunged towards Ayaka with a stab. Gusato’s size gave him an advantage in reach, even with the smaller weapon compared to Ayaka’s.

He exerted his remaining strength, thrusting the blade with all his might. However, the injury in his shoulder limited his power to only about sixty to seventy percent of his full capacity. Yet, even at full strength, it was doubtful he could overpower Ayaka.

Reacting quickly, Ayaka flicked her wand, unleashing a transparent, crystalline pulse. The pulse collided with the spine of Gusato’s blade, diverting it off course. Her counter was swift, precise, and while not heavily forceful, it effectively neutralized Gusato’s attack.

With Gusato’s stab deflected, Ayaka seamlessly summoned her celestial spirit blade and thrust it forward, piercing Gusato’s throat, from which blood began to gush in a steady flow.

Opening its massive mouth, the kappa then launched a barrage of water bombs. Ayaka, agile as ever, sidestepped these too, leaving them to explode against the mountain peaks behind her.

As the kappa’s attacks proved futile, the standoff continued. Meanwhile, the strain of maintaining such a colossal water formation began to show on the warships, signaling a significant drain on their energy reserves.

Lily, observing from afar, showed little interest in the kappa, given its lack of anima. However, the three demon generals, desperate to gain an advantage, directed the kappa to target a nearby village with its water bombs.

“No!” Ayaka, reacting promptly, conjured multiple white lotuses in the air to intercept the water bombs, resulting in a heavy rain showering down on the village.

Ayaka retaliated against the kappa, but its form, made of lake water, proved resilient, quickly reforming even when parts were damaged. She waved her wand, summoning thunderclouds overhead. Lightning struck down, one after another, wreaking havoc on the warships.

With a gesture, Ayaka summoned two giant ghost heads, one blue and one red –treasures from Kimiko. They launched an onslaught of fireballs and stone bullets. The kappa, despite its efforts to block with water tendrils, could not fend off all the projectiles, resulting in widespread destruction among the warships.

As the kappa waned with the loss of warships, the demon generals, in a last-ditch effort, sacrificed their stellar souls and a trove of treasures to reinvigorate the formation. The kappa transformed into a water dragon, shifting its focus from Ayaka to the vulnerable village.

Recognizing the water dragon’s strength, equivalent to a quintuple-soul big dipper, Ayaka knew it aimed to exploit the village as a weak point. “Not good!” she exclaimed, her white lotuses proving insufficient against the dragon’s onslaught.

Lily, with a graceful wave of her kimono sleeve, released a flurry of moonlight threads that soared through the sky, weaving an intricate web to ensnare the water dragon. Shizuka, appearing on the opposite side of the dragon, brandished her cursed blade. From it emanated silver souls, each tethered by slender threads to the blade. These ethereal souls joined Lily’s moonlight threads, creating a formidable network that wrapped around the water dragon, pulling it away from the village with concerted effort.

This method, while effective, was not the preferred way for Lily or Shizuka to exert their force. The situation had placed them in a less than ideal position, at a strategic disadvantage. They struggled to contain the water dragon, its quintuple-soul big dipper strength proving to be an immense challenge. The effort to restrain and redirect the dragon’s rampage was visibly exhausting for both Lily and Shizuka, demanding their utmost concentration and strength.

“Quick, destroy those three demon generals and the warships!” Lily commanded.

“Right!” Ayaka responded, turning her attention away from the water dragon. She reformed her three crystalline swords, targeting the demon generals.

In the skies above, a sudden gust of wind heralded the arrival of Tomoe Gozen. Emerging from a mist over the lake on her skeletal horse, she charged through the fleet, causing chaos and destruction, decimating over ten warships in a dramatic display of power.

Footnotes:

Robinxen: I actually forgot she was even remotely capable of archery…

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