Book 1: Chapter 68: Blade Maiden (part 1)
Book 1: Chapter 68: Blade Maiden (part 1)
Just who were these people? They sure had guts to intrude the house adjacent to Genji Dojo’s gate. Lady Sakiko wasn’t here but the old woman and herself were. Their target was obviously herself.
“One, two, three… Thirteen people in total. One of them has strong spirit power fluctuation, much stronger than my blue spirit power!”
Lily didn’t react right away. With her katana on her side, she sat down in her room. Looking calm, as if nothing was happening around, she poured herself a cup of green tea.
Leisurely she enjoyed her tea while watching the beauty of the pond outside of her room.
Lily didn’t release her spirit power because she couldn’t confirm whether the assailants were able to detect the fluctuations or not. It would be better for her if the intruders didn’t know she was prepared.
Despite their almost inaudible footsteps, Lily could feel those people coming. Her extremely sensitive hearing caught the tiny noises akin to rats running on the ceiling. However, no sound was made in or around this room, nor in the corridor.
Who could move in such a discreet manner? It didn’t seem to be samurais. She couldn’t be careless.
After completing her cup of tea, the rattling noise running on the ceiling had finally reached the area above Lily’s head, making her anxious.
Not with her spirit power’s sensing ability, but with her women’s intuition, she could feel someone gazing at her exposed neck above the collar of her kimono.
However, she continued to act as if nothing happened. Pouring herself more tea, and gently sipping. Inwardly, she was startled that she could still elegantly drink tea while extremely nervous under such a tense situation. The tea was strangely cool as her mind was as calm as water.
All of a sudden, the hurried squeaking noise burst out from the ceiling.
“Rumble ——!” Several of the ceiling tiles fell at the same time.
Dust rose from the broken wooden tiles as four ninjas jumped out, landing around Lily.
Lily abruptly grasped her Seiwa Tamashi. The cup of tea falling free from her hand.
The four ninjas threw their hands back, attempting to draw their chokuto to slash Lily from the four directions.
However, Lily had already raised one of her knees. With one knee touching the ground as the axis, she rotated, drawing her Seiwa Tamashi at the same time.
“Clang!”
Her sword drew an arc of the crescent moon!
“Pufffft!!!” The three ninjas got slashed at the same time. The sounds when the Seiwa Tamashi cut through the bodies echoed continuously.
The three ninjas were killed without a chance to draw their sword!
The last ninja standing diagonally behind Lily was bewildered. The situation had developed beyond his calculation. He couldn’t even draw his sword, which left it in its scabbard.
“Kiaaaaaa——!” The ninja panicked. His eyes turned malicious when he screamed angrily to boost his own courage. Then, he finally drew his ninja sword, trying his best to gash at Lily.
In this moment, Lily had already turned around. The last thing the ninja saw was the, beautiful, sharp eyes under Lily’s fluttering bangs.
“Pufff ——!”
Lily turned her sword and slashed. A red hue filled the ninjas vision as the sword flashed! Right after that, he couldn’t help but fall aside, falling deep into the darkness…
The four ninjas from Fuma Clan were all killed the instant they faced Lily.
“Ninjas!?” After Lily killed her enemies, she recognized their identity through their dead bodies. “Why would the ninjas want to assassinate me?”
While thinking, Lily suddenly felt the murderous aura coming from the wooden screens behind her. Being startled, she turned around and slashed her sword.
“Clang!”
Blue light flashed!
The white surface of the screen cracked,then rattled slightly, before falling onto the ground with a crash.
Two ninjas in gray suits were exposed behind the screen. They were holding a sword, preparing to stab her. The two stood there silently for a moment, then slumped to the ground one after the other.
Lifting the Sakura Parasol, Lily put it on her back and walked through the collapsed screen to enter the adjacent room.
In this moment, two more ninjas jumped into Lily’s room from the column of the watchtower in the backyard. Seeing their teammates’ dead bodies scattered on the ground, they were frightened.
Seeing Lily going to the adjacent room they thrust their hands into their waist pockets, retrieving two shurikens.
“Swish! Swish!” They threw the shurikens toward Lily at an exceptionally fast speed. However, since Lily had Spirit Vision, this speed was as if it was in slow-motion to her.
Predictably, the spinning shurikens were flying towards her. Lily gently wielded the Seiwa Tamashi in her hand.
“Clang! Clang!” Fire sparked twice! Just like slashing two flying cups of tea, Lily’s sword sent two shurikens to the column.
The two ninjas then took out their swords, dashing toward Lily.
Suddenly having an idea, Lily drew the Sakura Parasol from her back. Opening the parasol, she hurled towards the ninjas with twirling spirit power.
Bringing a tornado of spirit power the Sakura Parasol spun fast, making a curve in the air as it flew towards the two.
“Boom! Boom!”
The two ninjas were sent to the ground but the Sakura Parasol continued its course, flying out into the night before spinning and returning to Lily’s hand.
The two ninjas were actually knocked out by the parasol to Lily’s surprise. Although the Sakura Parasol had lost its power, it still retained its toughness. Lily got the impression that the paper-like parasol is even tougher than her sword!
Cautiously, Lily pushed the door of the adjacent room, stepping out into the corridor.
Two ninjas stormed out from each end of the corridor, halting Lily.
They were stunned when they identified her at first. But they immediately threw their shurikens.
Lily’s body swayed and dodged like a butterfly. Slipping through all the hidden weapons. One of the shurikens missed Lily but flew toward one of the other ninjas on the opposite side, making a cut on his face.
Dashing at Lily, the four ninjas unhesitatingly drew their swords, trying to lock her down in a pincer.
It was extremely disadvantageous for Lily as she had to fight in a narrow, long corridor. Although Lily was really strong, she would still die if the sword slashed her. And, she could clearly feel that these ninjas were stronger than the previous ones!
When it came to death and life, Lily didn’t want to restrain herself. The red spirit power emerged on her body. All of a sudden she opened the Sakura Parasol, using it to shield herself from the attack by the two ninjas on one side!
With the thought that it could cover her during the night parade, she gambled on the logic that ordinary ninjas like these would be unable to break it too.
At the same time, with the sword in her right hand, she lowered her body slightly and took half a step aside. She then swung the sword cladded in red spirit power with all of her might.
The two ninjas’ swords also hacked at Lily.
Single-handedly, Lily’s Penetration Force was around six-hundred kwans, and her sword was three feet and seven inches. The ninjas’ swords weren’t longer than two feet. So, Lily’s sword reached them before their sword could reach her!
“Boom ——! ! !”
A beam of red blood!
The extremely heavy Penetration Force immediate bisected the first ninja at the waist, launching his body outside. The second ninja got gashed at his shoulder. The Seiwa Tamashi continued to slice through the screen. The first ninja was sent to the end of the corridor. He crashed through the wall and out of the room, bumping into the mountain stone in the yard and turned into a meat paste from the impact. It was a really gruesome sight.
Both the second ninja and wall screen were sent flying inward. Pieces of the broken screen hit the wall further inside the room. The ninja banged into a wooden pillar, snapping it with a distinct “Squeak”. Blood and flesh was scattered!
Lily exhaled “phew!” then retrieved the red parasol.
The other two on the other side were petrified watching the bloody scene.
They disbelievingly looked at the young girl who was releasing red eldritch energy. Being scared, they backed off continuously.
“Mon… Monster!” Shivering, a ninja stammered.
Lily’s sword had stabbed through the throat of one of the two.
“Ahh!” The other ninja was so scared he burst out, slashing crazily toward Lily. Lily took one step back to avoid his attack. Taking a horse stance, she raised the sword and slashed!
“Puff!” A column of blood splashed the white wall.
Her sword shivered, but Lily shook the blood off of it. She despised dirty souls. Moreover, her bottom line was to not take in any human souls.
Leaving the room, she walked out into the yard.
She had finished twelve out of thirteen intruders!
There was only one left.
In the yard, the night air was cold. Standing on the huge mountain stone, with silver crescent moon hovering behind her, was a teenage girl with a ponytail.
A sharp wisp of spirit power mingled with the night from the body of Mido Shiu, the ninja from Fuma Clan…
Lily hurled the Sakura Parasol upward. The parasol flew aside like a bamboo dragonfly, landing at the corner of the yard. Now holding her sword with both hands, she studied the lone teenage girl with cold eyes.
“Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?” asked Lily coldly.
Shiu covered her face, and said, “Hehehe, can’t believe you can kill twelve junior genins of Fuma Clan! You’re much stronger than what the intelligence said! You don’t need to know who we are. I’m not the one who wants to kill you. Someone else wants your life.”
“What?” Lily was confused. She said I don’t need to know, but she had just introduced, right? “Who? Who wants to kill me?”
“Hmph, our Fuma Clan will never disclose the name of our clients! You provoked the Daidouji Clan. You’re a pathetic fool. A dying woman doesn’t need to know many things!”
“Er?” Lily was bewildered again, thinking, ‘You already told me everything I need to know!’
Looking at the female ninja who looked a little odd, Lily was scared. That girl’s aura wasn’t less than Akira of Daidouji Clan. At least, she was as strong as a high-tier samurai!
Not long before this, Lily didn’t have the power to resist Akira and she could only run away. If Noboru hadn’t mistaken her with his blood daughter and risked his life to save her, she would have fallen into Akira’s hand.
Facing such an opponent, Lily didn’t dare to be reckless!