<h4>Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 8 – Death Of A Confidant</h4>


    In the relentless drizzle of autumn, Cherry Blossom Valley remained oblivious to the sinister aura of the encroaching army, cloaked by the bleak weather.


    Ayaka, ensconced in her quarters, pondered the profound transformations she had experienced since her paths crossed with Lily. “Who am I?” she mused, a sense of enigma surrounding her identity. “Why am I privy to the celestial maiden’s pure water secret, and how can my dance invoke the rain to bless the earth?” These innate abilities were as natural to her as breathing, yet trying to pinpoint their origins invariably led to crippling headaches.


    “Lady Ayaka, Lyn-hime requests your immediate presence,” a female ninja informed her, breaking her contemtion.


    Upon arriving at Lily’s residence, Ayaka found herself among the familiar faces of Rei, Kimiko, Haihime, Kotoko, and the other sisters.


    “Sister Ayaka, we’ve assessed the strength of Yoritomo’s army that threatens Cherry Blossom Valley,” Lily disclosed gravely. “His Kamakura clone has arrived in person. Since my little roon dispatched this information, it has not returned.”


    The mention of the ‘Kamakura clone’ weighed heavily on Ayaka. Although the clone was merely at the quadruple-soul Big Dipper Stage, nearing quintuple, they were, after all, confronting Minamoto no Yoritomo himself—a foe likely to have devised countless inconceivable strategies, knowing their capabilities.


    Lily continued, “Portions of Suno’s popce and demons have retreated to our valley. Though defensible, our terrain advantage is negligible to someone like Minamoto no Yoritomo. If the maze falls and war reaches the valley, the destruction would be catastrophic, regardless of the victor.”


    “Minamoto no Yoritomo is devious. He may not typically resort to it, but he might leverage the residents and our sisters as pawns against Lily. Caution is imperative,” Haihime interjected.


    Facing her sisters, Lily resolved, “We must extend the battlefield beyond the valley. It shall serve as our final bastion.”


    Ayaka, forthright as ever, dered, “Facing Minamoto no Yoritomo, there’s no merit in deploying ordinary female cavalry or less formidable sisters. Lily, I shall apany you.”


    “No, Sister Ayaka, I must confront him alone. You’ll regain your strength within a month; we cannot risk further injury. My n is to engage him within the illusion,” Lily countered.


    “Very well. I’ll remain close to the illusion, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice should the need arise,” Ayaka consented, understanding the prudence in Lily’s strategy.


    The two had beenrades in arms for quite some time; however, caution was imperative. With Ayaka’s strength anticipated to fully return in a month, the formidable Yoritomo wouldn’t be as intimidating. Even stripped of her treasures, Ayaka’smand of half of Kimiko’s artifacts ensured her capabilities remained robust. Herbat arsenal, barring formation materials, had notably expanded.


    “Lily, how may I assist?” inquired Rei, her might akin to that of a Throned Saint, yet insufficient for a direct sh with Yoritomo. Meanwhile, Shimizu remained in istion.


    “Please defend Cherry Blossom Valley,” Lily responded.


    “But I want to fight!” Rei protested with the fervor of a warrior denied the battlefield. It was at this moment that Kimiko stepped forward, her tail animatedly swaying. She revealed a dark golden treasure box. “Herein are 56 puppet cavalrymen, each necessitating a skilled cavalryman’s consciousness for control, operable up to three hundred kilometers.”


    Kimiko handed the treasure box to Rei, “Miss Uesugi, you excel at leading cavalry into battle, but your female cavalrycks the strength to fight alongside you at the moment. These 56 cavalrymen possess invinciblebat power at the Throned Monarch level and, being puppets, their resilience is formidable. Crafted from ninth-grade metal and adorned with various gemstones and ancient spell inscriptions, they boast durability on par with a single-soul Big Dipper expert, surpassing even yours.”


    “56 puppet cavalrymen?” Rei echoed, taking the box with a mixture of awe and responsibility.


    “The constraint lies in the necessity for one person to manipte each cavalryman. Miss Uesugi, you must promptly select suitable candidates from your female cavalry for training—it’s a straightforward process. Once trained, you can deploy these 56 cavalrymen within the illusion to bolster Lily and Ayaka’s efforts,” Kimiko’s eyes gleamed with tactical foresight. Despite her simple nature,cking in guile, her analysis was acutely astute and actionable.


    “Thank you, Lady Kimiko!” Rei said, her voice rich with gratitude.


    “Now, regarding Cherry Blossom Valley’s defense— Yoritomo’s army is vast. If a faction were to inadvertently break through…” Lily’s concern hung in the air, pregnant with the weight of the unsaid implications.


    Kimiko reassured her confidently, “Leave it to me. My current form belies my strength—I wield the power of a triple-soul Big Dipper Stage expert, and my arsenal of treasures is not to be underestimated. Intercepting any intruders will be trivial.”


    With Lily’s anxiety eased, she began to delegate, “Yoritomo’s forces approach the illusion. We must act immediately! Sister Haihime, Lady Kotoka, the internal defenses and coordination with Lady Kimiko are now in your hands.”


    “Yes,” came the affirming responses from Haihime and Kotoka.


    “Lily, take extra caution,” Haihime added, her worry evident, a veil of helplessness in her gaze. Powerless to join the fray against Yoritomo’s might, she couldn’t stand beside Lily in the battle.


    Lily and Ayaka wasted no time in setting out, while Rei prepared to select and prepare the female cavalry for the task at hand.


    Lily and Ayaka left the valley’s safety,ing to a split in their paths.


    “Lily, we part here. I can manipte the grand formation from any location within this illusion. When necessary, I will obstruct Yoritomo’s forces to aid you. The rest falls to you,” Ayaka stated, her grip on Lily’s hand both firm and reassuring.


    “Mhm. Worry not, Sister Ayaka,” Lily replied, her face warming with determination and perhaps a hint of something more.


    After parting with Ayaka, Lily ventured solo through the forested mountains shrouded by the illusion, paths she knew intimately. Within the illusionary formation, she could stay in touch with Ayaka and Rei via soul transmission, no matter the distance; such was the advantage of their grand design.


    Upon reaching the fringe of the illusion, Lily spied Kato Keiren’s ck vanguard nestled in the valley below. The onmyojis at the forefront were a formidable bunch, performing spells and tentatively probing. Yet, the illusion, now reinforced by Ayaka, held firm against these powerful mages whose progress was significantly impeded.


    Among them, the weakest were of the Permanence Stage’s pinnacle, with a notable few who had ascended to the Throne Stage. Their tall ck hats shrouded their pale-blue faces, eyes shimmering with an unsettling glow, void of humanity but emanating a strong ghostly stench. “The aura of Yomi?” Lily mused, her previous encounters lending insight into how Yoritomo had swiftly mustered such a formidable army.


    Lily, having navigated the Path of Yomi, was well aware of its depths, where archdemons and ghosts of immense power dwelled. She couldn’t fathom the numbers within Yomi, nor the extent of their might. But if Yoritomo had indeed tapped into this abyssal resource, it exined the sudden rise of his spectral forces.


    As spection abounded regarding the weakened imperial forces post-battles in Suno and Heian-kyō, Yoritomo had delved into the underworld, drawing out demons and ghosts for his legions. Yet, the question of his control over these beings from Yomi lingered, deepening the mystery of his capabilities.


    “Yomi sorcerers, huh? Let’s show them what we’re made of,” Lily dered, a swift motion of her hand conjuring a fearsome Yomi beast projection


    ¹. With her strength now rivaling the quintuple-soul Big Dipper Stage, her creation was a force to be reckoned with, its power unchallenged at the Throne Stage.


    The beast unleashed an ancient roar, darting forward with a speed that turned it into a blur, a massive ck mist charging into the formation of onmyojis and sorcerers.


    “What?!” echoed a voice, stunned and rmed.


    “What is that thing?” another queried in panic.


    The creature was a whirlwind of destruction, severing the head of a ghoul onmyoji in a single, swift bite before the onlookers could evenprehend its form.


    “Where did this demone from? Why is it attacking its own kind?” The confusion spread like wildfire among the group.


    “Lord Kato, ah—” the cry was cut short.


    In a flurry of ferocity, the beast lunged, tearing and biting. It sowed chaos among the onmyojis, swiftly iming the lives of more than a dozen in a brutal disy of power.


    “This beast isn’t from our army!” Kato Keiren dered as he arrived astride his ck steed. “Kill it!”


    The initial chaos quickly transformed into orchestrated retaliation. The beast, their unexpected adversary, faced a barrage of spells from the onmyojis. Meanwhile, a wave of ck-armored soldiers surged from the valley to confront the threat.


    Despite the onught of spells and des that wounded it, the beast, merely a painted projection, fought without regard for its own injuries. It exuded thick inky smoke, and in its injured state, it continued to carve a path of destruction through Kato’s forces.


    “Why is this demon turning against us? Could it be another Yomi demon that surfaced from below?” Kato’s face contorted with bewilderment, struggling to grasp the creature’s origins.


    The demons of Yomi, not bound to Yoritomo’s will, were agents of chaos, locked in a vicious cycle of ughter and consumption, a battle for dominance that birthed true monstrosities. If one such demon had indeed emerged into the human realm autonomously, its hostility toward its kin would hardly be surprising.


    “This inky ck smoke… it’s familiar…” Kato’s memory ignited, a realization striking him. “It’s a painted projection!”


    The battlefield at the execution grounds shed before his eyes—those Yomi projections had been present there, and he had faced them inbat.


    Only one person in this realm could wield such projections against them.


    “Lord Kato, have you been well?” Lily’s tone, tinged with frost, sounded from behind the unwitting Kato.


    “You are…” Kato began, the recognition dawning toote.


    Before he could alert his forces, it was over. Lily’s Dojigiri-Yasutsuna, in her hands, was relentless and unforgiving. Kato, merely a Throned Saint, stood no chance; the de cut through him as easily as it would through air, its cursed edge striking true.


    “Kagami Lily… She’s really here… in Cherry Blossom Valley…” These thoughts were Kato’sst, his strength ebbing away before he could voice them.


    Kato Keiren, once a trusted lieutenant in Minamoto no Yoritomo’s ranks, nowy defeated. His years of loyalty and his practice of demonic methods could not save him from this end. <h4>Footnotes:</h4>


    Robinxen: I forgot she refilled her paintings with all the demons that one time.