Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 2, Chapter 119 - Tsukuyomi Swordstyle

Kagura ruminated for a moment before replying, “Pardon me, but I heard about the legend of the mirror girl for the first time from you while I had assumed the identity of the Sakura Parasol. This so-called mirror girl didn’t exist in the era when I fell, and I have also never heard of it while traveling the world along with my master.”

“Eh?” According to the legend, the mirror girls were an ancient tribe that shouldered a tragic fate ever since a few centuries ago. Thus, Lily also felt puzzled that even the mystical Kagura hadn’t heard about it back in those days.

“Then…” Lily took a deep breath, feeling it was time he asked the most important question, “Kagura, your original consciousness dwelled within this mirror space and conversed with me once, so you definitely saw her, right?”

Lily gazed towards the stone door which led to the room where the dormant soul of her senior sister laid.

“The dormant soul of the woman dwelling in this mirror, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Her spirit power is quite unique. I have never felt such spirit power until now, it’s warm yet cold and desolate, immense yet fragile, which is quite unfathomable… Besides this, even I’m unaware of anything else. I do not know this woman and am also unaware since when her soul began hibernating in this place,” Kagura answered.

“Eh? But weren’t you sealed inside this space for several centuries? You never discovered anything during this period?”

“I had never entered this space before my will was sealed, and I lost my consciousness the moment my will was sealed within the mirror by my master. My consciousness awakened when your soul entered this space, so it’s more appropriate to say that you awakened me. As such, I’m unaware of what transpired within the mirror before that. Moreover, even I cannot control this mirror as it most probably belongs to you right now. I’m just an existence dwelling it, that’s all.”

Lily despaired as he hadn’t expected that Kagura’s main consciousness was dormant all this while and was entirely clueless about when and how his senior sister’s soul entered this space.

“Then… What’s the point in knowing about the path to Takamagahara and about the strength of your former master when I can’t do anything at all? I’m still trapped inside the stone room within Mt. Yoshino and am unable to exit it. There’s no food or water here, so who knows how long Nanako and I will be able to hold on…” After feeling overwhelmed, Lily finally recalled his current situation. Although he had learned many huge secrets about the Heian Empire that were unrelated to him, he still hadn’t found a method to break free from his current predicament.

“Hehehe. You needn’t worry about that,” Kagura stated, “Didn’t you snatch a Blood Spirit Magatama from Shuten Doji’s hands with the help of the Sakura Parasol once? It’s an extremely valuable and rare grade 9 magatama that possesses a special power. You can summon my apex strength using that magatama and launch an attack once that will break through the stone wall and also decimate the trash waiting on the other side of the door instantly. So, it’s not that difficult a task.”

“What?! Summon your apex strength?” Lily was also stunned as that combat force belonged to a follower of a deity!

“But you better consider it wisely as it will be quite difficult for you to obtain another Blood Spirit Magatama with your current strength. This attack can be called a lethal move, so it would be a real waste if it were used to deal with mere 7th-Stage Awakened trash,” Kagura advised.

“Eh? But is there any other way to leave?”

“Hmph! The stone room outside was built by my master casually as a shelter while traveling the world, and my treasures were concealed here after my fall via my master’s will, but for some reason, Yosh*tsune found this location and created the Genji Swordstyle from his understanding of the stele outside the room. Although I’m powerless at the moment, it’s quite easy for me to help you open the stone door of the outer room, but you’ll have to find some means to deal with enemies outside by yourself. Besides the Blood Spirit Magatama, there’s nothing else that can enable me to assist you, while training Nanako is a matter of the far future.”

“If I had abundant spirit power, I could have probably broken through Dijon’s encirclement, but I only have an iota of spirit power left at this moment, while Dijon is accompanied by a demon ninja much stronger than him. It’s quite hard for me to prevail over them,” Lily stated worriedly.

“It seems like you are really unaware of the treasures within this mirror space!”

“Treasures?” Lily’s eyes lit up.

Kagura continued, “My master left some information behind within my will, so I can teach you how to enter and exit this mirror space freely. Moreover, the doors on the eight walls of this stone room all lead to unimaginable rooms, of which you have already entered two, and I can help you open another two based on the information left behind by my master.”

“Enter and exit freely?!” Lily felt inexplicable happiness. Doesn’t this mean I can see my most beloved senior sister whenever I want? I won’t have to feel lonely anymore too, no, senior sister also won’t feel lonely then.

“Yes, I can impart the method for that to you myself. As for the two other rooms, they will be incredibly beneficial for your future progress!”

Saying so, Kagura arrived in front of the stone wall opposite to the amethyst mirror that was engraved with ancient Jōmon characters on both ends and tapped it gently, following which the stone door on the wall opened to reveal a spacious and empty square-shaped room brightly lit by a bright oil lamp that was almost as high as a two-storied building and almost as big as a courtyard house.

“This is the Treasury Room and items that are grade 6 or higher can be placed inside this room directly, but it’s not possible to place items lower than grade 6 inside it. Just so that you know, you can place the grade 6 or higher tamahagane as well as your gold coins inside this room, but you can’t place the copper coins here.”

“Wah…” Lily’s mouth opened wide in amazement, “T-This kind of room is really too convenient!”

This meant that Lily could store all the gold in her possession within this room.

“Moreover, the items held within the mirror space don’t carry any weight,” Kagura continued.

“This is really… too magical!”

“Hehe,” Kagura chuckled and arrived in front of the stone wall with the amethyst mirror and caressed it gently, following which the stone door opened to reveal a damp, yet spacious cave illuminated by priceless crystals. And this cave had three steles set up inside it!

Kagura brought Lily before the steles that were all 30 feet long and 10 feet wide and emanated an ancient, pure and mystical aura. Of the two that laid to either side, one portrayed a celestial maiden’s sword-dance that strikingly resembled the one portrayed on the stele outside the entrance to the stone room Lily and Nanako had entered inside. However, Lily noticed that the stele he had seen previously only had 67 movements in total while the stele in front of him portrayed 127 movements and also seemed to emanate an even more ethereal and graceful aura. But, for some reason, the garments of the celestial maiden on this stele were even more revealing and sexy! The stele on the other side portrayed the dance of a parasol-wielding celestial maiden, but for some reason, the maiden was dressed in extremely revealing and improper garments. If the previous maiden’s garments were to be classified as sexy, this maiden’s garments were simply sinful and indecent! It was no better than an erotic painting! As such, Lily blushed hard after glancing at it just once.

As for the stele at the center, it was filled with densely written ancient characters and although Lily failed to recognize them, he could understand what they meant, so he felt like he had seen them somewhere previously.

“Wah. T-This is…” With his exceptional vision, Lily had gleaned into the meaning of the characters written at the topmost section of the stele, which went as follows—

I traverse alone at nightfall in solitude, realizing that we will never meet again,

Your silhouette traverses far in this nascent world, the night-wilting blossoms akin to ill-fated sakura.

If the latter generation is fated to read my ‘Lunar Blossom,’ know that the 317 books are akin to drifting blossoms,

This isn’t an esoteric advancement method, but rather my life story.

“Lunar Blossom…” Lily repeated, “Isn’t the content written on this stele Lunar Blossom? Moreover, the content is much longer than what I obtained back then!”

Kagura noticed Lily’s amazed expression and smiled proudly, “Yes. According to legend, the primordial spirit power advancement method that’s most suitable for a woman, ‘Lunar Blossom,’ is in fact an esoteric supreme advancement method created by Goddess Tsukuyomi, and it’s said that it consists of 318 books in total! This stele records the contents from the 1st book to the 81st book, which is more than enough to advance until you ascend through the Heavenly Gate!”

“81 books…” Lily didn’t know how to respond.

Kagura continued, “The left stele is a true copy of the first and second segments of the ‘Tsukuyomi Swordstyle,’ and is different from the Fake Tsukuyomi Swordstyle that’s propagated outside via the fake ancient mirrors. You’ll hit a roadblock once you reach the sixth stage of the first segment while practicing that Fake Tsukuyomi Swordstyle and though it’s possible to progress further through much difficulties, it’s impossible to practice the first segment to succession in the end.”

“As for this one, the first segment is divided into ten stages, and it provides an increment of tenfold strength after successful advancement!”

“The second segment is also divided into ten stages. Similarly, it provides an increment of twentyfold strength upon mastering it!”

“It’s said that the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle created by the Great Battle Goddess Tsukuyomi is divided into six segments, and other than a copy of the first segment, the rest have never made an appearance in this world!”

“Tenfold… Twentyfold…” Lily was dumbstruck. No wonder Lord Yosh*tsune was able to create a nine-stage Genji Swordstyle that provides a fivefold increment in strength based on his comprehension of the celestial maiden’s sword-dance etched on that stele.

The Tsukuyomi Swordstyle was the source of the Genji Swordstyle. Just its first segment provided a tenfold enhancement of strength and it even had a total of six segments…

This was truly fearsome!

“How about it, Master? You ought to know how to break free from this predicament now.”

Lily nodded silently.

“However,” Kagura continued, “You need to first overcome a problem in order to train this Tsukuyomi Swordstyle, Master.”

“Eh?”

“This Tsukuyomi Swordstyle can only be practiced by a woman. Moreover, it must be trained within this mirror space because it would take you a few years just to practice the first segment successfully if you were to memorize and practice it in the outside world, while it’s much faster to progress over here! But, you possess the form of a man right now, Master, so you cannot train the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle here.”

“Eh? W-What do I…”

Lily’s voice came to a stop as he seemed to have recalled the circumstances of the night when he had first entered this mirror space, and he had already arrived at that embarrassing answer… His pretty and almost feminine face flushed in a throbbing red again from the embarrassment.

“Is that the only way left…”