Book 3: Chapter 87: Kimiko

Lily opened her eyes inside the dimmed room.

The seventh step, Lily pressed her rosy lips1 against each other softly.

She had attained the seventh step with such ease unexpectedly and wouldve continued to advance further if it werent for the screams from the village interrupting her meditation2.

However, this wasnt that much of a problem as Lily was able to sense that there was nothing stopping her from attaining the eight step of Tsukuyomi Swordstyles first segment with her newest perception.

Lets go take a look at the troublemaking thing that woke my consciousness up from its practice.

Lily walked to the doorway.

Bam! The pike in Yorikos hand got knocked away and she rolled on the ground weakly before cras.h.i.+ng into a corner.

Sis The little Yos.h.i.+kas tears had long dried, yet she still continued to sob tearlessly.

You d.a.m.ned monster! Go away from this place! A bunch of male clansmen gazed at the monster with anger and fear while wielding crude weapons, yet none of them dared to approach it.

The sinister monster didnt continue attacking Yoriko and turned around to walk towards Yos.h.i.+ka in large strides instead.

Bastard! Yoriko tried to get up and charge towards the monster, but the other male and female clansmen held her back.

Dont go, Lady Yoriko!

The monster will probably leave as long as it takes the child.

Just what are you all spouting?! Huh?! Yoriko screamed almost hysterically.

We really hate this monster as well, but its useless in the end. Little Yos.h.i.+ka will still die even if you sacrifice your life and die in order to save her!

We cannot let the villages casualties increase!

Also, we cannot allow you to die no matter what happens!

That traitor mustve sent this monster to slaughter us for sure!

Traitor Keiko, Yoriko recalled this name as she saw the monster open its mouth-watering jaw to consume Yos.h.i.+ka and hesitated no longer. After all, she possessed the strength of an early-stage samurai, so she shook off the people holding her back recklessly and picked up her pike again.

Argggghhhhh! Yoriko screamed her throat out and charged towards the monster desperately while holding the pike firmly.

The 3 meter or so tall monster turned around and opened its dark and dreadful, fang-covered jaw as it clawed towards Yoriko with its demonic hand that had claws sharp enough to smash a house.

Its speed was too fast and strength too overpowered, Yorikos pike charge was just a childs play in comparison to this blow.

However, Yoriko gritted her teeth and followed through with the attack even though she knew this.

The huge dark claw was moments away from touching Yoriko when a purplish-blue shadow appeared in Yorikos vision along with a whoos.h.i.+ng sound.

Boom!!!

The back heel of the wood-made sandals that adorned the long legs beneath Lilys fair thighs smashed against the monsters humongous head.

This back heel strike was similar to a hatchet that blotted the skies and carried mountain-splitting power behind it!

The huge monsters head struck the ground directly and was blown into pieces, its eyes popping out as its mush-turned head.

What? Yoriko was left dumbfounded by this development and failed to react to the current situation momentarily, still holding onto her weapon with her trembling hands.

The nearby villagers also stood there dazedly.

Lily crossed over the huge monsters corpse, walked before Yoriko and grabbed her trembling pike.

Only then did Yoriko lose strength in her legs and collapse to her knees.

Its dead? The monster that kept attacking us and ate so many of our clansmen was stomped to death just like that by this woman? The villagers stated dazedly.

Just who is this woman

How can something like this protect this village? Lily held Yorikos pike and spun around to throw it somewhere.

Whoos.h.!.+ Her long-sleeves fluttered in the air as the pike flew towards a distant location that the villagers couldnt see.

A long, ancient and exquisite tachi br.i.m.m.i.n.g with a sharp aura appeared in Lilys hand in the next moment.

Take it.

Lily dropped the tachi into Yorikos hands and caused her hands to drop down.

T-This is a real katana?

An arrogant samurai named Kitabatake Kouka3 used it against me once. You can consider it a reward for allowing me to learn that ancient swordstyle, Saying so, Lily stared at the farthest depths of this s.p.a.ce, Tell me. Wheres the way that goes up?

The nearby villagers all knelt down suddenly at this moment.

Lady Samurai, please dont leave!

Lady Samurai, please protect our village!

Well entertain you with all the rice and wine we have in our village, so please protect us!

Lily looked at the villagers and saw the flames of hope that was her which had rekindled within their long desperate and helpless eyes.

Well Lily wasnt a humanitarian saintess, but even she hesitated in this instance.

At the same time, on a rock a thousand meters away from the village, the pike that Lily had thrown into the sky stabbed through the chest of a blue-skinned little demon. Although this little demon didnt possess a strong lifeforce, its huge eyes seemed to possess an extraordinary vision that allowed it to spy upon the village from a distance at all times.

The ancient temple on the hilltop was steeped in eldritch energy like always as the night deepened and ghastly figures moved about inside it.

Amanojaku had finally fallen into a deep, wheezing sleep after drinking and eating his fill within the largest hall.

Haihimes eyes filled with hatred momentarily as if she wanted to kill him while he was asleep.

However, she didnt do that in the end as even though Amanojaku looked like a kid, he was actually over 500 years old and absolutely wasnt someone to mess around with.

Haihime let out a faint, frustrated sigh and even though she couldnt kill him, she felt much relaxed at this moment since she could at least get away from him temporarily right now.

Lady Haihime! An Itsura kunoichi appeared from the nearby darkness, seemingly anxious to report something.

Haihime walked over and the Itsura whispered something into her ear.

What?! Haihime was astonished and left the main hall quietly along with the Itsura and arrived at the back courtyard where she had imprisoned Lily. The traces of Lily had long disappeared except for the injured Itsura kunoichi that remained there.

Why didnt you report it earlier? Haihime asked infuriatedly.

You were with Lord Amanojaku, so we couldnt find an opportunity to report it to you without having the information leaked.

That cunning woman! Not only did she escape, but she also stole back the mirror and the katana as well, Haihime vented out her anger.

My lady, she might not be able to escape in the end since she fell into the trap on the floor.

Really? Haihimes gaze turned complicated, So that woman fell to that place

Haihimes eyes stared at the dark, empty s.p.a.ce on the floor from where the deep underground s.p.a.ces wind wafted upwards and her mind seemed to travel back about a decade ago4

The seat at night was pretty turbulent under the thunderstorm.

A series of long-wrecked boats ran aground on the beachs sh.o.r.e one after the other.

A bunch of white-robed, thin and haggard, yet graceful and virtuous-looking people have washed ash.o.r.e.

Keiko! Keiko! A samurai woman with short blue hair and a rebellious side ponytail with a southern earring on her left ear shook the still body of the young Keiko.

This samurai woman was none other than the mother of the young Keiko and was donned in a deep-blue kimono patterned with a distinct design that looked like scribblings. A white undergarment laid underneath the kimono and she exuded a vibrant and heroic manlike aura of a capable woman.

Mom Keiko opened her eyes. Although she and her mother were both hit by the rainstorm and the a.s.sault of the sea waves, they had managed to survive somehow.

The rest of the people had also managed to come out as survivors miraculously from this tsunami and arrived at the land of Echigo Province in Kanto where the power of the imperial family had weakened and monsters roamed the lands.

Mom. Are we still alive?

Yes! Were still alive, Keiko! Were still alive. Everything will turn out fine as long as were alive, Keiko, The pretty, staunch and somewhat rebellious Kimiko stretched out her tightened fists to hug Keiko, revealing the lush mountain landscape tattooed on her fair arm.

The young and old nearby, mostly donned in simple white robes, stood up one after the other, and gazed at the landscape that was in a horrible state, but it was in fact an invaluable new world for them.

Even though the land was in a horrible state and filled with wilderness, as long as the imperial family didnt hunt them and the monsters didnt slaughter them, it was a sanctuary for them, paradise in a word!

Kimiko stood up and as a woman who was taller than most of the men among the survivors, she raised her fist up in a gallant and cheerful tone within the windstorm, Weve finally arrived in Kanto! This land is pretty good! As long as this land is able to sustain our clan, it shall become our prettiest homeland!

Beset by hunger and cold, the surviving clansmen who still had lingering fears after facing the tsunami, also cheered while raising their fists up under the flames of hope sparked off by Kimikos words and the cleansing of the rainstorm.

However, the liege lord of this land disagreed to receive them, as the samurai of Kanto didnt have a good opinion of mirror girls even though they didnt kill them.

The clansmen traveled over land and water before finally arriving in the Endless Demon Mountains that wasnt under the control of any samurai clan and was barren back then without that many Great Demons living inside it.

And they finally settled down in a secluded valley near Mt. Fuji.

They plowed fields alongside the hill and guided the water from the mountain to irrigate them and built houses with the chopped trees and a somewhat lively hamlet was soon established.

Right! Right! Thats where it needs reinforcement!

The tall and short-haired samurai woman, Kimiko, held a brush in one hand and a woodworking saw in the other as she directed the clansmen to rebuild their home while standing on a tree stump with a blade of sweetgra.s.s in her mouth.

This wood is pretty good. Carry it over there.

Mhm. Stone pavement is required here to prevent the mud road from getting washed away by a mountain flood on rainy days, got it? Dont skimp on it!

Kimiko dripped with sweat and got engrossed into the work along with the villagers. After experiencing the infighting in Heian-kyo that looked elegant and n.o.ble, and coming across persecution and slaughter, this simple environment filled Kimiko with an exceptionally fulfilling satisfaction.

Were satisfied as long as were able to survive even if we have to work hard.

Mom, look! Keikos peal-like voice arrived from the distance. Donned in hunting attire, her aquamarine, long hair was tied into a pretty high ponytail, and she carried a bow and arrows on her back along with a katana fitted at her waist. The barely thirteen-year-old girl was already 160cm tall now and much taller than many of the veteran uncles of the clan5.

As Kimikos daughter, the bloodline had pa.s.sed down the formers height and beauty to the latter, but unlike the manly capableness and rebelliousness shown by Kimiko, Keikos character was vividly different from the formers and she was a standard, virtuous beauty in the making who looked both valiant and formidable yet also possessed ample femininity.

A group of clansmen carried wild boars, elks, pheasants and the like over their shoulders behind Keiko. They had gone hunting for prey along with her, and just like her mother, Keiko was pretty talented in the sword and the bow.

Robinxen: Starting to cringe while reading this stuff while Lily still identifies as a boy.

Silva: oh so she does know, thats good

Robinxen: Im sure this name was important at some point. Probably.

Silva: . let me make a prediction, Haihime is the so-called traitor (Keiko) right? Silva: Oh wait, never mind, I wasnt paying attention in the previous chapter when Amanojaku called her Keiko!!! OMG Robinxen: Conclusion. Silva is dumb.

Silva: Wait, 160cm at age 13?