Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 58 – Bloodsoaked Path of the Sword
“The defeated will be branded a sinner, forever etched in history as the vilest of wrongdoers! The victor, however, shall claim everything, embodying the very justice of the heavens!” Yoritomo proclaimed, his blade swirling with dark winds.
“Your true colors have at last been revealed,” Lily responded, her tone icy.
Yoritomo ignited his stellar soul; his aura intensified, yet his form diminished to that of an ordinary man. At this moment, his strength, agility, and mastery of the sword were unparalleled, aiming for a fair and honorable duel with Lily, true to the samurai way.
Yoritomo leaped skyward, his form enveloped in a boundless darkness, rivaling Lily’s hazy moon soul world under the ignition of his stellar soul. His blade carried the full force of darkness in its strike!
“What legacy do you wish to leave, Kagami Lily? Should you fail, future generations may scorn you. Without dignity or renown, don’t you find the prospect as a woman particularly tragic?”
The clash of metal rang out as Lily stood her ground, her might now on par with a septuple-soul Big Dipper expert. They collided with unmatched force, resulting in a deadlock mid-air, sending shockwaves through the air and ground.
Lily retorted coldly, “Whether or not you’re remembered is of no concern to me. Moreover, there’s no need for historians to alter the narrative; the truth alone suffices.”
Lily exerted force, pushing Yoritomo back slightly, yet his power was fearsome. As a s.e.xtuple-soul Big Dipper expert igniting his stellar souls, his might neared that of a septuple-soul expert. He paused mid-air and launched another strike, his blade slicing towards Lily’s midsection.
Lily spun in the air, her blade inverted to intercept the center of Yoritomo’s, continuing her rotation to his flank and delivering a forceful chop to his upper back.
Despite his size, Yoritomo was remarkably agile. He swiftly sidestepped in a rapid retreat, evading the blade, then surged forward to mount an a.s.sault.
In the midst of torrential rain and thunder, surrounded by the blaze of battle, the sound of Lily and Yoritomo’s blades colliding echoed repeatedly.
Lightning flashes cast silhouettes of the duo, also casting a stark light on Yoritomo’s demon-G.o.d visage!
Every mid-air collision unleashed potent shockwaves, their c.u.mulative force even influencing the thunderstorms’ trajectory, outshining the lightning itself.
Abruptly, Yoritomo unleashed an enigmatic blade beam, dark and oozing with muddy vibrations as it progressed. Though it appeared sluggish, Lily sensed the turmoil it wrought upon the fabric of s.p.a.ce and time, the peculiar disturbances nearly overwhelming her.
This secret technique had an actual impact on time and s.p.a.ce.
“Ahahaha! Lily, while your true strength may surpa.s.s mine, without igniting my stellar souls, victory over you eludes me! However, your youth is your downfall!”
Yoritomo unleashed a flurry of strikes, emitting slow-moving blade beams with each slash! These attacks induced slight disturbances in the fabric of s.p.a.ce and time, seemingly minor yet deadly in such a high-stakes battle. One moment Yoritomo stood meters ahead, the next, he was by her side.
“What!?” As Lily turned, she realized the slow-moving blade beams had already closed in on her. She rolled to evade; however, the beams grazed her waist, marking her with a b.l.o.o.d.y trail.
Concurrently, as Lily was mid-roll, Yoritomo’s blade aimed a slash at her. Antic.i.p.ating this, Lily positioned her sword for an interception, only to find it a feint. Yoritomo’s actual attack was a powerful kick to her side, propelling her through the air.
Beneath them, Lily’s allies clashed with the monsters of Yomi and the black-armored soldiers. Despite the overwhelming strength and momentum of Lily’s companions, the sheer numbers of their foes rendered the battle’s outcome uncertain.
Unfazed by such minor injuries, Lily’s robust const.i.tution shone as she righted herself, only to see Yoritomo deploying the same tactic, launching slow-moving blade beams her way once more.
As Lily attempted to dodge, Yoritomo materialized in her path, thwarting her evasion and placing her in peril.
Reacting swiftly, Lily navigated through the intersecting blade beams, yet Yoritomo’s blade caught her arm, drawing blood. Despite her formidable physical resilience, it wasn’t entirely impervious to Yoritomo’s cut. The injury, though superficial, was a testament to her evasion skills.
Lily retreated hastily, but dark, luminous blade beams appeared to converge upon her from all directions, with Yoritomo seemingly using their s.p.a.ce-time effect to ensnare her.
Lily observed as Yoritomo dispatched another blade beam. While the beams themselves didn’t intimidate her, the uncertain s.p.a.ce-time disturbances they caused did warrant caution.
“No, don’t be misled. It’s inconceivable for Yoritomo to genuinely manipulate s.p.a.ce-time against someone of my caliber!”
Lily scrutinized the situation, her eyes narrowing as she came to a realization. “He’s employing this obscure technique to distort my perception!”
Without hesitation, Lily altered her approach. She unleashed several swings, with moonlight blade beams slicing through the gloom, their radiant, beautiful light piercing the darkness and breaking the figurative chains of s.p.a.ce-time. “You may meddle with time and s.p.a.ce, yet moonlight remains eternal!”
Harnessing the hazy lunar force, Lily freed her mind and perception from constriction, confronting Yoritomo’s onslaughts head-on and seizing the offensive.
A blade beam whistled through the air, cutting into Yoritomo’s waist and causing black and red blood to spurt out. Despite his shock, Yoritomo didn’t retreat; instead, he resolutely brought his blade down in a counterattack.
Lily, too, was taken aback. Yoritomo’s prior conduct had shown his self-preservation instincts, making his bold advance all the more unforeseen.
Lily’s reflexes kicked in swiftly, narrowly avoiding the slash; the blade pa.s.sed mere millimeters from her, severing several strands of her long hair.
Yoritomo launched a kick as a follow-up. Lily reacted quickly, lightly stepping on Yoritomo’s extended foot to leverage his momentum, propelling herself upwards while delivering a forceful kick with her other foot.
The kick landed solidly on Yoritomo, hurling him through the air as he spat out mouthfuls of black blood.
“Minamoto no Yoritomo! I’ve unraveled the mystery of your s.p.a.cetime shackles; they merely distort my perception! What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”
Yoritomo stabilized himself in midair, with blood dripping from his face and waist, and replied in a deep voice, “None.”
“Eh?”
“HAAH!” Yoritomo’s momentum surged as he charged at Lily, proclaiming, “Kagami Lily! In the highest realm of swordsmanship, there are no tricks or secrets—only unwavering resolve and the essence of defeating the adversary at all costs!”
Yoritomo discarded all principles of the warrior way and courtesy. His years of relentless training had plunged him into a state of fleeting madness, fueled by a singular desire to vanquish Kagami Lily and a profound hatred for her.
Yoritomo’s onslaught was relentless, each slash deadly. His technique was straightforward yet unforeseeable, embodying a samurai’s total commitment to attack without concern for personal safety.
The clash of Yoritomo and Lily’s blades echoed with resounding impacts. Yoritomo’s obsession with the sword art astonished Lily, as his skill level was unprecedented.
Despite her astonishment at his fervor and aggression, the continual exchanges enabled Lily to discern and comprehend the essence of his swordsmanship.
The core of Yoritomo’s swordsmanship lay in his disregard for life in battle, exhibiting a certain predictability. Despite his intense desire to overpower, his technique lacked a certain spark of innovation.
Abruptly, Lily, with her blade aligned along her back, glided through the air, dodging Yoritomo’s forceful thrust. She then landed kicks on his legs, destabilizing him mid-flight. Without a glance, her blade’s edge grazed Yoritomo’s, disarming him before striking a blow above.
Her blade inflicted a severe slash across Yoritomo’s arms and chest.
Yoritomo spiraled through the air, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Lily calmly righted herself, observing the man she had significantly wounded.
While Yoritomo may be recognized as the world’s most shrewd and ambitious strategist, he was concurrently the most formidable human warrior. His power was immense, his tactics bizarre and elusive, yet his innate swordsmanship fell short of being exceptional.
In comparison to swordsmanship prodigies such as Yos.h.i.tsune or Lily, Yoritomo’s technique exhibited discernible constraints and inherent limitations, unbreakable by the average warrior.
Yoritomo’s fluid and seemingly brilliant swordplay paled in comparison to Lily’s mastery.
While Yoritomo’s skill in the samurai arts was considerable, his talent, though present, was inherently constrained.
In this moment, Lily and Yoritomo were fully committed to the battle, with thoughts of death cast aside, fully engrossed in their duel. While their powers were matched, in such tight contests, a sudden spark of ingenuity could tip the scales of victory.
This capacity for brilliance was precisely what Yoritomo, as the elder sibling, envied most in Yos.h.i.tsune.
Yoritomo was undeniably adept, yet Yos.h.i.tsune and Lily stood apart as true geniuses.
Should Yoritomo have depleted all his tactics, strategies, and deceits, choosing instead to engage Lily in sheer swordplay, he would have already forfeited half his opportunity for victory.
Lily was not like other geniuses; in the most pivotal moments, she scarcely erred. She was truly a prodigy destined for the sword.
With a graceful spin, Lily’s movement was a dance, Yoritomo’s blade narrowly missing her as she executed a flawless sidestep slash, reminiscent of the moon’s arc, cutting directly across Yoritomo’s waist and abdomen.
Grunting in pain, Yoritomo retreated, clutching his bleeding abdomen. “Kagami Lily, you… truly are the most remarkable individual I’ve encountered, surpa.s.sing even Yos.h.i.tsune. His prowess and courage in battle were unmatched, yet he lacked your agility and adaptability. Astonishingly, you continue to refine your skill even amidst this mortal duel… Your swordplay has grown significantly sharper just in the course of our recent exchanges. It’s extraordinary! While most train for combat and survival, you… you evolve, seeking mastery amidst the brink of death.”
Lily regarded Yoritomo silently, uncertain if his words were another ploy or borne of genuine respect. Regardless, she chose not to heed an adversary’s commendations, wary that complacency could lead to downfall.
“Ahhh, Lily, I concede your superior talent in combat! Yet, the outcome of a swordfight is determined in the blink of an eye! It’s merely life or death, without gradations of strength or weakness! Between us, the odds remain ever balanced!”
Yoritomo launched another offensive, disregarding his grievous injuries. His vigorous exertions caused blood to jet from his wounds, yet as he professed, this confrontation transcended notions of strength or weakness, boiling down solely to life or death, triumph or defeat.