Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 79 – Slave
Although Masako was a strong woman, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out in pain after the heavy blow, saliva dripping uncontrollably from her parted lips onto the ground.
“I never thought a day like this would come…” Masako groaned, utterly drained of strength, lying helpless on the ground.
“Kill me! In the Hundred Maidens, you’ll have one less opponent!” Masako demanded with unyielding resolve, holding onto the last shreds of her dignity.
“Kill you? No, I won’t,” Lily replied calmly.
“Then what do you want?” Masako’s heart filled with worry as she realized Lily had no intention of killing her.
“I want you to become my slave.”
“What?” Masako trembled, her eyes flaring with anger. “You’re dreaming! I knew it, you just want my body, right? In this dark dungeon, no one would know what you do to me! But why, Kagami Lily? You’re beautiful, even more than me. Why would someone like you desire another woman?”
“Huh?” Lily frowned, not following Masako’s twisted reasoning.
“You could just look at yourself in a mirror, couldn’t you? There’s no need to look at me!” Masako’s flushed face betrayed her frustration as she eyed Lily’s figure.
“You! What nonsense!” Lily snapped in fury. “Do you think I won’t kill you? You’ve already lost your place in the Hundred Maidens. The only reason I’ll make you my slave is to keep you from ending up in a brothel.”
“Hmph, Kagami Lily, you think you can make me your slave just for that? You may be beautiful, but you have no dignity as a master! You’ve ruined my future, and now you act like you care? How disgusting! I will never be your slave!”
“You…” Lily felt a cold fury rise within her. In this Hundred Maidens, there would only be one victor. The other ninety-nine would fall.
Lily’s plan was to eliminate all the other partic.i.p.ants in Okai Prison, sparing herself from wasting three long years.
But the thought of watching these women be forced into prost.i.tution or a century of hard labor because of her actions was something Lily couldn’t stomach.
She believed that if she made them her slaves, they could escape the fate of brothels or hard labor. Yet, she hadn’t expected her good intentions to be rejected.
Lily’s expression turned cold as she kicked off her wooden sandals and stepped down on Masako’s head with her bare foot. “Setsujo Masako, what would you have done if you’d won today? Do you think you’re in any position to accuse me? You have two choices: become my slave or die.”
“You… you’re too arrogant… you dare to step on my head…” Masako gritted her teeth, a stubborn flush rising on her cheeks.
Lily waved her hand, binding Masako tightly with a ribbon. She confiscated her weapon and storage jade, then lifted her foot from Masako’s head and walked away without another glance.
Masako knelt there, bound and immobile, watching helplessly as Lily walked away without a second thought.
“Where are you going! Aren’t you going to kill me? Kill me! You want me dead but can’t handle the guilt? You coward! Hypocrite!” Masako shouted, hoping to provoke Lily into staying.
“You’re overthinking it. You know what kind of place this is. I don’t need to kill you myself. I’ve taken your storage jade and weapon, and with you tied up, you can’t resist. I wonder if any criminals will come across a mature woman like you bound in these tunnels. What will they do, I wonder? But I don’t care to find out.” Lily replied casually, not breaking her stride.
“Wait, come back!”
But Lily had already vanished into the shadows.
“Come back!”
The silence was suffocating, but Masako could feel countless malicious eyes watching her. Helpless, she couldn’t even shift her position.
Soon, a lecherous aura approached from behind, creeping closer.
“d.a.m.n…”
Masako was unwilling, but there was no other choice. “Fine! I… I agree! Hurry up and come back! Those people are coming!”
“Hey, brother, look at that! A woman tied up here.”
She heard the criminals’ voices growing louder as they approached, their steps drawing nearer.
“Kagami Lily! Come back!” Masako cried out desperately.
There was no response, but she could sense the criminals’ auras drawing ever closer.
“No… Miss Lily, I was wrong! I agree! I’m willing to be your slave! Please, help me!”
A sharp blade beam sliced through the air above Masako’s head, sending her hair fluttering from the force.
Behind her, blood splattered as the approaching criminals were all cut down by a single blow.
Lily reappeared in front of Masako, silent and composed. She said nothing, simply extending her leg out in front of Masako.
Humiliation burned Masako’s cheeks as she gazed at Lily’s stocking-clad foot. Masako leaned down, her tongue hesitatingly extending as if to lick Lily’s foot.
Lily swiftly pulled her foot away. “You do not have the right, slave!”
Without hesitation, Lily whipped the air, delivering a stinging strike to Masako’s rear.
Masako gritted her teeth and let out a soft moan. Humiliation filled her heart, but she could do nothing.
This was the cruelty of Yomi. But suddenly, joy crept into her thoughts—perhaps this was a stroke of luck. Being in the hands of a beautiful master, rather than a demon or criminal, was a blessing.
“Master, I was wrong,” she muttered.
Resigned to her fate, Masako accepted it. Considering the circ.u.mstances, this was a better outcome than she could have hoped for.
“Swear your loyalty,” Lily commanded.
Masako’s chest pressed into the ground, her breath shallow. Shoulders hunched, her wet hair fell over her face. Her voice, deeper than most women, carried a mature and resigned tone. “I, Setsujo Masako, swear…”
“Raise your head and swear to the great G.o.ddess, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto,” Lily commanded firmly.
Though confused, Masako knew it was common to swear to the great divinities like Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi. It was nearly the same as swearing to Takamagahara. She made the vow, officially becoming Lily’s slave.
Lily placed her faith neither in Takamagahara nor Yomi. Ever since inheriting Tsukuyomi’s power, she regarded the G.o.ddess as her true teacher. Since she had defeated Masako using that power, it was only fitting that Masako swear her loyalty in Tsukuyomi’s name as a mark of respect.
With the oath completed, Masako was now bound as Lily’s true slave. No one would dare break an oath sworn in a divinity’s name, for fear of punishment. Of course, Masako was unaware that Tsukuyomi, the G.o.ddess she had sworn to, had long since fallen.
“Masako, though you’re my slave now, don’t worry. I have my reasons. Once the Hundred Maidens ends, I’ll return your freedom after some time,” Lily a.s.sured her.
“Really? Kagami… I mean, Master,” Masako stammered, begrudgingly forcing out the word ‘master.’
Lily shrugged. “Protect yourself. I have other matters to attend to, and it’s not convenient to bring you along.”
Lily escorted Masako to a hidden dungeon and handed her back the storage jade. “Unless you face significant danger or absolutely must, do not leave this place. You can select a cell—choosing first gives you an advantage.”
“Master? I don’t understand what you mean,” Masako asked, puzzled.
Lily chuckled softly. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
“Are you imprisoning me?” Masako asked, her voice tinged with concern.
“If a criminal approaches, you’re allowed to handle them as you see fit, but return to your cell afterward. I expect nothing else from you during this trial.”
Masako replied helplessly, “I understand, Master.”
As a thought occurred to her, Masako approached a cell. “Master, may I set up a protective formation?”
“Of course. I’m leaving this area to you, so do as you like. I have other matters to attend to. I’ll return soon,” Lily responded.
With that, Lily left Masako behind and ventured deeper into the maze.
As Lily continued through the maze, she encountered numerous vicious and despicable criminals. Their methods were bizarre and unfamiliar—some she had never faced before. If they had been of equal strength, it would have been difficult to guard against their strange techniques. But here, Lily’s overwhelming power rendered them irrelevant.
Countless criminals fell beneath her blade, often dispatched effortlessly as Lily navigated the prison’s winding pa.s.sages.
Lily eventually stumbled upon two fellow Hundred Maidens walking side by side. One carried a longbow, the other a naginata. Both wore tattered clothes as they cautiously explored the area.
“Sister, that was so dangerous! That jailer was way stronger than the prisoners!” the short, green-haired onmyoji exclaimed, her voice still trembling with fear.
“Yes. If we hadn’t used the formation treasure to bind him and escape, we’d both be in his grasp by now,” replied the female samurai, dressed in revealing blue armor, long white hakama, and a high helmet.