Ibaraki Doji swept up a fury of demonic wind as he clawed at Lily who landed on the ground! The single claw left several heat trails in the night sky!
However, Lily’s steps were incredibly agile! She evaded the claw again and counterattacked when she saw an opening. Although the power behind her slash wasn’t great, the evil-slaying power was enough to hurt Ibaraki.
It wasn’t a lie to say that Ibaraki’s strength was greatly reduced due to injury and exertion, but even so, he was far stronger than Lily and his claws moved faster than she could run!
Coupled with the length of his arm, it was almost inconceivable that Lily could avoid Ibaraki Doji’s attacks!
Ibaraki Doji madly waved his claw at Lily and tore through the chaotic demonic wind, but Lily was like a crimson stream of light. Her phantom-like figure left behind numerous shadows in the night which resembled a graceful, ethereal dance!
Ibaraki’s sharp claws missed Lily by a hair’s breadth every time, and as she dodged, scarlet light would bloom from her sword as she slashed his body again and again!
“B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!!! I’ll tear you apart, you b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!”
Ibaraki’s huge, powerful foot lashed at Lily and forced her to jump to avoid it. Using this opportunity, he grabbed at Lily with his claw!
In terms of speed, it moved much faster than Lily. However, Lily sensed Ibaraki’s murderous aura before he struck and made an early attempt to avoid the attack.
Although Ibaraki’s claw was extremely fast, it required a lot of strength to achieve such speed because of his weight and body shape. This made it difficult to change the route of attack midway. Lily took advantage of this point in order to repeatedly evade Ibaraki’s attacks, but after all, the other party was too fast. Lily barely avoided each attack so if she made an error in her prediction, she would most likely get hit by the full power of the Throne Stage archdemon. Even if Lily didn’t die from such a hit, she would lose combat effectiveness and thus immediately be killed by Ibaraki’s follow-up attacks.
However, it was only barely! No matter how strong the Throne Stage archdemon was, it was all useless if he couldn’t hit Lily!
Ibaraki Doji was about to explode with anger! Berserk scratches, furious grabs, fierce kicks— every attack was fatal! But Lily was like a beautiful phantom mocking the archdemon. Scarlet light overflowed and flashed from side to side, constantly changing position so that the archdemon couldn’t even touch its noble shadow!
Once Lily found a chance, she didn’t hesitate to counterattack! Only by relying on her inferior Spirit Jade realm, this seemingly small female samurai managed to restrain the powerful and tyrannical Throne Stage archdemon!
Even Hoshi Murasaki, who was not far away, was stunned. She wanted to help in the battle, but she was scared when Ibaraki Doji started to rampage. She felt that if she got involved, she would also be killed!
Ibaraki’s attacks were fast and endlessly powerful, but Lily’s dodging was even more exquisite. The Kagami Lily in front of the big demon seemed to be in a place where he couldn’t reach. So close yet so far— like the distance between the sky and the earth!
“This…this movement technique…” Hoshi Murasaki was dumbfounded, “A woman in the early Spirit Jade stage is actually able to dodge the attacks of a country-level Throne Stage archdemon again and again; simply a genius! Although I hate to admit it, this woman…may really be a genius!”
Hoshi Murasaki felt sour in her heart but was also excited.
At this time, Seimei was still directing the onmyoji masters to cast the combined battle spell. He also looked at the beautiful flower that bloomed in the night, though violent winds blew from all directions. That crimson figure would remain unforgettable for Seimei’s entire lifetime.
“Mirror Girl…what is a hero? Achieving victory through competition of strength is not considered heroic. Someone who appears out of nowhere in times of distress for the common people who lack strength is a hero! Remarkable, Mirror Girl.”
Seimei sighed with emotion and praised.
Kamo Tadayuki, who was caught by the demonic arm, almost couldn’t resist dying under the crushing claws, but upon seeing this scene, he clung to life tenaciously.
“She is only a woman, but she dares to stand up with thousands of other people to resist the evil demon. How can I, the head of the Bureau of Divination, lose to a single arm of this evil demon? This old man will hold on no matter what!”
“Mirror Girl, I’m afraid that I’ve blamed you wrongly… Not to mention that you didn’t take the Bureau’s treasure, even if you did, this old man is willing to give it up. If no one can stand up to resist the evil demons in times of crisis, what’s the use whether the treasury is empty or not?! It would be better to give it to someone who can truly protect the capital!”
Time continued to pass. Lily was not a god and exhaustion started to burden her body. However, Lily’s life and death struggle didn’t put pressure on her mind, but caused her to enter a subconscious state instead!
Lily fiercely dodged and counterattacked, and her body exuded a bewitching seductive intent as if this life and death battle was a kind of enjoyment for her. It was a kind of charm that blended with the Heian night city!
“Come on! Ibaraki Doji, is this all of your power? Where has your previous arrogance gone? Come on, attack again! This is not enough; I’m not satisfied! A little more, a little more!” Lily entered a state of incomparable excitement because of the thrilling battle and was eager to fight. Every attack that endangered her life gave her a strong feeling of pleasure!
The seductive intent exuding from her body grew more intense and wafted in the wind, fascinating the surrounding soldiers and generals.
Lily’s body was covered in fragrant sweat like a shy flower drizzled by the morning dew, wet and beautiful. She danced in the night sky like a heroic celestial battle maiden and her incredible dodges completely restrained Ibaraki Doji. It made him temporarily forget the attack being prepared for him!
“It’s done!” Seimei’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Attack!”
Nearly a hundred onmyoji masters unleashed their combined magic spell and the small blue water dragon surrounding Seimei’s body turned into a monstrous dragon, coiling and flying towards Ibaraki Doji!
“Mirror Girl, dodge out of the way!” Seimei shouted.
With a flash of lingering light, Lily kicked in the air with the sakura blossoms as support and instantly turned into a graceful fairy that flew into the night sky.
At the same time, the huge dragon howled towards Ibaraki Doji and its open maw spat blue flames like a waterfall!
Boom—!!! The flame swallowed Ibaraki Doji.
“AHHH!!!” Ibaraki roared, rampaging and rolling all over the place. While he was flustered by the pain, the giant dragon swiped down with a claw!
Pfft! Three horrific wounds were carved into Ibaraki Doji’s back, exposing the ghastly white bones.
The giant dragon swung its tail.
Boom! Ibaraki Doji was lashed, crashing through a house and raising a cloud of dust in the distance.
Ibaraki Doji coughed up black blood and crawled out of the thick smoke. He didn’t direct his hate at the dragon, but at the scarlet girl standing on a distant roof.
“Kagami Lily! One day…one day!!! I will let you taste humiliation and make you regret the day you were born!!! You wait for me!!!” The seriously injured Ibaraki Doji roared hysterically at Lily.
He gave her delicate body a final glare filled with resentment and indignation before turning around and fleeing into the night in fear.
His severed arm released Kamo and flew after him, followed by the treasure orb which disappeared into the dark, uninhabited ruins.
“Chase!” Seimei directed the great dragon to pursue in the direction Ibaraki escaped.
The military generals of the Fujiwara, Genji, and Taira clan also led their armies to chase after the fleeing Ibaraki, torches held high.
“He has been seriously injured! He must not be allowed to escape!”
“That Rashomon spirit is heinous. We must take the opportunity to kill him!”
The samurai bellowed and pursued the demon into the night.
Lily also intended to join the chase.
“Mirror Girl–” As Lily ran past, Kamo, who lay dying in the arms of two onmyojis, called out to her.
Lily looked at the flickering aura of Kamo and a trace of sadness flashed through her eyes. She knew that he didn’t have much time left so she turned and walked towards him.
“Lord Kamo…”
“Mirror Girl, this old man was so rude to you at that time… I am deeply sorry. If it weren’t for you today, I’m afraid that my Bureau of Divination and all the warriors of the various ministries would have been killed…”
“Lord Kamo, don’t say this. You need to heal your injury as soon as possible.”
Kamo’s expression looked relieved, “Mirror Girl, you don’t have to lie to me. I know my life is near its end… I am considered a top expert throughout Heian-kyō, but if it wasn’t for you today, I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace. In the end, we were able to defeat the Rashomon spirit so this old man can die without regrets, but there is still one thing in this world that makes me feel uneasy. Sorry, I, I really can’t think of anyone else I can entrust this to, who has the necessary strength and ability…”
“Lord Kamo, why not entrust this to your student, Seimei?”
“Only, I can’t entrust this matter to him. That’s because, I, I want you to take care of that Seimei for me in the future…”
“Lord Kamo, this matter is really difficult for Lily.” Lily couldn’t bear to deceive a dying person.
“You, go away!” Kamo waved his hand.
“Teacher, this…you need treatment!”
“It’s useless, there is no need to waste precious treasures. All of you step aside, this is my last order…”
Several onmyojis had no choice but to leave and Lily stepped forward to help Kamo.
“Mirror Girl, I’m afraid that you misunderstand. This old man didn’t mean for you to take care of him as a woman. What I meant…is that Seimei’s natural talent is excellent and he will become a great figure in the future, but there is a strange darkness lurking in his heart, and this darkness is the source of his power. However, this power may also destroy him, and even destroy Heian-kyō. Mirror Girl, I have limited knowledge so I can’t tell you too much. I can only say that…if Seimei falls into darkness one day, please save him, I beg you…” Kamo was dying and spoke with the last of his strength.
“Lily knows that her abilities are superficial, but if I can do it, I will.” Lily nodded gently but firmly.
Kamo breathed a sigh of relief, “Mirror Girl, I have one last question… Although this old man has affirmed that you are kind, brave, and pure at heart, I would like to hear something from you before I die. The treasures in the treasury, you took them, right?”
At this moment, Lily’s heart was clouded with guilt and sadness!
She wanted to say something nice to let this brave and courageous old man, who had lived a long life, go in peace, but at this time, she felt that she couldn’t deceive him.
“I’m sorry, I took them.” Lily spoke softly in Kamo’s ear.
Kamo’s eyes widened and he seemed to have received a huge shock, but then he laughed with relief, “Hahahahahaha, hahahahahaha… Mirror Girl, Seimei’s life is destined to be majestic and peaceful, standing at the peak of the onmyoji world. Only, this old man’s eyes cannot see through your future…indeed impenetrable. Mirror Girl, please call Seimei over.”
“Yes, Lord Kamo… Farewell.” Two drops of crystal tears fell from Lily’s eyes and onto Kamo’s pale chest as she rose gracefully.
