All the Fujiwara elders in power were currently sitting beside Ayaka watching the tournament.
The Imperial Chancellor Fujiwara no Renbo pondered. That extraordinarily skilled red clad young woman, was that Kagami Lily? Why was she still here? He had heard that Ayaka had sent her to participate but there was no news after that, she should have been eliminated right? Then why did she appear here as Ayaka’s retainer…but she was capable enough to exchange blows with Minamoto no Tsukawa, shouldn’t she be strong? Why didn’t she advance in the tournament?
Renbo himself had no martial training, and he was a superficial onmyouji. He had relied on amassing natural treasures, elixirs and magatamas to forcibly advance to the awakened third stage; this was his limit.
“Perhaps I simply can’t see through them. Minamoto no Tsukawa definitely didn’t use his real ability against that woman, afterall, he’s so arrogant.” Renbo thought to himself.
“Imperial Chancellor, next round will be your esteemed son’s fight!” Fujiwara no Arima congratulated from the side.
Hearing this, Renbo puffed up satisfied and nodded, “My time and energy is all spent on taking care of this country so I don’t understand martial arts or kenjutsu. But that incompetent son of mine, I used to look down on his passion for swordsmanship, but how surprising, that kid actually brought face to the Fujiwara clan at this crucial moment!”
“That’s right, even though many were unhappy about giving your esteemed son the candidate position, but didn’t he win?” A fat minister deliberately shouted loudly so Ayaka could hear.
Only, Ayaka was discussing issues with Taira no Kiyomori in a low voice and ignored the taunting.
“However, don’t expect too much, my Fujiwara clan is not a martial household. If my son fights that Genji genius, I estimate his chance at victory to be no more than fifty percent, if doesn’t enter the finals, don’t blame this old man.” Renbo self-deprecatingly replied.
“Ahaha, we won’t! The top four is good enough!”
“That’s right——fighting isn’t your esteemed son’s focus after all, he specializes in economics! Just getting into the top four is bringing glory to the Fujiwara clan! Unlike some people who boasted before the battle and didn’t even pass the preliminaries and almost wasted our seed!”
“Shh——not so loud.”
“Why so timid? We should speak proudly if we have a problem!”
The group of Fujiwara elders spoke loudly, they were clearly referring to the candidate Ayaka had sent out.
“Speaking of which, who is your esteemed son’s opponent?” Arima asked.
Renbo shook his head, “I was busy with government issues and didn’t look, have you seen the tournament brackets?”
They looked at each other.
“No.”
“Nope.”
Renbo wasn’t worried, he had already made arrangements. As long as the opponent wasn’t one of the Genji or Taira core geniuses, his servants would promise a hefty reward for throwing the match, he naturally didn’t care who the opponent was.
Of course, when the finals arrived and the opponents were the grandsons of the Genji and Taira families, they would definitely not agree. Besides, it was too fake to have his son win the championship.
His subordinates had reported after analyzing the tournament brackets that the top eight wasn’t a problem, and it was possible to enter the top four, so he was confident.
“Third round, Heian-kyo, Fujiwara no Koji versus Sakura Valley, Lynne.”
“Lynne? A woman?” Fujiwara no Renbo was finally assured.
“The opponent is actually a woman. Looks like it won’t be too difficult for your esteemed son?”
“Ahahahahahahaha——ah?”
The red clad young woman who had kicked out Tsukawa, strode out with fluttering hair and a graceful figure. She walked onto the stage and stood on the opposite side, facing Koji.
“……”
Ayaka and Taira no Kiyomori talked with smiles.
“Lord Chief Advisor, isn’t that the mirror girl Lily who cut off Rashomon’s arm?” Taira no Kiyomori’s experienced eyes squinted as he observed Lily.
“Though talented, she’s immature. I had her attend the tournament to experience and practice, rankings and the like are secondary.” Ayaka smiled.
“What——!???” The Fujiwara elders who had only concerned themselves with fighting for privilege and face, all had splendid expressions on their faces.
In truth, the majority of people all knew that Lynne was Lily, but for this group of people who had only come here to cheer for the Imperial Chancellor’s son, they had no idea.
As for the “Hefty Reward” Renbo’s servants had offered, it was nothing but a joke to a woman who had a yearly income of nearly ten-thousand magatamas.
Not only did they fail to bribe successfully, but when they tried to threaten afterwards, they were all knocked unconscious and had not awoken yet.
“Lynne, Lynne is Kagami Lily!??? Lord Chief Advisor, this…” The imperial chancellor was quite worried now.
“Hmm? You didn’t know? Understandable, Lily decided to use a pseudonym, nor did she tell me beforehand.” Though Ayaka hid her lower face with a fan, Taira no Kiyomori couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Fight——!”
The judge waved his flag. Though he now knew, it was already too late.
Fujiwara no Koji was just like his father, he had relied on treasures and magatamas to become a powerhouse, only he had started before his father so his strength was higher. He was also less knowledgeable in the martial field, he had learned nothing about intent, or swordsmanship. Though he claimed to have learned, all he had done was play and drink.
He looked at Lily with belittling eyes, thinking in his heart, “This woman looks so pure and haughty, but isn’t she just greedy for the treasure of my Fujiwara clan. Though she’s going to pretend to lose to me, I won’t let her get the money that easily! Hmph! Since you’re going to pretend, I’ll make you pretend to the end! Watch how I humiliate you, then beat you! Not like you’ll dare resist, the money of my Fujiwara clan is not that easy to earn!”
Koji pulled out his blade and walked towards Lily, his stance and posture full of flaws, “Yo, aren’t you that stupid lunkhead’s woman? Your lover’s already been beaten to death, shouldn’t you go see him one last time instead of coming up here? What? You plan going straight to Yomi to meet that lunkhead Honda?”
Lily glanced sideways at the central viewing platform where all the Fujiwara elders sat. She had originally not wanted to make Koji lose too ugly.
Seeing Lily not respond, he became more excited as he neared her waving his blade. “I heard you destroyed the competition platform the day before? How unbelievable, you’re frightened to the point you can’t say a word after seeing this young master and you don’t dare grab a blade, and yet you destroyed the platform? It seems this platform the Taira have boasted for hundreds of years is really inferior.”
The moment his words came out, the Taira clan members were infuriated, even Taira no Kiyomori couldn’t help but frown.
The Imperial Chancellor’s group all had their faces turn blue.
Seeing Lily remain silent, Koji scoffed in his heart, “I’ve never seen a woman love money so much, for money, she really can do anything!”
Koji’s eyes dipped down to Lily’s chest and a wicked smirk appeared, “Watch me peel your clothes off with this blade! Ehehehe, I’m not that good at sword skills, but this I’m good at!”
Lily remained calm, she eyed Koji. Suddenly smiling, she knelt down and placed her blade on the ground.
The audience was stunned, they could not understand what Lily planned on doing.
Koji grinned, “To think you were interested?”
He placed his blade against Lily’s collar and pressed down, attempting to cut through her clothes.
“Huh?” His blade couldn’t move!
“What’s this?” Koji was bewildered.
Suddenly, he noticed that Lily had two fingers pinched on his blade, immobilizing the blade.
“What!??” Koji felt his self-esteem take a hit, his aura exploded out and he pressed down with both hands, attempting to slash!
But……
Blue veins bulged over his forehead and his arms and legs trembled as he exerted as much force as he could, but that blade didn’t move.
“You b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! Let go!” Koji gritted out.
“Let go, is it?” Lily loosened her fingers and Koji, pulling as hard as he could fell back and into a sprawl on the ground.
The audience exploded in laughter.
“No way? This is the Fujiwara clan’s power?”
The other samurais let out boos.
Lily listened and walked towards the audience while ignoring Koji, she saluted, “My apologies, please allow me to reintroduce myself. Of course, some already know, but my name is Kagami Lily representing Lady Ayaka’s Chief Advisor’s faction. When I participated in the preliminaries, I attended under the name of Lynne. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Representing the Chief Advisor’s faction?” A Taira samurai asked, “Are you a Fujiwara clan member?”
“b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! Take this!” Koji ran up from behind and slashed toward her back.
Lily’s feet didn’t seem to move, but she swiftly blurred sideways. Koji slashed down on empty air, overbalancing and almost falling off the platform.
Lily looked toward the Taira warrior replying, “I only obey the Lord Chief Advisor’s orders, as for representing the Fujiwara clan, what I say doesn’t matter.”
Lily obediently looked at Ayaka after answering. As for the Fujiwaras, they looked at each other in dismay.
Recovering, Koji ran toward Lily, slashing wildly, “B̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! I’ll kill you!”
Ayaka let out a smile, “Finish the battle, then talk.”
“I obey.” Lily turned toward Ayaka, saluting while coincidently avoiding Koji’s slash.
Suddenly, Lily looked at Koji, her eyes flashing coldly.
“Pow!” She turned around and caught Koji’s wrists with a hand and dragged them behind his head, swinging around again, her back-kick landed on his neck, sending him flying into the air. Koji landed hard on his back, eyes swirling in dizziness while his blade flew from his hands.
Lily’s other leg shot out like a jade pillar. The long jade white leg straightened out and kicked Koji in the chest, sending him flying like a cannonball.
“Ah, cough……” Koji’s eyes turned white and was foaming from his mouth. Just before he flew out of the platform, Lily disappeared in a gust of wind and had caught up. She raised her slender long leg above her head.
“Miss Kagami! Show mercy!” Renbo frantically shouted out.
“Bang!” Lily’s leg slashed across Koji’s body like a whip, sending him flying back and slamming into the stand the Fujiwaras were watching from.
Wood shards exploded out as the platform shook from the impact. With his head embedded into the stands, his body stuck out and didn’t move.
“Fujiwara no Koji, out of bounds! Lynne——Wins!”
