Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 10 - Dream Eater: Chapter 23 – She, Without Scruples

“Agreed, let’s proceed.”

Both Generals, their faces obscured by frightening masks, appeared to be in agreement. Their predatory, malevolent eyes bore into Lily, emanating a revolting aura of desire that churned her stomach. In a menacing move, they aimed their swords toward Lily’s neck.

Yet, the instant their blades pointed at Lily, she vanished from sight with an almost ghostly speed.

They were flabbergasted.

In a heartbeat, Lily transformed into an ethereal figure and reappeared beside the two men.

“What?!”

Soaring into the air, Lily’s skirt and hair billowed in the wind. She swung her leg with force, landing a powerful kick that resonated with a boom through the very foundation of Tenshu Castle.

The Right Feudal General had no time to react; he was struck squarely in the face by Lily’s kick, the force of which sent him crashing into the Left Feudal General.

Bam! Both Generals, propelled like human cannonballs, smashed through the walls of Tenshu Castle and continued their airborne journey into the night sky.

“What…?!” Spectators were left speechless at the unfolding spectacle. Many of the weaker individuals had barely caught sight of the rapid action; all they noticed was a gaping hole now present at the main hall’s entrance, through which a chilling wind flowed.

Incredibly, the two Generals, who were recognized as Big Dipper Stage elites, were catapulted into the distance. While not everyone in the room had identified them previously, most were aware that these men served under the Prime Minister and were considered among the Asuka Kingdom’s most formidable warriors.

Apart from Tsukuba Naoya, the unrivaled swordsman of Iyo Island, these Feudal Generals were reputedly the most potent forces under the Prime Minister’s command. Their reputations were such that even the three esteemed seniors would think twice before crossing them. This wasn’t solely due to their influential backing; even without it, defeating these men seemed like an insurmountable task.

Yet, with a singular, forceful kick, the mysterious girl in red sent both these courtly experts flying in unison. To anyone discerning enough, it was evident that this wasn’t merely a case of her being stronger than the Generals. The magnitude of the difference in strength had to be staggering for her to dispatch them with a single blow. She regarded them as less than human, it seemed.

Her kick didn’t just resonate physically; it inflicted severe injuries on these Big Dipper Stage elites, particularly the Right Feudal General, who took the brunt of the impact. The men soared backward, colliding with an opposing cliff and triggering an explosion that reverberated across the mountainside.

Lily gracefully returned to the ground. The act of sending them off had been swift, almost too swift for the eye to follow. Everyone stared in awe at Lily, and even the three seniors wore expressions of immense respect.

Before taking action, Lily had been wrestling with a moral quandary. She still needed to blend in within this kingdom and had no desire to kill the two Generals. The challenge was figuring out how to make an unforgettable impression on them without resorting to lethal force.

It was at that moment Lily decided to use her celestial maiden wooden sandals to deliver that kick, effectively venting her frustration without causing their deaths. Had she wielded her sword, they would’ve likely been incapacitated, complicating her future in the Asuka Kingdom.

Time crawled by before any stirrings were visible on the mountainside. The two battered experts finally emerged from the rubble, visibly supporting one another. As they neared, their conical hats toppled off, revealing disheveled hair. Their masks were either shattered or fragmented; their attire was torn and bloodied. Especially noticeable was the Right Feudal General, his face distorted, bruised, and swollen—rendering him virtually unrecognizable.

Who were these men? As subordinates to the Prime Minister, they had always been imperious—even to the point of snubbing the princess—inflicting harm without fear of retribution. When had they ever faced such humiliation?

Gritting their teeth in bitterness, they also understood their limitations. They were Big Dipper Stage experts, albeit at the weaker single-soul level. One kick from Lily had conveyed her overwhelming might. Even if they were to overlook the princess and combine their powers, they’d stand no chance against her.

“Where did this woman come from? Why is she so merciless? Ah, Brother, the pain is unbearable—feels like every bone in my body is shattered!” exclaimed the Right Feudal General.

Without the remarkable vitality granted by their Big Dipper Stage status, the Right Feudal General wouldn’t even have managed to rise. The Left Feudal General communicated telepathically, his voice tinged with solemnity. “She’s not from our kingdom, that’s certain. Her strength and ruthless demeanor indicate that she’s unbounded by any moral code. If she wishes to end our lives, even the prime minister will be powerless once she leaves Asuka Kingdom. For now, we must endure this humiliation. Direct confrontation would be foolish.”

“But can we just let people mock us? I can’t stomach this disgrace!” retorted the Right Feudal General.

“Let’s take another tack—let’s negotiate with the princess instead,” suggested the Left Feudal General.

The two men staggered and made their way toward Tenshu Castle. However, Lily rose gracefully into the air, hands clasped behind her back, and positioned herself before the castle, obstructing their path.

“What’s your purpose?” one of them asked.

“We are royal envoys, here to deliver the king’s decree to the princess. Who are you to stand in our way? Move aside.”

With a whoosh echoing through the air, Lily’s long scarlet sleeves danced as she transformed into a spectral figure. Then, her kicks erupted with such force that it felt like a sonic boom ripping through the mountains and rivers. The two Big Dipper Stage experts found themselves hurled back, crashing into the mountainside once more.

“You still have the audacity to be arrogant?” Lily’s icy gaze focused on the rising plume of dust from the impact site.

“Ah?!” A collective gasp echoed through the hall. The young woman named Lily was truly extraordinary, defying all reason.

“Uhm…” Princess Asuka approached the gaping hole and gracefully leapt onto the eaves of Tenshu Castle. “Miss Lily, I implore you to spare them. They are the king’s envoys; should anything befall them, explaining it to my father would be impossible.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Should I accidentally kill them, I’ll personally journey to the royal city of Asuka Kingdom and clarify the situation to the king

². You won’t bear any responsibility,” Lily assured her.

“To personally speak with the king?” The faces of the three seniors twitched at the audacity. Her words bore an implicit message: Was there any place in Asuka Kingdom where Lily couldn’t freely roam?

“This is a genuine supreme expert!” exclaimed the old hermit, Tsumiji. “Despite her youthful appearance, she’s likely undergone at least a thousand years of training. She must be a celestial entity, arriving here from a realm beyond our understanding, far surpassing any ordinary experts we know.”

The experts present nodded their heads in unison. “So she’s a celestial being from another world. No wonder she possesses such extraordinary capabilities!”

“Pfft, what’s all this chatter about celestial beings and millennia of training? Lily’s only eighteen,” Shimizu interjected, standing among the experts.

“Eighteen?!”

A stir emanated from the mountainside as the two Feudal Generals emerged from beneath the heap of shattered rocks, looking worse for wear. They floated toward Lily in a hazy daze but dared not approach her closely.

“So, what brings you back?” Lily inquired, her aura tinged with an ominous energy that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

Now treading carefully with their words, the Left Feudal General hesitantly spoke. “M-Mistress Lily, we were blinded by our ignorance and have offended you. We beseech your forgiveness!”

There was gritted resentment in their teeth, but they were left with little choice. They had come for a mission—to deliver the royal decree. Failure to do so would render them unable to return.

“Hahahahahahahaha!” A ripple of laughter broke out from the audience gathered in Tenshu Castle. “Ah, the mighty Left and Right Feudal Generals, revealed to be nothing but bullies preying on the vulnerable!”

The Feudal Generals felt their blood boil, but restraint was their only recourse.

“Don’t worry. The world’s full of these undisciplined mongrels. They don’t anger me

³,” Lily commented nonchalantly.

“You!” Hearing this, the Right Feudal General, his mouth missing several teeth and still bleeding, fumed with suppressed rage. However, his brother held him back.

“A wise man doesn’t pick fights he can’t win. She’ll get her comeuppance, just wait,” he conveyed to his brother through a discreet voice transmission.

Both generals hesitated before descending to one knee in mid-air. “Mistress Lily, despite our earlier rudeness, we do have an official decree to deliver to the princess. Failure to do so would put us in a difficult position upon our return.”

“Indeed, we’ll be in an untenable position if we return empty-handed!”

Lily’s eyes, mirroring the lone morning star in the night sky, bore down on them as she declared, “Speak, then be gone.”

With that, she pivoted and floated away, pointedly turning her back to them and their royal decree.

The two generals quivered with pent-up rage but were powerless to act. Just as they were about to rise and address the royal edict to the princess, who stood aloofly on the eaves of Tenshu Castle, Lily interjected without turning around. “Who said you could stand

⁴?”

The generals were teetering on the brink of recklessness, nearly ready to throw down the gauntlet. But their pragmatism won out; they could not match Lily’s imposing power. While the princess might have hesitations, Lily was unbridled and unpredictable. They would die senseless deaths if she decided to kill them.

Swallowing their humiliation and indignation, they resumed their submissive, kneeling posture in mid-air. “Your Royal Highness, we are here to convey His Majesty’s decree. The king has arranged for your betrothal to Lord Tsukuba Naoya, the world’s greatest hero and son of the Prime Minister

⁵. You are to prepare for your departure to the capital and adhere to the set deadline, which is the fifteenth of this month. Any procrastination would be tantamount to defying the king’s orders, and consequences will ensue,” the Left Feudal General finally managed to proclaim.

“Please proceed to the capital without further delay, Your Highness,” they chorused.

This revelation left the majority of those present in stunned silence for the first time. Princess Asuka, her long ponytail dancing in the chilling night wind, stood on the castle eaves. Her eyes were an abyss of icy solitude…

References

Robinxen: Best of luck to you!

Robinxen: Damn she’s not holding back this chapter huh.

Robinxen: Lily is ruthlessly crushing their pride.

Robinxen: She’s going for the throat.

Robinxen: What the f- are they stupid? They’re pushing for a political marriage for power play in a situation where they could be destroyed AND the promise of the princess’ hand in marriage is their largest bargaining chip for outside aid? Are they imbeciles?!?!