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CHAPTER 19 – RASHOMON
With a wave of her hand, Lily collected the Martial Saint’s ninth grade katana and storage ring.
“You b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! You dare steal the teacher’s treasures!?” The swordsmen were outraged and eager to charge at Lily, willing to fight fiercely to defend their teacher’s honor.
But they were stopped by Kiuchidera Tesshin, “Forget it… that is an existence that is beyond the Martial Saint’s level… If you were to engage in a futile fight, it would only bring harm to the dojo and damage their teacher’s lifelong accomplishments. We can’t match that woman at all.”
Kiuchidera Tesshin’s heart filled with despair as the swordsmen all sat or knelt down, powerless and defeated. In the past, the Maro Dojo members had walked with pride in the Sinless Domain, backed by the overwhelming power of the Martial Saint. But today, they had encountered a power even greater than that of the Martial Saint, leaving them helpless and humiliated.
Little Ui chased after Lily, shouting, “If you have the capability, then capture me! Make me your slave1! I’ll find a way to kill you, I promise! Take me away2!” She fell to her knees, but Lily didn’t look back.
……
Rashomon
Although Lily had faced the terrifying phantom of Rashomon, Ibaraki’s domain, when she saw the actual gate in front of the abandoned Nara imperial palace, it was nothing but a tall, old, and rickety wooden gate.
A gust of wind rolled up a few leaves and blew past the Rashomon, creating a whooshing sound. Lily could feel the ancient structure’s cold and silent aura, which gave off a chilling feeling that transcended realms.
“This is… Rashomon…” Lily read the single word written on top of the gate and couldn’t help but feel that it was not written by an ordinary person. The weathered word contained a deep and gloomy concept that made her hesitate.
Lily’s fear of the unknown Yomi was a natural instinct that reminded her of the dangers ahead. Despite having the physique of a celestial maiden, at her core, she was still a human girl, and her body trembled involuntarily. However, she quickly realized that the Nara imperial palace, where the Rashomon gate was located, wasn’t far from Heian-kyo, and there was no powerful barrier in place to protect it.
As she retrieved the voice transmission orb from her pocket, Lily infused it with her spirit power. Gradually, the mist within the orb began to swirl and twist until an image appeared.
Through the haze of smoke and flames of the ongoing battle, Lily could see Fujiwara no Ayaka, suspended in the air with a look of helplessness. The protective barrier around her was riddled with numerous cracks, and attackers were relentlessly bombarding it with barrier-breaking techniques and incantations.
From the image, Lily quickly realized that Ayaka was in a perilous situation, with her energy levels greatly weakened. The starlights affixed to her arms were draining her spirit power to sustain the protective formation. If Ayaka’s spirit energy were to be completely depleted, not only would the formation collapse, but Ayaka would be in grave danger.
“No…no…” Lily felt a painful ache in her heart and her eyes began to water at the sight of Ayaka’s miserable state. She couldn’t bear the thought of Ayaka suffering under the endless attacks of thousands of enemies. The anger and hatred within her flared up as she grieved for her friend.
Lily’s determination and anger were reflected in her gaze as she spoke, “Wait for me! Sister Ayaka, you need to hold on, wait for me! I’ll make them all pay for this!” She had the urge to recklessly charge into Heian-kyo at that moment.
“I want to go…I need to rescue her! But I must ensure that I am strong enough to have a chance of succeeding. I cannot act recklessly and cause more harm to Sister Ayaka because of my own shortcomings!”
As there was no other option, Lily steeled herself and began walking towards the Rashomon, suppressing her natural instinct of fear step by step.
“Excuse me… are you Miss Lily?” From behind her, a mature and comforting female voice spoke up, its pleasant tone enough to captivate anyone’s attention.
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As she turned her head, she was greeted by the sight of a woman wearing a long-sleeved purple formal kimono. The woman was a mature and stunning beauty with a gentle face and traditional hairstyle. While the woman was no less beautiful than Lily, there was a noticeable age difference between them. She appeared to be around thirty years old and had the curves of a mature and seductive woman. Her beauty embodied the gentle and virtuous nature of a wife and mother.
The woman was also quite tall, towering over Lily at a height of around 185 cm. Out of all the beauties Lily had met, only Ayaka was taller than this woman.
“Hello madam, you are…” Lily recognized a familiar aura emanating from the woman, though it wasn’t particularly strong, it was mysterious and difficult to understand. The woman’s eyes were deep, seeming to possess an ability to see through anything. The tall woman respectfully bowed to Lily.
“Miss Lily, I am Tokiwa.”
“Eh?” Lily’s eyes widened in surprise. The woman standing before her was none other than Yoshitsune’s mother! Yoshitsune was Lily’s first teacher, and this woman was her teacher’s mother. Lily took measured steps forward and knelt down in a gesture of respect.
“I greet Madam Tokiwa.”
“Miss Lily, you are so beautiful and talented, why do you show such great respect to an old woman like me? I cannot accept it, please rise,” the woman said kindly.
“Madam Tokiwa is the mother of Lord Yoshitsune, who is my teacher. Without his guidance, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So it’s only natural for me to show respect to his mother,” Lily explained humbly.
Tokiwa approached Lily with small, graceful steps and gently lifted her up. “I want to express my gratitude to you, Miss Lily, for returning my son’s belongings to me,” she said with a soft smile.
Despite being Yoritomo’s mother and therefore belonging to a generation older than him, Tokiwa appeared to be in her early thirties and looked much younger than Yoritomo.
“Madam Tokiwa, if it weren’t for important matters, I would have gone to pay my respects, but for madam Tokiwa to come here in person… I cannot apologize enough.”
“Don’t be silly, Miss Lily. I’m just an old, lonely woman with too much time on my hands. Your gift is too kind, and I’m grateful. But may I ask what brings you to Nara-kyo?”
Knowing that Madam Tokiwa was Yoshitsune’s mother, Lily decided to be honest and not conceal anything.
During the time of Taira no Kiyomori’s quest for power, Madam Tokiwa was not just Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s mother, but also renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world.
“I will tell madam.” Lily looked at the ancient gate behind her, “My plan is to pass through the Rashomon.”
“Pass through the Rashomon?” Tokiwa’s expression filled with concern. As she gazed at Lily, she felt as though she was looking at her own granddaughter. Lily’s possession of the tenth volume of the Genji Swordstyle meant that Yoshitsune had recognized her as his successor, which was akin to being his descendant, and therefore, her descendant. After all, Yoshitsune’s true descendants had all already passed away.
“Miss Lily, the Rashomon is a dangerous place, and it is not advisable to be around here. Please remember not to pass through the Rashomon at midnight.”
“I appreciate your concern, Madam Tokiwa, but my goal is to pass through the Rashomon at midnight. I have a feeling that the time is almost here,” Lily respectfully replied.
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“What!?” Tokiwa was alarmed, feeling as if her children were about to take risks in forbidden territory. “No! You must not, Miss Lily! Do you know what will happen?”
Lily remained resolute. “Passing through the Rashomon at midnight is necessary for me to enter the Path of Yomi, where I must go. It’s a journey of life and death,” she replied calmly.
The cold wind swept through the two women of different generations, causing their long hair and robes to dance in the air. Tokiwa’s eyes were filled with concern, fear, and panic. She was terrified that Lily, whom she already considered a descendant of Yoshitsune, would embark on the path of no return by passing through the Rashomon at midnight.
Tokiwa couldn’t bear the thought of Lily walking the same path her two children had taken to the Path of Yomi. Her eldest son, Yoshitsune, had already perished while the fate of her younger son, Yoritomo, was uncertain. She couldn’t bring herself to watch Lily walk down this road of no return. Even if she were to surpass the Path of Yomi, Tokiwa couldn’t shake off the feeling that nothing good would come out of it.
“Please reconsider, Miss Lily. The Path of Yomi is a road of no return. Even if you manage to come back, you will be plagued with endless misfortune. You will either have to endure it yourself or bring it upon the world3. And as for you, a woman as beautiful as you, it is even more dangerous. Please don’t go.”
Lily was taken aback by Madam Tokiwa’s sudden agitation. Was she planning to stop her? “Madam Tokiwa?” Lily said uncertainly. “I have no choice but to go,” she continued, determined.
“I understand! But is there no other way? Miss Kagami, unless there is no other choice, you must not enter the Rashomon, you must not! As Yoshitsune’s mother, I beg you, can you not?”
“…I’m sorry, I have no other choice.”
Tokiwa’s countenance turned somber. “It must be that woman, Shizuka Gozen, who has influenced you, hasn’t it? Miss Lily, please do not trust the words of that bitter and vengeful woman. Ever since Yoshitsune died, she has completely become a bitter and venomous woman! You can’t count the number of people she’s killed or tricked onto a path of no return!”
As soon as Shizuka Gozen was mentioned, Tokiwa became overwhelmed with emotion.
“Is Shizuka Gozen still alive?” she asked.
“Yes, she is still alive. Her lover and son have both passed away, but her resentment has caused harm to countless people and cannot be appeased. Lily, you must not trust her words.”
“Actually, Madam Tokiwa, it was not Shizuka Gozen who directed me to the Path of Yomi, but Shin…” Lily paused, her mouth agape and her eyes widening. Could a woman as beautiful and sophisticated as Tamamo or Ayaka be unknown?
As Lily thought about the sadness that overcame Madam Shinsenen when Yoshitsune was mentioned, she couldn’t help but wonder if Shinsenen was…
Tokiwa asked in a cold tone, “Shinsenen, right?”
Lily was surprised and asked, “Madam, do you know her?”
“Shinsenen is Shizuka Gozen4,” Tokiwa stated bluntly.
References
Robinxen: Lily did you get another one?!Robinxen: I’m not even surprised anymore.Robinxen: So the curse is to be a protagonist? Lily already has that.Robinxen: WHAT?!