Demon Sword Maiden - Volume 12 - Chapter 153

Given her present strength, Ayaka stood at the very apex among all Celestials, unmatched in prowess.

Moreover, Ayaka excelled in close-quarters combat, spellcasting, and healing. Her Celestial Maiden dance could even drain her opponents’ Eldritch Energy by captivating their senses, although this ability carried the significant risk of drawing excessive enemy attention onto herself.

In short, Ayaka was exceptionally versatile. If able to fight unrestricted, she could effortlessly confront multiple Infernal Stage demons simultaneously.

However, at this critical moment, Nanako unexpectedly failed to enter the Heavenly Charm Bell along with Kagura, shocking Ayaka and nearly causing her carefully laid plans to collapse.

Despite being a pinnacle Celestial whose expertise heavily involved spellcasting, Ayaka currently lacked training in divine spells, meaning her true potential remained untapped.

Several immensely powerful Yomi demons, accompanied by innumerable minions, charged fiercely toward Ayaka. Without a second to lose, Ayaka swiftly lifted Nanako with one hand and leaped towards the mountain cliffs behind her. Swinging her wooden ceremonial wand, she summoned numerous white lotus flowers formed purely from divine energy, far surpassing ordinary spells in strength. Instantly, the blossoms burst open, scattering a deadly storm of razor-sharp petals that slashed through her foes.

The front-line Big Dipper demons fell instantly, either killed or severely wounded by the barrage. However, the remaining Infernal demons swiftly coordinated their attacks, obliterating the divine lotus blossoms as they continued their relentless advance toward Ayaka.

Concerned for Nanako’s safety in close combat, Ayaka hastily retreated, soaring rapidly along the mountain cliffs to maintain distance from their assailants.

“Kagura! What’s happening? Hurry back and bring Nanako into the bell quickly, or we won’t have a chance to escape!” Ayaka urgently transmitted.

“Lady Ayaka, I—I already tried, but I can’t!” Kagura was mere inches from Nanako inside the bell, a distance normally traversable instantly, yet now impossible for her. Suzuhiko-hime anxiously embraced Kagura, visibly troubled by this unforeseen complication.

Kagura had long understood that her eventual separation from Nanako was inevitable, a fact that saddened her deeply. However, she hadn’t anticipated that merging would become impossible at such a crucial juncture.

“I see…” Ayaka had no further words to offer. Carrying Nanako protectively, she fled swiftly along the rugged cliffs, repeatedly unleashing spells and white lotus blossoms to stall their pursuers. Performing her dance to captivate the enemy was currently impossible, and despite possessing the Heavenly Charm Bell—a powerful Divine Artifact—she had yet to master its true capabilities.

Spotting a narrow crevice in the mountain cliffs, Ayaka promptly dove inside, filling the opening with a flurry of white lotus blossoms that detonated, collapsing the entrance behind her. Without hesitation, she continued her swift flight into the mountain’s inner depths.

Enraged, the demons attempted to smash through the rubble obstructing the crevice, but their reckless attacks merely caused further collapses, worsening their predicament.

Indeed, the rocks of the Boundless Abyss were exceptionally resilient. Even Big Dipper demons had to exert considerable strength to break them apart, and Infernal demons risked getting trapped if they charged recklessly. Forced to methodically clear a path, their frenzied, lust-blinded assault inadvertently triggered a massive landslide. The opening vanished amid tumbling debris, temporarily hidden from their view.

Unfortunately, this collapse also barred Ayaka’s escape route. Aware that the demons would surely begin clearing the rubble, Ayaka pressed forward deeper into the mountain. She urgently needed to find a secure location for Nanako; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to unleash her full strength against the pursuing Infernal demons.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, only two days remained until Lily’s wedding day. Lily’s room in Hekiraku City was infused with the delicate, intoxicating fragrance of a young woman.

“Mmm…” With a quiet, involuntary moan, Lily collapsed onto the floor, her partially unbuttoned garments and ample chest pressed against the cool surface, her skin slick with sweat.

“No… How could I have become this useless…? Since when…?”

Over the past several days, Lily had desperately struggled against relentless waves of maddening desire, repeatedly attempting to advance in her Charm Heavenly Path. However, her clouded mind rendered these efforts futile, turning her training into mere self-torment.

“There are still two days remaining… No, if I truly wish to protect my purity, I only have a single day left. The wedding begins on the tenth day, and once I’m placed upon the Rinpeki Stage under the Imperial Princess’ constant watch, what else could I possibly do?”

Only one day remained… One last chance for Lily to safeguard her purity. Yet her desperate training efforts had proven utterly ineffective, and given her current weakened physical condition, escape was practically impossible.

Even if Lily managed to reach the Celestial Stage now, could she truly resist the overpowering effects of the Fragrance-Breaker Pill—a terrifyingly potent drug capable of influencing even female Supreme Gods? Regardless, Lily had no choice but to attempt it, as it was her only remaining opportunity.

“Why…? I was once unmatched in both talent and standing. But now, I’m utterly helpless. Reduced to a weak, frightened woman who panics and loses her composure at the slightest hint of danger… I can’t even concentrate properly… Why did things turn out this way?”

Blushing deeply despite being alone, Lily reached down and adjusted her skirt, carefully moving it aside to reveal a slender rope tied firmly around her inner thigh.

She desperately channeled her spirit energy, attempting to forcibly break the seal. Yet the rope refused to budge, its tight, restricting sensation only intensifying her trembling.

“Ah… no… I can’t even manage something like this…?”

Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing the Imperial Princess standing confidently in the doorway.

Lily swiftly adjusted her skirt, her face flushing with embarrassment.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing important.” Lily managed to maintain her cold, distant demeanor toward the Imperial Princess, pointedly turning her head aside.

“Heh heh heh, are you actually trying to break my seal all by yourself?” the Imperial Princess teased with a coy, mocking laugh. “You couldn’t accomplish that even in your former state, let alone as you are now.”

She stepped closer and firmly grasped Lily’s arm.

She drew Lily closer until they were face-to-face. “You truly do smell wonderful. Did you know your scent is my absolute favorite? Tell me, just what did you intend to do after breaking my seal?”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Lily replied coldly, turning her face away with a deep frown, her gaze distant. Even as she maintained her defiance, her wavering aura betrayed her true state; she stood rigidly, her legs clenched tightly together, trying not to reveal her vulnerability.

“Heh heh heh, you little minx… Don’t think I don’t see through your schemes. If I couldn’t even understand my own woman, how would I ever control you in the future? Do you hate me? Well, in just two more days, I’ll make sure you love me completely—so much that you’ll never bear to spend another night alone,” she whispered seductively.

Lily silently lowered her head, refusing to dignify those words with any response.

“Look at me!” the Imperial Princess demanded, forcefully gripping Lily’s chin and turning her face towards her own.

Although Lily now thoroughly despised the Imperial Princess, she still bore Shimizu’s exact likeness. In her continuously dazed state, Lily found herself momentarily shaken by that painfully familiar face.

“Hmph! You’re clearly fantasizing after seeing my face, you shameless s̲l̲u̲t̲! Still pretending to resist? Women like you only learn obedience through harsh punishment! If I don’t discipline you thoroughly, how could you ever truly love me?” She sneered, pressing her face aggressively closer to Lily’s.

“I… I’m not the kind of woman you think I am. Even if there is a shameful side to me, it’s something you’ll never witness,” Lily responded grimly.

Despite their apparent simplicity, Lily’s words ignited fierce rage in the Imperial Princess.

Had Lily simply declared unwavering loyalty, it wouldn’t have affected the Imperial Princess much. After all, she had already devised numerous strategies to completely subdue Lily in two days.

However, Lily’s statement implied that she’d willingly degrade herself for any other woman but absolutely never for her. For a supreme powerhouse with an immense ego like the Imperial Princess, this was an unbearable insult.

“You insolent b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!” Her explosive fury shook the entirety of Hekiraku City. She violently seized Lily’s arm and twisted it backward with brutal force, almost dislocating it from her shoulder.

Lily cried out sharply in agony, her scream piercing through the room.

“Keep screaming! Even your cries of pain sound indecent and alluring! I adore hearing you scream like this—keep going!”

The Imperial Princess forcefully pressed Lily’s head downward, causing her upper body to bend forward, exposing her buttocks. She firmly gripped Lily’s waist and lifted her skirt, ready to remove the last thin layer that concealed her bare skin. Yet, realizing how inconvenient it would be for herself and her subordinates to replace the seal, she decided to leave the thin rope intact—it wouldn’t interfere significantly with the punishment she planned to administer anyway.

Thus, the Imperial Princess gripped the thin rope tightly with one hand, channeling divine energy into her other palm as she delivered fierce, resounding slaps upon Lily’s exposed buttocks, each strike echoing painfully through Lily’s body.

“You vile b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! How dare you utter such treacherous words before our marriage! Your audacity is unforgivable—I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

Outside the room, two Dark Celestial Maidens standing guard soon heard Lily’s tragic yet strangely captivating cries.

“Hah… that Kagami Lily. Her Highness clearly cherishes her deeply, yet she’s too blind to see it. She truly deserves this punishment!”

“Exactly! A shameless woman like her needs this kind of treatment. She spends her days seducing Her Highness, making her neglect all other women. Even after receiving so much affection, this is how she behaves? She deserves every strike—more punishment is even better!”

“Do you think she’ll finally become obedient after today?”

“Of course. Women like her simply require strict discipline—the harsher the punishment, the more obedient they’ll become!” The two Dark Celestial Maidens mocked gleefully, thoroughly enjoying Lily’s agonized screams from within.

After enduring the relentless punishment for an unknown duration, Lily eventually lost consciousness.

Nobody knew exactly when the Imperial Princess departed. This was the first time Lily had ever passed out due to physical punishment. Not even in her fiercest life-and-death battles had something like this occurred before.

What’s more, the one responsible for her humiliation was another woman. This realization plunged Lily deeper into despair. How could she possibly escape from the Imperial Princess’ iron grasp on her own? Her chances now seemed increasingly slim.

Would she really be forced to submit to someone who treated her so cruelly? Would she either perish here or surrender her purity to this malicious woman who had drugged her?

No! It couldn’t be! She didn’t want that—absolutely not…

When Lily finally awakened, her expression was vacant. She lay on the cold ground, her cheeks flushed deeply as she gasped for breath, tears flowing uncontrollably down her pale face.

Lily wasn’t afraid of pain.Nor was she afraid of suffering. Yet what Lily truly feared was losing her sanity under this brutal torment. The potency of the Fragrance-Breaker Pill coursing through her body had now reached its peak. This moment was undoubtedly when Lily’s desire had climbed to its absolute pinnacle.

Her body felt exactly like a flower yearning desperately to bloom, yet her heart remained frozen and ached bitterly.

She slowly lifted her head, strands of her disheveled hair clinging to her parted lips. Her captivating eyes brimmed with immeasurable sorrow.

“Am I truly going to lose everything here? No… No… I don’t want this… Sister Uesugi, Sister Shimizu, Sister Ayaka… Where are you all? Somebody… anyone… please help me…”

Engulfed by despair, Lily had somehow reached the ninth day, utterly alone within the deepest depths of this endless abyss, a place without distinction between day and night.

A chilling breeze suddenly flowed through the open window, brushing against her weary skin. With great effort, Lily managed to sit up, leaning weakly against the cold wall as her ample chest rose and fell heavily.

On this day, Lily ceased all attempts at training. Her eyes appeared calm yet shimmered with unshed tears.

Only one day remained before the grand wedding between Lily and the Boundless Imperial Princess.