Demon Sword Maiden - Volume 12 - Chapter 164

By the time Shimizu arrived at the wedding site, the crowd of demons had already filled the scene, and she had become separated from the group she arrived with. Violent energies erupted up ahead—the battle between Supreme Gods had already begun.

Those powerhouses who came to steal the bride dared not charge forward, yet none chose to retreat. They lingered at the edges of the chaos, biding their time for the right opportunity to strike.

Meanwhile, Shimizu crept through the shadows, weaving between frenzied demons as she steadily advanced toward the Rinraku Stage. From where she was, she could just make out Lily’s voice and catch fleeting glimpses of her being tortured, the view obscured by a wall of towering demons.

Sensing Lily’s danger, Shimizu abandoned all caution. No longer sneaking, she dashed headlong into the chaos. She was jostled by demons, shoved aside, tripped—yet she kept moving. Most ignored her, seeing only a septuple-soul Big Dipper. But those who recognized her face went pale with shock and instinctively cleared a path.

All that mattered to Shimizu was reaching Lily. The demons of Yomi, who might once have stopped her, now unwittingly made way. She raced through the shadows like an arrow through a storm. Without thinking, she grabbed Nanako along the way and dragged her from harm’s path—but didn’t stop. She charged straight toward the stage.

She wasn’t sure if she’d pulled Nanako back to protect her—or because, deep down, she believed only she had the right to risk her life for Lily. Maybe she even refused to accept that Nanako could be worthy of such a sacrifice.

As she ran, she felt a strange but familiar power ripple through the air—something that stirred an odd reaction deep within her body and soul. But she was too focused on Lily to pay it any mind.

Without hesitation, she stormed up onto the Rinraku Stage.

At first, only a handful of onlookers registered the arrival of a lone Big Dipper Blade Maiden. But soon, murmurs and gasps swept across the gathering like wildfire.

On the Rinraku Stage, the Boundless Imperial Princess froze mid-strike. Her gaze snapped toward Shimizu, eyes wide with disbelief. Across the chaos, Shimizu stared back at her.

Aside from their differing outfits, the two were like reflections in a mirror—identical in face, posture, and bearing. Yet the gap in their power was vast, like sky and earth.

“You… who are you?” Shimizu asked, her voice shaking with disbelief.

“You… how did you get here?” the Imperial Princess murmured, stunned. Her mind raced. ‘Where is Shizuka Gozen? I laid so many traps to prevent this. She never brought this one to Yomi—or so I thought. So why is she standing here now?’

‘No… If it really is her, she might uncover Shizuka Gozen’s scheme. But what of the safeguards I laid? Not one detected her. The demons may have let her slip by—but what about the spells and traps set just for her? Not a single trigger tripped. That’s… impossible. Unless… someone interfered

.’

Shimizu was shocked—but the Imperial Princess felt something deeper. Beneath her astonishment, fear had begun to bloom.

“No matter!” the Princess snapped. “Since you’re here, I’ll deal with you myself. You’re only a Big Dipper—I could crush you like dust!”

The Rinraku Stage went silent, but the audience beyond erupted in chaos.

“What’s happening?”

“Why are there two Imperial Princesses?”

“Is it a clone? One of her tricks?”

“But that one looks so weak…”

The powerhouses murmured among themselves, trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

Even Wakarai looked puzzled. “Kurorai, Fushirai, Umashi… I don’t know what’s going on either. Best we sit back and watch for now.” He smirked. “Still, looks like the Imperial Princess isn’t exactly in control anymore.”

For a brief moment, Shimizu and the Imperial Princess stood frozen, stunned by their confrontation.

But then Shimizu’s gaze fell on Lily—bound, wounded, and moments from being cut down. The shock melted away. A storm of dark energy flared from within her as fury overtook her senses.

“Let her go! Let her go!” she screamed. Without hesitation, Shimizu lunged. She didn’t care about the vast difference in strength—only that Lily was in danger.

A Big Dipper was recklessly charging straight at a pinnacle Supreme God. If the surrounding powerhouses hadn’t assumed it was some kind of clone or trick by the Imperial Princess, they would have thought Shimizu had completely lost her mind.

“No! Stop! Run, Sister Shimizu! Don’t worry about me—you can’t fight her!” Lily cried out, completely disregarding her own peril.

Ayaka and the others, still bound, were struck speechless by what they saw. The Imperial Princess said nothing. She paid no heed to Lily’s shouts and offered no explanation.

Without hesitation, the Imperial Princess stepped forward, lowered her stance, and swung her sword from a hundred meters away.

“No!” Lily screamed, her voice rising in panic. “Senior sister, save Shimizu!”

Shimizu stood on the edge of death. There was no way she could survive such an attack. Unlike before, when the Imperial Princess sought to capture her opponents, Lily could tell—this time, she meant to kill.

The attack may have looked simple, but it carried overwhelming force, ruthless precision, and deadly intent.

But Lily’s cries went unanswered. Her senior sister stayed silent within the mirror, unmoving.

“Why…” Lily whispered, stunned and overcome with despair, as the Boundless Imperial Princess released another wave of lethal blade energy.

“Huh?” To everyone’s astonishment, the attack veered off course, as if disturbed by some invisible force. The black blade energy missed its mark and instead struck the ground dozens of meters away from Shimizu.

The arc of energy struck the hammer-wielding Supreme God instead, slicing into his shoulder. The blow was so devastating that he was critically wounded on the spot. Believing the Imperial Princess had turned on him, he fled without hesitation, diving into the depths of the abyss.

The Imperial Princess stood in disbelief. “I missed? How could that be?” With her level of skill and control, missing at that range should have been impossible.

The attack had come so fast that Shimizu hadn’t even registered it. It was only now, as silence returned, that she realized she hadn’t been struck.

For a brief moment, Shimizu stood frozen. That blow would have ended her life—yet it missed. She didn’t know why, and she didn’t stop to wonder. Instead, a fierce grin crossed her face. She bent low and charged straight toward the Imperial Princess, filled with raw determination and reckless resolve.

But no matter how erratic her charge, it would not cloud the Imperial Princess’ judgment. Regaining her focus, the Boundless Imperial Princess cast aside her momentary shock and unleashed another burst of devastating blade energy.

And again, she missed