Chapter 99: The Princess of Bishamonten
The large banner, emblazoned with the character 'Bi', fluttered in the encroaching twilight.
An army of over a thousand men surrounded Kaede Village. Their iron armor reflected the final, blood-red afterglow of the setting sun, forming a shimmering, suffocating chain around the small settlement. The rows of dark iron were menacing, their long spears a dense, waiting forest of steel.
Cavalry formed disciplined ranks on the periphery, the infantry compressed the inner circle, and archers had already occupied the surrounding high ground, their bows drawn. The formation was a single, disciplined entity, breathing with a cold, unified purpose.
Hikaru stood at the village entrance, a solitary figure against the tide.
He wore simple grey clothes, his hair a stark, pale white. A crimson demon mask concealed his features, and from beneath his skin, Bone Spike armor had seeped out to cover his chest and arms. The white bone spikes protruding from his shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly in the evening breeze.
His gaze was fixed on the woman who had ridden out alone from the army's ranks.
She had long, silver-grey hair and wore dark, practical silver armor. The katana she held was engraved with complex Sanskrit. She was young, her entire being honed to a razor's edge, her gaze as sharp and unforgiving as a blade. This was undoubtedly a general, though the title of Princess-Warrior seemed more fitting.
"In the name of Bishamonten, I will eliminate you."
She spoke again, her tone neither loud nor soft, yet her voice penetrated the entire battlefield, falling with perfect clarity into the ears of every person present.
Hikaru remained motionless.
He simply raised his eyes, his voice filtering from beneath the demon mask. "Exorcism?"
"You've traveled a long way south from Echigo Province, burning down three demon settlements on your path." His tone was flat, a simple statement of fact. "The ones living in those places were just minor demons, barely capable of speech. Have they ever killed a human? Have they ever harmed anyone?"
He lifted a hand, pointing a bone-armored finger at the large banner bearing the 'Bi' character. "Or is it that—in your eyes—so long as one is a demon, they deserve to die?"
The silver-haired Princess-Warrior did not answer. She merely squinted, her gaze locking sternly onto the creature before her. She could feel that this demon was different from the others; it didn't pounce like a mindless beast, nor did it attempt to flee in terror.
She could also feel that this demon was very, very strong.
Stronger than any she had encountered on her entire journey. While its Yao Qi wasn't overwhelmingly vast, it felt incredibly deep and heavy, like a thundercloud compressed to its absolute limit, ready to explode in a torrent of destruction at any moment.
"It seems you are the strongest demon in this area," she stated, her voice cutting through the silence. "The leader of this nest."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow but didn't respond, simply waiting to hear what she had to say next.
"My duty is to eliminate evil." The Princess-Warrior raised her katana, its tip aimed directly at him. "Your existence is evil. By the order of Bishamonten, any evil entity that attempts to exist in the world of men must be eliminated!"
"Then come and try." Hikaru's hand settled on the hilt of his Muramasa. "Let's see if you have what it takes to eliminate me."
As the words fell, he moved.
[Phantom Step] activated.
His figure dissolved into a grey shadow, a blur of motion that shot straight toward the silver-haired woman. After fusing with the Thunder Muscle, his speed had leaped to an entirely new level. The eyes of an ordinary person wouldn't even be able to register his trajectory.
A piercing shriek of metal on metal split the air.
Hikaru's Muramasa was blocked.
The Princess-Warrior's reaction speed was just as astonishing as his own. Her katana was held horizontally before her, the blade emitting a faint golden light as it steadily caught his descending strike, not yielding an inch.
Hikaru's pupils contracted. He was genuinely surprised—not just by her speed, but by the blade itself.
Her katana pulsed with a power he had never encountered before. It wasn't Yao Qi, nor was it the spiritual power of a priestess. It was something purer, more extraordinary.
It felt like... the aura of a deity. The power of faith.
Just then, a familiar translucent panel popped into view.
[Conquest target detected.]
Hikaru froze for a fraction of a second, his eyes instinctively flicking to the Princess-Warrior.
The text on the panel continued to flicker.
[Quality:???]
[Current Favorability: -5 (Hostile)]
[Note: This individual contains a special power. This power does not belong to humans, nor does it belong to demons. However, one thing is certain—she meets the conditions for conquest.]
'Meets the conditions for conquest?' Hikaru's mind raced.
According to his system's rules, living humans and demons were not within the scope of his conquest ability. But this woman—she was clearly human. A living, breathing human who somehow met the conditions for conquest? What did that imply?
It meant her essence might not be entirely 'human'. Or perhaps… the source of that power within her was, itself, some kind of 'artifact' that could be conquered.
"Interesting," Hikaru murmured, the sound a low rumble.
He sheathed his sword in a fluid motion and retreated, putting distance between them. The two now stood in a tense standoff, separated by three zhang of packed earth.
"Who are you?" Hikaru asked.
"The Uesugi clan of Echigo," the Princess-Warrior replied, her voice still cold and sharp as ever. "Kakizaki Kageie."
Kakizaki Kageie.
The name connected with Hikaru. In the history he had read before his transmigration, Kakizaki Kageie was one of the most ferocious generals serving under the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, renowned as the "Unrivaled of the Seven Counties of Echigo."
"That power inside you..." Hikaru's gaze fell to the katana in her hand. "What is it?"
Kakizaki Kageie's eyes shifted slightly. "You can sense it?"
"I'm not blind."
She was silent for a moment. "For a demon of your caliber and… unusual honor, I will tell you this much. This is the power bestowed by the incarnation of Bishamonten, Lady Uesugi Kenshin." Her voice filled with reverence. "This is the power of a divine artifact, bestowed by the gods and buddhas."
Divine artifact.
The words sent a jolt through Hikaru. He was no stranger to the concept. In the stories he'd read in his past life, divine artifacts were weapons or items wielded by deities, possessing power that defied common sense. The famous sword he had once forged—Sanchōmō, now known as Raikiri—had been his own attempt at creating one. The result of that experiment was still unknown.
In this world, he had yet to truly encounter an existence on the level of a god. The Shikon Jewel was of divine artifact quality, as was the Sacred Tree, but they were 'objects'. Their power was immense, but it wasn't tied to a specific deity; the system had likely classified them as 'divine' based on their sheer quality alone.
But this woman before him—she claimed her power came from Uesugi Kenshin, the incarnation of Bishamonten. It came from a god. It was a divine artifact.
Could it be that in this world, Uesugi Kenshin was truly the reincarnated incarnation of a deity?
"What... are you to Bishamonten?" Hikaru asked, testing the waters.
Kakizaki Kageie didn't answer. She simply raised her katana again.
"Enough talk," she declared. "We fight."
The light on her blade flared. She charged.
Hikaru stopped asking questions and raised his sword to meet her. Whatever that divine artifact was, he wouldn't be holding back.
The two figures became a blur in the twilight, a whirlwind of clashing steel and scraping bone. Sparks flew like fireflies as blade light and Bone Spikes met again and again.
Kakizaki Kageie's swordsmanship was sharp, efficient, and utterly decisive. Her raw speed was a step slower than Hikaru's, but she could just barely keep up. Her strength, however, was astonishingly great—so great it was unnatural, almost rivaling that of Bankotsu from the Band of Seven.
Most, the katana in her hand suppressed his Yao Qi.
With every clash of their blades, Hikaru could feel his demonic energy being actively weakened and dispersed by that golden light.
'Is this the power of that so-called divine artifact?'Hikaru's thoughts raced even as he fought.'Is it specifically meant to restrain demons? No… it feels more like it can suppress all 'extraordinary' things.'
Whether it was Yao Qi, ghostly energy, or even spiritual power… it seemed to possess a higher-order authority, looking down upon all supernatural phenomena. It was truly a power befitting a god or a buddha.
No wonder she dared to charge in alone. No wonder she was so confident in her crusade of extermination.
But Hikaru felt no panic. The time he had spent by Kikyo's side had given him a much deeper understanding of this world's various power systems. As a transmigrator, the wealth of information he possessed had taught him one fundamental principle.
All things exist in a cycle of mutual generation and restraint; it is never a one-way street. Just as water extinguishes fire, fire can also evaporate water. Just as fire burns wood, a great enough forest can smother any flame. Spiritual power and Yao Qi were no different. The very nature of existence was a balance of opposing forces.
As long as he was strong enough, he could ignore all suppression and, in turn, suppress his opponent.
For now, he was just testing.
Testing her speed, her strength, her reactions, and the upper limits of that so-called divine artifact's power.
At the same time, he was waiting. Waiting for the barrier behind him to prove itself. The barrier of Kaede Village had been erected by Kikyo herself. Even with her in seclusion, it was still active. Ordinary people could not pass through it.
As long as the village was safe, he could finally let loose.
"Enough."
Hikaru suddenly disengaged, retreating in a single bound. He came to a stop under the village's torii gate, Muramasa held horizontally before him.
"You are strong," he said, his voice even. "But you cannot kill me."
Kakizaki Kageie halted her advance, her gaze turning frigid. "Are you stalling for time?"
Hikaru shook his head. "I just wanted to confirm one thing."
He raised his left hand, and at his fingertips, violent purple arcs of electricity began to dance and crackle.
Thunder rumbled in the heavens.
In the deepening twilight, a bolt of lightning flashed.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]