Chapter 1145: Book 12: Chapter 85: Ambush

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“Umashi!” Renka’s eyes widened, instantly recognizing that this ambush was no coincidence. The Rakshasa Dojo’s support of the Female Queendom in the recent battle had sparked enmity with Lord Umashi—and this Umashi Ku was clearly a member of his clan, here for revenge.

“To attack the Hundred Maidens is to declare war on the Rakshasa Dojo!” Renka’s voice rang out, sharp with defiance.

A fierce purple aura exploded from Renka, her twin hook weapons blazing with radiant energy.

Behind Renka, a mesmerizing figure materialized, draped in coiling snakes and standing upon lotus flowers. It was hard to tell if she was goddess or demoness, but her power was undeniable.

“Oh? A descendant of Yomi Monarch Kinnara,” sneered the giant figure cloaked in tattered robes like a mountain. “You’ve got some skill, I’ll give you that.”

“Prepare to die!” Renka lunged, her twin hooks slicing through the air, leaving six deadly streaks aimed directly at Umashi Ku.

Umashi Ku’s hands manifested two massive, black sledgehammers, which he swung toward Renka with crushing force.

A resounding boom shook the ground as Renka’s hooks collided with Umashi Ku’s sledgehammers, sending a cloud of sand spiraling high into the air.

The impact unleashed a powerful shockwave that crashed into Renka, sending her reeling.

“Aah!” Renka cried out in pain as she was hurled backward, her hooks splintering from the force of the blow.

Standing atop her earth dragon, Lily watched in shock. Renka’s hooks were mid-grade spirit artifacts—not the strongest, but far from weak. Umashi Ku’s hammers, however, seemed to be high-grade spirit artifacts, exceptionally heavy and perfectly suited to counter Renka’s weapon. His sheer power had shattered her hooks in a single strike.

Though both were Infernal Realm adepts, the gulf in their strength was unexpectedly vast!

“Hahaha! Woman of the Kinnara Clan! I’ve mastered the Ban Amoyen Path—a path that subdues female warriors! Before my unstoppable power, all of you will submit and become slaves of the Umashi Clan! This is for my uncle’s revenge!” Umashi Ku laughed darkly.

“What?” Lily’s eyes narrowed. “A path designed to suppress female warriors1?”

The revelation explained Renka’s crushing defeat despite the small difference in strength; both her power and her weapons were naturally suppressed by Umashi Ku’s abilities.

Renka had burned nearly 20% of her divine power just to withstand the shockwave, leaving her in a weakened, disheveled state. Her clothes were torn, and the force of the shockwave had temporarily paralyzed her. This power seemed imbued with an oppressive energy that inherently suppressed female warriors.

Much like Lily’s lunar energy, which naturally countered gods and demons and could hinder the healing of high-level beings, Umashi Ku’s path had an inherent power to restrain and suppress female warriors.

“Let’s see you handle this!” Umashi Ku sneered as purplish-red spirit tentacles shot out from beneath his cloak. Thick and fast, they wrapped around Renka, binding her tightly and immobilizing her.

“Submit! Any woman caught by my Ban Amoyen Thousand Hands and infused with three pulses of my energy loses all resistance and becomes my slave! Hahahaha!”

As the tentacles tightened around her, Renka’s face flushed. Her expression grew vacant as her resistance faded away.

“Let… let me go… I’m from the Rakshasa Dojo…” Renka’s voice wavered as her consciousness blurred.

Suddenly, through the whirling dust and sand, a brilliant blade of light, stretching ten thousand meters, sliced through the air!

The blade cut through every one of Umashi Ku’s spirit tentacles in an instant. Although effective against female warriors, the tentacles—being pure constructs of divine energy—were no match for the power of Lily’s lunar energy.

“Ahh!” Umashi Ku howled in pain, feeling his divine power disrupted and weakened.

With a swirl of cherry blossoms, Lily lifted Renka onto the earth dragon, then launched herself toward Umashi Ku.

“Another woman? And in the Celestial Stage?” Umashi Ku sneered, taken aback. “So, you cut off my arms—impressive. But at the same level, no woman can match me! My Ban Amoyen Path is crafted to subdue women!”

Four crimson eyes glowed beneath Umashi Ku’s immense cloak. Raising his twin sledgehammers, he swung them toward Lily.

The hammers sliced through the air, each swing emanating an immense, crushing force. Though the attack appeared slow, it pulsed with energy designed to restrict movement, and its sheer power could easily overwhelm ordinary female warriors.

But Lily remained unphased. Unleashing a surge of lunar energy, she shattered the restricting force with ease.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

While Lily couldn’t have broken through Lord Umashi’s confinements, she easily resisted the weaker power of Umashi Ku.

In a flash, Lily became a blur, dodging the attack. She landed gracefully on one of the heavy hammers, using it to spring herself upward until she was level with Umashi Ku’s massive, towering form. At nearly a hundred meters tall, he dwarfed her.

Yet, her next strike radiated astounding strength.

Umashi Ku quickly lifted one of his hammers to block her attack. But even with his defense, Lily’s blade struck true, slicing deep into his colossal arm. A deep gash opened in Umashi Ku’s arm, thick and solid as a pillar.

“What resilience!” Lily thought, surprised. Umashi Ku’s physical defense was the toughest she had encountered at the Infernal and Celestial Stages—nearly 30% as strong as Lord Umashi’s.

Gold-red blood trickled from Umashi Ku’s hand, but he ignored it, swinging his other hammer at Lily. The confining energy was useless against her as she dodged fluidly, gliding around to his back.

Purple smoke drifted from his ragged cloak as thick tentacles shot out, reaching to ensnare Lily. Although her lunar force could wound Umashi Ku, the tentacles emitted a suppressive force against female warriors, making them a real threat.

Lily weaved and darted skillfully, evading the grasping tendrils.

“Lynne!” A sudden burst of radiant energy descended from above, encircling Lily and amplifying her speed and strength.

Queen Kaguya had arrived, imbuing Lily with her divine power!

Even without Queen Kaguya’s assistance, Lily could have bested Umashi Ku in a hard-fought battle. But this divine boost made the task far simpler. Lily’s newfound speed left Umashi Ku momentarily stunned, allowing her to reach his shoulder in an instant.

With a swift, gleaming slash, Lily—bolstered by the Queen’s power—struck, slicing clean through Umashi Ku’s towering head.

Umashi Ku’s severed head flew through the air, his face twisted into a grotesque grimace as it unleashed a spray of purple mist toward Lily.

Lily twisted in mid-air to avoid the toxic mist, but Umashi Ku’s body moved independently, swinging his twin hammers directly at her.

Reacting swiftly, Lily dropped down and dashed through the narrow gap between the swinging hammers, slicing with her blade in two quick arcs.

With a resounding crack, Lily’s empowered blade severed Umashi Ku’s arms, the sheer strength of her strikes far exceeding what his body could endure under the Queen’s boost.

“How did you turn the tide? Who’s helping you from the shadows?” Umashi Ku’s head spun high into the sky, his eyes catching sight of the Hachiwan chariot in the clouds. Despair filled his gaze.

“Fall!” Yoshiya leapt from the Hachiwan chariot, her sword aimed straight for the center of Umashi Ku’s forehead. But before Yoshiya’s blade could land, the light in Umashi Ku’s eyes faded.

Beneath the clouds, Lily drove her blade into the vital core of Umashi Ku’s headless body.

Though immensely powerful, Umashi Ku lacked a divinity. His brute strength allowed him to overpower most experts in the Infernal and Celestial Stages, and his mastery of a path designed to subjugate women granted him a unique advantage over female warriors of similar rank, rendering him nearly invincible.

Yet, with Queen Kaguya’s empowerment, Lily’s Oborozuki Muramasa held enough force to pierce through Umashi Ku’s core in a single, decisive thrust.

Moments later, Queen Kaguya descended gracefully from the Hachiwan chariot.

“Lynne, are you unharmed?” the Queen asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Your Majesty… what brings you here2?” Lily replied, surprised.

“Lynne, there’s no need for questions. Just tell me—are you hurt? Did any of that demon’s energy affect you?” Queen Kaguya’s eyes scanned her for injuries, her tone brimming with worry.

Lily had grown suspicious earlier, when Yoshiya appeared to assist her with the earth dragons, though Yoshiya had declined to explain her presence. Now, it was clear—the Queen had been watching over her from nearby, likely concerned for her safety. Lily felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. But the Hundred Maidens were ambushed—I ask for your help to protect them,” Lily replied respectfully.

“Lynne, my concern is for you alone. As for the others, they don’t matter to me. This place is far too dangerous. Come with me to the Hachiwan chariot,” the Queen insisted, taking Lily’s hand.

“Your Majesty, I am one of the Hundred Maidens. I can’t abandon them while they’re under attack. Besides… I’ve taken the Hundred Maidens as my slaves.”

“What?” The Queen’s expression soured. “You… I understand that you may have the strength to do this, but why? What could you possibly need with so many women? Has your ambition driven you to such lengths?”

“Your Majesty!” Lily replied, her cheeks reddening. “It’s not what you think! It was my strategy to distinguish myself among the Hundred Maidens. But this isn’t the time to explain—please, help me protect them!”

Though Lily had defeated Umashi Ku, she lacked the means to protect everyone else by herself.

“Very well. The Rakshasa Dojo has aided me in the past, so I’ll lend my help this time,” the Queen replied.

The Queen opened her soul world and began a graceful, mesmerizing dance. Anyone touched by the energy waves radiating from her movements, whether a Hundred Maiden or a Rakshasa Dojo member, felt their strength surge dramatically.

Before long, the Hundred Maidens and Rakshasa Dojo members, initially caught off guard, rallied fiercely, launching a powerful counterattack.

The Queen, Yoshiya, and Lily moved across the wasteland, aiding the scattered Hundred Maidens in repelling their attackers.

With the Queen’s support, the invading demons were swiftly driven back.

Still, two Rakshasa Dojo members perished in the ambush. While none of the Hundred Maidens lost their lives, many sustained injuries.

Several of the Hundred Maidens had been bound by the demons, who seemed intent on abducting them. Fortunately, they were saved by the Queen and Lily. It became clear that the demons’ primary goal had been capture, not slaughter.

After all, the Hundred Maidens were powerful and beautiful female experts, naturally drawing the covetous attention of the Yomi demons.

The earth dragons, however, were in a dire state. Only two remained capable of moving, and one was badly injured, significantly slowing it down. The rest had been slain.

This ambush had clearly been planned in advance, with the earth dragons targeted to block the Hundred Maidens’ escape.

The Rakshasa Dojo members and the Hundred Maidens regrouped on the vast sandy plain, many of them wounded, including Captain Renka.

“Your Majesty, how is she?” Isshiki asked, her own thigh bandaged from injury.

The Queen examined Renka, her face grave. “Her physical injuries are minor, but she’s been afflicted by the secret poison of Ban Amoyen. If she isn’t treated quickly with a potent wave of seductive intent3 and my medicine, she could permanently lose her sanity and become a mindless enchantress without self-control.”