Volume 9 - Dojigiri: Chapter 39 – A Flash of Crimson Within the Despair (Part 1)

Volume 9 - Dojigiri: Chapter 39 – A Flash of Crimson Within the Despair (Part 1)

Time was pressing, and amidst the chaos of the battle, Ayaka found herself unable to scrutinize each treasure gifted by Tamamo-no-Mae. The sheer number was overwhelming.
“Hmm?” Ayaka noticed something odd among the plethora of items. “Perhaps this was meant for Shuten Doji, but I’ll use it to handle one of these enemies first! Lessening their numbers is crucial.”
Retreating, Ayaka released her naginata and, with a flip in mid-air, landed on Fubuki, her feet clad in black stockings. A thin layer of frost encased Fubuki, which also served as a flying treasure.
In the blink of an eye, an archaic longbow, entangled with a faded, light purple ribbon, materialized in Ayaka’s hands. Next, she drew out a simplistic arrow marked with a distinctive rune on its feather, and with all her might, drew the bowstring, causing the arrow to emanate a divine light.
“Such a thing poses no threat to me!” Overconfident in his sturdy defense, Onito, undeterred by the arrow Ayaka held, lunged at her, ready to strike with his palm.
In the midst of breaking the curse, Shuten Doji felt an unsettling coldness in his heart upon seeing Ayaka’s longbow. Why would Ayaka brandish such a plain-looking wooden bow adorned with a purple ribbon? Its simplicity led him to suspect it could be a legendary weapon.
The next moment, an alarming realization hit Shuten Doji, causing him to yell, “Beware, Onito! That’s the longbow of Queen Himiko!”
“What?!”
Twang!
The longbow emitted a vibrating sound, and the arrow, like a white comet, ripped through Onito’s palm wind and homed in on him. Despite Shuten’s warning, Onito’s desperate attempt to evade the arrow was unsuccessful.
Bang!
The arrow pierced through Onito’s shoulder, leaving a gaping, crescent-shaped hole, almost obliterating half of it.
“Argh!” Onito screamed as he crumpled.
“What kind of bow is this? Its power is immense,” Tokimasa gasped in astonishment.
“Tamamo-no-Mae indeed has some exceptional treasures! Curses! If only they were mine…” Shuten gritted his teeth. Although his own treasures were of immense value, most of them were futile in combat. The effective ones were not potent and were only enough to deal with Tamamo at her current strength level, rendering them useless to him.
“The bow may appear ordinary, but it is the ancient hunting bow of the renowned hero and founder of the human empire, the shamaness-queen of Yamatai, Queen Himiko. Its power is formidable, equivalent to a mid-tier spiritual weapon. It’s difficult to find a more superior bow in the mortal world. To think that she even possesses such a legendary artifact,” Shuten admitted, his jealousy palpable.
“You all must exercise caution. At your level, you cannot withstand the bow’s power,” Shuten cautioned.
Ayaka, endowed with the innate power to vanquish evil, was more equipped to harness the bow’s power than any demon. With her full strength, a single arrow could even threaten Shuten’s life if not evaded.
However, currently, Shuten was ensnared within an ancient curse, unable to escape or be attacked until the curse was forcefully shattered.
The most impressive feature of Himiko’s longbow was its compatibility with ordinary grade seven or higher demon-slaying arrows, eliminating worries about depleting arrow supply. The longbow’s power would be further augmented with ancient arrows used by Himiko, but those were extinct. If not, the combination of the longbow and its arrows would have equaled high-ranking spirit artifacts.
Tamamo’s treasure trove contained numerous grade nine demon slaying arrows. Hence, Ayaka continued her assault on Hagewashi and Tokimasa with the longbow.
While Hagewashi somehow dodged the arrows, losing a significant amount of feathers in the process, Tokimasa was unable to evade the rapidly flying arrows and had to resort to using his fists to block them.
Clang!
Struck by an arrow, he was thrown off his feet. His gauntlet shattered, and blood splattered from his mouth as he was catapulted several hundred meters away.
Hagewashi summoned a flock of massive black crows to assail Ayaka. However, the phoenix, previously drained from defeating the crows and resurrected from their ashes, intercepted and attacked one of the giant crows.
Taking advantage of this diversion, Ayaka let loose an arrow that impaled two giant crows in a single shot.
“Damn it! This bow is too powerful!” Hagewashi bellowed.
Maneuvering Fubuki, Ayaka flew in circles, launching arrows and keeping the three Big Dipper demons at bay.
Suddenly, Ayaka’s equilibrium faltered mid-air, nearly causing her to slide off Fubuki. She was drenched in perspiration, battling with her utmost strength for the first time after sustaining severe injuries. Her body was straining to cope, and the onset of dizziness was perilous in her current state.
“My stamina is critically low. I need to conclude this battle swiftly. I’ll take down one first!”
Onito, emerging from the rubble, was nursing a substantial wound on his shoulder. The healing process had drained him significantly, igniting his fury. “Once I get my hands on you, human, I’ll rip you to shreds!”
Onito hoisted a massive rock and flung it at Ayaka.
Swoosh!
Onito hoisted a massive rock and flung it at Ayaka.
Spurt!
The comet-like arrow cleaved through the rock. Onito only saw a brief flash of white light before the demon-slaying arrow pierced his chest. Although it missed his heart, the gaping wound created by the demon-slaying arrow left a three-foot-wide hole in his chest.
Stunned, Onito stood frozen for a moment before collapsing.
“Onito!” A frantic Hagewashi unleashed a barrage of spells at Ayaka.
However, Ayaka held up a beautiful gold-rimmed mirror, deflecting these spells and even reflecting some back under her command.
“How can there be so many troublesome treasures?!” Hagewashi roared in frustration
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Before he could finish, the phoenix, having defeated the giant crow, swooped down on him, pecking and ripping at him, causing a shower of blood and feathers.
Having exhausted his crow talismans, which took years and precious resources to craft, he felt cornered. His situation was unlike Ayaka’s, who had unfettered access to Tamamo’s plethora of treasures.
Spotting Hagewashi entangled with the phoenix, Ayaka pulled the bowstring to its extreme, setting her sights on the diminutive but mighty Tengu.
“Die!” Her eyes turned icy.
However, a sudden shower of gilded projectiles flew towards Ayaka from the side.
“What?!” Ayaka was taken aback but regained her composure just in time to release the arrow.
Aware that she wouldn’t be able to dodge the projectiles, she used Himiko’s longbow as a shield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of detonations reminiscent of molten gold and copper erupted before Ayaka.
With a thunderous release, the demon-slaying arrow shot forth and perforated the lower half of Hagewashi’s body.
The scattered gilded sparks fell to the ground, burning deep pits into the earth. Despite its power, Himiko’s longbow wasn’t adept at deflecting attacks. Many of the gilded sparks hit Ayaka, melting significant patches of her clothes and stockings, compelling her to use a substantial amount of energy for defense.References

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