Chapter 59 You Are Unworthy of Being the Kirin of Sagami!

Where there is light, there must be darkness, for without the contrast of darkness, could light truly be light?

Walking deeper into the realms beneath the grand hall, Hojo Akitoki wondered if the light there would still be light when the time came.

Yet, vast was the great wide world, and Hojo Akitoki understood his own insignificance.

"How I yearn for those who walk wholly in the light, yet alas, I can never attain such perfection myself."

Shaking his head, he pushed open a set of golden doors, instantly beholding the person who had been waiting within.

Meeting his eyes was an elderly, white-haired woman. Considering her true age, this appearance was entirely natural.

However, the aged visage of the Dark Priestess Tsubaki might fool others.

It was utterly incapable of deceiving Hojo Akitoki.

"I give you a chance to prove that you have surpassed Kikyo."

Hojo Akitoki had no intention of reasoning with the Dark Priestess Tsubaki using appeals to emotion or logic.

This woman, much like a viper, was in some senses a tragic soul as well.

In her youth, in order to prove herself to her master and to the world that she, an elite among humans, was not inferior to Kikyo,

she had presumptuously challenged Kikyo, only to suffer a natural and inevitable defeat,

leading her step by step into the abyss of error.

Yet the young Tsubaki of those days still had a chance of redemption, whereas the present-day Tsubaki, driven by a desire for longevity and power,

had chosen to harbor various lesser demons within her own body...

Hojo Akitoki did not despise her choice; what he despised was her terrible eye for selecting demons.

With so many demons in the world, why choose lesser demons of all things?

If she was worried that her own strength was insufficient to control a greater demon, it only proved once again that the Dark Priestess Tsubaki lacked true capability!

"What!"

Seemingly respectful yet entirely devoid of actual reverence, the Dark Priestess Tsubaki was kneeling upon the floor.

Her spirit jolted violently at Hojo Akitoki's words.

Surpass Kikyo!

A suspicious gaze swept across Hojo Akitoki's face. Tsubaki was not surprised that he knew of the enmity between herself and Kikyo.

For the great lord who ruled the provinces of Sagami and Musashi, discovering such matters was as easy as turning over his hand.

In fact, it would be stranger if he did not know. But...

"Kikyo is already dead."

Her pale, aged lips parted as she spoke with feigned, slight annoyance.

"Although Your Lordship is the great lord ruling two provinces, isn't it rather impolite to jest about such matters?"

"Or perhaps you should state the true purpose of summoning your humble servant today. Do you wish to place a curse upon Lord Takeda Shingen, or perhaps Lord Uesugi Kenshin?"

"As long as Your Lordship provides a memento of either of the other two, cursing them is not beyond my ability."

Testing him with her words, Tsubaki believed this to be Hojo Akitoki's true objective.

His offer to give her a chance to surpass Kikyo was merely a provocative tactic on his part.

He was simply worried that she would hesitate to strike due to the status and standing of those two lords!

"Hmph."

Gazing playfully at the dark priestess who was still matching wits with him, he bypassed her, walked to the seat of honor within the room, and sat down.

Clapping his hands, he summoned an attendant bearing a tray. Hojo Akitoki pointed to the object resting upon it and said,

"Do you know what this is?"

"A fragment of the Shical Jewel!"

Suddenly beholding this item, Tsubaki's breath grew rapid.

How could she not know?

Impossible; she knew this item all too well.

It was precisely because of this catalyst that she had been reduced to her current plight.

Back then, the exterminators had entrusted the Shical Jewel to her master, and she had believed her master would pass the heavy responsibility of guarding the jewel to her.

Instead, the master who had always cherished her directly handed it to the wandering priestess Kikyo!

At this thought, the emotionally agitated Tsubaki instantly reverted to the youthful appearance she maintained through her reliance on demons.

A cascade of loose black hair tumbled down to her waist, and her deep, spiritual eyes gleamed with a biting chill.

Her scarlet lips provoked boundless yearning; a woman both cold, beautiful, and seductive stood before Hojo Akitoki.

The Dark Priestess Tsubaki, who had rivaled Kikyo fifty years ago, refused to allow herself to lose to Kikyo in any single aspect,

whether in power or in beauty.

This had already become an obsession etched into her very being!

"What does Lord Hojo Akitoki intend?"

Staring fixedly at the fragment of the Shical Jewel, Tsubaki's mind raced through countless thoughts in an instant.

"Can you protect the Shical Jewel?"

Daringly defying her expectations while somehow aligning with them, Hojo Akitoki's single sentence caused Tsubaki's breathing to quicken once more.

Guard the Shical Jewel?

Clenching her hands into fists that trembled slightly, Tsubaki suppressed the jubilation surging in her heart.

The Shical Jewel could grant formidable power to humans or demons; had she learned of the jewel's reappearance anywhere else,

she would undoubtedly have used every possible means to seize the treasure for herself.

However, circumstances had changed. What was the fundamental purpose for which she fed demons and struggled to survive?

Power? Youth?

A little of each, but this was by no means the entirety of it.

Her true purpose was to prove to the world, and especially to the master who had once taught her with such care,

that the Dark Priestess Tsubaki was no weaker than the priestess Kikyo!

And in the face of this objective, everything else could willingly step aside!

"Hahaha."

Throwing back her head, she let out an unbridled laugh, having figured things out by this point.

Staring at Hojo Akitoki sitting above, who had manipulated her in the palm of his hand with just a few words and thoroughly seen through her inside and out,

murderous intent flashed in her eyes as her lips curved into a predatory snarl.

"As expected of the Qilin of Sagami who masters human hearts, but Your Lordship has forgotten one thing."

"Since you have placed the Shical Jewel fragment before me, there is no need for you to entrust me with its safekeeping. Once I seize it,"

"I shall naturally guard it carefully and properly. As for the other fragments, I shall seek them out one by one."

"Whatever Kikyo could not accomplish, I, who am superior to her, shall surely fulfill."

As she spoke, unwilling to remain under another's control, the Dark Priestess Tsubaki moved to act immediately.

Chanting an incantation silently to mobilize the cursed power within her body, she prepared to subdue Hojo Akitoki on the spot.

Considering that he had malevolently provided a fragment of the Shical Jewel, along with a face that she found quite pleasing to look at,

she decided that a minor punishment would suffice.

"Clang!"

The sharp, rapid sound of a blade leaving its scabbard rang out. Before Tsubaki could execute her spell,

Hojo Akitoki, who had been seated serenely upon the dais, drew his sword and laid it across her neck. At the same time, spiritual power imbued with the purifying force of demon-breaking flickered faintly along the blade.

Compared to when he had previously fought Sesshomaru, Hojo Akitoki's purifying power had grown a fraction stronger.

"The power to break demons?"

Staring in astonishment at the energy crackling along the blade, a flicker of dread crossed Tsubaki's eyes.

Yet, capable of cursing Kikyo from the shadows and surviving in the underworld for so long,

how could she possibly lack a single instantaneous self-defense technique?

Feigning terror, Tsubaki secretly activated her defensive arts.

Her countermeasure was entirely correct this time, but Hojo Akitoki's speed was even greater.

Although he could easily have beheaded her with a single strike, Hojo Akitoki did the exact opposite, retreating instantly to stand firmly by a wall within the room.

"Clack, clack, clack."

The continuous sound of gunfire echoed like popping beans as dozens of holes suddenly burst open in the walls on either side of Tsubaki's position.

Muzzle barrels extended from within, unleashing round after round of relentless projectiles as if ammunition were worthless.

"So despicable!"

She only had time to utter these words before her instantaneous curse spell inevitably fizzled out.

It could be said that had Hojo Akitoki been even slightly greedy, he undoubtedly would have fallen victim to her scheme.

Yet his counter-strategy was nothing short of flawless.

Furthermore, Tsubaki was utterly baffled: when she had entered this room, she had clearly scanned it with her magical power!

There had been no traps whatsoever!

"Namu Amida Butsu."

The answer to her confusion appeared immediately, heralded by the recitation of a Buddha's name.

Monks patronized by the Hojo domain filed out in an orderly fashion, moving swiftly and without wasted words.

Seals flew one after another, landing directly upon the struggling Dark Priestess Tsubaki.

While these monks might not match Tsubaki in single combat, they possessed an overwhelming numerical advantage.

Handling a single Dark Priestess Tsubaki posed no difficulty for them at all.

"Hojo Akitoki! How despicable!"

"You are unworthy of the title of the Qilin of Sagami!"