A deafening silence permeated the air.
As though held captive by some unseen force, time itself seemed to crawl. The image of Lily’s flaming cursed blade, cleaving through the colossal form of Shuten, hung suspended in the agonizingly slow progression of seconds.
Those who were still awake to witness the spectacle – Tamamo, Ayaka, Rei, Shimizu, Yuki-Onna, Kagura – stared blankly at Lily. The shock of what they were witnessing robbed them of their reactions, their ability to process the event evaporating in the magnitude of the moment.
Shuten Doji, one of the three supreme arch-demons, a being of invincibility with over a millennium of advancement, the unparalleled master of the Heian Dynasty, and the unchallenged ruler of Tanba for centuries, was…
Dead.
Suddenly, the punctured scarlet origin soul within Shuten erupted, an astral explosion of light and heat. It transformed into a cosmic sea of energy, vastly greater than Lily’s spirit sea, and was drawn into Yasutsuna. The sheer magnitude of the released energy silenced the world, stilled the four winds, and made time appear even slower.
Shuten’s grotesque, giant form, now bifurcated
1, fell to opposite sides. The image of Lily’s Yasutsuna, illuminated by the limitless power of the big dipper origin soul, stood tall between the fallen halves.
With the energy influx completed, Lily knelt, her torn attire and flowing hair dancing with the wind as she maintained her firm grip on Yasutsuna.
A moment later, an inscription flared to life on the blade, appearing as though the sword was boiling from within.
Suddenly…
Bzzzt!
Yasutsuna released a blinding surge of crimson light, temporarily outshining everything else. As the crimson radiance receded, it revealed Yasutsuna in a new form – a glimmering silver that emanated a chilling sword energy.
“The birth of a spirit treasure!” exclaimed both Ayaka and Tamamo in unison.
“This…”In disbelief, Lily slowly rose to her feet. As she did, Yasutsuna was involuntarily lowered, the blade gently sweeping to her side.
The soft sound it made sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Holding the newly transformed Yasutsuna, Lily could feel its immense power and sensed that she could now cut through air at will
2.
From the moment Yasutsuna was forged, Lily had felt that something was missing. As a cursed blade, Yasutsuna lacked the perfect fusion with the most compatible anima. But now, it was finally a complete cursed blade.
With Yasutsuna’s eager absorption of Shuten’s anima, it had denied any chance for Shuten to survive by transferring his origin soul. This act had transformed Yasutsuna completely.
Despite having seen true treasures before, Lily was struck by the feeling that Yasutsuna’s power seemed to transcend low-level spirit weapons and had achieved a higher level.
“A mid-level spirit treasure!” as she realized, a peerless one among its kind.
The very notion that the anima of Shuten Doji, one of the three great arch-demons who had dominated the world since the ancient age, was incorporated into her blade left her astounded.
Despite the villainous nature of Shuten Doji, his strength was undeniable. The infusion of such an anima could indeed transform a ninth-grade blade into a mid-level spirit weapon.
While holding onto this new powerful Yasutsuna, a slight sense of melancholy swept over her.
Lily glanced back at the giant remains behind her. The two halves were shrinking rapidly. In the end, the monstrous corpse metamorphosed into a handsome man. Although bloodless and pale, Lily could still see traces of the once heroic figure. But that was eight hundred years ago.
Without an anima, the corpse quickly shriveled, turning into ash and dust carried away by the wind, leaving no trace behind. The only remnants were a collection of storage rings, weapons, and treasures scattered all over.
A momentary sadness flashed in Lily’s eyes…
The peerless arch-demon, Shuten Doji, was no more. Despite his countless acts of evil, he was an extraordinarily gifted powerhouse. He deserved a modicum of respect in his passing
Shuten was a vile despicable piece of trash. Mass murderer and torturer of innocents. He should be reviled just like Hitler was, what respect. Trash!! And Lily is trash for thinking he deserves respect!!">3