Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 11 – Mortal Danger
Resentment and blood mist floated everywhere on the vast ancient battlefield and the night sky glowed red.
There lay a massive demon fox, curled up with its eyes closed. Its body resembled a towering mountain peak, and its shivering fur resembled a withered forest in a fierce gale.
In an instant, the nine-tailed fox vanished into a cloud of smoke that engulfed the entire sky. Gradually, the smoke dispersed, and the fox that had spanned a thousand meters was nowhere to be seen.
At the heart of the battlefield, there lay a stunning woman with long gray hair and a torn outfit. Her nine tails were still, and her ears extended from her hair. With closed eyes, her chest rose and fell as she gasped for air, her clothing disheveled and partially open.
“Lady Kimiko!”
Lily, Rei, and Kagura rushed over to the motionless figure.
Lily carefully lifted Tamamo and cradled her head in her lap, but Tamamo only grimaced, her complexion pale, her body battered, and her breathing labored. Lily could sense Tamamo’s faint and irregular pulse.
Despite Lily’s gentle shaking, Tamamo remained unresponsive. Rei, who had some medical knowledge, checked Tamamo’s pulse and pressed down on her chest to feel her heartbeat.
“She’s seriously injured, her life is in danger!” Rei exclaimed, “We must return to Suno!”
“Lady Kimiko,” Lily whispered, but she knew she couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Without delay, she called forth a mighty bird, lifted Tamamo onto its back, and set off towards Suno. Rei wasn’t far behind, quickly mounting Nioh.
During the journey back, Lily utilized life-recovery magatamas on Tamamo, but their restorative effects were limited for beings of her strength. Furthermore, Tamamo’s injuries were inflicted by hound bites, which were far more challenging to heal than wounds from blades.
Upon their return to Suno, Lily quickly searched for the most proficient doctors available, but to her disappointment, the few fox physicians present were all powerless to assist.
Natsu frowned and replied, “Lady Kimiko is the most skilled doctor in Suno. No one else can match her expertise. If Lady Kimiko doesn’t awaken, we have no idea how to treat someone of her caliber.”
An one-eyed blue-haired fox onmyouji chimed in, “The lady’s realm is far too advanced. Even a minor injury that she sustains would be fatal for an average throned expert. We all wish to save her, but we lack the skills and knowledge, and we cannot afford to act rashly.”
“This… what should we do…” Lily was extremely anxious. Despite the subjugation army of 500,000 suffering over 50% casualties, Tamamo had sustained severe injuries and remained unconscious. Furthermore, Tamamo was the only one with the ability to heal her own injuries. If she woke up, she could employ various methods and medicine to treat herself. However, if left untreated, when would she regain consciousness?
Although Rei possessed some medical knowledge, she was not as proficient or knowledgeable as the fox onmyouji. Although she could discern that Tamamo was in grave peril, she lacked the means to address her injuries.
“Lady Kimiko… Lady Kimiko…” Lily tightly grasped Tamamo’s hand, feeling desperate. She recognized that as a thousand-year-old demon fox, Tamamo possessed an unimaginable level of vitality. However, the hounds that had attacked her were incredibly vicious. Lady Kimiko had sustained severe injuries!
After a night had passed, Tamamo still had not regained consciousness. Her body temperature had risen, her physical strength had diminished, and her breathing and tremors had become increasingly rapid. Her condition was deteriorating rapidly, but Lily remained uncertain about what could be done to help her.
Taking hold of Rei’s hand, Lily implored her, “Sister Uesugi, do you know of any skilled doctors? The best ones we can find? If we don’t act soon, Lady Kimiko’s life will be in peril!”
“Lily… I’m sorry, but I’m just as powerless,” Rei confessed, gripping Lily’s hand tightly and shaking her head in dismay.
Lily was at a loss for what to do. Simply standing guard like this was proving to be ineffective. She reached for her sound transmission orb, but without Tamamo’s assistance, she was unable to monitor the situation in Heian-kyo. Tamamo’s life hung in the balance here, while over in Heian-kyo, Ayaka was under siege from dark forces and could fall at any moment.
Lily realized that she couldn’t just wait around for Tamamo’s condition to improve and needed to leave for Heian-kyo immediately. However, she was aware of her limited abilities and feared that she might be walking into a trap. Leaving Tamamo in such a critical state also made her feel guilty.
But Ayaka was in a perilous situation, and time was of the essence. Suddenly, a demon fox rushed in from outside, panting, “Someone has entered the Suno village requesting to meet with Lady Kimiko.”
Natsu scolded the demon fox, “You know Lady Kimiko’s current condition! How can she meet with anyone? Who is it? We must be cautious!”
The demon fox replied, “That person claims to have the power to heal Lady Kimiko.”
“What!?”
Less than a day had passed since the battle had taken place. The news of such a large-scale battle could not be concealed, but the fact that it had reached them so quickly meant that the source was no ordinary person. Either it was an incredible doctor with extraordinary resources, or a formidable enemy.
Lily got up, “I will go meet this person.”
“Lily… be careful…” Rei warned.
“If our adversary is indeed a powerful expert, why bother with the pretense? It would be much simpler to launch an attack. What if this person is actually a skilled doctor? Sister Uesugi, the imperial court’s army might have been defeated, but there may still be assassins, please remain vigilant in guarding Lady Kimiko.”
“Mm, don’t worry.” Rei nodded.
……
The sky was beginning to brighten as Lily followed the demon fox down the road that led to the rear mountains. There, in the shade of the ancient forest, she saw a woman dressed in a stunning black and gold kimono adorned with flowers, and wearing a black gauze bamboo hat. As Lily approached her, she felt a sense of peaceful serenity emanating from the woman, who stood beneath the ancient tree in the morning light. However, Lily couldn’t quite fathom the full extent of this woman’s power.
Lily was taken aback by the woman’s presence. If she wasn’t an unparalleled expert, then she must have had an incredible ability to conceal her strength. Lily proceeded with caution as she approached the woman, who was tall and bore a striking resemblance to herself, albeit more mature. Though the woman wore a veil, the faint outline suggested that she was a remarkably beautiful individual. It seemed unlikely that such an otherworldly beauty could be malevolent, but Lily reminded herself to remain vigilant. Observing the woman’s clothing, Lily deduced that this type of kimono was typically worn by married women in Heian-kyo’s customs.
“Madam, may I ask why you have come to Suno?” Lily greeted the woman with utmost respect.
Although the woman didn’t remove her veiled bamboo hat upon meeting Lily, her attire suggested that she was not impolite, but rather unwilling to reveal her identity.
“You must be Miss Lily, the woman rumored to be the most beautiful in the world,” the woman’s voice was melodious, despite the sadness in her tone.
“Ah?! How do you know me? I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world, just an ordinary girl,” Lily responded in surprise.
“Fufu, we can discuss that later, Miss Lily. There’s no time to waste, so let’s dispense with formalities. Please take me to Tamamo,” the woman replied urgently.
Lily hesitated, “I’m sorry, Madam, but I cannot bring someone of unknown identity to see Lady Kimiko. May I ask who you are?”
The woman chuckled softly, “Miss Lily, you and I have a faint yet complicated karma, but let’s not delve into that. My name is Shinsenen, and I may have a way to treat Tamamo-no-Mae. However, if you do not trust me, then I shall take my leave.” With that, Shinsenen turned to depart.
“Wa, wait…”
As the woman turned back, Lily bowed apologetically.
With Lady Kimiko’s wounds being extremely serious, Lily had no other options but to take a gamble.
……
Madam Shinsenen accompanied Lily into Tamamo’s room. Natsu was highly cautious of her, being a morphing cat monster with keen senses, and although she couldn’t sense Shensenen’s power, she felt a strange uneasiness around her. Despite Natsu’s concerns, Lily was insistent that they had no other options and allowed Shinsenen to examine Tamamo’s condition. Shinsenen conducted the checkup while sitting beside Tamamo, but she still didn’t remove her veiled hat.
Shinsenen’s voice became stern after checking Tamamo’s pulse, “Miss Lily, the injuries of Madam Tamamo are extremely serious. If not treated properly, her life will be in danger even as a thousand-year-old demon fox.”
Lily’s heart was pierced with pain. As expected, Lady Kimiko’s wounds were severe. And the reason behind it all… started with herself.
Lily, Rei, and Natsu all bowed deeply to Shinsenen and Lily pleaded, “Madam Shinsenen, please save Lady Kimiko! I will give you anything you need.”
Shinsenen shook her head sadly. “I did not expect Madam Tamamo’s wounds to be so severe. If it were not for her inherent power and vitality, she would have perished long ago. Her injuries are beyond my abilities to heal, and for that, I am deeply sorry.”
“What?!” Lily’s heart sank as she heard the news. “How could this be? Madam Shinsenen, didn’t you come here to help Lady Kimiko? You have such incredible abilities and knowledge, there must be a way to save her, right?”
Lily was on the verge of tears.
“Miss Lily, please do not be hasty, and listen to me carefully,” said Shinsenen. “In this world, when it comes to medical abilities, I, Shinsenen, along with Heian-kyo’s foremost onmyouji, Fujiwara no Ayaka, and the legendary raccoon Mita, are considered to be the pinnacle of medical practitioners. However, Madam Tamamo’s strength and power are beyond mortal means. Her wounds cannot be healed by any medical treatment in this world. But please do not worry, even though I cannot cure Madam Tamamo, I can still stabilize her condition.”References