Book 12 Chapter 20 『満珠』奪回作戦 Trans-summary

From Chinese translations by Hinako.

Draft: Version 1 - final
Notes: first ⅔ summarized, last ⅓ translated
PS: do not distribute this without my permission

- Ayako and Narumi cave-trekking in Akiyoshidai
- Narumi struggles to keep up, Ayako tells her not to worry about it
- Ayako's all set to go with her gear, being the fit person that she is
- Narumi is a 'young lady'
- they estimate that they should've reached their target
- Ayako refers to map and determines position with compass, if her calculations are correct they should be 300m from Taishou cave
- never expected that they'd encounter problems, caves were ever-changing after all
- notes complex network of stalactites, thinks that it'd be easy for any ordinary person to get lost inside
- Ayako thinks of Narumi's views and becomes almost reluctant to push through, but she fancies they had more problems the previous time, they had already been underground for nearly 20 hours
- Narumi notes that Ayako must really tough; Ayako casually brushes off her compliment
- at the very least, Ayako had knowledge of survival skills, but doesn't know how to handle her gear...
- originally wearing a sailor outfit, Narumi is now wearing a canvas jacket and dark blue trousers with boots
- knapsack that Ayako was carrying was stuffed with food and all sorts of props, that was how they managed to explore this far
- hears water running across ground, they were almost beneath the enemy camp now; looks at watch
- there was still about another hour before the next high tide, they had to carry out battle preparations within the time
- Narumi notes that it's fortunate the sect above ground hadn't took notice of them yet
- Ayako asks how does she know; Narumi: 'Youkihi' said so, Ayako: Narumi.
- Ayako sits on a nearby stalagmite, looks at Narumi's face seriously
- asks who 'Youkihi' really is and that it can't be the real Youkihi, Narumi looks a bit troubled
- Ayako wants to know her real motives, that person knows everything about Kagetora and the Uesugi, does this 'Youkihi' have something to do with the Mouri
- Narumi is silent, seems to have some discourse with the internal spirit then nods
- Narumi informs Ayako that she (Youkihi) would like to explain the situation and will now take over her (Narumi) body
- the switch is done and the childish expression of Narumi is gone, replaced by the look of a matured woman
- Ayako understand that Youkihi has come forth, asks if she is the latter
- Youkihi states that her surname is Tomo, Kumagai Nobunao's daughter and is Kikkawa Motoharu's wife
- Ayako recognizes her timid manner, realizes that she's the court lady of the Shinjo anecdote, that is the shameful infamous daughter of Kumagai Nobunao
- Ayako unconsciously scrutinizes her but then apologizes
- Tomo smiles instead and asks Ayako if her scandal is so well known for Ayako to look at her like that
- Tomo says that she doesn't mind as she is used to it, many have given her a dirty look, there's no point in hurting herself by letting those gazes bother her
- Tomo no longer belongs to Kikkawa, but the servant of Youkihi the Sea Goddess
- Tomo was Motoharu's wife for 400 years but now she's no longer affiliated with the Mouri or the Kikkawa (they are history)
- she is now a member of Buddhism, she wants to recover the kanju and manju, which will be used to calm the seas, they can't be used as weapons for the war
- Ayako asks if the Youkihi Sea Goddess is the real Youkihi (the person)
- during the Tang dynasty in China, the Emperor Xuan Zong doted on Youkihi; according to the legend, although Youkihi died on the slopes of Ma Wei the truth was that she had crossed the seas and fled to Japan, passing the Tsugu peninsula
- but story had become a mere legend in today's world; in the legend, Youkihi died in Japan then her soul changed into a large scarlet bird as a result of missing her homeland, and flew over the vast sea back to her counry
- apparently Youkihi's transformation into the large bird was really her ascension to become a sea goddess
- Ayako: "The scarlet bird... the legendary red phoenix!" Ayako is amazed
- Kagetora and co. had seen a 'red phoenix' at Peace Memorial Park but that red bird was Tomo; she has been tracing Narumi to Hiroshima, Narumi's body was the best suited for her to depend on and she needed her spiritual strength at the same time
- previously she had a dispute with a certain person and at that time left Narumi's body so now she had to chase her down again and start from there again; she has the same form as Youkihi
- maybe Tomo was trying to be Youkihi or became her attendant thinking she'll receive some of her power and change her own soul into that form
- during that time she was the one who absorbed the vitality of those women who had done sorry things; she needs a lot of women's vitality; Youkihi would be able to turn the power from the hearts of young women into a huge God-like power; in order to recover the kanju and manju, she needed that sort of power
- Ayako asks if she was actually a family member of Youkihi's
- Tomo had been a sincere devotee of Goddess Youkihi when alive; after death she hopes she can offer all of her heart's power to Youkihi; she definitely won't let the treasures be taken by Motoharu and used as a tool in the Mouri conflict
- Ayako is worried, asks if it doesn't bother her that she's literally betraying her husband
- Tomo insists that she's not deliberately betraying him, she has no other alternative for this matter; feels that she can only be forgiven for her sins by devoting herself to a God
- Ayako is amazed as well as perplexed; Tomo is clutching her knees tightly
- Ayako asks what exactly are her sins; Tomo seems lost in a distant thought/memory then touches her face
- because she was ugly she was once a cunning woman, that's why she committed a lot of sins when alive, many cruel things; in order to be Motoharu's wife she even did frightening things to her own sister - she had burned her sister's face
- her sister, Asaji, younger by 3 years was a beautiful woman; Motoharu had come to her family as according to the matchmaker's words and everyone expected him to take her sister as his wife
- she remembers the night in the courtyard when she grabbed her sister's hair and pressed a burning torch onto her face, not having any feeling whatsoever despite her sister's screams and the smell of her burning skin, she had laughed instead
- their father had been at a loss but had no choice but to report the matter to Motoharu the next morning
- Motoharu had wanted everyone who knew of the incident to keep mum and keep this a secret, ordering Nobunao to remove Asaji from public view and let her reside on some remote mountain
- Motoharu then took Tomo as his wife; Tomo thinks maybe he pitied their family, or that he didn't dissolve his marriage plans because Tomo's actions threatened him or that maybe he feels partly responsible for what happened
- Motoharu had accepted Tomo's personality and characteristics and always openly introduced her as his wife to other people, telling her not to be afraid, taught her the Arts and the satisfaction of being knowledgeable, the value of discipline, and what was true beauty
- Motoharu had helped her find her confidence, filled the darkness in her heart with light thus she definitely would not intentionally betray him
- that said her sins are still there; according to legend Youkihi can also beautify any women who wants to be pretty, but the correct version (says Tomo) is that Youkihi can rescue the souls of those who are lost or in agony, she can convert the pain and negative energy of onryou into a beautiful (defensive) power
- Ayako: ...
- Tomo feels a bit sorry for using Narumi's body but she needs to recover those objects but begs Ayako to help her, after all they were both emissaries of a deity, to stop the ongoing war
- they don't intend to lose to Shimozura Rairen

*

- the internal and external sections of the Taishou caves are patrolled by souhei
- among them is Rairen, wearing a grey suit and silver eyeglasses, for the sake of the 'Yamato Plan' came from Hongan-ji to the Mouri to watch over the manju that Tomo is trying to recover and is responsible for Taishou caves; only one sect with the power to exorcise could stop him - the Uesugi
- in order to avert the Uesugi, he had made secret plans/traps
- Rairen is asked about the situation with Hagi
- he replies that early the next morning they will receive Terumoto's company on the Yamato that set out from Hagi; they plan to start the war early in the morning 3 days down the road; tomorrow they will set out with the manju, the following day they will have a meeting in Kure with Terumoto's company, tells subordinate to convey the message that tonight they need to make battle preparations
- subordinate withdraws and Rairen discusses with his aides the rumors about Kagetora surrendering to the Mouri, and that everything should be fine since Rairyu, who can't seem to wait to settle a score with Kagetora, is there
- Rairen walks down the steps of the limestone cave
- apparently Rairyu has had this unusual air around him since the incident in the capital, when he had been beaten by Kagetora, maybe he wanted payback
- Rairen thinks Rairyu is pretty tough, even though they had been obstructed by the tengu, this was the first time they suffered defeat so he was unsatisfied; but thinks it doesn't count since Kagetora had help from the tengu, except that he's never seen such an energetic Rairyu before
- Rairen heads to the place where the manju is stored, orders souhei to make preparations; the Lion's Rock, where saidan (altars) were set up all around and in the center was a small cabinet, in it was the image of the Amida nyorai and stored within it was the manju; it was time to employ the tool
- the marine forces of the Oda, sworn enemy of Amida, are about to be destroyed with the magical power of this jewel; Rairen is determined to crush Nobunaga this time, he faces the altar and starts to murmur

*

- Ayako concentrates and the circumstances of the scene appears in her head, she knows Rairen is present; the power of the manju is increasing rapidly
- it was the moment of the tide, not long before the peak will be reached, the power could now be unleashed, they should make use of this instant when they hadn't been spotted yet ... but how is two women going to attack an entire clan?
- there were at least 50 disciples on watch, even though half of them don't have a physical body, they were still a clan that Ayako needed to single-handedly exorcise
- use a cho baku muchi (discipline binding whip), even though it wasn't exorcism but at least the spirits would be bound and unable to move, after all their goal was to snatch the manju so this should be enough
- Ayako and Tomo start to squeeze themselves up a narrow crack, Ayako went first, it is a narrow dangerous slope, needing to tightly hold on to the rocks to pull up and use as footholds, and finally reach Taishou cave
- the cave is really bright, the limestone cavern is actually a tourist attraction, that's why it's completely illuminated; during the Sengoku Jidai, because they were afraid of the battles that broke out, the cattle herdsmen would hide their cows in this cave thus giving rise to the name 'Cave of the Hidden Cattle'; a limestone cave consisted of 5 stories
- Ayako begins with the chants; after chanting aloud the 6-words dharani, a shining bow appeared in Tomo's hands and in her right hand flames appeared that transformed into arrows; they attack, Ayako also unleashing her binding whip on the spirits

- Rairen soon learns of their arrival from the commotion

- the reaction of the clan was quicker than they anticipated thanks to their strict measures, Ayako and partner is soon surrounded by souhei, the soldiers came in waves like an avalanche; they defended themselves with the whip and spiritual arrows
- the manju was on the 2nd storey, but the numerous soldiers were in the way, the narrowness of the caves not helping the situation
- Ayako then takes out a small flute-like object from her knapsack, this is a stone flute made of the spiritual rock (rei ishi), there was Sanskrit painted on it; Ayako uses it to chant (a bit like a microphone); at the same time small scale-like dust particles with a radiance were emitted from Ayako's mouth
- Ayako: Bai!; in one breath bored a passage through, brushing away all the souhei that were obstructing their way; Ayako was blowing a spirit flute, the 'Stone Flute of the Heavenly Winds'
- they find the altar and cabinet but Rairen appears with a group of souhei

---

"What perfect timing, Uesugi!"

"!"

A voice from behind, Ayako turned around.

A man wearing a Western suit appeared from behind the boulder, together with a line of souhei. Ayako surveyed her opponent.

"Shimozura Rairen..."

"So you are the thief, hmph, even though I haven't the slightest idea what you people are conspiring, your efforts will be futile nonetheless."

"What did you say!"

"I suppose you are Kakizaki. Your lord, Uesugi Kagetora, has just surrendered himself to Mouri Terumoto-kou at Hagi."

"!"

Ayako was stunned but shouted back in a gruff voice.

"Surrender... how did that happen! Is Kagetora alright!"

"I heard that Kagetora-dono has abandoned the Uesugi and returned to the Hojo clan. He understood that Kenshin is an evil person, who is a menace to the world, and in order to overthrow Kenshin's authority has become our comrade."

"!"

Ayako was extremely shocked.

"What... did you say..."

"So what now? Kakizaki. If you're Kagetora-dono's subordinate, you have no reason to oppose us. We are comrades."

"Don't lie!"

Ayako did not believe it.

"Kagetora would not give up the Uesugi so easily! Did you people do something to Kagetora! ...Don't tell me you've taken Naoe hostage? Is that right?! Using Naoe as a hostage you've threatened Kagetora right! You wretches!"

"Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. We absolutely require the 'manju' as a means of crushing the Oda. We are on the same side. In order to defeat the Oda we should combine our strength."

Tomo-hime watched Ayako and Rairen alternately in apprehension. Rairen looked at Tomo-hime.

"Is that you? Tomo-hime. I was wondering what you were up to slipping out of Akiyoshi-do, I never expected you would actually involve yourself in this foolish act. As Kikkawa-kou's wife, why would you commit this act of betrayal against the Mouri? Kikkawa-kou would be sorry to hear about this."

"Be quiet! You've had your motives all along! I definitely won't let you people exploit the 'manju' as a instrument for war! I am the emissary of the Goddess Youkihi! If you dare oppose me, you will suffer retribution!"

"Oh? The emissary of the Goddess of Mercy? Then we are the authoritarians from the Pure Land of the West - emissaries of Amida nyorai. If the Goddess of Mercy is a kenzoku to Amida nyorai, then we are of the same rank."

The pupils beneath Rairen's glasses twinkled.

"You are the one who will suffer retribution. You miscreant Shinjo court lady."

"...!"

Tomo-hime could not find any words for a refute.

"The game ends here. I must insist that you head back to Akiyoshi-do."

"You intend to hold us captive there?"

"It would be troublesome if I allowed you to repeat another one of your incomprehensibly foolish plans."

Rairen signaled with his jaw, and his aides approached to arrest the two of them. Ayako immediately sheltered her by pulling Tomo-hime behind her, and whispered.

"I'll hold them off. You get the 'manju'."

"Kakizaki-dono."

Ayako concentrated all the energy within her body in one breath.

"Even if Kagetora has surrendered, I will not give in, Shimozura Rairen!"

"What! Are you crazy, Kakizaki!"

"If this is it, all of you will follow me to hell!"

Finishing her words, Ayako took out the stone flute and blew into it with the strength of one full mouthful of air.

Phiii................

"Argghhh!"

From Ayako's body the characters 'Bai' of the Heavenly Winds came soaring out in all directions, blowing up a storm. Restricted by the extreme crushing pressure of the winds, Rairen could only protect his own body. As they began to withdraw, Ayako continued to strike with her 'Nen Nami'.

"Nnn.. oh!"

One after another, several of them were blown away. Rairen immediately executed a counterattack.

"Nnnh!"

Ayako created a Goshinha to protect Tomo-hime, with a madness akin to the mechanism of a gun, she retaliated with incantations. Behind her, Tomo-hime was desperately trying to focus her spirit.

"Toyato Ukoniya Mokoniya Choboniya Tanboni Anzyari Honzyariya..."

Tomo-hime chanted, it was the endless dharani of the Buddhist teaching of penance. To eliminate the hidden poisoning, to break down the evil thoughts that hindered the elimination of the hidden poisoning, which constitutes the third verse of the 6-words dharani.

Within this short space of time, Ayako with her stone flute and spells continued to fight back, causing Rairen and the others to keep a distance from them. But the enemy numbers were still too large, it appeared that Ayako could not hold them much longer.

"Tomo-hime, hurry up!"

"...Toshito Tokoniya Mokoniya Choboni Tanboni Oboki Mokoshi Funzyari..."

Tomo-hime centralized her spirit intensely, desperately chanting the shingon.

"Attack! Use our combined chants and attack!"

"Arghhhh!"

To repel the combined assault of the souhei, Ayako employed all of her strength to extend the Goshinha. There was a boisterous crackling sound in the cave, with white plasma flying all over, producing fierce sparks.

"Nnnnh!"

Ayako clenched her teeth. Tomo-hime was behind her, wholeheartedly chanting the mantra in an orderly fashion. From then onwards, there was a noticeable change in the area. The cabinet containing the image of Amida gradually began to emit a glimmer of light. Some kind of power was starting to swell from within.

"What!"

Rairen was aware of the transformation, but it was too late...!

"Kibishisu Nantori Hogyari Oruni Hokyuuri Mokyuuri Chobiri Soko!"

At the instant she finished chanting the verses of the 6-words dharani, Tomo-hime suddenly opened her eyes widely.
The flames that would give rise to a golden arrow kindled in her right hand. It was the female power of vitality. Tomo-hime drew her spiritual bow, pulling the bowstring with her full strength. She aimed at the cabinet and fired the spiritual arrow!

The golden spiritual arrow was directly sucked into the cabinet. And then, seconds later!

Ba-dum...!

There was an outburst of a booming sound, the door of the cabinet opened. Everyone that was present looked at it. Within the cabinet, the Amida image released golden rays of light.

"How can that be...!"

The wooden image of Amida could not bear the power contained within it, and fractured with a clapping sound.

"Ohh!"

The overwhelmingly dazzling radiance caused everyone at the scene to shade their eyes. There was a sun in that cabinet. That was a jewel that released an intense light.

Tomo-hime brought her palms together in a manner of worship and beseeched.

"Shiomitsutama, fill up with the ocean's floodwaters..."

Rumble rumble...

A strange howl could be heard from beneath, it was moving towards the area. A deep booming, shaking the earth, the sound of some large body that approached. What exactly was this sound?

"T-This is...!"

Then, the interior of the cave started to shake fiercely. Starting from the ground over which they were standing. Accompanied by an unusual clanging. The tremors increased in intensity. Fine sand particles began to stream down from the tops of the pillars.

What object was charging this way...!

Numerous mournful wails were transmitted from the lower levels. Intense groans could be heard as it drew closer, it sounded like a large sea of debris.

"Water...!"

"Run quick, run quickly!"

The sound of the shattering great waves could be heard from the bottom-most stories. A great mass of sea water was bubbling up from the earth, destroying the laccolith, an alarming flow of water flooded the domain.

Waaa....!

The atmosphere inside the caverns was dominated by chaos. With the deluge of racing currents pouring in, the space in the lower levels had been completely filled with water in the blink of an eye, then the water levels started to rise.

"Tomo-hime!"

"Take the 'manju'! Kakizaki-dono!"

The souhei were forcefully swept away in the eddies as a result of the rising waters that continued to climb upwards. The situation in the cave had fallen into panic.

"Calm down! Don't topple the 'manju'!"

Rairen shouted. Ayako and Tomo-hime took advantage of the confusion and crept towards the cabinet. Rairen clicked his tongue and attacked them with an incantation.

"I definitely won't let you succeed!"

There was a large thunderous explosion and the altar collapsed. Tomo-hime rushed out from the safety of Ayako's side and with audacity and resolution lunged forward, catching the 'manju' that tumbled out of the completely fragmented cabinet.

"I've got it!"

"The waters are approaching, Tomo-hime!"

The floodwaters that bubbled up from below had already risen to their knees. The souhei fought among themselves to escape. In a flash, the waters had reached chest level.

"We have to go!"

Unlike the people escaping the cave, Ayako and Tomo-hime migrated to the source of the water influx. They took a deep breath before diving into the water. Rairen did not reveal that he had actually noticed their escape.

"Damn it, are you trying to escape! Tomo-hime!"

Tomo-hime, holding the 'manju' she had effectively acquired, and Ayako submerged into the water, moving towards a different crevice. Using the 'Stone Flute of the Heavenly Winds' as a tube to supply oxygen they swam towards the exit. Although the water was fairly cold, they endured and waded through hastily.
Not long after, the insides of the cavern had been completely flooded save for the highest level.

They finally saw the water surface. Because the water temperature was too low, Tomo-hime's four limbs had grown numb and could not move, she gestured to Ayako for help. Ayako took notice, grabbed her hand and with her final strength pulled her upwards and together swam to the water surface.

"Ha...!"

Their faces broke out on the surface of the water. The pushing force of the torrents had stopped as well.

"Are you alright?"

"...fine..."

The two of them headed towards shallow waters, reaching dry land. This seemed to be the topmost level. There was a small path on the other side which appeared to be lead to the exit.

"We did it, Tomo-hime!"

Tomo-hime, holding the 'manju' firmly in her hands, nodded. The radiance had subsided, resuming its original appearance of a crystal tinged with the seven colors of the rainbow.
The two of them walked out. The sun had completely set in the west, the surrounding area was pitch black.

"What will you do next?"

"I'm going to Hagi. I have to save Kagetora and the rest."

"You want to go to Hagi? I wish to recover the 'kanju'. I need your powers."

She believed that the 'kanju' was still in Shikanosuke's hands.

How am I going to manage this...

Ayako was in a dilemma. The conditions of her mutual promise with Amako was to kill Tomo-hime once she had retrieved the 'manju' from her. However, if she got rid of Tomo-hime as accordingly, it would violate their seiyaku.

Which side should she prioritize?

She honestly found it difficult to decide. Ayako believed that she had to find out Kagetora's instructions before she could act on this matter.

"In short, I must save Kagetora. As soon as possible."

"Then I will go with you, Kakizaki-dono. I know the location of Hagi. I should be able to offer some help."

Then at that very moment.

Before the two of them, a beast of prey floated out of the ground.

"What!"

It was a golden tiger. No, this was not a true tiger. This was a reijuu. A divine tiger.

Tomo-hime, shocked, grabbed hold of Ayako's arm tightly. Ayako was cautious for an instant, then immediately discerned that this tiger did not harbor any malice.

"Kage...tora...?"

Ayako seemed to realize that this was a tiger that had been contracted by Kagetora. The golden tiger opened its mouth and roared, spewing out a white smoke from its mouth. The smoke slowly morphed into a form, taking on the material shape of a person. An appearance similar to the image from a projector, it was Takaya's form.
This was a message that Takaya had requested the tiger to convey.

"Kagetora...!"

Proceed to Miya-jima. Takaya said.

"Huh...?"

--The Mouri are regrouping at Itsukushima to launch an attack. The 'Yamato' will be participating in the battle.

Takaya stated this clearly. He continued to speak.

--If you have acquired the 'manju' then contact Amako. Conduct a meeting with Shikanosuke, and prompt him to hand over the 'kanju' to the Uesugi, persuade him to leave the Oda. Make use of the 'manju' and 'kanju' to sink the 'Yamato' and eliminate the Oda.

"!"

Ayako was extremely stunned.

"This is too unreasonable! Carrying out two assignments at one time, how do I...!"

--I will leave this to you.

Takaya vanished after he had finished speaking. It was a one-way message, Ayako had no way of retorting at the orders.

At that moment.

"! ...Kakizaki-dono!"

Tomo-hime suddenly yelled in a shrill voice.

"Underground... what is that from deep underground! There's something approaching! Something massive is heading this way at an extremely high speed!"

"What!"

Ayako knelt and used her hand to touch the surface of the ground. She drew a deep breath. A colossal feeling approached from the west. It was drawing closer.

This is... a fire dragon!

Ayako raised her head and yelled at the divine tiger.

"What is this! What are you planning to do! Kagetora!"

"I won't let you escape, Uesugi!"

A voice from behind stunned both of them. Shimozura Rairen stood at the entrance of the cave. His entire body was soaking wet, from his appearance he must have dived into the water as well to pursue Ayako and Tomo-hime. His lungs' vital capacity must be truly amazing.

"Rairen..."

"Hand over the 'manju'! Both of you have no where to run!"

Ayako was speechless, she once again issued her powers, spurring on her utterly exhausted body.

"It's useless, Kakizaki!"

Rairen mercilessly attacked with spell bombs.

"!"

The tiger moved into action. It spitted a chunk of gas from its mouth, which directly clashed with Rairen's incantation. This triggered a huge explosion between the two of them.

"Argh!!!"

Within the winds of the explosion, the tiger confronted Rairen, who had been struck down, advancing towards him. It was too late for evasion. The tiger bared its sharp fangs and clamped down on Rairen's throat!

"Waaa!!!"

The blood spouted out. Rairen's throat had been slashed open, he slumped to the ground. The tiger floated then jumped back into the ground, as if saying 'message conveyed' looking back only once before submerging into the earth.

The pressure of a violent feeling surrounded the area after the tiger left. An immense cadence and cry rose from the ground. In the depths of the ground over which she stood, large numbers of fire dragons brought lava, accompanied by thunderous noises that tore across the plains.

From the north-eastern direction. That was Hagi.

Tomo-hime could feel the tremors as well, not moving from her position as she stood there looking dumbfounded. Ayako's expression had turned stiff. What had Takaya decided to do? Compared with previous battles, the scale of this one differed by so much.

What sort of premonition was Ayako having?

"Don't die, both of you..."

Muttering in this way, Ayako eventually could not restrain herself any longer and shouted out loudly.

"You must not die! Both of you!"

---

Original fiction © Kuwabara Mizuna.