Chapter 1
Asahina Mafuyu sat on the throne. Her garb is a majestic dark purple with golden dragons snaking across her chest and arms. She felt no accomplishment looking at the fallen woman at the foot of the throne - with the same head of purple hair as she. She knows that woman, loved her with all of her heart, even if she had become a husk of herself - a mere sword to be used for her whims.
That said sword now pierces her chest. It was a sword of beauty, an ebony sword with a pure white hilt. A sword too beautiful to be tainted with the copper colors of blood seeping from the woman beneath hermother.
"LONG LIVED THE HEAVENLY DEMON!"
"LONG LIVED!"
Her faithful followers chanted. She had become too tired too exhausted from life itself. For what can a sword do but to cut? And cut. And cut. As she slowly forgets who she was and will be. She felt no happiness in her accomplishment, nothing but an empty void in her heart. She had reached her breaking point.
"Hey Mafuyu, until when are you going to be inside the cage?"
"Until I die inside of it, ------"
That was her answer once, to the pink haired woman she once had loved and lost in the darkest night. Her eyes were lifeless as she stared at the corpse, remembering the woman's indignation as she challenged her to duel with only death as the outcome. She thought to herself, would she finally feel a sliver of emotion once she cut the puppet's strings? And so, the sword hurt her master.
The answer was still nothing, but a sense of relief on her shoulders. Nothing for the woman on the foot of the throne. Not an ounce of love for her. nothingfromachildtohermother
She averted her eyes from the corpse, and looked at the experts of the cult kneeling. "I pledge my life and sword to you, o my lord!", each one of them pledged their allegiance for they are the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. They cared not whether you are the kindest of saints or the most demonic of devils. They cared not if the Heavenly Demon commanded the cult for evil or good, they only cared that their strength is true for their title.
"Long Lived the Heavenly Demon!"
This time the chant came outside. Mafuyu stepped down the stairs of the throne until she reached beside the woman's corpse and took her sword out of its chest. She used her qi to efficiently clean the once bloodied sword and left the throne room - her cult's experts following behind her.
She opened the door and slightly winced as the sunlight blinded her for a moment.
"Long Lived Asahina Mafuyu, the new Heavenly Demon!" It was a sight to see. A hundred thousand martial artists, varying from third-rate to first-rate chanting her name, chanting for the cult's new lord. And yet, she still felt nothing.
A wave of qi washed over the entirety of the cult. It was cold and devoid of life, a snowstorm raging forevermore. The chanting instantly stopped and all of its members stood at their lord's attention.
"The war of the orthodox, unorthodox, and divine cult will cease. The Orthodox alliance's leader had extended a peace treaty along with Unorthodox's leader to me. I have decided the divine cult has suffered enough! Our farmlands were destroyed, families were broken, and a thousand corpses await their funeral."
She looked at each of them, it wasn't lie to say she wanted it to stop because of the innocent casualties involved in the war, but they are a cult of demons aren't they? Yet, even if they are demons they care for the civilians too.
"The divine cult will need a few years to recover our former glory. The buildings need to be repaired, medicine needs to be made, and so I accepted the peace treaty. I will leave tomorrow to the central plains."
A hundred thousand voices shouted. Finally! The war is over, they said. Finally! No more our sons and daughters will be sent to death!
Mafuyu turned around and went to her personal pavilion. She had already instructed Haruka before to clean up that woman's corpse and burn it all until she is naught but ashes.
There was nothing great inside her pavilion, yet it was hers. And hers only. A safe place where she can let down her guard, break down her walls, and take off her mask.
But she took off her masks long ago, after the darkest night.
She took her sword and her nimble yet calloused fingers sought to wipe the nooks and crannies of the sword until it's fully polished. It was a mundane thing to do for one of her stature, but it calmed her. It grounded her to this very earth.
She still had responsibilities on her shoulders - she can never escape them afterall. But, this one doesn't choke her until she had no breathe left on her lungs. No, this one feels like the right amount of weight. The right amount of reminder that there are people relying on her.
She stopped polishing her sword and put it down on her right side. For easy access of course. She sat on a lotus position. Mafuyu willed her qi from her dantian to circulate around her body. Although she was in the life and death realm, cultivation is still a necessity. The moon rose up and down, then the sun came over to assert their rule over the skies. Mafuyu didn't made much progress from her cultivation, but that was besides the point.
She picked up a few clothes and changed her dragon and purple garb for a simple black garb. She looked over at the countless cuts and dried blood on the purple fabric. Oh well, another job for Haruka then.
"Haruka." A person dropped down from somewhere and answered her call.
"Yes, my lord?" Haruka bowed, her eyes shining with respect for the lord of the cult.
"Tell the tailors to clean and mend my robe. Deliver it to the central plains after." Mafuyu handed the the purple robe to Haruka for her to take care of. She can't show up to the peace treaty without showing off after all. Since, she would be there.
"As you wish and stay safe, my lord." Haruka vanished in the pavilion off to fulfill her lord's command.
Mafuyu stepped outside the pavilion, where an attendant was waiting for her at the gates. The attendant lead her to the carriage she will be taking for her journey. It was an ordinary carriage, yet its materials were fit to withstand an expert's attacks. She climbed to the carriage. The coachman ordered the horse to start pulling.
She sighed as she felt the carriage moving. Hopefully, the peace treaty would go smoothly but knowing the Unorthodox's leader's personality it would go anything but smoothly since they have a score to settle with each other.