Konpaku - Phantoms Die Twice

Confronting Toyohime

Youmu opened her eyes, finding herself meditating in front of one of the statues that Kasen had sculpted.

The walls of the fortress is high, but her ghostly half can still reach it. Using her ghostly half as a hook, it then pulled her up to one of the roofs, the one that supported probably the third floor, or whatever floor it is, since the fortress is towering.

Youmu walked along the roof, and turned a corner before quickly returning and hugging the wall, as she sees a patrolling Lunar Rabbit walking around as well.

The rabbit couldn't detect Youmu's presence nor hearing her, even her breathing as Youmu used her newfound ability, to become one with her ghostly half so that she can erase her voice.

Once the rabbit is close enough, Youmu returned to her normal form and grabbed the rabbit by the collar of her shirt, dragged her in front of her, and used the blade of Hakuroken to slice her throat from behind.

Youmu then went around the corner for real this time, and then she heard a voice from behind.

"WOOOOO!!!!"

A shouting is heard, and Youmu turned around to see another Rabbit doing a nose dive towards her as she glided through the air using some sort of silk sash.

Youmu just sighed, and took a step to the side, as the rabbit then crashed herself right through the stone wall, creating a man sized hole in the process.

"What the... Who are you? I... Intruder!"

It turns out that one of the Lunarian elite officers are resting behind that wall, and he unsheathed his sword.

"You're planning to fight me without armor?"

The elite then raised his sword to the top of his head using both of his hands before he swings it down. A loud crash was heard, and as the smoke dissipates, the elite looked at the phantom swordswoman in a fearful expression.

Youmu had used her right index and middle finger to catch the blade before it could reach her.

"Naive."

Youmu then thrusted Hakuroken into his stomach, before pulling it out making blood spray out from the wound.

The elite stood back up after kneeling down in pain, before he dashed towards Youmu while slashing in a fast speed, in a wild manner. Youmu deflected each slash without effort, and when the elite tries to thrust his sword forward, Youmu sidestepped the attack, stomped on the blade before climbing up to his back to thrust Hakuroken through his back, hitting his spine. Once she pulled out, the elite fell down, lifeless.

Youmu went inside the hole in the wall, to see that the Elite's room has a large scroll hung on the wall.

"The lightning of the Oarfish, better known as the Way of Nagae's thunderclap... Can only be deflected using an immense skill in swordsmanship."

Youmu is intrigued. She knew many fighting techniques, but she never heard about this Way of Nagae. Perhaps she may see it later?

She opened the sliding door leading to a hallway, went out and took the stairs until she reached the top floor. She went inside a room to see an altar, perhaps to worship Tsukuyomi.

Youmu clasped her hands, and bowed her head down in front of the statue, before she then walked over to a door. She tried to push it open, but it is locked from the other side.

Youmu looked to her right to see an open window, and she hung herself on the ledge and went around to see that the door leads to the castle roof balcony.

She heard voices from there, and she eavesdropped.

"Is my sister alright, Reisen?"

"She is still with us, Toyohime-Sama. It's a miracle she's still standing."