The moment Mizuki sliced off the statue's head, a strange figure burst out from within the Buddha statue and clung to the ceiling.
Mizuki's light body drifted down to the ground. She looked up.
This was a Fiend with multiple arms, whose hideous features were visually disturbing.
I see, so it hid its body inside the statue?
Mizuki briefly glanced at the shattered statue beside her out of the corner of her eye.
The Fiend didn't immediately attack Mizuki but instead crawled along the ceiling to the opposite wall.
"You, aren't you worried about the lives of those people at all?"
Mizuki looked at the Fiend expressionlessly, her nichirin blade slicing through another Buddha statue nearby.
The statue split open immediately, and the people confined inside tumbled out.
Mizuki swept her gaze over them, counting with a rough estimate.
Three women and a four or five-year-old child, all covered in blood.
They were all staring at them in extreme terror, yet they were still conscious.
Their breathing seemed fine, but they appeared weak from not having eaten for a long time.
Seeing Mizuki so easily locate the food he had hidden, the Fiend's temples pulsed with veins, and anger rose on his face.
The Fiend tensed all his muscles, clearly preparing to launch an attack.
"Stay put." Mizuki only had time for a single instruction before swinging her nichirin blade and forcing the Fiend out of the main hall.
By now, the sky had darkened, and the wind and snow continued unabated. A few weak women carrying a child couldn't possibly descend the mountain now.
Forcing the Fiend all the way outside the hall, the Fiend spat green mucus from its mouth towards Mizuki.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Her movements flowed like water, allowing her to dodge the clumps of green mucus that shot out like arrows as she charged toward the Fiend.
When the Fiend dodged her attack, Mizuki knew.
The Fiend before her was no ordinary opponent; its strength likely matched the level of the later Twelve Kizuki.
A Fiend of this caliber should be extremely rare in this era. Should she call herself lucky or unlucky?
The Fiend flipped onto the surrounding wall, avoiding Mizuki's charge, and sneered, "This kind of weather must be hard on you, mustn't it?"
The wind and snow intensified during the night, and even a Breathing Technique couldn't completely negate the effects of the cold.
How strange, breathing felt so difficult in her lungs.
Was the blizzard's effect this severe?
Mizuki's breathing became heavier; the biting cold wind stimulated her lungs repeatedly, like needle pricks.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
She had no intention of answering the Fiend. A flash of golden electricity passed, and Mizuki's figure shot straight toward the Fiend.
In this weather, the longer she delayed, the worse it would be for her.
However, although the Fiend hadn't displayed many techniques, its speed was unusually fast, not lagging behind Mizuki even when she used Thunder Breathing.
After Mizuki executed the Thunder Breathing dash, it slipped away like a puff of smoke.
Watching the Fiend disappear into the snow-white forest, Mizuki clearly noticed a slight tremor in her body.
No, it wasn't that the demon was too fast; it was that she was slowing down.
In such terrible weather, her bodily sensations were slowly fading.
The Fiend's figure flickered in and out of sight among the snow-white woods, meaning it hadn't gone far, but was deliberately using the harsh weather to exhaust her.
This was a demon with both strength and intelligence.
Mizuki gritted her teeth. Should she retreat?
She could at least fight the Fiend inside the temple, but if it escaped now, finding it later would be difficult.
Just as she hesitated, a sharp sound of air being cut rang out in the cold wind.
Several clumps of green mucus shot through the wind and snow toward her.
"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Solitary Moon - Incessant!"
Pale purple slashes, mixed with countless tiny golden crescent moons, erupted as Mizuki swung her nichirin blade, forcibly halting the blizzard itself.
As the blizzard was scattered by the sword energy, the Fiend's figure clearly appeared in Mizuki's sight.
She couldn't delay any longer. Although it was risky, she had to..."Hiss~" A strange breathing sound rang out.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Circle Haze!"
Sun Breathing was not impossible to learn, but it was difficult to use.
A Breathing Technique suitable for oneself can effectively use pulmonary respiration to control blood flow and enhance physical capabilities.
With ordinary Breathing Techniques, even if they weren't suitable, the worst outcome was poor performance.
Sun Breathing was different; it would actually cause damage to the lungs of those who weren't suited for it.
A move that injured the user as much as the enemy was not suitable for humans.
But at this moment, Sun Breathing was still the most powerful Breathing Technique and Sword Form Mizuki possessed.
Whoosh!
Orange-red flames rose from the darkness. An orange-red arc slash rapidly expanded in the Fiend's eyes, then cut off half of its body with one strike.
Did I miss?
Mizuki was momentarily stunned.
The Fiend didn't react. With her swordsmanship, it was impossible to miss. Although her control over Sun Breathing wasn't great, Mizuki was confident in her Sword Form.
Was the wind and snow too heavy, freezing her hands?
Her fingers... she was starting to lose sensation in them.
The Fiend reacted belatedly, its pupils trembling violently as it retreated, looking at its wound in terror.
Why? The regeneration speed has slowed down!
What kind of strange technique is this!
The burning sensation brought by Sun Breathing gradually warmed her lungs, and Mizuki, who had blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, slowly regained sensation in her fingers.
She did not have the talent for Sun Breathing, nor was her physique suited for it. It was only because of the cold weather that the stimulation of Sun Breathing on her lungs was barely neutralized.
If she forced herself to use it again, her body would break down first.
She had enough left for one more strike at most.
If she had to decide the outcome in one move... "Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Halo of the Sun..."
Just as Mizuki gripped her nichirin blade tightly, preparing for a decisive blow, an unbearable sharp pain suddenly erupted in her lungs.
"Ugh~" Her forward movement stalled, and she half-knelt, clutching her chest.
Pea-sized drops of sweat rolled down Mizuki's forehead. Had the use of Sun Breathing overloaded her system?
"Hehehe~" As she thought this, the Fiend's grating laughter drifted from ahead.
"Haven't you noticed? The toxins in the air~"
Hearing this, Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly, and she abruptly looked to her side.
The green mucus she had dodged was slowly emitting a faint green mist.
It wasn't completely dispersed by the blizzard?
No... if it weren't for the blizzard's dilution, she probably would have collapsed already.
In such a harsh environment, she hadn't noticed it at all.
"This is Cold Poison that will freeze your lungs." The Fiend explained leisurely as it walked toward Mizuki.
No wonder, she thought it was just the wind and snow... The world in Mizuki's eyes gradually grew dim, and the coldness, both internal and external, made her almost unable to perceive her own body.
She was going to be eaten.
There was no fear of death in her heart—perhaps that was the greatest progress she had made in the past two years.
The Fiend's figure emerged from the blizzard, and Mizuki finally lost control of her frozen body, collapsing onto the snow.
As the scenery in her eyes grew increasingly blurry, Mizuki inexplicably felt her body starting to warm up... In the darkness, a faint light seemed to appear, making her eyelids tremble, and she unconsciously opened her eyes.
What met her gaze were two familiar figures, one red and one purple, both emitting a faint white glow.
Yoriichi looked at her with a gentle expression, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Mizuki, haven't you realized yet? The Breathing Technique that suits you best."
What the heck?
Mizuki strained to look at Yoriichi. A life flashing before her eyes?
Was she hallucinating?
Michikatsu, standing nearby, said flatly, "That's not how you use Moon Breathing."
That damned Sourpuss.
It was supposed to be her life flashing before her eyes, so why was he saying such annoying things?
Flakes of white snow suddenly drifted down from the sky, like tiny points of light, adding a touch of beauty to this dark world.
Yoriichi's voice sounded at just the right moment.
"It is a color as beautiful as white snow."
A snowflake landed coolly on Mizuki's face... The Fiend was completely unaware that the woman lying on the ground had just finished powering up at the edge of hell.
Just as he was thinking of chopping off Mizuki's arms and legs first, then taking her back to slowly savor the tragic expression of this female swordsman.
"Hiss~"
Mizuki, lying in the snow, was seen taking deep breaths, completely ignoring the bone-chilling wind.
Insane?
The Fiend was stunned, but its reaction was swift; it turned its hands into Hand Blades and slashed toward Mizuki's arm.
White mist slowly seeped from Mizuki's mouth, and the wrist gripping her nichirin blade trembled.
"Snow Breathing, First Form: Tornado."