Flashback

The moment Yuko severed the Buddha statue's head, a strange figure suddenly burst out from within, clinging to the ceiling.

Yuko landed lightly on the ground and looked up.

It was a demon with several arms, its ferocious features causing a visceral discomfort.

So, it hid its body inside the Buddha statue?

Yuko's gaze swept over the shattered Buddha statue beside her.

The demon didn't attack Yuko immediately. Instead, it crawled along the ceiling to the opposite wall.

"Aren't you worried about those people's lives at all?"

Yuko looked at the demon expressionlessly and swung her Nichirin Blade at another Buddha statue beside her.

The statue cracked open, and the people bound inside tumbled out.

Yuko glanced at them, doing a rough count.

Three women and a child around four or five years old, all covered in blood.

They were looking at them in terror, but were somehow still conscious.

Their vital signs were mostly stable, though they appeared weak from not having eaten for a long time.

Seeing that Yuko had so easily found his hidden food, the demon's veins bulged on its forehead, and anger flared on its face.

The demon's muscles tensed, and it looked like it was about to attack.

"Stay put." Yuko only had time to instruct before she swung her Nichirin Blade, forcing the demon away from the main hall.

Darkness had fallen, and the wind and snow still raged. It would be impossible for the weak women and child to descend the mountain now.

Yuko drove the demon outside the hall, and the demon spat green mucus at her.

"Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

Her movements, fluid as water, dodged the arrow-like globs of green mucus and propelled her towards the demon.

When the demon dodged her attack, Yuko knew.

This demon was no ordinary foe; its strength was likely on par with the Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.

A demon of this caliber was extremely rare in this era. Was she lucky or unlucky?

The demon flipped and leaped onto the surrounding wall, evading Yuko's charge, and sneered, "This weather must be difficult for you, right?"

The wind and snow intensified at night, and even breathing techniques couldn't completely negate the effects of the cold.

So strange, it's so hard to breathe.

Is the blizzard affecting me this much?

Yuko's breathing grew heavier, the biting cold wind stinging her lungs like needles.

"Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."

She didn't reply to the demon. A flash of golden lightning streaked, and Yuko's figure shot towards the demon.

In this weather, the longer I delay, the worse it will be for me.

However, the demon hadn't revealed much of its abilities, yet its speed was unusually fast, not even slower than Yuko using Thunder Breathing.

After Yuko used Thunder Breathing to charge, the demon vanished like smoke.

Watching the demon disappear into the snowy forest, Yuko clearly felt her body tremble slightly.

No, it's not that the demon is too fast; it's that I'm too slow.

In this harsh weather, my body's senses are slowly fading.

The demon's figure flickered in and out of sight in the snowy forest, indicating it hadn't gone far but was deliberately using the harsh weather to toy with her.

This is a demon with both strength and brains.

Yuko gritted her teeth. Should I go back?

At least in the temple, she had the ability to fight the demon. But if it escaped now, it would be hard to find it again.

Just as she hesitated, a sharp whistling sound cut through the cold wind.

Several globs of green mucus shot towards her, piercing the wind and snow.

"Moon Breathing: Sixth Form - Perpetual Night, Solitary Moon, Endless Night!"

A pale purple slash, laced with countless tiny golden crescent moons, erupted with Yuko's Nichirin Blade, forcefully halting the blizzard.

As the sword energy dispersed the blizzard, the demon's figure became clearly visible to Yuko.

I can't delay any longer. It's risky, but...

"Hiss~" A peculiar breathing sound echoed.

"Sun Breathing: First Form: Circular Dance!"

Sun Breathing wasn't impossible to learn, but it was difficult to use.

A breathing technique that suits oneself is one that allows effective breathing through the lungs to control blood flow and enhance one's physical capabilities.

Normal breathing techniques, even if unsuitable, would at most result in subpar performance.

Sun Breathing is different; those who are not suited for it will instead suffer damage to their lungs.

A technique that kills a thousand enemies while harming oneself a thousand times over is not meant for humans.

But at this moment, Sun Breathing was still the strongest breathing technique and sword form Yuko possessed.

ROAR!

Orange-red flames rose from the darkness. An orange-red arc slash rapidly enlarged in the demon's eyes, and then a single sword strike severed half its body.

Did I misaim?

Yuko was momentarily stunned.

The demon hadn't reacted; with her Sword Skills, it was impossible for her to misaim. Even though her control over Sun Breathing wasn't great, Yuko was confident in her sword forms.

Was the wind and snow too strong, freezing my hands?

Her fingers... she could barely feel them anymore.

The demon belatedly reacted, its pupils trembling violently as it retreated, looking at its wound in terror.

Why? My regeneration speed has slowed!

What kind of strange technique is this!

The burning sensation from Sun Breathing gradually warmed her lungs. Yuko, blood trickling from her lips, could finally feel her fingers again.

She didn't have the talent for Sun Breathing, nor was her physique suited for it. It was only because of the cold weather that the stimulus to her lungs from Sun Breathing was barely neutralized.

If she continued to use it forcefully, her body would give out first.

She had enough strength for one more slash, at most.

If this is a fight to the death...

"Sun Breathing: Eleventh Form: Solar Halo..."

Just as Yuko gripped her Nichirin Blade, preparing to end the fight with one decisive blow, a sharp, unbearable pain suddenly struck her lungs.

"Ngh~" Her forward momentum halted, and she knelt down, clutching her chest.

Bead-sized beads of sweat rolled down Yuko's temples. Had she overloaded Sun Breathing?

"Hee hee hee~" As she thought this, the demon's shrill laughter echoed from ahead.

"You still haven't noticed? The toxins in the air~"

Yuko's eyes narrowed slightly at the words, and she abruptly looked to her side.

The green slime she had dodged was slowly emitting a pale green mist.

It wasn't completely dispersed by the blizzard?

No... if it hadn't been for the blizzard diluting it, I probably would have collapsed by now.

In such harsh conditions, she hadn't noticed it at all.

"This is a cold poison that will freeze your lungs," the demon explained slowly, walking towards Yuko.

No wonder, I thought it was the wind and snow...

The world in Yuko's eyes gradually darkened. The cold, both inside and out, made her feel almost numb to her own body.

I'm going to be eaten.

She felt no fear of death in her heart; perhaps that was her greatest progress in the past two years.

The demon's figure emerged from the blizzard. Yuko could no longer control her freezing body and collapsed into the snow.

As the vision in her eyes grew increasingly blurry, Yuko inexplicably felt her body begin to warm up.

A faint light flickered in the darkness, causing her eyelids to tremble. She unconsciously opened her eyes.

What met her gaze were two familiar figures, one red and one purple, both emanating a faint white light.

Yoriichi looked at her with a gentle expression, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Yuko, haven't you realized yet? The breathing technique that suits you best."

What the heck?

Yuko struggled to look at Yoriichi. Is this a deathbed vision?

Am I hallucinating?

Kokushibo beside him said indifferently, "Moon Breathing is not used like that."

Damn him, the sourpuss.

It's my deathbed vision, so why does he get to say such annoying things.

White snowflakes suddenly began to drift down from the sky, like tiny specks of light, adding a touch of beauty to this dark world.

Yoriichi's voice rang out at the perfect moment.

"That's a color as beautiful as fresh snow."

A snowflake landed coolly on Yuko's face.

The demon was completely unaware that the woman lying on the ground had already cheated death on the brink of hell.

Just as he was about to sever Yuko's arms and legs before taking her back to savor the female swordswoman's tragic expression at his leisure.

"Hiss~"

Yuko, who had been lying in the snow, began to breathe deeply, ignoring the biting cold wind.

Has she gone mad?

The demon was stunned, but his reaction was swift. His hands transformed into blades as he slashed towards Yuko's arms.

White mist slowly seeped from Yuko's mouth, and the wrist gripping her Nichirin Blade twitched.

"Snow Breathing: First Form: Blizzard."