Ringetsu drifted down from the mountainside through swirling sleet, her figure as light as a feather borne on the breeze, the hem of her moon-white robes billowing like clouds.
Summer Gale's flames and Autumn Gale's lightning clashed fiercely with the demonic power of Qitian's two captains.
Brilliant light burst across the oppressive world beneath the dark clouds, outlining her slender silhouette.
Her peerless beauty and the crescent-moon demon marking on her forehead made Winter Gale's pupils tremble, her expression changing abruptly.
"Your opponent is me!"
Ringetsu's clear voice rang out like silver bells on a cold night, carrying an unquestionable pride.
Before her words had faded, she leaped up like a graceful white crane, her sword tracing several crescents of light like scattered cold stars.
Winter Gale instinctively leaned back. A strand of ice-blue hair was sliced off by the moonlight, striking the ground with the crisp sound of shattering jade.
"The Dog King's daughter! What is she doing out here on the border?"
Having narrowly dodged the moonlight slash, Winter Gale was stunned. Countless thoughts raced through her mind, but with weapons drawn and her life hanging by a thread, she had no time to ponder the reason.
She quickly gathered herself and swung the long sword formed from ice and snow in her hand.
"Ice Wall!"
In an instant, a thick wall of ice formed around her, crystal clear yet solid as rock, radiating a chilling cold.
Ringetsu's sword struck the ice wall with a sharp clang.
The wall shattered on the spot. Cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb, and chunks of ice tumbled down, raising a cloud of icy mist.
"With skills like these, you hardly deserve Tōga's praise!"
Ringetsu's slender brows lifted slightly like a new moon, undisguised contempt flashing in her eyes.
She tapped the snow with her toes and sprang high again, turning lightly in midair like a nimble swallow.
"Moonlight Star-Shattering Slash!"
From above, the Fang Sword she had inherited from the Dog King unleashed a cold slash of moonlight, a silver ribbon laden with boundless killing intent.
Winter Gale dared not take it lightly. She poured her demonic power into the ice wall, which expanded outward in an instant and transformed into countless sharp icicles.
They shot toward Ringetsu in a torrential barrage, filling the air with bone-piercing cold.
Ringetsu twisted in midair, her sword dancing swiftly in an impenetrable blur.
Its light wove a lunar disc in the air, blocking every incoming icicle amid an unending series of metallic chimes.
As long as I take her down quickly, I'll have a way to handle any unexpected developments afterward!
Winter Gale's brows knitted as she considered this. While Ringetsu was fending off the icicles, she swept her sword, unleashing her demonic power.
"Ice Cage Prison!"
The air beneath Ringetsu's feet froze instantly. An enormous ice prison appeared out of thin air, layers of ice stacking together to seal her tightly inside.
Trapped as she was, Ringetsu remained unhurried.
"Moon Soul Sky-Splitting Descent!"
A cold gleam flashed in her eyes. She thrust her sword at the prison, and a tremendous surge of moonlight erupted from the blade, cleaving the ice prison apart.
The smooth severed surface reflected Ringetsu's imposing figure like a mirror.
She followed with a backhand slash, the blade whistling through the air straight toward Winter Gale's throat.
Winter Gale hurriedly raised her sword across her body. Their weapons collided with a thunderous clang, the impact leaving her arm numb.
Using the force of the collision, Winter Gale leaped dozens of meters backward, putting distance between herself and Ringetsu.
"Is this all a panther demon can do?"
Ringetsu pointed her sword straight at Winter Gale, her eyelids lowering slightly. Her voice seemed wrapped in winter frost, heavy with disappointment.
"Is that so? Then watch closely!"
Ice-blue demonic power instantly filled Winter Gale's eyes. The cold surrounding her grew more intense, and the ice and snow between heaven and earth resonated with it!
She cast a brief glance around, taking in the steadily collapsing situation-the chaotic battlefield, the splashing blood, her roaring companions.
It all drew a resolute howl from her. Demonic power surged from her body, blasting the surrounding snow upward into a storm of icy shards.
Snow fragments raged in the wind like countless blades, slicing through everything around them.
"Ice Tide Fury!"
Winter Gale roared and swung her sword of ice and snow, sending a raging tide of icicles surging toward Ringetsu.
The icicles collided with shrill crashes, bearing down with the ferocity of a charging army.
At the sight, Ringetsu's expression remained calm as still water, though a flicker of wariness crossed her eyes.
She lightly raised her sword and concentrated all her demonic power at its tip, moonlight flowing ceaselessly along the blade.
"Moonlight Skyguard!"
Ringetsu cried out, drawing a perfect arc with her sword. A dazzling barrier of moonlight instantly unfurled before her.
The barrier shone with a gentle yet unyielding light. Icicles struck it in a dense succession of bangs, spraying countless blossoms of ice.
It resembled a grand fireworks display, yet none of it could pierce the barrier.
The ice blossoms glittered in the moonlight, then vanished like fleeting illusions.
At the sight, Winter Gale's resolve remained unshaken, and she summoned her demonic power once more.
Behind her, an enormous ice beast slowly materialized. The phantom resembled a gigantic panther, baring its fangs and claws with an overbearing presence.
"Ice Beast Descends!"
Winter Gale shouted, and the ice beast charged at Ringetsu with a roar. Wherever it passed, the ground froze into deep fissures, as though the earth itself had been torn apart.
Ringetsu raised her slender brows and took a light breath. Her aura abruptly surged, powerful demonic energy billowing her robes as the Fang Sword in her hand began to hum.
"Eclipse: Amaterasu Prison!"
Ringetsu slowly rose into the air, pointing her sword straight at the heavens.
In an instant, an enormous shaft of moonlight broke through the dark clouds and descended, enveloping her.
Then the moonlight transformed into countless sharp blades of light, raining down on the ice beast.
The blades collided violently with the beast, erupting in brilliant light and deafening crashes.
Ice fragments flew everywhere like a magnificent shower of frozen rain.
Watching Ringetsu cut apart the ice beast formed by her ultimate technique, Winter Gale swung her sword again, preparing to launch one final attack.
But Ringetsu gave her no chance. Her figure flickered, and she appeared before Winter Gale in an instant, like a streak of moonlight.
The sword in her hand flashed coldly and thrust straight toward Winter Gale's chest.
Winter Gale instinctively tried to dodge. She drove hard through her legs, her muscles tensing to their limit as she attempted to twist aside from the killing blow.
But Ringetsu was far too fast, faster than Winter Gale could possibly match.
Her body had barely begun to move before Ringetsu's sword was upon her.
Winter Gale's eyes widened, the coldly gleaming sword tip reflected in them, her breathing rapid and ragged.
Ringetsu's gaze was cold and resolute, without the slightest hesitation or mercy.
Wreathed in biting sword energy, the blade swept across Winter Gale's neck in an instant.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. Then crimson blood spurted from her neck like a fountain, tracing horrifying arcs through the air.
Winter Gale's body slowly toppled backward like a kite with its string cut.
Her head spun through the air, lingering fear and defiance still in her eyes. Her lips trembled slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but no sound would ever emerge again.
After tumbling several times through the air, her head struck the snow heavily, scattering a spray of snowflakes.
And in the sky, a sea of fire was spreading wildly.
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