As soon as the moon rose we immediately moved towards the nearby forest, after some talking and a short briefing we were Informed by Raiji that there was a nearby cave that had a temple built inside it back in the warring period. So we were heading there.
But before we left Raiji asked us if any of us were able to use breathing styles and Apparently other than Raiji who could use Stone Breathing, Kaigaku with Thunder Breathing except the First Form, and myself with Moon Breathing no one else could use a style.
Then again using a Breathing Style wasn't just something anyone could do, you had to be trained specifically for that style and had to have at least some control with your Spiritual core.
If you didn't you wouldn't be able to perform more complicated forms and generate elemental effects, and even if you did have some control with your core your output would be connected with your Willpower.
(A/N: This is the excuse I'll be using for Breathing Styles and why they have special effects as the creators for some reason confirmed that they don't actually have effects.)
Still, some had some knowledge of water breathing and it's basic Kata's but they couldn't use Total Concentration Breathing itself.
And so Raiji was leading the from of our squad, While Kaigaku was in the middle and I was in the back keeping watch Incase of any ambushes.
And I was right beside Ozaki who was lightly Shaking, She's been checking around us constantly despite me constantly telling her there wasn't anything near us just yet.
"Hey Tsugikuni-san...How are you so calm?"
She asked still shaking and looking around us.
"It's simple, I'm confident." It was the same answer I gave my father when he asked me how I felt about Learning Moon Breathing with just the notes from our ancestors.
"You must be really strong then..." Kaigaku clearly heard her words as I heard a low grunt come from him.
The path ahead narrowed, the forest closing in around us. It was quiet, too quiet for a region marked by sixty disappearances. Raiji slowed his steps, his chain rattling softly against the spiked flail coiled around his arm.
The silence broke in an instant. From the treeline, five demons lunged, their shrieks cutting through the night.
Raiji moved first. His feet planted firm his chain uncoiled with a sharp snap. The spiked flail swung wide, whistling through the air before it smashed into a demon's skull, caving it in with a single strike.
To the left, Kaigaku clashed with another. Sparks burst as his blade carved through the air, lightning flashing around him.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
Five arched slashes lit the dark, each one accompanied by a crack of thunder. The demon's head split apart in quick succession, its body collapsing into ash before it hit the ground.
The other three rushed toward me at once. Their claws gleamed in the moonlight as they swung together.
I stepped into their strikes slowly breathing in, blade raised.
"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Drifting Moon, Swift Current."
My sword caught the first demon's claws, redirecting the blow past me in one fluid motion. In the same breath, my counter cut came, decapitating its head cleanoff their body.
The next two came from both sides. I shifted, exhaling as my stance changed.
"Ninth Form: Hollow Moon, Lonely Reflection."
My first slash feinted, drawing their guards. The real strike came low and from the opposite angle, a single arc that severed both necks at once.
Their heads hit the ground together. The forest fell silent again, broken only by the sound of Raiji rewrapping his chain around his arm and Kaigaku sheathing his blade with a sharp click.
Five demons, gone in seconds.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Two more demons came from the treeline, snarling as they charged. Takemura, Fukuda, and Suda stepped forward without hesitation, blades drawn.
The clash was short and brutal.
Takemura swung first, his blade cutting across the dark, but the demon caught it mid-strike. The steel groaned before snapping in two, and before Takemura could react, a kick smashed into his chest. Bone crunched under the impact, his ribs caving in as he was sent flying back. He hit the ground limp, blood spilling from his lips.
"Takemura!" Fukuda shouted, rushing in to cover him. His blade met the demon's, sparks flashing as he tried to push forward. But the second demon joined in, claws stabbing through his head in one clean motion. His body jerked once before collapsing, sword slipping from his hands.
Suda screamed, swinging wildly in rage. He tried to land a strike, but the demon caught him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. The sound of bone snapping filled the air as the creature crushed his windpipe, before tossing him aside like a broken doll.
The demons turned their glowing eyes toward the rest of us.
That's when Kaigaku moved.
"Thunder Breathing… Third Form: Thunder Swarm!"
Lightning sparked violently around him as he blurred into motion. His body flashed and became a storm, his blade flashing from every direction at once. Arcs of thunder split the dark, a vortex of slashes closing in around the demons.
The demons shrieked, their bodies torn apart in the storm of cuts, until they were shredded into ash.
Kaigaku slid to a stop, blade sparking before the light faded, While on the side three slayers lay dead on the ground.
And from within the Forest I could hear multiple sounds of incoming demons, and so could Kaigaku.
"Damn it!, we need to move more are probably coming!" Kaigaku yelled as he looked at the direction of where the sounds came from
"W-Why are there so many demons working together!?" Ozaki stuttered as tears formed in her eyes.
"Everyone follow me!"
Raiji screamed before he stepped forward as the ground below him cracked, I saw him take a big breath before he began swimming his Flail in every direction as he charged forward. But with his control none of them reached anywhere near us.
The rest of usfollwoed behind him, me and Kaigaku keeping In position. In the corner of my eye I saw a demon coming towards Ozaki trying to tackle her but I kept forward blade up high.
"Moon Breathing... Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon!"
Unlike the first form this form was an overpowering Downwards Slash, I quickly decapitated the Demon before rolling and getting up to continue running grabbing Ozaki by her Arm before she could stumble.
"Keep moving."
She nodded quickly as we kept running.
The leaves of multiple trees shook as more figures burst from them. Their snarls carried through the trees, claws glinting in the pale moonlight.
Raiji was the first to meet them. His flail swung in a wide arc, the spiked iron ball smashing into a demon's skull with a sickening crunch. Blood and bone sprayed as the creature's head collapsed inward, its body dropping instantly into ash.
Another demon lunged from above, aiming straight for the middle of our formation. Its claws stretched out, mouth open wide to tear through Ozaki and the others.
I was about to perform another form to end the demon quickly but Raiji was faster
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
The chain lashed upward, the flail spinning as Raiji twisted his wrist. The weapon drilled forward with violent precision, grinding through the demon's torso mid-leap. Its scream cut off as the rotating spikes shredded through flesh and bone, splitting it clean in two before it dissolved into ash above us.
The rest of us kept moving, feet pounding against the dirt as the sounds of more demons pressed in from every direction.
"Goddamn it, How many of them are there!" Kaigaku Screamed as he decapitated another demon.
Hino who was barely able to decapitate the Demon who came at them was about to be ambushed from Behind before Ozaki took care of it.
"We need to quickly get into a clearing, we're in a disadvantage here." I said as I spun around decapitating a demon before looking around trying to sense how many demons were coming.
'Why are there so many of them!?'