Chapter 17 : New Breathing Form Unlocked

Ishida realized he needed to take action because this battle was becoming one of the toughest he had faced since his Reawakening.

The challenge was clear—he had to come up with a creative plan to truly confront the demon, and it was obvious that defeating the demon wouldn't be a simple task.

[Fatigue - 65/100]

[HP - 130/280]

[MP - 230/230]

The demon again with swift claw , launched Ishida to a corner of the huge room of the Mansion, as Ishida struggled to stand on his feet.

His hands bleeding , his whole body was completely torn apart by the demon in front of him, and his HP lowering at a very high rate and also the fatigue was catching up to it's max at the same time.

'Can I really win this battle !?' Ishida questioned to himself, as the demon started closing in on him at the corner of the room, as he looked back at the all things , all the memories of his family flushed out in front of him, and their death and his vow to avenge their death with, 'No , It's not a question if I can or not, I have to, no matter what, I have to fight. I can't be defeated' He thought, as his grip on his blade got stronger than before , as closed his eyes and took a deep breath, 'Okay, Ishida... Calm down!'

The demon who was closing on him reached him at the corner of the room, as he went for the finishing attack on Ishida , as he went with his claws to attack on Ishida's head, but before the attack could reach Ishida Ishida with his speed and agility evaded the attack as the demon's claw hit the corner wall of the room as Ishida stood beside him now.

Seeing the opportunity, he didn't waste a moment, as he launched his blade into an attack immediately, driving his blade into the demon's knee with a swift, decisive thrust. This attack forced the demon to stagger, creating a brief moment of vulnerability.

'And Now is my chance...' Ishida thought as he brought his blade in front of him as he focused his energy on his blade once again.

[Moon Breathing First Form - Dark Moon, Evening Palace : Activated]

"Dark Moon, Evening Palace!" Ishida shouted, swinging his blade in a graceful arc. Instantly, a storm of crescent blades erupted, slicing through the air with fierce precision.

The crescents crashed into the demon, leaving deep, glowing wounds. The demon staggered back, momentarily stunned by the swift and relentless assault. Ishida, now ready for his next move, kept his blade poised, eyes locked on his opponent, 'Okay, Don't stop...'

Seeing the demon stagger, Ishida seized the opportunity. With swift determination, he called out again, "Dark Moon, Evening Palace!" His blade arced gracefully through the air, unleashing another torrent of crescent blades.

The newly formed crescents surged forward, slicing through the space between them with unerring aim. They struck the demon relentlessly, each impact leaving glowing trails across its hide. The demon reeled, its defenses crumbling under the relentless barrage of attacks.

Ishida stayed focused, his heart pounding with adrenaline as he prepared to strike again, ready to exploit every opening.

As the demon struggled to regain its footing, it let out a furious roar and charged at Ishida once more, claws poised to strike. Ishida, though battered and weary, stood his ground, eyes locked on his approaching foe.

With determination burning in his eyes, he decided it was time to unleash another technique. As the demon closed in, Ishida took a deep breath and focused his energy into his blade.

"Moon Breathing Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!" he declared, his voice echoing through the chamber.

In an instant, Ishida swung his sword in a series of graceful, defensive arcs. Crescent-shaped slashes formed a shimmering barrier around him, each one poised to intercept the demon's attacks. The crescents moved fluidly, almost as if they were dancing in the air, creating a protective shield.

The demon's claws met the crescent barrier, and with each impact, the slashes deflected the blows, redirecting the force away from Ishida. The demon roared in frustration, unable to break through the elegant defense.

With the demon's attacks deflected by the shimmering crescent barrier, Ishida knew he had only a moment to turn the tide of battle. The demon, fueled by rage, snarled and prepared to charge again, but Ishida was ready to escalate his assault.

Summoning every ounce of strength and focus left in him, Ishida readied himself for the next strike. His heart pounded, adrenaline surging through his veins as he channeled his energy into his blade, feeling the weight of his determination and the memories of his lost family pushing him forward.

"Moon Breathing Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains!" Ishida calmly Stated.

With a powerful swing, his blade unleashed a series of crescent-shaped energy chains. These crescents, interconnected and flowing like a river of light, surged toward the demon with relentless speed. The chains wrapped around the demon, binding it in a brilliant, silvery hold that shimmered with otherworldly power.

As the attack unfolded, Ishida's blade began to shift, its dark hue transforming into a radiant, silvery sheen. The unexpected change seemed to amplify the crescents, intensifying their glow and power. The demon struggled against the chains, its movements growing sluggish as the crescents cut deeper, sapping its strength.

The demon's roars filled the chamber, but it was clear that Ishida's assault was overpowering. The chains tightened, their silvery light reflecting in Ishida's determined gaze. The demon's form began to falter, its defenses unable to withstand the onslaught of the Third Form.

With one last mighty effort, the crescents tightened their grip, delivering a crushing blow that destroyed the demon. The creature let out one last, pitiful scream as it crumbled to the ground, its body breaking apart under the unstoppable power of Ishida's attack. At that very moment, Ishida also fell to the ground, exhausted from the battle.

[Fatigue : 95/100]

[HP : 50/280]

He was barely conscious, struggling to stay awake. However, his growing Fatigue suddenly came to a halt right at 95%, before it could reach its highest point.

[Quest Completed]

A screen popped up right in front of him, and Ishida felt a wave of relief wash over him as he saw the notification that the quest was finally completed.

[Rewards Available]

[Immediate Instant Heal would be activated in 3...2....1.....]

Once the countdown hit zero, the instant heal provided by the system kicked in right away. Ishida began to feel his strength and health returning, slowly coming back to full power.

[Fatigue : 25↓/100]

[HP : 230↑/280]

Right away, his fatigue level began to drop, and his HP started to recover, gradually returning to its normal level.

[Rewards for The quest Available Now, Do you accept the rewards !?] [Y/N]

"Yeah, like I'd ever turn down a reward after busting my butt in that fight," Ishida said as he got back on his feet. As he stood up, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his side, despite the instant heal. "Wow, that was intense," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his sore muscles. "Even with the healing, it feels like I've just run a marathon."

He carefully stretched his arms, noticing the stiffness in his joints. "I guess instant heal doesn't mean instant comfort," he joked, grimacing a bit at the leftover soreness. "My body's still pretty achy, and those bruises are definitely making themselves known."

Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake off the lingering tiredness. "Well, at least I'm not completely drained, but I definitely need some downtime after this," he confessed. "That fight really took a toll on me, and I can still feel it deep in my bones."

Despite the discomfort, Ishida couldn't help but grin. "But hey, I did it. I completed the quest," he said with satisfaction, letting a wave of accomplishment wash over him. "Now, let's see what rewards I've earned for all this effort. Of course, I accept!" he declared.

[Available Rewards Are : ]

[Reward 1. EXP Total : 15000 (Including the exp from the 4000 exp) , Level : 17↑ (EXP : 3200 Needed to Level UP ) 30 Stat Point is rewarded for LEveLing uP]

[Reward 2. New Breathing Form - Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy , Unlocked]

[Reward 3. Additional Stat point - 10 available]

[Reward 4. Special Healing Potion ×4 - Available in Inventory]

After a while, Ishida was relaxing on his bed in his bedroom, looking over the stat points and rewards he had earned from finishing the quest.

"I've got 40 stat points in total. I think it's time to spread them out across my stats," Ishida pondered. "But I've realized that strength isn't as crucial in battles as I once thought. Based on my experiences, it's not the most important. So, I'm going to focus more on boosting my other stats, especially my Sense stat." With that in mind, he opened his player profile to check his current stats.

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Name: Ishida Hitotsuki

Level: 17 [Exp : 3200 needed to Level up]

Rank : None

Fatigue: 15/100

Title : None

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Breathing Style: Moon Breathing

First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace

Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing

Third Form - Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains

Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy - Consumes 50 MP for each use.

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HP: 380/380

MP: 350/350

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Attributes:

- Strength: 59

- Vitality: 38

- Agility: 40

- Intelligence: 35

- Sense: 27

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Remaining Points: 40

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"So, the new breathing form will use up 50 MP each time? Fascinating..." Ishida mused to himself as he turned his attention back to his stats. "I have 40 points to work with, so let's get to distributing them. I'll start by adding 1 point to Strength to make it an even number. For Vitality, I'll put in 7 points since that will boost my HP as well. Next, I'll add 6 points to Agility because it helps me dodge attacks and move quickly. Then, 5 points to Intelligence, since I might need a high MP stat for upcoming breathing forms. Finally, I'll put 11 points into the Sense stat. I know that's a lot, but I really think it'll be worth it," Ishida concluded confidently.

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HP: 450/450

MP: 400/400

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Attributes:

- Strength: 59 + 1 = 60↑

- Vitality: 38 + 7 = 45↑

- Agility: 40 + 6 = 46↑

- Intelligence: 35 + 5 = 40↑

- Sense: 37 + 11 = 48↑

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Remaining Points: 10

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"Alright, it's time to get some sleep... Tomorrow morning, it's back to training and tackling daily quests. Though, to be fair, they never really stop, and I actually enjoy doing them," Ishida said with a contented sigh as he settled into his bed. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.