Chapter 72 - Garden Of Spider Lilies

Kasumi's smile turned sharp. "But noticing isn't enough!" All eight figures moved in perfect synchronization, their fans creating a complex pattern in the air. "Hidden Mist Art: Thousand Mirror Dance!"

The mist swirled violently, creating what appeared to be reflective surfaces all around. Each surface showed a different angle of Kasumi and their copies, multiplying the confusion.

"Let's see you find the real one now," Kasumi's voice echoed from everywhere.

Ishida remained calm, his grip tightening on his sword. The attacks came from all directions - quick, precise slashes that seemed to emerge from the mirrors themselves. He blocked and dodged, but more cuts appeared on his arms and legs.

[HP: 1280/1400]

[Fatigue: 50/100]

"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant!" Ishida's continuous slashes created a dome of moonlight around him, temporarily pushing back the mist.

"Clever," Kasumi praised, "but futile!" The mirrors reformed quickly, and the attacks resumed with even greater intensity.

But Ishida had noticed something crucial. Each time Kasumi spoke, one reflection's mouth moved slightly before the others. He waited, watching carefully as the assault continued.

"Time to end this game," Kasumi declared. And in that moment...

"Found you again," Ishida whispered. "Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon!"

His attack shot through the mist like a beam of pure moonlight, shattering the illusions and striking directly at the real Kasumi. The demon's eyes widened in genuine shock as the blade cut clean through their neck.

"Impossible... how...?" Kasumi's voice wavered as their body began to crumble.

"Your reflection spoke first," Ishida explained calmly. "A small detail, but enough."

Kasumi's form began dissolving into mist, but they were smiling. "Impressive... truly impressive. **** ***** will be pleased..." Their body dispersed completely, the mist clearing to reveal the bamboo forest once more.

[4th Opponent Defeated]

[EXP Gained: 150,000]

[Fatigue: 55/100]

[HP: 1280/1400]

The bamboo forest began to fade, darkness creeping in at the edges. Ishida sheathed his sword, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension.

"Four down," he muttered. "Halfway there. But why do they all keep mentioning that person...?"

[Transportation to Next Location Will Begin in: 30 Seconds]

The darkness faded, revealing a moonlit garden filled with crimson spider lilies. Their blood-red petals swayed gently in the night breeze, creating an eerily beautiful scene.

[Location Changed: Garden of Spider Lilies]

[5th Opponent Will Be Deployed In: 5 Seconds]

"Spider lilies..." Ishida muttered, remembering the flower's other name - higanbana, the flower of death. "How fitting."

The flowers began to rustle, but there was no wind. Something was moving beneath them, disturbing their roots. Suddenly, the ground cracked open, and a figure emerged gracefully from below.

[5th Opponent Deployed]

[Name: Higanbana]

[Type: Blood Demon]

[Level: 52]

The demon appeared as a young woman in an elaborate kimono patterned with spider lilies. Her hair was as red as the flowers surrounding them, and her eyes held the same crimson hue.

"You've made it quite far," she spoke softly, running her fingers through a flower. As she touched it, the spider lily turned black and withered instantly. "But **** ***** said you might."

"Another one mentioning that name," Ishida readied his stance, noticing how the flowers around the demon were slowly dying, creating a circle of decay.

"Blood Demon Art: Withering Garden," Higanbana whispered. The dying flowers suddenly burst into a cloud of black petals, each as sharp as a razor blade.

The cloud of black petals surged toward Ishida like a deadly storm. He slashed through them, but where his blade touched, the petals burst into fine powder that began eating away at his sword's edge.

"Corrosive," Ishida noted, quickly wiping the powder from his blade. "Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"

The vortex of his attack scattered the petals, but Higanbana merely smiled. She gestured gracefully, and more spider lilies began to wither and rise, forming waves of razor-sharp black petals.

[HP: 1250/1400]

[Fatigue: 60/100]

"My flowers don't just cut," she explained, as some petals grazed Ishida's arm. Where they touched, his skin began to feel numb. "They carry a poison that slowly weakens my opponents."

Ishida felt the numbness spreading slowly up his arm. His next slash was slightly slower than usual, allowing more petals to slip through his defense.

"Moon Breathing, Twelfth Form: Gibbous Revenants!" Ishida created multiple slashes in a circular pattern, trying to clear the air of petals, but Higanbana simply touched the ground, causing more flowers to transform and rise.

"You can't defeat my garden just by cutting it down," she taunted, her kimono sleeves flowing as she directed another wave. "Every flower here is my weapon."

Ishida narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation. The numbness was spreading, but he noticed something - where his moonlight-infused attacks landed, the flowers didn't regenerate.

"Is that so?" he replied, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Then let me show you something interesting..."

The blade began to glow with an intense lunar light as he prepared his next move, while Higanbana gathered more of her deadly petals for another assault.

[To Be Continued...]