As soon as we enter the mist, it faded away, revealing what's in front of us. The pathway, leading to the left and to the right, a small spring.

"I can't imagine how cold the water is now, with all that's happening."

"Could've been worse." I replied.

Then we heard howling coming from the woods surrounding the spring. 4 wolves, with fur as white as snow, and eyes glowing in a white light.

They growl, as they look like they were ready to pounce. But they stopped as another figure jumped down from one of the trees.

A short white haired wolf tengu, bearing a broadsword and a shield. She slowly raised her shield and bowed before readying her sword.

"You are now facing Inubashiri Momiji... Prepare yourself."

Conjuring a small ice shield myself for my left hand, I made a stance as the Tengu named Momiji took a step forward.

"Dai, hide somewhere safe."

Daiyousei nodded, and ran off with the flame still being clutched over her hands, warming her.

As Momiji walked, the 4 wolves around her struck first by trying to pounce me. I rolled away, making them landing in a dogpile, giving me an opportunity to shoot a bolt of lightning at them, killing them instantly.

And to my surprise I feel the blunt force from a shield bashing the side of my head. So she used the wolves as distraction.

As soon as I felt myself stagger from the Shield's bash, Momiji decided to swing her broadsword down, which I slapped away using my own shield, breaking her guard.

I used the opportunity to plunge my ice sword into her body, but she still has some fight in her as she pushed me off, and pulled herself out from the blade.

She then whistled, as I look at her curiously. And before I knew it, another blunt force hit me on my left hip, sending me flying to a nearby rock.

When I recover I see them. Momiji is no longer alone, but now she is accompanied with that werewolf that I thought I had impaled back at the village.

"Figured out where did you go after what I did to you back at the village..."

The werewolf raised her spiked club, as Momiji shielded the former and marched forwards, attempting to bash her shield onto me.

But I widen my eyes as she suddenly ducked down, and the Werewolf leapt over her in order to pounce me. I took a step back, and retaliated by bashing the top of her head in, using the hilt of my sword.

A loud boom was heard upon impact to the skull, as Momiji then tries to thrust her blade into me, but I blocked it and bashed her away.

I jumped at her, attempting to strike down my blade heavily with the jump, but Momiji held her guard, and flipped me over, and I fell to the ground behind her.

She then turned around and slashed at my downed body. Having no time to recover, I feel that slash making contact across my ice armor.

It barely dent the armor, due to how strengthened it is. I leapt back up to my feet, and tried to fight her back by attempting a thrust attack, which she parried by smacking my sword away with her shield.

With my guard broken, Momiji then thrusted her own sword, into my neck. And when she pulled out, blood gushes out. Quickly, I froze the wound, and jumped back to retreat.

However I was then knocked forwards to the ground right after the jump. That werewolf had recovered, and has succeeded in pouncing me when I'm distracted.

I can feel her sinking her fangs into my neck, as I struggle to make her release me.

I couldn't reach for my flask... At this rate...

And it was then when her hold was suddenly released. I looked to see Daiyousei had tackled the werewolf using her shoulder.

Slowly, I got up and reached for my flask and took a sip. Feeling my strength back, I stood back up perfectly, and I conjured a bolt of lightning before throwing it towards the fallen werewolf, whom Daiyousei just bashed away.

With that one bolt, the werewolf gets struck, and shivered down as she got onto the ground, before her body reduces into cinders.

Now with only Momiji who is still here, I readied my sword and much to her surprise I threw it towards her.

She managed to knock the flying sword away using her shield, not noticing that I had conjured yet another blade, a curved one, and slashed her left arm, which is carrying the shield off from her body.

Momiji knelt down, holding the wound as she looked at me with pained eyes.

Letting my conjured weapons melt themselves, I pulled out Roukanken from it's scabbard, as Momiji looked at her blade.

She looked down for a moment, before I walked to the area behind her, and took position a feet away from her.

And to my surprise Momiji struck the blade into her own stomach, and eviscerated it.

"Do it."

I struck the blade down across the back of her neck, and she fell forwards to the ground before her body reduces into cinders.

I knelt down, feeling exhausted from the fight. And when I looked up, I see Momiji's blade had dropped down from where she just fell.

Before falling down, she had struck the blade to the ground.

I walked forward to the blade, and covered it in crystallized ice. Both me and Daiyousei sat down around the blade, resting for a bit.

After a while, we stood up and continued our walk towards the Human Village.

- To Be Continued