During Agni and Loki's conversation with the White Demon.
"( I should've unleashed the strike with my full strength... )" Yukino says after failing to slay the White Demon's 'Kaiju earlier.
Yukino regrets it, wondering why the 'Kaiju' didn't fall after she attacked it, was it too strong, or perhaps...
"( I'm..., too weak... )" Suddenly the thoughts entered her mind, and as reality began to show her things, her frozen-like fortress of confidence and pride slightly cracked.
"( No, it can't be..., I... )" Yukino thinks in her mind but the thoughts suddenly shattered, for another speaks in her mind.
"( I told you that Ego of yours will get you in trouble... )" Lord Sal comes in, interfering with her thoughts.
"( And look at the result, you think you were helping but in reality, you are failing..., more miserable than ever... )"
"( Are you lecturing me, Lord? )" Yukino wonders but Sal quickly replied.
"( You know it won't work... )"
"( When was the last time my words could convince you? )"
"( During our first meeting or our second meeting? I knew from the start, that you were too deep on your ego and ambition, so I decided to tell you the things that would help you... )"
"( Like the Divine, Deviant, Aether, Ki, and Mana for example..., you only learn it from me because I tell you it might help to defeat the White Demon, yes? )" Sal asks Yukino, which makes her silent.
"( Is there anything that you would like me to do, Lord? )" Yukino asks while the Lord prepares his words.
"( Keep yourself calm... )" Sal tells him.
"( This is your technically first day, debuting in the field as the No. 1 Hunter in Trinia, the Central Place of the Hunter Association... )"
"( With this, you now hold the trust of all Hunters in the world, they trust you could do it despite the time you were given the honor. )"
"( I know it burdens you, but despite the burden..., you need to stay calm..., and analyze... )"
"( How important you are...? What should you do as the No. 1? )" Sal asks as Yukino continues to see the 'enemy' above her.
"( Yes, they will approve you once you slay him, *sigh* )" Sal replied.
"( But still, have you at least tried to look at other things, things that are happening around you... )"
"( Look around! the army, the hunters, and your supporters prepared by Lord Loki and trained by you are all blown to smithereens now... )"
"( You may be powerful but the thing is..., you're alone... )" Sal tells Yukino which made her gasp a bit when hearing it.
As she was told about the word 'alone'. Her memories began to rise, remembering her first training with her mother that happened perhaps eight years ago.
[ Eight years ago. ]
[ White Snow Bastion Fortress, at the top of Mt. Fuji, Japan. ]
[ Inside the Fortress, Fubuki Dojo ]
* All dialogue here is said in Japanese, for it is customary in the Fubuki Family to use it during their formal training, using Japanese instead of the 'International Language'*. *
" Again! " said Fubuki Misaki, as she trained Yukino in some of the Family's Blizzard Techniques.
[ Name: Fubuki Misaki ]
[ Age: 32 ]
" HRahh! " Yukino attacks her with her [White Blizzard] attack, which immediately gets wiped by Misaki's [Snow Blizzard].
" It's not over yet! " Yukino tells her as she prepares another.
[ Name: Fubuki Yukino ]
[ Age: 9]
" [White Snow Hare Blizzard] " Yukino activates the [ White Snow Hare Blizzard ], creating a blizzard storm of snow hare summons that would storm her mother during her training.
Using the storming hares, Yukino used this to attack her mother from behind, but this was not her greatest idea.
" You waste your Gifts with such tricks? " Misaki says, unleashing her Skill [Snow Blizzardstorm].
Using the blizzard storm, Misaki immediately destroyed the hares that Yukino summoned to storm her, immediately revealing Yukino's location which Misaki used to plunge and grab the little girl and slam her into a nearby wall.
" What is that, Yukino...? " Misaki asks with a bit grunt.
" Summons..., did you just dishonor yourself? " Misaki asks while gripping Yukino's clothes tighter.
" Mother-Sama..., I... " little Yukino felt the pain.
" I trained you to be a 'Fubuki', to be Blizzard Storm of the 'Blue Blood Clan'. "
" Our Family should be the mighty storm that wiped any enemy, not be a weakling who depends themselves on a 'snowman'... " Misaki tells Yukino a bit of the way of the 'Fubuki' while mocking her [White Snow Hare Blizzard] Technique.
" But, Mother-Sama... "
" The [White Snow Hare Blizzard] Technique is also our Family's Technique, made by the previous Family Head..., shouldn't we use it as well? " Yukino asks while mentioning the Previous Family Head which is her grandmother.
" Yes, and make our family a laughing stock by Tsuchimikado again? " Misaki asks Yukino while letting her go after pressuring her too much. "
" Listen, Daughter... " Misaki calls Yukino as Yukino begins to stand up again.
" Let me tell you some history... "
" My mother..., the Previous Family Head..., is the reason why our Family is tossed from the Tsuchimikado Clan Branches... "
" Her Gifts were sufficient, just like me, her Gifts were the [Snow Blizzard] and she was at Tier IV at the time too... "
" But do you know, the reason why she made our Family tossed by the Tsuchimikado Clan? " Misaki asked Yukino which made her shake her head.
" What is it, Mother-Sama? " Yukino asks her.
" Isn't it obvious...? The thing you used just now! " Misaki tells Yukino the answer right away.
" The [White Snow Hare Blizzard] Technique, is the only technique she could have with her Gift... "
" All her life, she mastered that one Technique while ignoring the other, which indeed made her able to summon powerful hares, even creatures that she crafts using her snow and her thoughts... "
" But still..., with her great creativity and numbers, she made with 'that' Technique... "
" In the end, the 'hares' she made were no less than mere snow constructs instead of a Blizzard... " Misaki grunts while remembering it. She remembers what happened to her mother as the Tsuchimikado Clan Leader at the time defeated her and burned most of her body during some kind of combat between the two families.
" I still remembered it..., the humiliation... "
" That grandmother of yours..., wasted so much on crafting a great army made of snow hares, forgetting to learn and master other Techniques that she should've learned with her Gift. "
" Techniques that could wipe out anyone in an instant, like my [Apocrypha Avalanche]*. " Misaki says, as she, who had the same Gift Ability as her mother, sees her Mother's choice of skills and techniques as a waste of time of her very life.
" That is why..., Yukino. " Misaki gazed at her, sharing her sight as her gaze turned into a stare.
" You must abandon your thoughts on learning techniques such as summoning. "
" Remember..., a person's strength should be seen in its quality not quantity. "
" Like your mother here... " Misaki says as she releases some of her ability.
" For with this [Snow Blizzard], your mother finally could rectify your grandmother's mistakes..., returning our Family to the Tsuchimikado Clan and even managing to slowly rival the Main Branch. "
" No longer will I put my strength on many, trust, cooperation..., no! "
" All of the strength is mine, for this Gift is meant to be used by me, alone... "
" And with this singular power, I vow that all Fubuki after me will be Mighty Sole Blizzard Storm whose power will wipe even the Sun Arrows of the Tsuchimikado... "
" Remember this, Daughter... " Misaki tells Yukino as the scene returns to the present day.
" For it is our Family's ambition for the future, to be the most powerful one, alone... "
...
"( ... )"
"( I see you're more interested in 'Quality', then... )" Lord Sal says after seeing it all.
"( You saw it? )" Yukino asks back.
"( I do..., and I get why she said that... )"
"( Your 'Snow Hare' summons, had the amount of legions but were weak if used in combat. )"
"( Even if the User managed to combine it into one, Gigantic Monster Hare..., I could predict that even a Tier II Fire-based Gift Core User could destroy it will a sufficient amount of fire. )"
"( But still, despite the obvious results..., you forget one thing... )" Sal suddenly says it.
"( What 'thing', Lord? )" Yukino asks Sal which he immediately tells her.
"( That you had more power than your predecessors..., unlike them, there are five energies total within you as I trained it... )"
"( Remember the other Energies, like Ki and Mana...? )"
"( I taught you it's properties, perhaps this is the time to use it. )"
"( Try using another [White Snow Hare Blizzard]... )" Sal says while Yukino hears it and remembers that she has more to her arsenal.
"( Perhaps this is the time to destroy my hold over the Fubuki Way, isn't it? " Yukino wonders as she releases her White Blizzard ability.
"( All this time, I've been freezing myself, hiding my potential within as I followed my mother's ambition... )"
"( For the more I do as she says, the more the 'Blizzard' within me froze until there's nothing left... )"
"( But... )" Yukino remembers her meeting with Sal back then.*
"( When meeting the Lord, I felt something strange..., as if the 'Blizzard' within me had swirled free from its freeze little-by-little. )"
"( Unleashing what I could unleash never before... )" Yukino did it which made Lord Agni and Loki surprised as she released her power.
" Mmm... " The White Demon sees it while still sitting on top of his Behemoth.
" You gotta be kidding me... " White Demon says as from Yukino's Blizzard, she used it to summon a huge gigantic Snow Creature. A Gigantic Snow Hare Monster whose height is almost as tall as Behemoth.
* Behemoth growled in confusion. *
" Don't tell me... " White Demon wonders as the System tells him.
< The Use of 'Ki' and 'Mana' detected. >
" White Demon! " Yukino calls him as she summons the Creature.
[ Summon: Avalanche Beast Summon, Daikyusagi ]
" Prepare to pay for your crimes! " Yukino says as she charges it with her 'Avalanche Beast'.
___________________
Extra:
* 'International Language'.
The language Webnovel is using right now, may be dubbed into another language if Webnovel had a translate feature.
* [Apocrypha Avalanche].
She did that in the future after this Flashback. She did it in Chapter 305: Sireena's Garganto Part 1.
* Yukino remembers her meeting with Sal back then.
She means what happened in the Previous Volume.