Chapter 35: Water God Style's Original Secret Art, the Charm of the Sword God Style
Rudeus was flustered for a moment, but then he blinked, looked at Allen's face, and after a moment's hesitation, said tentatively, "So you're not going to. This is just a North God Style bluff..."
The next moment, a pebble, spinning with wind, shot past Rudeus's cheek and into the dense fog, disappearing without a trace.
Rudeus dazedly touched his cheek and looked at Allen, who was in a throwing posture and was just retracting his hand.
The stone had come from his left hand, the one not holding the sword.
Allen looked at Rudeus's dazed expression, then lowered his sword with his right hand and said cheerfully, "I'm just reminding you. In the future, if you encounter a North God Style swordsman, be careful of this move."
Rudeus stared at Allen for a long time, then sighed and got up from the ground.
"I lo—"
"Continue."
Rudeus looked up in surprise, but saw that Allen's smile was gone. He continued with a serious face.
"Think of it the other way. If I didn't know how to throw, you would have already completed your spell, right? So continue with your setup. I want to see to what extent you can push me if I can't throw."
Rudeus's expression also turned solemn.
"Alright..."
Allen flexed his legs in the mud.
"Don't be discouraged. Give it your all. You don't want to lose to me twice in one match, do you?"
Rudeus crouched down and began to release the geothermal heat with both hands again. "Don't joke around, Allen. If I complete the Dense Fog magic, I..."
He looked up and a grin split his face.
"I'll win."
Not long after he spoke, Rudeus's figure was enveloped by the rising mist. After a short while, the fog grew thicker, and visibility dropped to five meters.
Allen quietly watched the spot where Rudeus's figure had been obscured by the fog.
Suddenly, a huge Rock Bullet shot out from the fog! The wind it stirred up tore a hole in the mist, revealing Rudeus's face. For that split second, their eyes met.
Allen's expression was blank; Rudeus's mouth was curved in a smile.
The next moment, Allen drew his sword and slashed at the Rock Bullet coming straight at him. The blade, coated in Touki, let out a sharp, grating sound. The Rock Bullet split in two and fell to his sides.
He looked again at where Rudeus had been. The Dense Fog had already re-covered his figure, but his intuition told him that Rudeus had already moved from his previous position.
He used the sound of the Rock Bullet being struck to hide his footsteps. The next attack won't be such a large Rock Bullet. It will probably be a blade-shaped attack spell that doesn't stir up the fog as much, probably an Ice Blade. If I cut the Ice Blade again, he'll use the noise to change position again... So, can I dodge the attack and, in the instant the fog is disturbed, determine Rudeus's position and close the distance?
Allen tried to take two steps in the mud swamp. His speed was noticeably affected.
...The resistance is greater than I thought. The geothermal heat has solidified some of the mud at the bottom... Without a foothold that can support my weight on the surface of the swamp, it will be difficult to close the distance instantly.
Allen's eyelids drooped, and then he closed his eyes.
He sighed in his heart.
In that case... I'm back to the Water God Style, what I'm best at... Good thing I have the Dragon Saint Touki to greatly amplify my five senses. Otherwise, I might really be worn down by Rudy here. Even though we're both transmigrators, I at least have the Path of the Sword system, and I'm four years older. Even if he started a hundred meters away, I'd still be pretty unwilling to lose just like this.
Three Ice Blades silently emerged from the fog to Allen's front-left, shooting towards him at a slow pace that wouldn't disturb the mist too much. The fog rippled slightly, vaguely revealing Rudeus's face.
Allen didn't open his eyes. The smile of a short old woman flashed in his mind.
'Last year, I was fortunate enough to create my own 'turtle shell' secret art for pure defense. It's quite fitting for the current situation.'
The three Ice Blades were already by his right ear.
Allen, his eyes closed, lazily lifted his sword. The blade's light weaved through the ice blades.
With a series of soft cracks, the ice blades neatly split into six pieces. But strangely, the shattered fragments didn't continue flying forward as before. Instead, they took a nosedive by Allen's ear and plunged straight into the mud swamp.
It was as if their trajectory had suddenly changed.
Allen's blade hovered at his side. He 'looked' at the dissipating magic traces on the ice blades in the mud and smiled silently.
Reida's words from last year seemed to still be ringing in his ears.
"Inspired by 'Sense Flow,' one of the five secret arts of the Water God Style, you abandon the distracting perception of distant information and wholeheartedly focus all your five senses within the trajectory of your blade. This allows you to completely capture all information within a one-meter radius of yourself, performing a simplified version of the 'Sense Flow' secret art. Then, with the highest level of mastery you currently have of the Flowing Secret Art, you deflect all incoming physical and magical attacks as much as possible... Not bad. Interesting."
"Weaknesses? The weaknesses are obvious: First, limited by the range of the simplified 'Sense Flow,' it's too passive. You can only defend. Second, against a higher-level expert whose speed exceeds your perception, or whose high-level attacks cannot be deflected by your Flowing Secret Art, it's completely useless. But the pros outweigh the cons. Keep it up, Allen. The moment you completely master it, you will be a Water Saint."
"...Hmm? You want me to give it a name?... 'To strike the water midstream, as steadfast as a great rock'... Let's call it 'Bedrock'."
Allen opened his eyes, looked at the dense fog before him, and smiled silently.
'Water God Style—Original Secret Art.'
'Bedrock.'
The fog surged. As if realizing the Ice Blade's attack power was too weak, this time it was replaced by an ice spear that had been deliberately compressed to be thinner. But the moment it neared Allen, it broke into several pieces and fell at his feet.
Rudeus seemed to be flustered for a moment, then quickly changed position and continued to fire several high-speed Rock Bullets.
The result was the same: they were cut into pieces and fell into the mud.
Allen's eyes shifted, meeting Rudeus's as he was revealed for an instant when the fog parted. The latter gritted his teeth and disappeared back into the fog.
Allen chuckled and said with disdain.
"Haven't you eaten? Let's see something bigger!"
Undaunted by Allen's taunt, the moment he finished speaking, Rudeus fired three consecutive, even sharper Rock Bullets.
The light of the blade twisted around Allen, and they were still cut into several pieces and fell straight to his feet.
Allen glanced at his feet, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
It seems he hasn't noticed that I've built up enough of a platform. I have my footing now. So, next, the moment Rudeus releases his next spell, I'll determine his position and, before he can disappear back into the fog, I'll slash at him with the Sword God Style.
I can't just keep taking hits...
Allen let out a breath, broke free from the Bedrock secret art, and then let out a sharp roar.
"Rudy! I see you!!"
The moment he spoke, the fog to his immediate left surged. The next instant, a huge ice spear shot out from the mist.
Allen's body moved.
He stepped on the 'platform' less than five centimeters beneath the surface of the mud. The feeling of having no solid footing in the swamp instantly vanished. Strength transferred from his foot to his body, and Allen felt incredibly light.
At this moment, Rudeus's face was about to disappear back into the fog, and the ice spear was almost upon him.
Allen's gaze shifted. The tip of the ice spear and Rudeus's face overlapped for an instant, reflected in his pupils.
He smiled at Rudeus, who was looking back at him with a slightly panicked expression, and his lips moved.
The distance between them was a bit far, so Rudeus didn't hear Allen's words, but he saw his lips move.
What Allen said was...
"I see you."
The fog roiled, creating visible ripples.
As Rudeus watched, wide-eyed, Allen stepped out from the ripples and leisurely placed his blade one meter in front of him.
The tip of the sword was still humming.
"You lose."
As his words fell, the ice spear behind them cracked in two with a snap and fell limply into the mud swamp.
The fog, in front of Rudeus's dazed face, solidified as smoothly as flowing water.
[Grasped the essence of the Sword God Style, mastered the Silent Sword. Sword God Style rank increased: Sword God Style—Advanced.]
Allen reached out to sheathe his sword, but found that the blade was now chipped and couldn't be sheathed.
He was silent for a moment, then asked in his mind.
'Then what about my Water God Style?'
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