Ice Crystal Ant Swarm

Slick stared at the glistening little mud bricks wriggling in front of Issui, teeming with ants made entirely of ice crystals. Of course, these weren't just simple ice crystals; they were composed of reinforced ice crystals inside and a glassy outer shell. The sheer number of translucent ants piled together was not pleasing to the eye at all; instead, it gave him the creeps. Such a massive number of ants forming a small mud brick would definitely terrify many people.

"You've got a lot of weird tricks up your sleeve. Are you just trying to annoy or scare me with these little things? They're always childish contraptions. My acid attack isn't that simple. The Ice Knight was their precedent. You went to all this trouble to make all these things, and it makes me feel so useless. Can't you just use some normal magic?" Slick mocked. He believed that these disgusting things in front of Issui would soon follow in the footsteps of the Ice Knight and wouldn't amount to anything. At least the Ice Knight had some offensive power; what use were these little things?

"Hmph, you'll only know if it works or not after you try. Ice Crystal Ant Swarm, attack!" Issui remained calm and composed, directing the thousands upon thousands of tiny creatures in front of him to attack Slick.

"Rustling... rustling..."

Upon hearing Issui's instructions, a large number of ice crystal ants split into several columns and scurried rapidly toward Slick.

Just then, the sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds, shining on the ice crystal ants and creating bursts of reflected and refracted light that shone in all directions, emitting beams of various colors.

Although ice crystal ants are very large, they are also very fast, almost as fast as the previous ice knights, making them super ants.

Slick actually had the ability to dodge, after all, the speed of these mere ice crystal ants couldn't keep up with the speed of God Level expert. But one thing to understand is that the God Level experts in this world are very concerned about their image. If Slick dodged Issui's attacks, it would mean that his strength was inferior to Issui's, and that he was just a show-off.

This is why Issui dared to make such a move. You have to understand that in the Hokage World, people compete not only in strength but also in strategy. Think about Shikamaru from Hayate in the previous manga, who used a clever scheme to kill Hidan. Although Hidan's strength was somewhat unbalanced, his Taijutsu was completely terrible, and he only became a member of Akatsuki because of his evil god rituals, he was still a real mini-boss. At that time, Shikamaru's Chakra was only at the level of an ordinary Chunin, but his strategy could have given him the strength of Jonin, or even higher.

Issui was also wondering if he would feel uncomfortable returning to the Hokage World after getting used to straightforward battles in this world. It's safe to say he would. If Issui had Shikamaru's godlike intelligence, he would be practically invincible with his current strength. However, Issui's intelligence is only slightly better than normal. After all, the heavens are reasonable. You already have such a powerful Kekkei Genkai; if you add a little more intelligence, wouldn't you become a monster?

Getting back to the main point, and returning to the camera, Issui of ice crystal ants crawled rapidly, getting closer and closer to Slick's position.

"Hmph, Acid Corrosion Ripple!"

Rings of deep green light surged from beneath Slick's feet, washing over the swarming ice crystal ants. Slick couldn't bear to look at these tiny creatures; their disgusting appearance made his scalp tingle, and their sheer numbers only exacerbated the unease. Large creatures might inspire awe and apprehension, but not terror. Ants, while nauseating in small numbers, became terrifying when their numbers swelled to thousands. This was no joke; a swarm of Slick charging at you, if you didn't eliminate them quickly, would feel as if they were covering your body, burrowing into any opening, then entering your body and gnawing at your internal organs—it was definitely not a pleasant experience.

The ice crystal ants did not dodge the clear waves released by Slick; they charged forward relentlessly.

"Hmph, probably the same result as those Ice Knights." Slick said this, but he still moved his body back a little. It wasn't out of fear or anything. If it were ordinary ants, Slick might not be afraid, but if these ants created by Issui dodged his acid attack, wouldn't he be finished? Even if these little things crawled on his body and didn't do anything to him, they would make him feel nauseous for a long time.

"Hmph..." Issui slightly curled the corner of his mouth. He noticed Slick's subtle movement. He thought my Ice Crystal Ants were still like the Ice Knight. Well, he'd be disappointed. He was looking forward to Shrek's performance later.

The deep green waters met the swarm of ice crystal ants, who seemed to walk on water, crossing the waters without any damage and continuing their charge towards Slick.

"How could this be? It's impossible! How could my acid not work!" Slick's eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed in surprise.

"Earth Release - Earth Spear!"

Suddenly, a large number of sharp rocks sprang out of the mud beneath Slick and attacked his abdomen.

Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!

Just as Slick was about to dodge the rock spear beneath him, a huge "pot lid" suddenly appeared above his head and smashed down on him. "Oh no! "Slick cried out and had no choice but to retreat.

Earth Release: Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison

Numerous stone pillars erupted from around Slick's body, completely Imprisonment him in this area.

Slick's retreat was halted as the rock gun beneath him and the large pot lid above his head rained down on him, attacking him from both above and below.

"Earth Release - Earth Release: Stone Coffin!!"

As the giant cauldron lid pressed down on Slick's entire body, a large amount of rocks and mud erupted from the area around Slick, completely enveloping it and then rapidly pressing it together.

It turns out that after being distracted by the ice crystal ants in front of Slick, Ikki launched Issui series of combined Earth Release attacks. Earth Release is not afraid of his acid attacks. Slick's acid is strong in some ways but weak in others. If your body gets even a little bit of his acid, you're done for. However, when you encounter a ninja who knows Earth Release, his Corrosion Aura is ineffective. Issui, having automatically gained Earth Attribute physique due to advancing to the fourth stage of the Eye of Heaven, can of course use Earth Release to resist his attacks and use it as a basis to launch an attack at an opportune moment.

"Come out. I don't believe you'll just die like this. Whether you believe it or not, I don't believe it either," Issui said calmly.

"Boom..."

"Roar..."

The rocks shattered, revealing Slick's massive body, covered in bruises and cuts, but only minor superficial wounds; he hadn't suffered any serious injury.

Although Issui's Earth Release attack was perfect, if Slick were to be eliminated so easily, then the existence of a God Level powerhouse would be a huge joke. Issui simply couldn't believe that Slick could be eliminated so easily.

Slick watched Issui quietly, without making a fuss, unusually calm, as if he hadn't been hurt at all.

"Why are you talking now? Weren't you very talkative before? Why are you so quiet? I'd love to hear your thoughts. So, do you still think I'm that simple?" Issui said with a grin, extremely casual, showing no fear whatsoever of Slick's anger.

"Very good, you did very well. Although you suffered some minor injuries, I am very happy. It's been so many years since I was able to fight a powerful opponent again. It's really great. Those previous ones were just to measure your strength. In short, it was alright. It's been a long time since I had a big battle, and my body was almost exhausted. This time, I can finally get some exercise." Slick showed no displeasure; on the contrary, he was very excited.

"What, aren't you afraid of dying at my feet? Do you really want to die at my feet?" Issui mocked. He was being far too confident, acting as if he were about to eliminate me. Did he really have that kind of power?

"Haha... Anyone can boast, you can, and so can I, but that's in the face of overwhelming strength. What do you think I am? I only have a slight desire to fight. What piques my interest doesn't mean we're evenly matched and I want to fight you, but rather that I want you to witness my true strength and understand the real gap between us. Although perhaps no Demigod can defeat you, once you encounter a God Level expert like me, you're finished." Slick laughed exaggeratedly, his three snake heads swaying incessantly.

"Is that so? Then let's wait and see who can defeat whom." Issui said nonchalantly. He didn't believe that Slick could easily eliminate him. He was no pushover either. Xiaotian had been defeated by him, and Leins had inadvertently fallen into his hands. Whether it was luck or strength, after experiencing two battles with God Level magical beasts, he was no longer so unsure about God Level powerhouses. If he didn't try, who would know the outcome? Besides, he had a hidden trick up his sleeve.

"You stubborn fool, you'll stop being stubborn now."

Slick pursed his lips, channeling the energy in his body into the right side of his head. The right side of his head, which had been drowsy, suddenly became alert, and a faint purple mist spewed out from the mouth of the snake head.

"Innate Domain - Poison Gas Aura!"

Slick's right-hand snake head roared, and a large amount of deep purple energy surged from his body. Gradually, the purple aura spread outward, and if left uncontrolled, it would likely fill the entire battlefield space.

"Cough..."

The poison gas spread extremely quickly. Issui had no time to dodge; a little gas inhaled through his mouth and nose, and he felt weak all over, his head spinning. He reached into his ninja pouch on his back and pulled out an antidote pill, putting it in his mouth, which provided some relief. Ikshui had prepared Issui antidote pill long before he came to this world, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy now. It was the most effective antidote pill, which he had obtained from Tsunade.

PS: If you read carefully, you might notice that the Ice Crystal Ant Swarm of One Water were not eliminated by Slick, but they did not reappear. Where did they go? Actually, this is Issui's strategy. You can think about it carefully: under what circumstances will these hidden Ice Crystal Ant Swarm reappear?