Water God Style's Self-Created Secret Technique, the Allure of Sword God Style

Chapter 35: Water God Style's Self-Created Secret Art, the Allure of Sword God Style

Rudy panicked for a moment, then suddenly blinked, looking at Allen's face. After a moment of hesitation, he tentatively said, "So, you can't do it, right? That's just a North God Style deception."

The next instant, a pebble, whistling through the air, grazed Rudy's cheek and shot into the thick fog, vanishing without a trace.

Rudy numbly touched his cheek, looking at Allen, who was in a throwing stance and retracting his arm.

The stone had come from his left hand, the one not holding a sword.

Allen looked at Rudy's stunned expression, then lowered his own sword with his right hand and chuckled.

"I was just warning you to be careful of that move if you ever encounter a North God Style swordsman in the future."

Rudy stared at Allen for a long moment, then sighed and got up from the ground.

"I lose—"

"Continue."

Rudy's eyes widened in surprise, as Allen had dropped his smile and continued with a serious expression.

"Think of it this way: if I couldn't throw, you would have already completed your magic, right? So continue with your setup. I want to see how far you can push me when I don't use throwing techniques."

Rudy's expression also grew serious.

"Alright."

Allen moved his legs in the mud.

"Don't lose heart, okay? Give it your all. You don't want me to win twice in a row in a single match, do you?"

Rudy crouched down, his hands continuing to release geothermal heat.

"Don't joke around, Allen. If I complete the dense fog magic, I'll—"

He looked up, a smile spreading across his face.

"—win."

Not long after he spoke, Rudy's figure was enveloped by the rising mist. In a short while, the fog grew even denser, and visibility dropped to five meters.

Allen quietly watched the spot where Rudy's figure was obscured by the thick fog.

Suddenly, a massive Rock Bullet shot out of the fog, hurtling towards him! The wind it churned up created a hole in the fog, revealing Rudy's face. For that split second, their eyes met.

Allen was expressionless, while Rudy had a faint smile.

The next moment, Allen drew his sword and slashed at the incoming Rock Bullet. His blade, imbued with Fighting Spirit, let out a sharp screech as the Rock Bullet split in two, falling to his sides.

He looked again towards Rudy's position. The dense fog magic had once more hidden Rudy's figure, but his intuition told him Rudy had already moved from his previous spot.

He's using the commotion from the Rock Bullet being cut to hide his footsteps, isn't he? Next time it won't be such a large Rock Bullet. It'll probably be a blade-shaped magic attack that won't disturb the fog as much, perhaps an Ice Blade. If I cut the Ice Blade again, will he use the commotion to change position again? Can I then dodge the attack and, while the fog is churning, pinpoint Rudy's location and close the distance?

Allen tried to take two steps in the mud, his speed clearly affected.

...The resistance is greater than I thought. The geothermal heat has solidified some of the mud at the bottom. If I can't find a foothold floating on the mud that can support my weight, it'll be hard to close the distance instantly.

Allen lowered his eyelids, then closed his eyes.

He sighed softly in his mind.

In that case... it's back to my most proficient Water God Style. Good thing Dragon Saint Battle Qi greatly amplifies my five senses, otherwise Rudy might really exhaust me to death here. Even though we're both transmigrators, I at least have the Path of the Swordsman System, and I'm four years older. Even if I started a hundred meters behind, losing like this would still be really frustrating.

Three Ice Blades silently pierced into the fog from Allen's front-side, approaching slowly so as not to disturb the mist too much. The fog rippled slightly, vaguely revealing Rudy's face.

Allen didn't open his eyes. The smile of a small, elderly woman flashed through his mind.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to create a purely defensive secret art, the Immovable Turtle, which is quite fitting for the current situation.

The three Ice Blades had already reached the side of his right ear.

Allen, with his eyes closed, lazily raised his sword. The glint of his blade wove through the Ice Blades.

With faint cracking sounds, the Ice Blades neatly split into six pieces. But strangely, the shattered Ice Blades didn't continue flying forward as before. Instead, they reversed direction near Allen's ear and plunged straight down into the mud.

It was as if their trajectory had suddenly changed.

Allen's blade hovered by his side, 'watching' the fading Mana traces on the Ice Blades in the mud. He smiled silently.

Leda's words from last year seemed to echo in his ears.

"Inspired by 'Sense Flow,' one of the five great secret arts of Water God Style, you forgo distracted perception of distant information and wholeheartedly concentrate all five senses within the trajectory of your blade to achieve complete capture of all environmental information within one meter in front of you. This is to perform a simplified 'Sense Flow' secret art. Then, using the highest degree achievable with the Flow secret art you currently possess, you attempt to deflect all incoming physical and magical attacks as much as possible... Not bad, interesting."

"Drawbacks? The drawbacks are obvious: First, limited by the simplified 'Sense Flow's' range, it's too passive, only allowing you to take hits. Second, if you encounter a higher-level master whose speed is beyond your perception, or if you can't deflect their high-level attacks with the Flow secret art, it becomes completely useless. However, the flaws don't overshadow its merits. Keep up the good work, Allen. The moment you fully master it, you'll be a Water Saint."

"...Hmm? You want this old woman to name it?... 'Striking the current, stable as Immovable Rock'... Let's call it Immovable Rock."

Allen opened his eyes, looking at the thick fog before him. He smiled silently.

Water God Style—Self-Created Secret Art.

Immovable Rock.

The fog surged as if realizing the Ice Blades' attack power was too weak. This time, it was replaced by Ice Spears, deliberately compressed in thickness. But the moment they neared Allen, they again snapped into several pieces, falling beneath him.

Rudy seemed to panic for a moment, then quickly changed position and continued to fire several high-speed Rock Bullets.

Still, they were cut into several pieces and fell into the mud.

Allen's gaze drifted, meeting Rudy's eyes for a fleeting moment as the fog parted. Rudy gritted his teeth, then disappeared back into the thick mist.

Allen chuckled, scoffing, "What, you haven't eaten? Come on, hit me with something big!"

Undeterred by Allen's provocation, Rudy, as soon as Allen finished speaking, fired three more Rock Bullets, each sharpened even further.

The flashes of the blade twisted around Allen, still cutting the projectiles into several pieces that fell directly at his feet.

Allen glanced at the ground, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Looks like he still hasn't realized I've almost built up enough solid ground. I have places to put my feet now. Next, the moment Rudy casts his next spell, I'll pinpoint his location and, before he can disappear into the mist, strike with Sword God Style.

I can't just keep taking hits.

Allen exhaled, breaking free from the Immovable Rock technique, then let out a roar.

"Rudy! I see you!"

No sooner had he spoken than the mist to his immediate left surged. The next instant, a massive Ice Spear shot out from the fog.

Allen moved.

He stepped onto a "platform" less than five centimeters beneath the mud in front of him. The feeling of being unable to get a foothold in the mud instantly vanished. Strength flowed from his feet up into his body, and Allen felt incredibly light.

At this moment, Rudy's face was about to disappear into the fog again, and the Ice Spear was almost upon him.

Allen's gaze shifted. The tip of the Ice Spear and Rudy's face aligned for that instant, reflected in Allen's eyes.

He smiled, his lips parting as he looked at Rudy, who met his gaze with a hint of panic.

The two were a bit far apart, so Rudy didn't hear Allen's words clearly, but he read Allen's lips.

Allen had said...

"I see you."

The mist surged, creating visible ripples.

As Rudy watched, Allen stepped out of the ripples, calmly placing his blade about a meter in front of him.

The blade tip still vibrated.

"You lose."

As he spoke, the Ice Spear behind them snapped in two with a crack, falling limply into the mud.

The mist in front of Rudy's stunned face solidified smoothly, like flowing water.

You have grasped the essence of Sword God Style and mastered Soundless Katana. Sword God Style level increased: Sword God Style - Advanced.

Allen reached out to sheath his blade but found it was too warped to be put away.

He was silent for a moment, then asked telepathically, What about Water God Style?