"What do you think?"
"I'll give you another chance to think it over. Want to sign up at a Water God Style dojo? The headquarters' assessment might be a little difficult, but you should have no problem signing up at a branch." Isolte was already getting a little impatient.
Her intuition told her that the person before her might be extremely well suited to Water God Style swordsmanship.
But to Isolte's surprise, he still refused without the slightest hesitation in the end.
"Heh heh heh, sorry!"
"Please allow me to refuse."
Luo Ge grinned, showing his gleaming white teeth.
"Huh?"
"You're just going to give up such a good opportunity when it's right in front of you?"
"So you really aren't that easy to persuade?"
Isolte was a little disappointed.
Children his age should have been the easiest to fool. Dangle some grand promise in front of them, and they would believe it.
Yet he had refused so decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.
He exchanged a glance with Isolte.
Luo Ge said, "...Sorry, I'm not the sort of person who's easily persuaded. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you can defeat me with your strength!"
Having said that, Luo Ge turned to continue walking, ready to leave.
To his surprise, Isolte moved first, rushing ahead to block his path before he could leave.
"In that case, I'll just have to get serious and defeat you. And while I'm at it... I'll show you what the Water God Style can do."
"And another thing..."
Pausing, Isolte suddenly tilted her head. "Newbie? That contemptuous attitude you showed toward the Water God Style really annoyed me, so I won't be holding back. I'll teach you a lesson right here today that you'll never forget."
"A lesson?"
"Interesting..."
Luo Ge muttered to himself as he looked at the gentle, intellectual woman before him, her long hair reaching her waist. A moment ago, she had still looked like a gentle, intellectual older sister, but now she seemed like a completely different person.
She had started taunting him right to his face.
The sheer contrast left Luo Ge briefly stunned and rather surprised... Only now did he suddenly realize.
"Hey, newbie?"
"...Don't tell me you're already too scared to accept?"
Listening to the girl's provocations, Luo Ge found the tactic somewhat familiar. When he fought Paul in the past, he had often unleashed his ultimate right in Paul's face like this.
He had never expected... that one day, the boomerang would come back to hit him.
An ultimate to the face!
Apparently, this was a special little skill exclusive to Water God Style swordsmen. Before battle, every Water God Style disciple would politely offer their regards to their opponent's entire family.
Especially so.
You had to admit, the tactic worked particularly well against simple-minded Sword God Style swordsmen... because most practitioners of the Sword God Style knew only how to swing their swords and were not particularly good at scheming.
Thus, these polite greetings were essentially a little skill the Water God Style had developed specifically to deal with the Sword God Style.
Luo Ge glanced at her lightly pursed lips. Clearly, he had already guessed that this was a deliberate attempt to anger him.
So he followed her example and said to Isolte,
"Well..."
"It's not that I don't want to accept. It's just... I'm afraid I might use too much force and hurt you."
"If I injured you, I couldn't afford the expensive medical bills."
At those words.
The smile on Isolte's face visibly stiffened, and her hand involuntarily tightened around her sword.
Luo Ge spoke very calmly, as though defeating her, Isolte, were something simple and easy.
That matter-of-fact attitude, as though... as though he was certain he could beat her?
Was he kidding?
She was Isolte, a prodigy of the Water God Style, a woman who would swear to become the Water God in the future. And now some novice swordsman was looking down on her.
"Honestly... For some reason, this is really starting to piss me off," Isolte muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Luo Ge continued his verbal barrage against Isolte. "You look like a stiff breeze could knock you over. Your swordsmanship must be pretty half-baked too, right?"
"I won't fight a weakling like that. Even if I beat you, there wouldn't be any sense of accomplishment, would there?"
"Shut up!"
"You tell me to shut up, and I'm supposed to shut up? Wouldn't shutting up make you look good?"
"..."
Isolte stared fixedly at him, feeling increasingly agitated. But then, as though something had occurred to her, she quickly adjusted her mindset.
She chuckled.
"So that's it. I've run into someone in the same trade. I suppose you're a Water God Style swordsman who's only just started too? I wonder how good you are?"
"Are you still at the level of a Beginner Rank Swordsman? Oh, no, I imagine you aren't even a Beginner Rank Swordsman yet. How pitiful..."
"A Beginner Rank Swordsman?"
"You're right. I'm certainly not a Beginner Rank Swordsman, but at least I think I'm more than capable of handling a weakling like you."
"Oh! Right."
"Listen carefully! The person who's going to beat you now is called Rudeus Greyrat!"
"..."
By now, Isolte's forehead was covered in dark lines. Originally, she had only intended to show Luo Ge, a newcomer, the power of the Water God Style.
But after hearing Luo Ge's outrageous arrogance, a cold glint flashed through Isolte's narrowed eyes.
Everyone who knew Isolte knew.
This was an expression she only wore when she was very serious.
When Isolte heard Luo Ge still yammering away without stopping, she finally lost her patience.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
"You're so damn noisy."
"Brat! Is running your mouth all you can do? Remember this! The person who's going to defeat you now is called Isolte, the woman destined to become the Water God!"
"The Water God?"
"Your chest isn't big, but your talk sure is. Then let me tell you something too!"
"From now on... I've changed my mind. At first, I wanted to become the Sword God, but now, rather than the Sword God... I think being the Water God sounds pretty good too. It's just that the Water God seems more than a little inferior to the Sword God."
"Otherwise, why isn't the Water God ranked among the Seven Great Powers? How strange... Really, how strange."
Those last few remarks seemed to have truly touched Isolte's sore spot.
Revering the Water God.
Making progress, little by little, toward becoming the Water God...
All this time, ever since she was little, she had made becoming the Water God her lifelong goal.
Every day, every second...
She had persevered tirelessly to become the Water God, constantly working hard to swing her sword, leaving early and returning late as she trained diligently in swordsmanship at the dojo.
All so that one day, she could become the Water God.
But.
This person stood before her, speaking with such a casual, joking attitude, spouting bullshit about wanting to become the Water God for fun. To Isolte, this was no different from unleashing an ultimate right in her face.
Damn it!
This person... Just what did he take her Will of Water for?
To hell with defensive counterattacks.
The flames of anger had already ignited in Isolte's heart. Despite her rigorous Water God Style training, which allowed her to forcibly suppress her anger.
At this moment, Isolte truly did not want to hold back. After all, a Water Saint against a novice-the advantage was hers.
Seeing Isolte charge straight at him... without another word!
Huh?
Wait, what?
Weren't you a Water God Style swordswoman?
Why were you acting just like a Sword God Style swordsman?
The Water God Style excelled at defensive counterattacks, while this reckless, headlong charge was clearly the Sword God Style's way of fighting.
The moment he saw Isolte charging toward him with her sword in hand, Luo Ge himself was honestly dumbfounded.
P.S. Please support this book by leaving a five-star review and sending some free little gifts. This book's numbers aren't very good, so this might be the end. I'm on my knees begging you, godfathers.