As soon as the call echoed, the dirt beneath Allen's feet exploded outward, launching him like a cannonball straight at Rudi.
Only to be met with a true "cannonball" of a different kind.
A barrage of massive water spheres, each nearly a meter in diameter, formed a dense wall—a "water shield" made up of what looked like a mosaic of blue balloons suspended midair. And it wasn't a single layer—Rudi kept casting, thickening the wall.
Allen smiled as he gripped his blade, narrowing his eyes.
'Quite the display... but this time, I won't rely solely on Kenjutsu Ryuu (Sword God Style). I need to cut through and keep my speed... I need a deeper, wider strike. Thrust Slash won't work here... then...'
"Hokushin Ryuu—Battle Style—Stance Two."
Exploding off the ground, Allen twisted midair, his blade arcing around in a full circle. As he completed the charge-up, his body flew toward the water wall.
Douki (battle aura) surged.
"Entenzan (Sky-Cleaving Slash)!"
Blade infused with Douki, Allen slashed. A giant crescent of energy sheared the wall in two. He burst through the gap, slicing through new incoming water spheres.
Water burst around him, flooding the grass, but Allen only moved faster, dancing across the lake-like terrain with unrelenting velocity.
He looked up—Rudi was retreating, firing water spheres as he bounced back using Fuuki (air blast) spells. Two bursts per jump—one for recoil, one for stabilization.
'So that's why the aim is loose. He can't stabilize midair... but it's too slow.'
Water spells exploded around Allen, but he weaved through them with precision, untouchable. The gap shrunk—fifty meters!
Rudi's expression sharpened. "Waterfall! Ice Pillar!"
Allen sidestepped, expecting an ice trap beneath. Nothing. He looked up.
A massive cylindrical column of water spiraled around Rudi, then crashed downward. Instantly, ice spiked up from the newly soaked ground.
"Rock Bullet!"
Compressed into a blade, the projectile struck the ice, forming footholds. Rudi stepped on them, launching himself atop an ice chunk, then fired another spell:
"Rock Bullet!"
Allen flinched, expecting impact—none came. Rudi had faked it, using Fuuki again to launch the ice chunk forward, surfing it like a snowboarder.
'That's... actually genius.'
A real Rock Bullet finally fired. Allen deflected it with his sword, Douki roaring inside him as his internal Ryuu Core pulsed. He slashed through an Ice Lance and parted the muddy water with a high wave.
Another few breaths. Distance: thirty meters!
Rudi shouted excitedly, "Allen! Watch this hybrid spell!"
"Mire!"
Allen's eyes gleamed. 'The classic. Mire—his signature trap.'
But young Rudi couldn't instant-cast wide-range versions yet. Allen smirked. He slashed at his feet, splitting the forming mud with wind pressure, leaping to a safer patch.
Only to land directly into another muddy patch.
"...?"
Allen stared at his trapped legs.
From afar, Rudi grinned. "Those water spells weren't for show! I saturated the terrain on purpose. Now look around—this entire hill is a trap!"
Allen hacked down an incoming Ice Lance and scanned his surroundings.
A full mirefield.
Rudi had saturated the terrain with Waterball and Waterfall spells. All it took was the Mire trigger to activate the transformation. The entire base of the hill was now a giant swamp.
Rudi slammed several Ice Lances into the ground.
"But even if you're slowed by the mire," he shouted, "you'll still dodge my spells with Suijin Ryuu (Water God Style) perception!"
Allen smirked. "So?"
Rudi smiled and launched a Fireball at the ice—steam exploded, fog quickly forming.
He pointed to his eyes. "So I'll blind your senses!"
Hands pressed to the ground, he kept staring at Allen.
"Chuudan Mahou—Thermal Ground! Hybrid Spell—Thick Mist! Welcome to real-world physics!"
Steam billowed up rapidly, swallowing the hillside.
Allen clicked his tongue. 'So proud he's narrating in his head like I can't hear him...'
He lifted his blade, aiming at Rudi's crouched silhouette. "But if I kill the spellcaster mid-cast, the spell ends."
Rudi flinched. "W-What do you mean? I could dodge with magic if you approach!"
Allen shifted into a throwing stance.
"Hokushin Ryuu teaches blade throwing. In a real fight, you'd already be dead the moment you crouched."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]