Rudi panicked for a moment, then blinked and glanced at Alan's face. After hesitating, he tentatively said:
"So, you can't really do it, right? That was just a North God Style bluff."
The next second, a pebble sliced through the air and grazed Rudi's cheek, disappearing into the fog.
Rudi dazedly touched his cheek and looked at Alan, who was just pulling his hand back from a throwing stance.
The stone had come from his left hand—the one that hadn't been holding his sword.
Alan looked at Rudi's stunned expression, lowered his sword-hand as well, and chuckled:
"Just a reminder. Next time you meet a North God Style swordsman, be wary of that move."
Rudi stared at Alan for a while and sighed, getting up from the ground.
"I lost."
"Keep going."
Rudi was surprised, but Alan had already put away his smile and continued seriously:
"Think about it the other way around—if I didn't know how to throw a blade, you would have already completed the spell. So keep setting up. I want to see how far you can push me if I can't use the throw."
Rudi grew serious again.
"Alright."
Alan moved his legs in the mud.
"Don't get discouraged. Go all out. You don't want to lose twice in one match, right?"
Rudi squatted again and resumed casting Geothermal.
"Don't joke around, Alan. Once this fog spell completes, I'll..."
He raised his head and grinned.
"I'll win."
Soon after, Rudi's form vanished into the mist, which thickened until visibility dropped to less than five meters.
Alan quietly stared at the spot where Rudi had vanished.
Suddenly, a massive Stone Cannon hurtled through the fog! The wind it stirred left a gap in the mist, revealing Rudi's face. For that brief moment, their eyes met.
Alan was expressionless. Rudi smiled.
In the next second, Alan slashed the Stone Cannon apart with his aura-clad blade, splitting it in two as they fell to his sides.
He looked back to Rudi's position, now obscured again. But his instincts screamed—Rudi had moved.
"So he used the sound of my slash to cover his steps, and next he'll probably use thinner, quieter spells... like Ice Blades. After I slash those, he'll use the momentary noise to reposition again... hoping to bait me out and close in."
Alan tried to move in the mud—his pace was clearly hindered.
"Too much resistance. Geothermal hardened the lower layer of the sludge. Without firm footing, I can't close the gap quickly."
Alan lowered his eyelids and closed his eyes.
"Back to Water God Style again, huh? Thank the Dragon Saint Aura for enhancing my senses, or Rudi might have outlasted me. We're both reincarnators, but I have the Swordmaster system and I'm four years older. Even if he started 100 meters away, I can't accept losing like this."
Three Ice Blades silently approached through the fog, gliding gently to avoid disturbing it too much. Rudi's face briefly appeared again.
Alan remained still, eyes closed. An image of a short elderly woman smiling flashed in his mind.
"Last year I created that 'Iron Turtle Defense' technique... guess it's perfect for this situation."
As the Ice Blades neared his right ear, Alan lazily raised his sword. The blade danced among them.
With crisp cracks, the blades shattered into six clean shards—but oddly, they didn't fly off. Instead, they dropped straight down into the mud, as if their trajectory had been forcibly changed.
Alan's sword hovered at his side, and he "watched" the fading magical traces on the fallen blades, smiling.
Last year, Lieta had said:
"Using Water God Style's 'Flow Sense' as inspiration, abandon distant perception and concentrate all five senses within your sword's arc. You'll be able to detect and deflect all incoming attacks—physical or magical. Crude, but functional."
"Downsides? Obvious. Too passive, limited range, only good for tanking. And against faster or stronger opponents, you're toast. But still... not bad. Keep going, Alan. Master this and you'll become a Water Saint."
"A name? Hmm... solid as a rock in flowing waters... Let's call it 'Bedrock'."
Alan opened his eyes, smiling at the dense mist.
"Water God Style—self-created secret technique: Bedrock."
The fog swirled. This time, Ice Spears—thicker and denser—replaced the Ice Blades. But again, they broke mid-air and fell harmlessly.
Rudi seemed rattled. He quickly switched to spinning Stone Cannons.
Same result.
Alan's eyes briefly met Rudi's as the fog parted—he was gritting his teeth before vanishing again.
Alan chuckled.
"Come on, is that all you got? Give me a big one!"
Unbothered by Alan's provocation, Rudi fired off three more sharpened Stone Cannons.
They were sliced mid-air as well.
Alan glanced at the accumulating debris around his feet.
"Looks like he hasn't noticed yet. Enough footing has gathered. I'll use the next spell's origin point to locate him and close in with Sword God Style."
"Can't just sit here forever."
Alan exhaled deeply and broke free from Bedrock stance, shouting:
"Rudi! I can see you!!"
A burst of fog exploded to Alan's left. An Ice Spear surged forth!
Alan moved.
He stepped onto a hidden slab beneath the muck, suddenly finding solid footing. Energy surged up his legs, his body feeling light.
Rudi's face, nearly hidden in fog, was aligned with the spear's tip in Alan's view.
Alan smiled and mouthed his words clearly.
Rudi couldn't hear them, but he read Alan's lips:
"I see you."
Ripples spread in the fog.
Alan stepped forward from the disturbance, calmly placing his blade exactly one meter in front of Rudi.
The blade vibrated gently.
"You lost."
The Ice Spear shattered behind them with a crack, plunging into the swamp.
The mist flowed smoothly around Rudi's stunned expression.
[Comprehended Sword God Style fundamentals. Mastered Silent Blade. Sword God Style rank increased: Sword God Style—Advanced.]
Alan reached to sheath his blade, only to find the edge dulled and unusable.
He paused and asked mentally:
"What about Water God Style...?"
(End of Chapter)
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