Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

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Rudy panicked for a moment, then blinked and looked at Allen's face. After a brief hesitation, he tentatively said,

"So... you can't do it, right? This is just a trick from the North God style..."

The next instant, a small stone, spinning through the air, grazed Rudy's cheek and vanished into the thick fog.

Rudy touched his cheek in shock, then looked at Allen, who was retracting his throwing hand.

The stone had come from Allen's left hand—the one not holding his sword.

Allen, seeing Rudy's stunned expression, lowered his sword and chuckled.

"I'm just reminding you to be careful of this move if you ever face a North God style swordsman."

Rudy stared at Allen for a while, then sighed and stood up from the ground.

"I lose..."

"Keep going."

Rudy's eyes widened in surprise, but Allen's expression had turned serious.

"Think about it. If I didn't know how to throw, you would've already completed your magic. So, finish setting up your spell. I want to see how far you can push me under those conditions."

Rudy's expression also turned serious.

"Alright..."

Allen shifted his legs in the mud.

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

Rudy crouched down and began channeling geothermal energy again.

"Don't joke around, Allen. If I complete the dense fog spell, I..."

He looked up and grinned.

"...will win."

Not long after, Rudy's figure was engulfed by the rising fog. Soon, the visibility dropped to just five meters.

Allen calmly watched the spot where Rudy had disappeared into the fog.

Suddenly, a massive rock projectile shot through the fog, tearing a hole in the mist and revealing Rudy's face for a brief moment. Their eyes met.

Allen's expression remained neutral, while Rudy smirked.

In the next instant, Allen swung his sword, slicing the rock projectile in two with a sharp screech. The two halves fell to either side of him.

He looked back at Rudy's position, but the fog had already obscured him again. However, Allen's intuition told him Rudy had moved from his previous spot.

'Using the noise from the rock being split to hide his footsteps, huh? Next time, it won't be such a large projectile. It'll probably be something smaller, like an ice blade, to avoid disturbing the fog. If I cut it again, he'll use the noise to reposition... Can I dodge the attack and use the disturbance in the fog to locate him and close the distance?'

Allen took a couple of steps in the mud, feeling the resistance.

'...The mud is thicker than I thought. The geothermal energy must have solidified the lower layers. Without a solid foothold to support my weight, it'll be hard to close the distance quickly.'

Allen lowered his eyelids, then closed his eyes.

He sighed inwardly.

'In that case... I'll have to rely on my Water God style. Good thing the Dragon Saint's battle aura enhances my senses, or I might've been worn down by Rudy. Even though we're both reincarnated, I've got the swordsman's path system, and I'm four years older. Losing after starting a hundred meters apart would be too embarrassing.'

Three ice blades silently emerged from the fog, moving slowly to avoid disturbing the mist. The fog shifted slightly, revealing Rudy's face for a moment.

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

'Last year, I created a defensive technique called the Iron Tortoise. It's perfect for this situation.'

The ice blades were now inches from his right ear.

Still with his eyes closed, Allen lazily raised his sword. The blade danced through the air, slicing the ice blades into six neat pieces. But strangely, the fragments didn't fly away. Instead, they reversed direction and plunged into the mud at his feet.

It was as if their trajectory had suddenly changed.

Allen's sword hovered at his side as he "watched" the magical residue on the ice blades dissipate. He smiled faintly.

The words Reida had spoken to him last year echoed in his mind.

"Inspired by the Water God style's five secret techniques, particularly the 'Flow Sense,' you've abandoned the distraction of distant information and focused all your senses on the area within a meter of your blade. This allows you to fully grasp everything within that range and execute a simplified version of the 'Flow Sense.' Combined with your current mastery of the Flow Secret Art, you can deflect both physical and magical attacks... Not bad. Interesting."

"Drawbacks? They're obvious. First, the limited range of the simplified 'Flow Sense' makes you too passive—you can only turtle up and take hits. Second, against higher-level opponents whose speed exceeds your perception or whose attacks you can't deflect, it's useless. But still, it's impressive. Keep at it, Allen. Once you fully master it, you'll be a Water Saint."

"...Hmm? You want me to name it? 'Striking the water, steady as a rock'... Let's call it 'Bedrock.'"

Allen opened his eyes and smiled at the dense fog before him.

'The Water God style—self-created secret technique.'

'Bedrock.'

The fog churned as if realizing the ice blades were too weak. This time, a compressed ice spear shot toward Allen, but it too shattered into pieces and fell at his feet.

Rudy seemed to panic for a moment, then quickly repositioned and launched several high-speed rock projectiles.

Once again, they were sliced apart and fell into the mud.

Allen's gaze shifted, meeting Rudy's eyes through a brief gap in the fog. Rudy gritted his teeth and disappeared back into the mist.

Allen chuckled and taunted,

"What's wrong? Not strong enough? Bring out something bigger!"

Ignoring the provocation, Rudy fired three sharper rock projectiles in quick succession.

Allen's blade danced around him, cutting the projectiles into pieces that fell at his feet.

He glanced down, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

'He hasn't noticed yet... The footing is almost ready. Next time he casts a spell, I'll locate him and strike with the Sword God style before he can retreat into the fog.'

'I can't just keep taking hits...'

Allen exhaled, breaking free from the Bedrock technique, and shouted,

"Rudy! I see you!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the fog to his left surged, and a massive ice spear shot toward him.

Allen moved.

He stepped onto a "platform" hidden less than five centimeters beneath the mud. The feeling of instability vanished, and strength flowed from his feet to his body, making him feel incredibly light.

By now, Rudy's face was almost hidden again, and the ice spear was nearly upon him.

Allen's eyes shifted, aligning the tip of the ice spear with Rudy's face in his vision.

He smiled at Rudy, who looked slightly panicked, and mouthed words too quiet for Rudy to hear but clear enough to read:

"I see you."

The fog rippled, creating visible waves.

As Rudy watched in shock, Allen stepped through the ripples and calmly placed his blade a meter in front of Rudy.

The tip of the sword trembled slightly.

"You lose."

As the words fell, the ice spear shattered into two pieces behind them and fell into the mud.

The fog solidified like flowing water in front of Rudy's stunned face.

[Comprehended the essence of the Sword God style. Mastered the Silent Sword. Sword God style level increased: Sword God style—Advanced.]

Allen tried to sheathe his sword but found the blade too damaged to fit.

He paused, then asked inwardly,

'What about the Water God style?'

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 70 on my patreon, go take a look.