Power Form

As he searched for a solution, the golems continued their offense. Fortunately, although their attacks were relentless, Shui could see a pattern in them. Shui managed to shatter the slender golems a few times, but then they came back as good as new. He might be holding up for now, but in addition to the increasing rate of him taking hits, as he didn't have complete control over his divine force, he would soon lose the power to fairly compete with the golems.

'If only I could tell where the core was.'

Frustrated by his inability to do any true damage, Shui gritted his teeth. As long as he knew where the core was, these golems would be no threat. If only he knew where it was then he could simply,

'That's it!'

Latching onto the idea he had, Shui entered the Still Heart state to maximise the efficiency of his mental processes. Once in the Still Heart state, Shui used minimal strength to direct one slender golem into blocking the other, and then while they were entangled, he knocked them towards the red and yellow golems with a strong palm.

Shui glanced at the red spirit who floated in the air with closed eyes, and then went ahead with his plan. With this opportunity where he was temporarily free of attackers and observation, Shui used the Omniscient Eyes art to truly open his eyes. A blue light flashed, freezing the golems in place and exposing their intricacies to Shui's eyes. As she sensed this mystical fluctuation, the red spirit wanted to see what was happening but she couldn't excuse herself from dealing with the new-born spirit.

Although he thought that he would be fine using his Sage God Eyes, with the Omniscient Eyes art he realised that he hadn't scratched the surface of the power of his eyes. Therefore, with his eyes on their highest possible output, Shui felt a throbbing pain in his head.

'I have to be quick.'

Walls and obstacles no longer had meaning to his glowing blue eyes, everything was presented as runes and symbols. Among the runes that composed the golems, he saw a speck wrapped around a particularly bright rune. Shui was sure that he found the core, but as if it sensed his intent the speck haphazardly blinked all over inside the golem. He could still keep track of the speck, but not well enough to give it a solid hit on his first try.

'It's not enough. I need more.'

Urged by the frantic desire to see more, Shui tried using the Tome of Shadows as well. With the Perception Chapter, he felt all five of his senses getting sharper but he quickly focused everything on his eyes. That was when the change happened.

The flashing movement of the speck slowed down in his eyes, as if it had been suppressed by his divine aura.

Shui recalled the times when he wished he had advanced to the Stealth Chapter, but as he drew out his insights on the Perception Chapter he was reminded why this was an art left behind by a god.

He could track the cores with his Sage God Eyes, and predict their seemingly random movements after using the power of the Perception Chapter. He was now ready to destroy it. However, when he got to this stage, Shui's sharpened mind picked up on another potential issue.

'I can't punch them.'

He possessed the power to smash through the golems, but the core he was aiming for was the size of a singular rice grain. He couldn't be sure that his fist would be able to destroy it properly. Therefore, he took out Sui.

By the time he pulled out his blade, the golems were ready to continue fighting, but in the break between rounds, Shui gained the confidence to beat them.

The slender golems pounced while heat gathered in the red golems' cannons, but Shui stood his ground and kept his sword in a neutral stance.

Still under the effects of his Sage God Eyes, Still Heart state and the Tome of Shadows, Shui intuitively sensed the most effective way to swing his sword.

He needed to guarantee that these golems were finished, that meant perfectly cutting through them.

'What I need now isn't speed, but accuracy and power. The power to cut through everything in my path.'

As Sui was a part of him, he didn't fear that it would break. When the slender golems were only a couple feet away, Shui raised his blade and extended it to more than twice his height. And then, from instinct, he formed the image of his technique.

"Unorthodox Blade Method, Power Form, First Stance: Cutting Mountains and Parting Seas."

It was a single diagonal slash, there were no energy fluctuations, and he only used pure strength, and yet, in front of him lay five golems each split into two. The individual pieces of the golems shook as if responding to a signal, but that was all they could do. Certain that they were done for, Shui closed his eyes and returned Sui to within himself. There was still some pain in his head, but he could feel himself improving.

"Looks like you didn't need my help," said the red spirit as she floated down to Shui's shoulder. She was upset that she wasn't able to witness him using his divine power so there was a sharp tone in her voice.

"No, I was only able to pull out my full power because I could leave my back to you."

"Hmph, it seems your tongue is still as good as your skills."

The red spirit snorted and flew towards the carved wall while Shui followed her with a wry smile. He was grateful for her presence but he still didn't think it was time to reveal his secrets to her yet.

When Miss Spirit touched the wall, there was a brief rumbling sound before it parted and allowed them entry. Past the wall was a sight so bright that Shui almost mistook it for an illumination spell. However, it wasn't something so disappointing. In the room that was the size of a small storage shed, were pure red and yellow elemental crystals, as well one large crystal which emitted the dazzlingly bright light.

"Tch, it's not as pure as I hoped it would be," commented Miss Spirit.

The purity of an elemental crystal deposit was dependent on the purity of the crystals themselves and the types of crystals at the core. Although the red spirit was disappointed, this deposit would still be among the purest ever discovered in the Alterna Kingdom. Additionally, Shui thought it was better this way.

He wasn't sure at first glance, but after scanning the large crystal with his spiritual senses Shui shook with the realisation that he was able to find one of the things he was looking for.

"Miss Spirit, can I have that natural crystal?"

"That one? I don't mind, but we should probably kick out the squatter first."

Shui understood what the red spirit meant, so he suppressed his joy and kept his guard up. He had closed his eyes, but the Tome of Shadows was still active so Shui managed to sense the natural energy that was already gathering here, coalesce into an image. The eyes were too big and there were no ears but it seemed to be a giant human face.

And from the mouth of that face came one word.

"LEAVE!"