Chapter 27: Allen's Strength, Come Forth, Stormcloud!

[Further increase favorability with Rudeus and Sylphy. Childhood phase participation enhanced.]

[Current phase: Childhood. Total participation score: 54 points.]

[Evaluation: I didn't expect showing off would actually raise favorability.]

Allen frowned at the system panel drifting before him.

"Wait a second. When did I show off? Where's this favorability coming from?"

He turned toward the hill where Sylphy stood, dazed, staring in their direction.

Then to Rudeus, who was similarly stunned.

"...What the hell?"

"Hey, Rudeus, snap out of it. Pour in more mana and shoot again. Look, Sylphy's totally captivated by you."

Rudeus blinked back to awareness and glanced toward Sylphy, lips twitching.

"There it is. The classic dense protagonist. Damn it, I chose this path myself."

"Still... Allen's strength is beyond what I imagined. No way he just glared the water apart. I didn't even see him swing his sword. No wonder he insisted on distance. In a real fight, my head would probably be rolling. Or he'd just put his blade to my neck and say something cool like 'You're not there yet.'"

"I can't slack off. If I want to face Roxy again... what if she looks at him instead of me?"

Fueled by urgency, Rudeus drew in a deep breath and thrust out his palm.

"Here I come!"

Allen's pupils contracted. Before him, water rapidly gathered into a swirling torrent even larger than the boar head he once obliterated. Even the grass at Rudeus's feet was drawn into the current.

With a thunderous boom, the water cannon roared toward Allen!

"Twentieth Slash."

With an almost inaudible murmur, Allen split the surging mass cleanly before him. But instead of Rudeus behind the water, he saw a jagged rock.

"Water Cannon! Rock Bullet!"

They were moving so fast that only after Allen split the water did Rudeus's voice reach the hill.

The Rock Bullet pierced through the dispersed water, hurtling straight at Allen's face.

Though about the size of Rudeus's head, the rugged contours of the stone were clear in Allen's dynamic vision. The world seemed to slow down:

Sound disappeared.

Wind pressed against Allen's chest, damp and smelling of earth. The Rock Bullet spun clockwise, its image perfectly reflected in Allen's grey pupils.

Allen's breath remained steady. A surge of heat rose from his core, Dragon Battle Aura infusing his body and dyeing his innate Battle Aura.

"Hiding a Rock Bullet behind a Water Cannon... Not bad. But using Twentieth Slash again will dull my blade. In that case..."

"Water God Style—Secret Technique."

"Pluck the String."

Breaking free from slow-motion perception, Allen shifted his sheathed blade slightly off track. As the tip skimmed the scabbard, he released the hilt and flicked it upward with his battle-aura infused finger.

In a blink, the hilt shot upward, clinking against the Rock Bullet's underside.

A soft aura gently altered the stone's course. It tilted up and skimmed past Allen's cheek, lifting his bangs.

The blade clinked back down at Allen's feet, vibrating gently.

Allen casually drew the sword, twirled it once, and sheathed it with a flourish.

Then looked to Rudeus, who was making a ridiculous martial arts pose.

"Not bad, not bad. You prepared the Water Cannon while secretly casting Rock Bullet with your other hand. Not technically composite magic, but even more surprising."

"Everything can be used like North God Style. You and your dad might not have studied it, but you understand the essence."

Rudeus glanced at the ravaged ground beside Allen and sighed.

"So... the gap between us is really that big? You just stood there and took all of it."

Allen blinked.

"Beginner's luck, beginner's luck~ Keep at it. Next time—"

"Rock Bullet!"

Allen casually deflected the sneak attack with his foot, sending it into a muddy pit.

Still smiling, he continued:

"—you'll definitely improve. Though... that last one seemed slower. Losing focus?"

Rudeus clenched his teeth.

"That's the best I can do right now. If I wait too long, you'll dodge."

"One more time. This is fun."

"No!"

"C'mon, just one more~"

"No! Sylphy saw it already! Why again?! And our real match is two months from now!"

"But in two months, I'll be fighting back. Now's your only chance to hit me freely~"

"Ugh... it'll miss anyway. Ice Blade!"

Allen caught the small Ice Blade between his fingers. Curious, he studied its form.

It resembled a sword, so with his blade training, he instinctively snatched it midair.

Rudeus paled and bolted uphill, shouting as he ran:

"I'm done! I'm never doing this again!"

Allen tossed the Ice Blade down, shattering it, then jogged after him.

"Wait~ One more, come on~"

"No!"

Unexpectedly, Allen was stunned.

Before him, Sylphy stood with shining eyes, palms pressed together, and a serious expression.

"I want to learn swordsmanship! Like the one where you caught the ice with your bare hand!"

"Uh... that requires high battle aura and sword skill. I'm not sure that's..."

Rudeus, sensing trouble, tried to sneak away but Allen grabbed him back.

"The demonstration's over! If Sylphy still doesn't want to learn from me, what can I do? Why don't you teach her sword instead?"

But Allen turned to him with a serious look.

"She's really not suited for swordsmanship... but the fight just now wasn't enough. We need something that truly stuns her."

"Huh?"

They exchanged a glance.

Rudeus blinked.

"You mean..."

Allen looked to Sylphy, standing quietly with her hands behind her back, and nodded excitedly.

"Yes. That Saint-level spell you learned from Roxy: Stormcloud Thunderblast!"

"Yes! This is the dream moment! If we don't show her that, what's even the point of this Mushoku isekai!?"

(Note: More creative liberties will be taken with sword techniques and styles later on due to original lacking detail, especially in Water God Style.)

(End of Chapter)

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