Chapter 28: Thundercloud and the Bath Incident Escalation

"[Further increased favorability with Rudeus and Sylphy. Childhood arc involvement improved.]

[Current Phase: Childhood Arc | Cumulative Involvement Score: 60 Points]

[Evaluation: Didn't expect flexing would raise favorability, huh.]

Allen frowned at the system panel floating in front of him.

"What? Where did I even flex? Where is this favorability coming from?"

He turned to look at Sylphy, who was staring blankly in their direction. Then he glanced at Rudeus, who was equally dazed.

"...This makes no sense."

"Hey Rudeus, stop zoning out. Crank up the mana and fire again. Look, Sylphy is completely mesmerized by you."

Rudeus blinked, pulled back from his overthinking, and glanced toward Sylphy. His lips twitched.

'Dammit, she's totally starry-eyed. This is the path I chose, huh?'

'Allen's strength is beyond what I imagined. He definitely didn't just stare that water blast apart... I couldn't even see him move. If this had been a real fight, I'd have already been decapitated—no, he'd probably rest his sword on my neck and say something cool like, "You still have a long way to go." Damn it.'

'I need to step up. When I meet Roxy again, I need to at least look like I can fight back, even if I can't win. Not that we were ever together, but still...'

Driven by that sense of crisis, Rudeus took a deep breath and raised his hand.

"Alright! Here I come!"

Allen's pupils shrank. In his view, water gathered in front of Rudeus, forming a surge even larger than before.

With a boom, the torrent surged at Allen!

"Twenty Slash."

Allen's whisper was inaudible over the water roar, but the massive blast once again split before reaching him. However, this time—something unexpected followed.

A jagged boulder launched right behind the water burst.

"Water Cannon! Rock Bullet!"

The timing was perfect. The Rock Bullet burst through the water shield, flying directly at Allen's face.

Despite its size—only as big as Rudeus's face—Allen's enhanced vision captured every spinning edge.

The world went silent.

Allen's breath filled his lungs. Dragon-tier Dōki surged from his core, dyeing his aura.

'Interesting. He hid a Rock Bullet behind the Water Cannon... Twenty Slash will dull the blade. So let's try—'

'Water God Style: Secret Technique—'

'Pluck the String.'

Allen twisted his sheathed sword slightly and flicked the hilt upward.

Ping!

The sword hilt struck the bottom of the Rock Bullet, redirecting it. It whooshed past Allen's cheek, lifting his bangs. The blade itself clanged into the ground beside him.

Allen plucked the blade from the ground, spun it once in the air, and sheathed it gracefully.

Then he turned to Rudeus and clapped.

"Nice move. Setting up a Rock Bullet during the Water Cannon cast—that's sneakier than actual composite magic. You've got a good grasp of North God flow, even if you didn't formally study it."

Rudeus stared at the ruined terrain around Allen, slightly disheartened.

"The gap between us is huge. You didn't even move."

Allen blinked innocently.

"Just lucky~ Keep at it. Next time—"

"Rock Bullet!"

Allen casually kicked the projectile aside, embedding it into the ground.

He continued speaking without missing a beat.

"—You'll definitely hit me. Though, this one felt a bit slower. Were you distracted?"

Rudeus sighed.

"That's the fastest I can cast it right now. Any slower and you'd dodge easily."

"Come on, again—"

"No! Sylphy already saw enough! Besides, we have a match in two months, remember?"

"But that time, I'll fight back. This time's your chance to land a clean hit."

"Ugh. Ice Blade!"

Allen caught the conjured ice shard effortlessly.

Because of its sword-like shape, his depth perception adjusted perfectly. He crushed it with his hand and tossed the shards aside.

Rudeus turned and bolted.

"I'm done! I'm out! You can't make me do this again!"

Allen chuckled and followed.

"Aw, come back~ One more shot!"

"NO!"

—

But things didn't go as Allen expected.

When he saw Sylphy staring up at him with sparkling eyes, hands clasped, he realized he might've started something big.

"I want to learn swordsmanship! Like how you caught the ice barehanded!"

"Ah... that technique requires high-level Dōki and sword control. I don't think—"

Rudeus tried to slip away but was caught and dragged back.

"We demonstrated already! If she still wants swordsmanship, it's out of my hands! Maybe you should—"

Allen suddenly turned serious.

"She's not suited for swordsmanship. But... maybe the spectacle wasn't impressive enough. You need to go bigger."

"Huh?"

Their eyes met. Rudeus slowly caught on.

"You don't mean—"

Allen nodded, eyes twinkling.

"Yep. It's time for the legendary spell Roxy taught you: Thunderstorm Cumulonimbus!"

'Yes! The scene that started everything! If I don't see this, what's the point of being in Mushoku Tensei?!'

(End of Chapter)

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