Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 355: Lightning vs Water

Chapter 355: Lightning vs Water

In the air, slowmo, he witnessed Princess Otohime’s face twist in rage.

"So many gods have blessed you, but it won’t save you! I’ll take your eye, and with its power, I’ll escape this island and its cursed fog!"

The goddess was unexpectedly fast and she unleashed a barrage of water attacks. Jets of water shot towards Kazi, sharp as blades, and columns of water erupted from the floor, attempting to ensnare him. Each spell was no real spell; merely divine power manifesting into killing intent. Yet, to her growing frustration, Kazi ran through the whips and bullets of water unscathed, his body shielded by Varuna’s blessing.

Kazi realized that without the boon, he would have had to either rely on his agility and Foresight to evade her relentless attacks or counter with his own water spells. The latter would have spelled defeat. The princess’ divine right to water would have overwhelmed his spells without exception. But with the boon, funnelling everything he had into close-quarter combat, he had a direct path to her.

The ensnaring, the jets of water, nothing worked. His foot had already sprung off the tiny platform, the momentum carrying him.

"Super Spark Strike—"

"Waterfall Barrier!"

A massive waterfall came in between them. Kazi failed to penetrate it with Stormedge. He bounced back and found himself negating the water again like indestructible rock.

Fury twisted Otohime’s features. Kazi could feel her magical energy swell. She was about to unleash her most powerful attack yet. "King of the Dragons, your daughter beseeches you!" From a raised arm, she summoned a massive sphere of water, compacted with such pressure that it glowed with an intense blue light. Kazi activated his Foresight. The sphere turned into a spear.

Princess Otohime personally gripped and hurled the spear at Kazi, the artificial water weapon moving with such speed and force that...

He saw nothing.

Nothing except the air warping.

Nothing but his blood gushing out.

This attack would work. Why? Ah, Kazi deduced an explanation: it must be because of the ratio of raw mana versus water. If eighty percent of the spear was composed of raw mana, then only the remaining twenty percent of water would be negated.

But if that was the case...

’Wait, no—!’ Kazi’s eyes widened. The vision ended too abruptly. The vision did not last long enough. This spear, his body was too slow to react with it. ’Even with Foresight—’

With no time to jump or dodge or activate Super Spark Strike, he raised Stormedge and braced himself. The spear struck with a thunderous impact and—

SNAP!

Obliterated Stormedge from the half-up. His eyes went wide. Oh god. Oh no! Kazi prepared himself to be blown back. That...didn’t happen. His chest negated the remaining energy. Lucky.

He panted, shocked at his own survival. So was Princess Otohime, it seemed.

Kazi drew in a long breath. ’That was way too fast! There’s no way a player could react to it, especially on their first try. If it wasn’t for the Boon...’ His eyes narrowed, his hand gripping the broken sword in his hand. ’But wait...I saw blood. I saw pain. So how come...’

The Boon...changed the vision? Yes, that had to be it. The boon of the Hindu god had disrupted the vision. Shifted its outcome.

’Like that changes my predicament. I have to act, now!’

Princess Otohime raised an arm and opened her mouth to chant only to go wide-eyed as Kazi dashed towards her, the broken Stormedge sparkling intensely. He moved faster than she could react, closing the distance in an instant. With a powerful swing, he struck her wand, shattering it into pieces.

’Knew it!’

The force of the blow sent Otohime stumbling backward, her control over the water momentarily disrupted. The wand was nothing more than a point of focus for it. Now that it was broken, her control of mana would become rougher.

"Super Spark Strike!"

Clang!

The jagged end of his broken blade slightly tore through the shoulder of her kimono and met flesh harder than any metal he had encountered. The shock was brief but did not cause him hesitation.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kazi proceeded to throw a flurry of Super Spark Strikes that kept her on the defensive. Her arms attempted to block him, her turtle-shaped sleeve flowing and moving, but he was too fast.

Super Spark Strike! Super Spark Strike! Super Spark Strike!

And yet blood was never drawn. The kimono tore slightly but never too much. Kazi didn’t understand. ’What the hell is she made of!?’

His attacks were receiving flashes of pain but it was akin to a paper cut. Grimaces signifying that Super Spark Strike was nothing more than a bug bite.

But even bug bites could lead to death. He kept going. He kept striking her with his blade. But upon seeing the way her arms were attempting to keep up, he figured it out. The reason why she was so durable was because—

"Get away!" Otohime regained her footing after the thirtieth strike and retaliated by summoning a series of rapid water whips from behind. Kazi jumped high to dodge and deflect them. The speed of the water whips were absurd. One struck his abdomen, though ultimately did nothing because of Varuna’s Boon.

’She is damaging me though. By destroying that mana, she’s instinctively using more mana. However, I don’t believe she’s figured out that raw mana works better than me.’

Landing, he burst forward again, plowing through whatever barriers of water she had in store. One barrier, two barriers, three barriers—

The fourth got him and he couldn’t penetrate through it. Kazi backed off the throne, the broken Stormedge by his side. Princess Otohime protected herself with a single wall of water. This type of barrier was no Waterfall Barriers, created fast without much care for durability.

The castle trembled, the walls beginning to crack and crumble. The roof was already gone. The whips of water and their intensity were causing the remaining support to buckle down.

Kazi considered his options. ’Waterfall Barrier, Great Water Dragon, all the water spells I learned are useless here. Princess Otohime will take control of them and swipe them right back at me. A waste of mana for both of us.’

At this point, she wasn’t aware of his Ultra Magic Barrier. ’I’ll summon the Ultra Magic Barrier if she tries to surprise me with a non-water attack. No doubt, considering her mana reserves, it could be an attack capable of killing me.’

Lazily, he walked forward, his intent to kill receding. His left eye pulsed. Princess Otohime was thrown off. Eyes narrowing, she lifted an arm. Twenty different whips of water struck at him.

That was the future.

Time to change it.