Chapter Six: Teamwork

My thought was blank with confusion.
{You are just a human after all, I cant blame you if you cant do a simple thing like that.}
Her tone carried both mockery and pity.
Why you…………!
Anger skittered across my skin.
SWOOSH
I forced myself to attempt what she described.
“Did I do it?”
My voice trembled with hope.
{Not bad, you only moved half the distance but that’s okay for your first time.}
She praised me with a softness that felt almost maternal.
Of course I can do it………..! Just who do you think I am?
Pride roared back, uncontained.
{Oh~ getting cocky are we? Now continue until it becomes second nature.}
Her encouragement came with a challenge.
Hmm……… Wait, are you ordering me?
I pretended indignation, but I was already moving.
{.………….. Pretty please~.}
She begged with a childlike lilt.
HAHAHA That’s the way…………… It doesn’t matter if you are a goddess or beyond. I’m above all of you!!
My laughter was thunderous, ridiculous and free.
{I’m a god!!!!  And I don’t want to hear that from a pathetic being who cant move 1000km per second.}
She roared back, wounded pride in her statement.
I-I was just warming up back then, I’ll show you how a true god does it.
My determination felt like iron.
SWOOOSH
I pushed further, motion a blur of motion and intent.
{Pathetic! Is that all you’ve got!? Even a human can move faster!}
Her mockery was relentless.
SWOOOOSH
{Boring!}
SWOOOOOSH
{Hmph! You are making me sleepy.}
Her boredom was theatrical—an insult and a spur.
SWOOOOOOOOOSH       SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
The world became streaks of color and sound.
SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
My speed stretched into something obscene.
Impact arrived like a punctuation mark.
The ground complained and broke apart.
What happened? I’m stuck?
Bewilderment bloomed—then panic.
{You are stuck in a mountain. You destroyed many buildings on your way here and right now you are twenty meters deep and 60 more to the other side. Thus rises another weakness.}
Her diagnosis was clinical. My body had momentum; my awareness lagged behind.
Weakness? She doesn’t have to make it sound lame.
I bristled at her tone.
I started walking backwards to get out of the caving I made when…….
Instinct pushed me away from the pressure.
{Why are you moving backwards?}
Her question was sharp.
Why………………? Am I moving backwards?
Confusion tasted cold in my mouth.
{You heard me right. You are no longer human, you should act like a god and move forward no matter the situation.}
Her command was simple and maddening.
You are telling me to walk through…………. A mountain?
The disbelief came out in a single, ragged line.
{Exactly! It’s not that big a deal, you only need to apply a little force.}
She made it sound child’s play.
A little force? I see…………
I tried to steady my breath and picture the mountain as something malleable.
CRUMBLE CRUMBLE
The first cracks shattered into dust.
I-I’m walking!
Triumph trembled in my voice.
The rock crumbles as soon as I touch it.
The sensation was like touching brittle glass—then watching it fall away.
{You did it……… Now let’s move on to the other training. Where are you right now?}
Her focus never wavered; training was a ladder we had to climb.
I’m………. In class 1(The city home to year 1 classes)
I answered, amazed.
{That’s right, it’s 5000km away from the capital(High schools). You made it here in less than 4 minutes. The only problem is you lack awareness to your surroundings when you are moving.}
She measured distances like a mapmaker measuring roads.
It’s true. I don’t remember seeing anything on my way here.
Guilt and pride tangled inside me.
{Enough about that, let’s do some Zinertia training. You will be using it a lot today so be careful you don’t run out of energy.}
Her warning was practical. Power without reserves was a furnace with no coal.
Yes! Here we go…………. Think of your left hand as a gun and……………. Hmm? It’s not working?
My focus wavered. The instruction felt simple and impossibly precise.
{You don’t have to rush, you are not using any energy at all. You have to control the flow from your whole being.}
Her patient coach’s voice cut through my impatience.
Calm down…………. Even this good for nothing goddess was able to do it. Channel all my energy……….
I forced myself inward—like threading a needle in a storm.
GZIIIIIIIIIINGGG
The sound rose, electric and full.
Whoa!!
A thrill sparked through me.
It’s about 30cm.
The blade shimmered, modest and deadly.
{You gained confidence yesterday, so your power increased……… Now try cutting the rocks over there.}
She pointed, and the target loomed: raw stone, a test waiting for a blade.
To my left were rocks of about 4 meters wide.
They sat like quiet judges.
GZIIIIIIIIINGG
The blade sang and I swung my left arm to cut horizontally…….
It's a violent ballet—the motion practiced enough to be instinct.
But I applied too much force in my swing and fell once the rock was sliced.
My momentum betrayed me; force that had been needed elsewhere became my undoing.
“What’s this? It’s like I only cut through….. air!”
Confusion tasted of dust and adrenaline.
{That’s nothing…….. Even a god falls down within seconds after receiving an attack from Zinertia.}
She explained the weapon’s nature—a blind and brutal recoil.
Amazing!
Even her half-sarcastic praise felt like fuel.
{Now try summoning anything you want.}
The instruction was an invitation.
Summon? What do I want to summon?
I blinked, searching for a toy to bend into a test.
I know…………
Reckless showmanship crept back.
Summon!
I raised my right hand above my head and…..
The movement felt like casting a net into an invisible sea.
The world rearranged itself obediently.
I summoned the rock I just cut and it rested on my right hand above my head like a piece of paper.
It hovered as if mocking gravity—heavy in thought but featherlight in feel.
It looked heavy but it’s like I was carrying a feather.
My muscles hummed with contradiction.
{Impressive, I didn’t think you would be able to summon something this big.}
She sounded genuinely impressed, and it thrilled me.
Think again……….. Goddess~
Her teasing pushed me further.
“I’ll show you a trick.” Trying to show off to her………….
The words were a dare and a promise both.
I tossed the rock above my head.
Weight and momentum rose in slow motion.
Blades of Zinertia carved through air and stone alike.
Then slashed it into pieces with my sword skill.
A practiced motion, jagged beauty in destruction.
Nice!!
Short, sincere triumph.
I’ll name this attack the “Lingering death slash” (It hovers above my head)
The name felt right—grand and a little dramatic.
{I think that’s a good name………. Try out another attack using Zinertia.}
Her approval was steady and coach-like.
“HAHAHA”
Power made me giddy.
You don’t have to tell me twice!
My eagerness roared.
{That cocky attitude will be your only hope for success.}
Her words balanced flattery and warning.
Don’t make me laugh. I don’t need any hope, you know why? Because I’m………….. “Strong!!!”
My shout cracked the air, full of bravado.
HIYYAAAHH     HAAAH   BAAAAM   KACHAW
The sounds of my destructive training—sharp impacts and the roar of power—filled the clearing. The world shuddered around me as I practiced and tested and pushed the limit of what I could become.