Chapter Eighteen: Cracker Staff

The distortion in the sky was actually water — and who else could be responsible but… him.
And just like that, while I was fighting to move, the water twisted into a roaring whirlpool and he appeared before me with a dreadful face and fists clenched.
He then kept throwing punches at me with over a million arms, each strike precisely assaulting every inch of my body.
“AARRGGHH!!!”
I feel like I’m being cut with a knife. The water around him had become fists — every droplet sharpened into a blade.
Blood started seeping from the cuts in my body, and the water around me turned the color of spilled ink.
It hurts… I can’t move.
He then relentlessly unleashed super punches at me, but I did not budge because the water held me motionless, like a thousand giants pinning me down.
I could almost not feel my face anymore… is this how I’m going to die?
GZZIIIIIIIIINNGG
My Zinertia began devouring the water at my left side, and I was finally able to move a little.
It’s working! I can move my hand.
But just as I moved it, it got stuck again.
It won’t matter how many times I eat away the water: if he can bring it back we’ll simply cancel each other out and I’ll be at a disadvantage.
Overwhelmed by the fear of defeat, I forced myself to think clearly and…
REVERSE SUMMONING
I re-summoned myself out of the water.
….………………!!!??? what the………
But the mountain of water was already above me, pouring down to envelope me.
REVERSE SUMMON
With no time to think, I re-summoned myself to where it all began.
What awaited me there was a scene far from expectation — almost like a desert: no buildings in sight, the land gouged by huge craters.
BAD-UMP BAD-UMP
I could see the female god, but LV was nowhere to be found.
Wait………..
Among the vast holes in the ground, I spotted something that looked like a person.
Seeing that, I moved quickly and found LV lying down from an attack.
“Hey! What’s going on here!?” completely ignoring the female god, I touched down where LV lay.
She smiled at me and pushed herself back to her feet.
Her purple clothes were all ripped and muddied; bruises mottled her skin.
“I wont do anything you don’t like anymore………. please summon the weapon for me~.” Putting aside her arrogance, she pleaded.
As she begged, the image of the weapon flashed into my mind.
“How dare you ignore me…..!!” the female god furiously yelled into the sky.
We paid her no heed and I continued the summoning process.
“Summoning!”
As I summoned, a transparent staff — apparently a thing of heaven — materialized in my hand.
It was about a meter long, etched with various translucent markings.
“Thanks………… Now watch and see how it’s done.” LV smiled and took the staff.
Just as I handed the staff to her, I looked up and saw a transparent speck, no larger than a grain, hurtling toward us at terrifying speed.
Is that what’s causing all the explosions?
{It’s air… she can compress the whole world’s air and use it as a bomb. This is just her playing, but it will cost her this fight.}
LV shouted that as she leapt, swinging the staff in midair.
So the grain of air detonates, huh?
With the momentum of her jump, she struck the grain with the staff as hard as she could; a cracking sound reverberated.
When the staff met the grain, it looked as if the surrounding air shattered like glass, whipping a brutal wind as the grain vanished.
It’s gone?
Maybe it’s the blood loss playing tricks on me, but it seemed like the air itself had cracked.
After countering that attack, LV lunged at the god with full speed and swung the staff. The god raised an air barrier to block it, but the barrier fractured and splintered.
With the force of LV’s swing, the staff struck the god’s right hand — the one she had used to form the barrier — and it too shattered like glass.
Losing her right arm, the god unleashed a barrage of air attacks, but LV dodged with incredible flexibility.
Then, with perfect timing, LV swung the staff again with incredible speed. Before the god could react a cracking sound echoed across the sky.
Just like the grain of air earlier, when the staff touched the god the air about her cracked — and she cracked with it.
She’s breaking. The god disassembled like a shard of broken glass.
CRACK CRACK
Unable to defend against the staff, the god was pummeled by LV until she completely disintegrated.
Wow… that ended in a flash. What a powerful staff.
“The cracker staff… said to break anything into a million pieces. I’m impressed, princess… only a few can wield that staff without it cracking their hands.” the RUT god appeared from nowhere and commented.
Was he watching the fight too?
“You shouldn’t be… it’s your turn next!” the furious LV pointed the staff at him.
She then threw the staff down to me from above. “Use this, I heard he uses water.”
As soon as I caught it, I re-summoned it back where it had come from.
“Don’t be stupid… I don’t need this to defeat a lower god.”
I tried to act cool but, in truth, I had no plan for him.
Speed… he’s not faster than me, but I’ll be enveloped in water if I get close to him… what do I do?
By using the cracker I can break everything and catch him when he’s in pieces — but… I don’t need her help.
BUL BUL
As I glared up from the ground, I heard the sound of water forming below me.
He won’t let me rest, huh?
I won’t run away anymore. Let’s do this like the gods we are.
With renewed determination, I began stepping on air, propelling myself toward him.
Why doesn’t he get hurt when I strike the water? If he were changing form, it should work… but why? Have I been fighting a dummy this whole time?
GZZIIIIIIIIIINNGG
Getting closer, I released my Zinertia and red particles erupted violently.
He didn’t seem intimidated by Zinertia and, unlike the other one, he didn’t talk much… he was eerily calm.
I changed its form into a sword. Seeing that, he shifted a meter to his right and a dummy of water formed where he had been. It looked exactly like him.
So he’s the real deal after all.
Aiming for the real one with my sword, he moved again and another dummy took his place.
Cutting the water won’t do me any good; even if I disintegrate each drop, it won’t hurt the real him.
With speed and momentum I slashed both dummies and aimed directly at him.
Now I’ve got you……!!
….………………………
DRIP DRIP
Blood started dripping from my body… I had been crucified.
The dummies I had cut transformed into spears and pierced my back as I passed them.
I had only slashed once because there wasn’t time to disintegrate the dummies. As I suspected… cutting them isn’t enough and I walked into another trap.
“Aargh!” I coughed up blood.
He formed a spear in his hands and pierced me from the front while the spears behind me held me in place.
Why does it hurt so much?
GZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGG
Slowly, his right hand crept deeper toward my neck, choking me.
I’d seen something like this before, if I remember correctly… LIKE HELL!!
With every ounce of strength I had, I grabbed his right hand with my left and…
GZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNGG
I unleashed a wave of Zinertia at it.
Green smoke coiled over his right side… did I get him?
When the smoke cleared, his right arm was gone.
“Haha…” an involuntary laugh slipped out of me.
It was the first time I’d hit him. My body screamed and I couldn’t even stand straight.
In my desperate attempt to avoid being steamed, I had instinctively grabbed his hand. I hadn’t expected it to work like this.
I had to seize the chance and…
Feeling bolstered by that hit, I launched myself at him — only to be surprised.
Huh!? his hand is back!?
I thought I should close in fast before he recovered, but his right hand had fully healed and he came at me.
Don’t be deceived — it’s a rule we can’t heal during a fight so……….
“IYAAAAAAAHH” I summoned my energy and unleashed a barrage.
We closed in and began exchanging punches.
It’s working! I’m grazing him!
On the other hand, he created countless hands and weapons of water, so I remained at a disadvantage.
GZZIIIIIIIIIIIINNGG
Seeing my disadvantage, I turned Zinertia into a shield.