Aqua stomped hard on the floor to gain leverage and swung her flaming punch at Koshiro’s exposed abdomen.
“One-Sword Style, Frost Dragon Slash!”
Koshiro lightly tapped the floor, using the residual force of his swing to leap and avoid Aqua’s Divine Punch.
Simultaneously, he adjusted the direction of his wooden sword and, with lightning speed, struck Aqua on the forehead!
Smack!
The intense flames on Aqua’s right fist extinguished instantly.
Despite being the Water Goddess and possessing a strong body, Aqua was, unfortunately, very afraid of pain.
So, even though Koshiro had held back most of his strength at the last moment, sparing her significant injury, the blow still stunned her.
Aqua blinked her watery blue eyes, tears welling up, both from the pain and the embarrassment of her defeat.
Seeing her teary eyes, Koshiro was taken aback and quickly withdrew his sword. “I’m sorry, are you alright?”
In his judgment, this blue-haired girl should have been tougher and more resilient.
“Damn it! How dare you do that!”
Aqua wiped her tears, her pretty face a mix of anger and frustration. “If that’s how it is, I don’t care about the consequences anymore!”
To preserve her dignity, she immediately summoned her Goddess Staff.
A deep blue magic circle appeared under her feet, and clear water flowed around her.
Whoosh!
On the dojo’s ceiling, blue light intertwined, forming an even larger magic circle.
The faint sounds of rushing floods and cascading waterfalls emanated from it, sending chills down the spines of the dojo disciples.
“Wait, wait, I surrender, Miss Aqua, I surrender!”
Before Icey could intervene, the alarmed Koshiro quickly raised his hands.
The newspaper’s description was clear. If this girl unleashed a town-destroying flood, the Shimotsuki Village his father had painstakingly built would be wiped out!
Surrounded by holy light, Aqua opened her eyes and asked, “Really? Are you really surrendering?”
“Yes,” Koshiro nodded.
“Admitting defeat when realizing the gap between us also takes great courage~”
With that assurance, Aqua immediately switched to her smug demeanor, raising her head proudly. “You, the one with glasses, I don’t dislike you.”
“I’m honored to receive your praise,” Koshiro said, sheathing his wooden sword and resuming his usual gentle smile.
“In that case, I’ll give you the chance to worship this goddess.”
Aqua pulled out a flyer from somewhere, “Join the great Axis Order!”
“Axis… Order?”
Koshiro frowned, having never heard of such a religion in the East Blue.
Talking about this, Aqua became spirited, enthusiastically explaining the many benefits of the Axis Order.
Seeing the idiot goddess return to her usual self, Icey covered his face, finding it hard to watch.
Behind Koshiro, Kuina stared at Aqua, who was chatting with her father.
Recalling the enormous magic circle above their heads and her father’s surrender, Kuina felt a shock that she couldn’t shake off.
This girl, physically at a disadvantage and seemingly naive, had easily defeated her strong father. Why?
In that moment, the long-standing mountain of doubt in Kuina’s heart developed a crack.
…
As night fell, Shimotsuki Village was unusually lit up.
Under Koshiro’s organization, the villagers gathered around bright bonfires, celebrating Kuina’s “resurrection” and warmly welcoming Icey, Aqua, and King.
In this lively setting, Aqua, with her party skills, naturally became the center of attention.
Whether she created small rainbow fountains with a fan or folded napkins into intricate castles, her tricks amazed the villagers and dojo disciples alike.
Living in a remote village, they had never seen such diverse and fascinating skills.
King stayed in the corner, quietly enjoying the food.
Despite this, dojo disciples kept approaching him, seeking advice on becoming stronger.
King was speechless, thinking to himself, I wish I knew how to get stronger!
Maybe try doing a hundred sit-ups, a hundred push-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day?
He suggested.
Upon reflection, King and Aqua truly were two extremes.
One had incredible luck and disliked crowds, while the other was perpetually unlucky but excelled at parties…
Away from the party, near the beach.
Thud.
The bamboo sword flew through the air, spinning before landing on the ground.
Inspired by Aqua’s display, Kuina regained her confidence and challenged Icey again.
The result was the same; she lost.
Staring at the bamboo sword on the ground, Kuina finally broke down. “Damn it! Why can’t I win?”
“That’s normal. If I were your age, I’d have lost too,” Icey said, putting away his bamboo sword.
Noticing subtle changes in Kuina, he decided to guide her in the right direction.
“Even so, even so, a girl’s advantage is only during childhood!”
Kuina clenched her fists, her determined face showing frustration.
“Kuina, it’s not about gender. I mean, when you reach my age, it won’t be easy to decide the outcome between us.”
Icey looked up at the starry sky, speaking firmly, “This world is vast. In these seas, there are women who became Marine Admirals, infamous pirate empresses, and even queens ruling the seas. They are all legendary figures.”
Seeing the doubt in Kuina’s eyes, he gave a recent example: “Take Aqua. Despite her flaws, she is a genuine goddess.”
“Flaws mean…”
Kuina blinked, hesitating before asking, “Miss Aqua’s head is not quite right, is it?”
Icey was taken aback, internally screaming:
Embarrassing!
Even a child can see Aqua’s intelligence issue!
“Ahem, I mean, even someone like her can become a goddess of water.”
“Kuina, if you don’t have the courage to face yourself, how can you know if you can achieve greatness?”
Icey’s gaze and tone turned sharp, tearing at Kuina’s deepest wound.
Only by doing this could she grow.
His harsh words struck Kuina like a bomb, shattering the mountain of doubt in her heart.
The crack widened, breaking the oppressive mountain completely.
“Face myself, become a sword goddess…”
The confusion in Kuina’s eyes faded, replaced by pure, steadfast resolve.
She finally saw the bright and expansive new world beyond the mountain that had once obscured her vision.
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