The New Elemental God

Recuperating his breath, Adam understood the game—and he wasn't going to fall for it.

Lifting his head, he smirked just as another gust struck him from behind. Then another from the right. Another from the left. Shu was whipping wind at him from all directions, trying to shake his grip, but the stone ball remained steady.

Despite the violent blows, the Earth God felt exhilarated. He was getting pummeled, completely defenseless—yet his trophy still stood.

The sound of his own heartbeat pounded in his ears as Adam forced himself upright, locking eyes with Shu. The Deity lounged a few meters above, completely relaxed.

"Don't go easy on me." Adam wiped sweat from his forehead, bouncing lightly on his feet like a pro boxer.

"I'm not."

For such a lovely person, Shu had a surprisingly sinister side. With a sharp, eerie grin, they turned their attention to Adam's floating prize.

The God's sixth sense prickled—a shift in the air around the stone ball.

Adam knew what was coming next. He just didn't know how to stop it.

"Oh!" The Deity paused, throwing a daring gaze at Adam. "If I break it, you lose too." Shu's tone took on a playfully wicked edge—like a full-blown yandere.

Even before they finished speaking, a cutting wind struck the orb.

Adam flinched as if he'd been hit himself. Too tense to fully look, he cracked an eyelid open—just enough to check.

The ball still floated, but tiny chips crumbled from the impact site.

They're not messing around.

For a better vantage point, Adam flew closer, positioning himself behind the stone while Shu remained opposite him.

Without lifting a finger, Shu sent three sharp strikes his way.

Don't think. Don't think.

One second before impact, Adam jerked the orb upward. The wind blades sliced past, carving deep into the cave wall with a resounding boom.

The force of the impact made Adam swallow hard. He turned toward Shu—only to be blindsided by four more attacks.

This time, there was no time to think about not thinking.

With a sharp flick of his hand, Adam yanked the rock out of their path. Just as he exhaled in relief, he felt something shift.

The wind strikes… were coming back around.

"Oh, fuck me! That's not fair!"

Cursing like he was in a rigged video game, Adam dodged one attack by moving the stone—only to see another looping toward him from a different angle.

He barely had time to process. Instinct kicked in. He hurled the ball upward, forcing the wind scythe to pass harmlessly beneath it.

Two more remained. They were coming from above in opposite directions and in tangent angles. Shu blocked all possible escape routes. The rock was took big to be moved between the attacks.

Adam had only enough time to understand the danger—his reaction speed couldn't keep up. There was no way to move the rock without breaking it.

Bracing himself for the imminent impact, he raised his arms as a shield and hoped this wouldn't be humiliating.

Even in midair, he felt the air blow in his face before the hit. A violent crash erupted below.

The sound of rock shattering filled his ears, so vivid that even with his eyes closed, he could see his beautiful stone ball crumble.

Failure hit him like a punch to the gut. Clenching his jaw, Adam stared at the ground, refusing to meet Shu's inevitable victorious smirk.

Clap.

The sound echoed through the cave. Adam's face stiffened as he slowly looked up, searching for the source.

The claps grew louder, faster. Standing next to Shu, the two other Deities watched him with proud expressions.

Suspicious, Adam hesitated—then turned toward where his shattered rock should have been.

But there wasn't one pile of rubble, as he had foreseen.

There were two. And floating perfectly between them, untouched—his orb remained whole.

"Hey, you rocked, bro!" Calder grinned, unable to resist the pun.

Adam replayed the moment in his mind, his unconscious instincts during that last attack.

Only two barriers could've protected the target and stop the wind blades.

"Holy fuck."

With an air-jump, the Playboy launched himself into the sky—his rock moving in sync, mimicking his excitement.

Something inside him clicked. Using the impulse of energy from the victory, the boy felt the urge to try something else.

More aware of his abilities, first he reshaped the orb, stretching it into a flat wall. His laughter rang through the cave as solid stone morphed before his eyes.

His curiosity pushed him further.

Splitting the mass into four smaller spheres, he felt the compelled to apply uniform pressure—compressing them instinctively.

The result?

A denser, tougher green mineral.

A thrill shot through him. He knew what it was. Holding one in his hand, he confirmed—eclogite.

He had transformed his simple volcanic rock into a brand-new one.

Overcome with joy, Adam nearly teared up. Controlling his powers meant something more. It meant he could do something. He could help his mother.

As if sensing his relief, the smooth green stones began to orbit him, their speed gradually increasing. The air began to move in a circle around him.

For the first time, he was having fun with his powers.

He pushed the limits, accelerating their movement until they radiated a red-hot glow, like molten amber.

A few meters away, outside of his view, the Three Elementals observed with tense expressions.

"Should we…?" Hikari watched, uneasy. The heat caused by spinning the objects was rapidly increasing.

"Trust him." Calder's concern lingered, but beneath it, pride shone through.

Adam wasn't worried. He was curious to test his new toys.

When the rocks reached their peak velocity, he felt it—that something spectacular would happen if he released all four rocks.

He didn't overthink it.

Aiming at a distant cave wall, one hundred meters away, he fired.

What came next was a massive fire bubble surrounded by smoke. The explosion was bigger than four bazooka shots combined.

The hit wave even pushed Adam a few centimeters back. 

"YAHOOOO!"