The bang of Arius's gun went off and some golden blood splashed out to join the swirling waters all around. Little expression registered on Tavras's face—not pain, not shock, not anything. It was strange seeing someone so indifferent as they received a gunshot, because those had to hurt even for a god.

Albeit, Arius could have done a lot more damage to Tavras if he had used one of his abilities instead. He only had to continue on his current trajectory, and then he could have crashed into Tavras with the devastation of a meteor.

Perhaps he had already depleted too much of his energy on Urru's shield, so that strategy might not have been viable. Arius would obviously not want to suffer serious injury in an attempt to deal damage onto Tavras. Still, it seemed that one of those red spears from before would have been a better weapon choice than a mortal's gun.

Val felt confused by the progression of the fight, but with a little focus on Insights of the Past, she was able to pry the rationale for Arius's choice.

He had a slew of abilities, all working in tandem. That one measly bullet in Tavras's chest was intended to be his downfall. Much like how Arius could augment his own strength over time, he could also sap the power from his opponents. The more time that elapsed in a fight with Arius, the stronger that he became and the weaker that his opponents got.

Val's heart would have surely raced if she had a physical form. Her nerves ratcheted up while she continued to watch this vision. It was odd how this was the past, yet Val did not know the resolution of this battle. She was not so sure that Tavras would win this fight anymore.

The bullet that had just entered his chest was akin to a poison dart. It had put Tavras on a timer to end this fight quickly.

Luckily for him, Arius was in immediate range so that Tavras could finish him off, here and now. While Arius's power had yet to take effect, Tavras remained at full power.

All of those rampaging waves that had been the remnants of the tsunami collapsed down on him simultaneously. Some water exploded back outward like a thousand-pound bomb had been dropped into the ocean.

Once the water settled, neither Tavras nor Arius were visible anymore. They had both gone beneath the surface.

Euphoria rushed through Val, seeing how Tavras had managed to pull him under. Now, he would drown him and crush him beneath the weight of the sea. She was terribly excited to move the vantage point of her vision to follow the fight. While she raced to move her disembodied form, she paused with her perception hovering close enough to the surface that she could smell the sea spray and blood.

Val already knew what was happening to Arius beneath the surface. At least, she would imagine that Tavras was doing the exact same thing to him as he had done to her, back when she had confessed her feelings for him. Before she took the plunge beneath the water, her anxiety swelled all the higher. She was not quite sure if she wanted to see what he had done to her from an external view.

The desire to see Tavras annihilate Arius was much greater than her small, personal misgivings. Therefore, Val's vision witnessed the line of the surface pass her by, like an underwater camera diving below.

A gut-wrenching sensation yanked at her nonexistent innards. Val gazed deep into the darkened, murky waters to see where the blue glow of light had gone. Contrary to her expectations, she did not see any blue light.

Terrifyingly far away, the bloodied waters had gathered around Tavras in a furious, red light down there. Even his eyes had taken on that vengeful hue.

Once, Tavras had told her that his fluctuating eye color did not work as a mood ring. She was pretty sure that this case would qualify as accurately representing his emotional state.

It was like a murderous aura surrounded him. Surging rip currents fanned out from him on all sides, complete with that red glow. Despite the light that was emitted, it seemed to only accentuate the shadows within the folds of the water. Those currents of water twisted around like tentacles to reach the focal point of Tavras's hate.

Arius was curled up into himself. His face was obviously contorted in pain as he tried to shy away from Tavras's attack. Sometimes his body convulsed, but mostly, there seemed to be too much pressure for him to move at all. Even involuntary contractions of pain were mostly beyond him. Arius was trapped there, held in the excruciating torment that was the hospitality that the sea lent to trespassers.

Despite being the worthless excuse for a god that he was, Val could sympathize with Arius in this moment. She could practically see herself there in his place, because she had been on the receiving end of Tavras's wrath before. Except, she had no doubt that Tavras had held himself back with her. He had only wanted to send a message after she had stepped out of line.

He was doing much more than sending a message to Arius. If Arius were not alive today, Val would have thought that he was going to die any second now. His body might just burst into a cloud of golden blood to merge with all of the red that he had spilt. Let the dust of his bones sink down to the bottom of the sea. That would only be just for Arius.

Against all of the pressure collapsing down on him, Arius endured. Somehow, he stayed alive with that little shield of red haze that he had brought beneath the water with him. More of this energy accumulated as Arius persisted in this state. The twisted look of pain relaxed from his face. Quickly, a smile began to draw on his lips.

Even after Tavras had completely let her go and brought her back to shore, it had taken Val a long time to recover herself. Arius sprung back so fast that it was unsettling.

Before, Val had thought Arius to be a sadist, and now, she thought that he might just be a masochist too. Ever since she had started this vision, Arius seemed to be having too much fun.

Each additional second that he survived reminded Val of the nature of his abilities. The longer that the fight went on, the stronger that he got and the weaker that Tavras would get.

Not all of the light in the ocean glowed red. That soothing, blue light of Tavras's healing ability started up from the two hands that he held over his chest. As soon as he started to heal himself, a greater stream of golden blood seeped from the wound.

By any chance, could Arius's ability be reversing the effects of Tavras's curative water? The extra understanding from Insights of the Past quickly cast aside her worries. This was simply a necessary step to the healing process.

The tiny chink of metal that was the bullet pushed out from the wound. It began to sink to the depths below. The bullet was a shadow against the dying light until it disappeared to nothingness.

Though Tavras had gotten the bullet out of his chest and exerted himself to heal the wound in salt water, it might have been too late. Val did not have to speculate. She knew from the available information of her vision that Arius's venomous effect had already set in.