“Shin!”

While the World Serpent was preoccupied with summoning back the Water-Element, Saint Longyu Tian and Zishen came flying back towards Shin with expressions that mixed excitement with anxiousness.

“Shin! The World Serpent is going berserk after we’ve destroyed the Paradise Heart!” Longyu Tian flung her Rod of Eternity in front of Shin and hollered back: “Leave this place and leave him to us!”

“Mmmm… He’s an admirable foe… I believe that my fight with him will be quite the delight.” Zishen nodded, though not at Longyu Tian’s suggestion. It was rare to find a Primordial Beast of the same element of himself. If the two of them fought… What kind of insights could Zishen get? The Azure Dragon Lord was getting jittery with curiosity.

“Mmmm… You’ve done well, my Prince. Escape with the others. We’ll be behind you in a moment.”

“No… Senior Zishen, Aunt Tian. You’re wrong.” Shin shook his head, denying his seniors’ suggestions. “I should be the one to face Ao… The World Serpent. You guys take the rest and escape.”

“You-!” Longyu Tian gasped. It was one thing for Shin to distract the World Serpent, but fighting it in a one-on-one bout? That was a stupid decision, no matter how one tried to slice it. However, just as the Saint of Time was about to give her signature rebuttals, she flashed a glance into Shin’s unwavering eyes. They were as calm as Lake Longyu and the fire that burnt within… burned hotter than molten lava itself.

“... I see.” Sighing, Longyu Tian dropped her shoulders and gestured to Zishen. “Don’t make us wait too long. We’ll need your help to take down the Allfather.”

“Yeah, it won’t take long.”

“... You moron.” Longyu Tian left Shin with an affectionate berate, before flying away with Zishen in tow. Now that the Blue Payirci’s Paradise Heart was destroyed, it was time to escape the structure and aid the Alliance forces fighting outside. Of course, they had to clear the remnant Black Masks within the floating tower first.

❖❖❖

Ao and Shin.

World Serpent versus the Prince of Water. Both of them were the hegemons of water and were able to live and breathe using solely that element. In terms of experience, the World Serpent had lived more than three-quarters of its entire life underwater. Dwelling deep under the depths, the World Serpent had absorbed more Water-Elements than any other creature and its colossal size served as an abysmal tank of mana.

However, Shin wasn’t at all inferior when it came to water. Before the Lantis Republic had discovered him and allowed him to undergo the Celestial River Baptism, Shin’s abilities were almost all exclusive to water. Even after Shin had obtained the Celestial Dragon and increased his affinity with the other elements, the Prince of Water remained faithful to his Water-Elemental cultivation, always innovating from the powers that he was given.

Junius had once told Shin, his first ability, the ability to create and manipulate water was likely to be his strongest. Shin took that to heart and continuously upgraded his skills. He was able to turn water into mist, mist into ice, manipulate the blood of others and constantly change his abilities mid-combat. Shin wasn’t bestowed the Prince of Water title… He earned it.

“Fly,” Shin flicked his fingers, sending a tower of gushing waves spiralling right at the World Serpent. At the same time, he summoned out his arsenal of spiritual techniques. The Spear of Aiglos, Shin’s favoured ice spear, spun around him twice, protecting the Prince from any sneak attack that the World Serpent might have prepared.

To entrap the Primordial Beast, Shin summoned out his favoured Army of Water, an ability that was inspired by Isadaore’s and the Himmel Ancestor’s spiritual ability that could summon out an army of astral soldiers. At the same time, he equipped said soldiers with a plethora of water-created weapons. Ice spears, mist guns, water cannons, snow arrows… There was so much variety that Ao didn’t bother to count them all.

“I’d thought you'd forgotten about the Water-Element… Looks like you didn’t abandon it completely.”

“...” Shin didn’t reply. His mind was still spinning from the illusion he’d created to ensnare Ao. Shin may have obtained the ability of the Mind Titan, but his proficiency with the element wasn’t as solid as a cultivator who had devoted his entire life to the Mind-Element. Hence, he was only able to create illusions that showed his victim’s deepest fears or most cherished memories and desires. For that scene… That loving memory of Junius to appear in Ao’s dream… It meant only one thing.

“Answer me this, Ao. Did you mean what you’ve said in the illusion?”

“Take it as you may,” Ao replied Shin cryptically. However, that was all it took for Shin to understand everything that the World Serpent was feeling.

“It really is… a shame.”

“Yes, it is.”

The two Water-Elemental juggernauts sighed. The rain was turning into a tempest, one that could blow mountains away and cause waves that would tower over the entire continent. Shin controlled his Army of Water well, all while summoning new and more powerful techniques to deal with the World Serpent. Spears of Sparta, Mines of the Ocean, Mystic Geyser, Meteor Shower… All of Shin’s created techniques were thrown right at the colossal snake.

Alas… Shin wasn’t the only one that was powerful with water…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Ao hissed, turning the tempest into a never-ending hurricane that could engulf the entire world if it had the time and space. All of Shin’s water techniques, be it the Army of Water that held a thousand different weapons or the Arcane River that was powered up by his Shard of the Azure Dragon… They were all blown away without mercy.

If Shin’s speciality was creating water, Ao’s forte was to blow everything up with water. Creation and destruction. Two polar opposites of water had collided in a showdown to determine who was the Sovereign of Water. Anything that Shin could create, Ao would destroy. It was a classic tale of push and pull.

The battle raged on. Shin continued to throw everything that he had in his arsenal, only for Ao to completely beat it down with his never-ending storms. Shin refused to use the other powers of the Old Titans, adamant that they were his trump cards against the Allfather. But in truth… Shin wanted to give Ao the perfect warrior’s duel. If Ao was going to die by his hand, Shin wanted it to be done with the Water-Element.

Well, in terms of who would win the final battle… It was hard to say. Ao’s deep mana pool and countless years of experience would indicate that the Primordial Beast would have a far better shot at emerging as the eventual winner. However, Shin had one distinct advantage over the Primordial Beast.

‘Water… Water… Water… Lukman said it first. I’d abandoned the path of water. Ao reaffirmed it by removing the Water-Element from the environment. I… have been too complacent.’

Shin’s mind went into a rapid-fire mode, a mode that Shin had rarely dived into ever since he first created Guardian Sword. For the longest time, Shin was the underdog, the weaker opponent that had to use creative methods to overcome his adversary. Now that he’d attained all of the Celestial Dragon’s powers, Shin had rarely faced a challenge that was too hard to overcome with his overwhelming might.

‘Water… Whether it is creation or destruction. It can take any form. It is omnipresent and neutral. It is… the building blocks of life and also the fundamental power that all living beings rely on. It is everywhere… and… everywhere...’

In a mere ten seconds, Shin finally realised what the missing piece of the puzzle was. Comfort crept through all parts of his body as blood stopped pumping through his veins. He could feel it all. Water was everywhere… In the air, in the ground, in all living beings…

So… Why not use all of it?

What was Shin’s true superpower? It wasn’t the ability to use every element. It wasn’t the ability to summon out the powers of the Old Titans. From the very beginning, Shin’s superpower was something that the World Serpent could only dream of having. And that was...

The ability to comprehend everything.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH!!!

Just as Ao was about to summon yet another typhoon to decimate Shin and bury him a kilometre under, all water under the World Serpent’s control dissipated away. The winds… the oceans… the waves… Everything was snatched away from the World Serpent’s grasp.

“Huh?” Naturally, Ao was confused by the sudden development. He moved his gaze straight towards Shin, who had closed his eyes and remained motionless for the most part. “What in the world-?”

All of the Water-Elements that Ao had generated and the Blue Payirci had stored… They were all dancing around Shin in pure jubilation. A profound azure aura permeated out of Shin’s tightened body and a divine light wreathed around the relaxed man. Ao couldn’t believe it… For the first time in his life, he wasn’t able to control a single ounce of his favoured element.

And when Ao looked at Shin… It was as if he were a baby turtle looking at the ocean for the first time.

‘Water… is everywhere and...’

Shin opened his eyes, spreading his arms out wide like a pair of eagle wings and sucking in all of the Water-Elements that surrounded him. All of the rain… the tempest… the oceans… They all evaporated away, leaving the Payirci with nothing. All that remained… was Shin and his glowing blue aura.

‘Water is everywhere and… I am water.’