The match began without a referee's whistle. It was an exhibition match where the rules were simple. Fight until one person gives up or was unable to continue. Shin could have planted his water mines or leapt in for a sneak attack, but it was an honourable exchange between two juggernauts of their era. It didn't feel right to use underhanded tactics, especially when a hundred thousand of the Lantis Republic's most influential people were watching.
Shin made all of his preparations instantaneously. First, he cast the Domain of Dreams, bringing forth the dense azure lake down onto the vast arena. Then, with his improved water affinities, he created the Spear of Aiglos is a split second as well as a dozen raging currents which spun rapidly around him like Saturn's ring. He was going against a prized Luminary from the Lantis Republic. There was no way that Shin could hold back.
"Phew… How scary~!" Xunyu Feifei whistled as if she were terrified. However, her face told an entirely different story. She was beaming with a radiant smile, not choked up in the slightest. "Looks like I have to go all out as well!" The Luminary chuckled, waving her arms about. The Heavenly Sturgeon multiplied by five. From Feifei's opened palms, a gigantic bubble expanded gradually, bringing Shin's senses into a heightened state. The bubble left the young woman's hands and fell onto the ground, creating a clear puddle on the floor.
If Shin were standing right above it, he would clearly see his reflection, something rare for even the clearest of lakes. However, Feifei wasn't done. Swinging her hands to the side, the 'puddle' exponentially increased in size, completely covering the field in a matter of seconds. Knowing what the attack does, Shin leapt up into the air and remained levitating. Now that he was a Spirit Spectre, he didn't need to use the Dance of the Valkyrie to fly.
"Smart move..." Xunyu Feifei let out a soft giggle, admiring the youth's quick thinking. The arena soon became the Luminaries very own lagoon, with the water level just being ten centimetres thick. Looking down, Shin could see the reflection of the skies. It was as if the world had been mirrored from his point of view. The five sturgeons that Feifei had summoned disappeared into the reflective surface, stunning many who hadn't seen Feifei's ability before.
"What happened?" Kesyl asked, her two hand grabbing onto her chin.
"That's Xunyu Feifei's domain ability, the Salt Flat Lagoon..." Lady Seph, who had been helping Shin with formulating counterstrategies, explained. "The Heavenly Sturgeon creates an entire field, similar to that of a tranquil lagoon. Using that, the Xunyu lass could hide her Heavenly Sturgeon within the mirrored lagoon, making it impossible for Shin to fight on land."
When Xunyu Feifei's domain was out, Shin couldn't risk having his feet in the water. Her Heavenly Sturgeons would be hidden in the lagoon, ready to launch a myriad of surprise attacks at her command. It was risky facing a Rank 47 Spirit face on, let alone in the dark. So, while Feifei held onto the land advantage, Shin decided to rule the skies.
'Shape-Style Technique, Spears of Sparta!!!' Shin's domain ability was in full effect, as hundreds of ice spears were created in a matter of seconds, something that he needed minutes to do before. Snapping his fingers, the fearful weapons dropped down like a deadly downpour, all seeking the tender flesh of Xunyu Feifei.
"Not bad… But not enough..." The Luminary's friendly face turned sombre as mana filled her up to the brim. The reflective lagoon beneath her feet started to effervescence like piping hot water, and soon, thousands of bubbles were blocking Xunyu Feifei's image. Logically, the Spears of Sparta would easily penetrate through that false defence, tearing apart Xunyu Feifei just seconds after the match had just begun. However, a miracle happened.
Blop… Blop… Blop…
The bubbles, which seemed as harmless as a common fly, stopped all of the spears, bouncing them off their springy surface. The Spears of Sparta, which had been a staple in Shin's arsenal, had been nullified just like that.
"She defended that?!" Shizen knew full well of how powerful the Spears of Sparta can be. Just one odd spear was capable of piercing through hardened rock like it were paper. So how did those bubbles defend against the full might of those ice spears?
"Don't be surprised… Shin isn't fighting a random nobody..." Ella chided the nature boy's folly and corrected his misunderstanding. She looked down at the Luminary with great interest. Even in the toughest of scenarios, the maiden had her hands behind her back, with complete faith over her own abilities. Only those with a tremendous amount of combat experience could remain that calm under peril. "They are all bona fide Luminaries, all with their own unique powers to grant them the title… It will take Shin much more than the Spears of Sparta to take her down."
Ella's words were exactly what the Prince of Water was thinking about. He tightened his grip on the Spear of Aiglos and spun it around, this time summoning millions of water droplets. Shin imbued a tonne of his mana into the eccentric rain, making them shine in a deep cerulean hue. The mana output continued to spike, and even those from the stands could feel the gut-wrenching density. Only after the youth had spun his spear around for five seconds, did he feel prepared to launch his next attack.
'Flow-Style Technique, Meteor Shower!' He screamed inwardly. Adding on the effect made by the Domain of Dreams, the thousands of water droplets resembled that of stars falling out from the night sky. This time, the bubbles were unable to keep up with the constant bombardment of the mana-imbued water droplets, leaving Xunyu Feifei completely open. If nothing were done, the young maiden would be slammed into the floor, and all her limbs would have been torn apart by Shin's deadly attack. However, the woman was as calm as can be. In fact, she even hid a weak smile. Waving her hand up to block her face, the Luminary smiled.
And then…
The girl disappeared.
"What?!" Kesyl jumped, exclaiming in confusion. She then turned to the only person present who had the answer. "Master Seph, where did she go?!"
The blonde healer looked down on the crowd before sighing, "She used the same spiritual ability that hid her five Heavenly Sturgeons. We did investigate her abilities, but it the fact that she could hide inside her domain had never come up… It must be something she developed recently..."
Lady Seph's deduction was right. When Xunyu Feifei disappeared into the lagoon, almost everyone, barring some from the Xunyu Clan, dropped their jaws.
"Hoho, the Xunyu Princess is quite the talent," said Heigui Zhengkang while stroking his beard. "She found a way to use an existing spiritual ability that much better. It makes me want to reflect on my own abilities as well."
Shenshe Zemin scoffed and pivoted her head to look at the elderly man. "Old man… At your age, I doubt that there's much you could change." Among the four Spirit Saints, Heigui Zhengkang was, without a doubt the oldest. However, he had been stuck at Rank 93 for the longest time, never capable of passing the next threshold.
"Haha, you might be right!" Heigui Zhengkang wasn't offended by his compatriot's words. At this stage of his life, he had seen all and done everything. The elder would never be the type to snap at just a sly remark, especially since it was the truth. Now that he was almost reaching four hundred, there wasn't much life left in his Spirit Saint lifespan. Even if he wanted to reinvent himself, the man lacked the time. "That's why it's so entertaining to see the youths battle it out! To make my aged blood flow just a little more."
"I agree with Senior Zhengkang..." Jingyu Han nodded and turned to the woman to his side, wearing a half-mocking smile. "Tian, what do you think? Can the Prince of Water beat the five Luminaries?"
A rhetorical question. Jingyu Han, as well as the other Spirit Saints, were all anticipating Shin's loss, either by fatigue or vicious defeat.
The Saint of Time didn't answer initially. She too was surprised by the sudden revelation that Xunyu Feifei had in store. If all the other Luminaries had a hidden card to play as well… Even she was starting to doubt her faith in Shin. Longyu Tian looked at Shin, fearful that he had begun to panic at the very first round. However, what she saw utterly blew her away… Then, she smiled and replied:
"Shin will win. No matter how much you guys doubt him, he'll still win!"
❖❖❖
Shin didn't know that he was being scrutinised by the four strongest beings in the entire Lantis Republic. No, he had even forgotten that a hundred thousand people were watching him. All his attention was focused on the Xunyu Clan's heiress, or to be precise, the lagoon that she had disappeared into.
'To think that she could hide inside her domain…' Shin hadn't calculated this variable when he came up with his battle plan. His initial hope was to bombard Xunyu Feifei from the skies, retaining as much mana as he possibly could. Shin was even prepared to never ignite the Shard to conserve his energy. Alas, not everything can go as planned.
'Whatever, it's not like I'd never been in this situation before...' Shin snorted, while his senses heightened. When he peered down at the lagoon, there was nothing but his own reflection, as well as the images of the blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Surprisingly, there were no undulations, no matter how hard Shin looked for them. Xunyu Feifei had really perfected her ability to its highest standard.
'If you're going to hide, I might as well force you out.' Shin snapped his fingers, and dense water spheres started to form beside the levitating man. He controlled the water planets expertly, growing it until they were ten metres in diameter. The entire sky was now blocked, and the audience were gaping in awe. The water spheres turned heavier and heavier until eventually...
BOOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!
Shin released them all, violently colliding them with the arena floor. There was no need for excessive force. Just the weight of the water and the gravitational pull of the earth was capable of tearing down any well-built house within a matter of seconds.
However, when the rapid currents started to settle, on odd scene had begun to unfurl. Although Xunyu Feifei's domain was made out of water, it behaved like oil and flowed up to the top of Shin's created water. Almost instantly, the Shin's attack was countered, and the Luminary's domain ability was elevated up closer to the airborne Shin.
Zzzzzzzsssstttttttttt!!!
Before Shin could react, the five sturgeons leapt out of hiding and launched themselves into the skies like they were dolphins. Two sturgeons arrowed up towards Shin, ready to shoot him down and disrupt his aerial dominance, while three of them coiled around one another, creating a mock cannon that radiated out massive amounts of mana.
Shin was mindful of all the sturgeons and zigzagged his way into safety. For good measure, he cast his own Aegis Bubble, lest one of the attacks hit him. He somersaulted past the two Heavenly Sturgeons until they ran out of energy and fell back down. Using his domain, Shin created multiple layers of water to protect himself. Though, it was all for nought…
BANNNNNGGGGG!!! BANNNNNGGGGG!!! BANNNNNGGGGG!!! BANNNNNGGGGG!!!
The cannon that Xunyu Feifei's Heavenly Sturgeons created shot four dense blobs of grey light. They passed through Shin's defences like a hot knife through butter, gunning straight for the tender flesh of the young man. Using his acrobatics, Shin managed to dodge three of the potent attacks. Unfortunately, not everything was avoidable.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!
A colossal explosion. That was what the audience got to see. One second Shin was protected in his Aegis Bubble, unafraid of anything that was spewed in his direction. The other second he was covered in a cloud of dense, thick smoke that blocked anyone from seeing his condition.
"Shin!" Kanari cried out from the audience stands. Due to her relationship with Shin, the maiden was allowed at ringside, hoping to be his biggest cheerleader. So one could imagine her fear when Shin was hit head-on with one of the Luminaries most potent attacks.
"Is he still alive?" A random audience member muttered.
"Damn, I'd thought that it would last the five rounds..." Another added.
The Prince of Water was the main attraction of this entire event, and he just lost? In the very first round?
"No! Look at that!"
As the smoke began to clear, the spectators were treated to a spectacular scene. Shin, whom everyone had thought to be broken, was still flying up in the sky, his arms crossed and head tucked in. The Aegis Bubble that was supposed to protect him had been utterly broken down, and his robes were ripped into shreds. Some of the scales of his Spiritual Body Enhancement were fried entirely, showing bits of bruised skin and flowing crimson blood. However, for the most part, Shin was alive and kicking. He had tanked that attack.
Billowing smoke was still emitted out of his body as Shin sluggishly opened up from his defensive position. Immediately, his healing ability kicked in, patching up all of the broken bones and torn tendons. Oddly enough, he didn't possess the aura of a loser. An impish smile crept up the corner of Shin's lips, and his gorgeous azure eyes glistened in an intelligent light. Even in his worst situation, the youth was enjoying himself. Then, ignoring all the stares that were shot his way, Shin muttered under his breath.
"Analysis… complete..."
✵✵✵
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