Marina's eyes narrowed as she hovered above the barren island, her draconic wings creating gusts of wind with each powerful beat.
She landed gracefully, her gaze locked onto Eren, who stood with a relaxed posture, his hands in his pockets.
"Who are you really, Eren? And what do you want with the sea god Raashim's temple?" Marina demanded.
Eren smirked, tilting his head slightly as if considering her question. "Kekeke. Just a wanderer, seeking to test my limits," he replied vaguely, his emerald green eyes gleaming with mischief.
Marina's patience was wearing thin.
"Do not play games with me, Eren. Your actions have serious consequences. You can't possibly think that your little misadventure is enough to shake the temple's foundations in the Labh Salem's seas, do you?
Tell me what else you might have planned and I might offer you an easy death. I could even ask the temple to forgive your sins if you decide to join the temple.
I'm sure god Raashim wouldn't mind accepting someone like you in his ranks. He will forgive your sins as long as you cooperate with us. But things will get very difficult for you and your subordinates if you manage to release that monster from its cage. I don't know how the sea god's temple will act.
But... But I can assure you that I'll take this offense very personally. I'll chase you down to the end of the world if I have to. If you manage to escape from my clutches this time with sheer luck that is.
Now... tell me. Why are you here? What do you hope to achieve?"
Eren chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Maybe I'm here for the adventure. Maybe I'm here to see if the legends about the sea god's power are true. Or perhaps I just enjoy causing a little chaos now and then."
Marina's frustration boiled over. She realized Eren wasn't taking her seriously, despite her being an S-Rank dragon and him merely an A-Rank.
Her eyes blazed with determination as she spread her wings wide, summoning her draconic magic. "Enough of this nonsense. If you won't take this seriously, then I'll end you right here and now."
Eren's playful grin didn't falter as Marina began to gather her magical energy, preparing to unleash her most devastating spells. He raised his hands slowly, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Oh, you want to play, miss dragoness? Fine, let's play."
Channeling his will through his God Spark, Eren called forth the power of the sea.
"Come forth and act as my ally."
The waters around the island responded to his command, rising and churning violently. A colossal wave began to form behind him, growing taller and more imposing with each passing second.
'My divine powers are my real trump card. I'd be foolish not to use it when there's such a huge opportunity for me to do so,' Eren thought to himself as he nullified Marina's powers just by commanding the water with his voice and will alone.
***
Marina stared in disbelief as her spell was neutralized by the sheer force of Eren's command over the sea.
'This... this is not normal no matter how I look at it. From where did he obtain such a potent God Spark? Or... is it him who's talented to make use of it in such a way? Or is he some Immortal's incarnation?'
Marina realized then that this was no ordinary opponent. Eren's connection to the sea was more profound than she had anticipated, and his confidence was not just bravado.
"Is that all you've got, miss sea dragon?" Eren taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "Come on, show me what you're really made of. Or are all dragons nothing but overhyped lizards?"
Of course, Marina could see that Eren had a bit of trouble after unleashing his divine powers. But that only raised her vigilance even further.
She could see his struggles in controlling his divine might despite his act. However, the fact that he had enough mental fortitude to put an act of casualness told her that he was a real threat.
She also dismissed the idea that Eren was the incarnation of an Immortal who had ascended from the mortal realm and sent a part of him to Labh Salem. Aksai was genuinely struggling to control his divine might despite the fact that he had successfully stopped her casual attack. He lacked experience in handling his divine might, which was difficult to fake.
Plus, there was no way an Immortal would risk handing his incarnation a genuine God Spark.
Although it was quite difficult once a God Spark had integrated with someone, it was not completely impossible to steal it from someone mortal like Eren who still had a mortal vessel. Which idiot immortal put his biggest asset up for a display so that other immortals could steal it from them?
"Don't... don't act tough with me, you foul-mouthed brat. Do you think I was born yesterday? Did... did you just try to provoke me to sharpen your skills on your divine powers? Do You look at me like I'm some sort of your sparring partner? How impudent!"
For some reason, Marina was thoroughly annoyed when Eren called her an overhyped lizard. Even though she knew Eren had said those words to provoke her, it didn't stop her from being provoked nonetheless.
Marina's rage intensified, but so did her resolve. She wouldn't be underestimated by this madman who had decided to spoil her plans of keeping the sea monster caged.
"Don't get cocky with me just because you have a divine might. You are still a greenhorn when it comes to handling it. I'll show you what the dragons are capable of."
Roar!
With a roar, she prepared to unleash even more of her draconic might, determined to show Eren the true power of an S-Rank dragon.
The battle had only just begun, and the island trembled under the weight of their clashing forces.