The sky over the small island was without a single cloud, only golden sand and harsh sunlight shining down upon the calm sea. But that tranquility was quickly shattered by the sound of thunderous explosions.
-"Stand still! Why do you keep running like that?"
Blondie was roaring in rage. He continuously unleashed attacks with wind-tearing speed toward Raindor.
-"Water Control Art! Water Bubble Foam!"
From Blondie's palms, sea-blue Essence radiated brilliantly, firing a series of dense water bubbles like a hail of bullets. Raindor did not retaliate; he only nimbly ran around the sandy shores to evade.
-"I told you already, I don't want to hit women!"
Raindor spoke back while running, his tone somewhat playful.
-"Shut up!"
Blondie screamed, his face flushing red from the insult. He unleashed even more violent attacks. Water bubbles grazed past Raindor, crashing into the sea and causing water columns to explode, splashing high into the air.
-"Damn it!"
A vertical water column suddenly rose right in front, blocking Raindor's path. Immediately, from his side, a water bubble swirled powerfully, flying in with incredible speed. Raindor reacted extremely fast; he thrust out his right hand, causing the gold ring on his finger to spin violently.
The ring glowed, lengthening and transforming into a giant key. Raindor gripped its body tightly, swinging it hard like a battle-axe to block the attack. The water bubble collided heavily with the key's body, swirling continuously and creating clouds of white steam. The pressure was so great that Raindor had to use both hands, his feet sinking deep into the sand.
Boom!
The water sphere exploded; the powerful force sent Raindor flying backward, rolling several times on the hot sand.
-"Look at that, has the noble Commander been injured already?"
Blondie sneered, his eyes full of contempt. Raindor slowly stood up, brushing away the layer of sand and water clinging to his shoulder.
-"If you weren't a woman... by now you would be a pile of crushed meat under my feet."
Saying that, Raindor suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing in suspicion:
-"Wait... how do you know I am a Captain?"
On the opposite side, Blondie did not answer. He stood motionless, his drenched brown hair hanging down to hide most of his face, only revealing blood-red eyes glaring fiercely and clenched sharp teeth.
-"I said it already... I AM NOT A WOMAN!"
He stomped his foot hard on the ground, making the entire island tremble. From beneath the sand, tiny droplets of water began to fly upward into the air in a strange manner.
-"Ah, I've guessed who was the one who stopped the rain outside Rhodes City then."
Raindor laughed, his hand lightly twirling the giant key.
-"SHUT UP!"
Blondie yelled. In the middle of the sea, the seawater began to be pulled upward, creating giant vertical water columns surrounding the island. He thrust his two hands in front of his chest and clenched them tightly. Immediately, millions of water droplets transformed into a giant school of fish swimming in the air, gathering to create a massive wall of water behind him.
-"Water Control Art! Water Whale!"
Blondie swung his arms downward. The chaotic school of fish combined together, forming the shape of a giant whale made of water. It let out a deafening screech, then thrashed its tail, crashing down onto Raindor's position.
Raindor did not run. He stood still, took out a small key from behind his back, and smiled:
-"Silver Vault Room."
Rumble!
The water whale struck the island hard; a massive amount of water exploded, sweeping everything into the heart of the sea. The entire small island had now completely disappeared beneath the water, leaving only an empty sea and a brown wooden window frame floating mysteriously in mid-air.
-"What on earth is this? Where did that damn guy go?"
Blondie looked around in confusion. Right at the spot where Raindor had just stood, the wooden window began to make a creaking sound and slowly opened. Inside the window was a deep, pitch-black space.
-"Golden Vault Room! Key Firework!"
A brilliant golden light erupted from inside the window. Blondie became alert and immediately turned:
-"Water Control Art! Dragon Cyclone!"
A powerful water tornado surrounded Blondie's body, pushing him high up. From inside the window, a golden key was fired out like a cannonball, soaring through the air.
-"Missed!"
Blondie exclaimed as he saw the key graze past. But immediately, the space around the key warped, opening a pitch-black portal filled with stars. A terrifying suction force emitted, devouring the entire amount of water in Blondie's cyclone into the virtual space.
-"What?"
Losing his water foothold, Blondie panicked and twisted in the air, creating another stream of water to push himself far away, escaping the deadly suction. The portal shrunk and disappeared, leaving the golden key to fall plop into the sea.
From the floating window frame, Raindor slowly poked his head out, looking around:
-"Where did that mermaid girl run off to?"
Suddenly, an arm covered in blue scales gripped the wooden windowsill tightly.
-"Curse you..."
Blondie wheezed, struggling to climb up.
-"Ah, there you are."
-"SHUT UP!"
Blondie barked straight at Raindor's face. He stood firm on the floating water surface, then without hesitation, twisted his body and jumped straight into the window frame.