Maximus acted first.
Despite the positive feelings he held for his old teachers, his clan came before anything else. He wouldn't hesitate even if it was his own mother in front of him.
His fist shot out, projecting a jet of mana that blasted towards the two elders.
Boom!
Aquazyl's waters imploded wherever the beam went. The residence the two elders stayed in was destroyed just like that, but the individuals themselves weren't harmed at all.
Aquazyl's mysterious laws encompassed many different concepts, but the main ones were the five that the Sea God Clans embodied.
The Oga Clan embodied brutality, the mentality of the sea that allowed its ecosystem to thrive.
The Tephit Clan embodied intelligence, the ultimate goal of all sea life. Intelligence didn't come easy to them, but when it did, they became unimaginable monsters.
The Hubo Clan embodied fortitude, the reality of the sea. Without fortitude, even a mindless beast would be driven insane. In the depths of the sea where even light couldn't exist, fortitude in both mind and body was incredibly important.
The Verxis Clan embodied darkness, yet another reality of the sea.
And finally, the Ruvia Clan…embodied the flow of mana itself.
The concepts embodied by the five clans influenced their mana and caused its form to change drastically. At its core, each and every one of them was using a variation of Water Laws.
For the Oga Clan, their mana influenced their blood more than anything else. Whether it be the terrifying bloodlust they could admit or the red aura they used to enhance their bodies, all of their abilities stemmed from blood.
As for the Ruvia Clan, because their concept was far more esoteric, the breadth of their creativity was naturally greater. However, a commonality among them was their skill in ranged attack methods.
Maximus himself didn't use any flashy techniques or special skills to reach his position. Rather, it was his extreme control over mana that allowed him to do so.
"Oh—"
The dispersed mana from his attack gathered again just as the elders began speaking once more. A secondary explosion went off, encapsulating them within.
"Ria, we can't hold back. We have to go all out from the beginning!" Maximus stated solemnly.
His body began to change, morphing into a more bestial form. Unlike what one would expect from Maximus considering his stature and personality, the form he morphed into was incredibly lithe, almost feminine in its charm.
The Ruvia Clan was descended from Sirens. It was rare for Sirens to reach the Godbeast level since their bloodlines weren't that powerful, but the same wasn't the case for the Ruvia Ancestor.
Her bloodline was incredibly potent, and while she was a Siren, her evolution into a Godbeast was close to a complete species transformation.
When Maximus changed his form to embody her strengths, the amplification of his mana heightened considerably. Not only that, but he also gained a myriad of new abilities he couldn't use in his base form.
Without waiting for the explosion to die down, Maximus charged into the fray and locked onto Tilis. His aquamarine eyes shone with a light of power as he ferociously tore his claw through space.
Three massive gashes formed and took material form, aiming directly for Tilis!
The waters parted, slashed apart by the claw. The atmosphere threatened to collapse under its terrifying power. Just as Maximus told Ria, he didn't plan to hold back at all.
Even if it meant wasting mana, he would defeat his former teacher.
Not only for the sake of the plan, but also for personal validation. If he could defeat Tilis, it meant he'd truly grown as a practitioner and as a person. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Raka and Tilis were some of his ultimate goals.
The elder smiled when he saw the attack. "Your skills have improved. Still, this level isn't enough to injure me."
Tilis waved his arm, causing the water around him to solidify. The frightening mana claw was dispersed into nothing as it impacted the horribly solid water wall.
"You…are just as amazing as before." Maximus complimented.
There was a reason Tilis and Raka were teachers to every Clan Head that existed during their lifetimes. In truth, nobody knew which Sea God bloodline the two originated from.
This was because the abilities they used didn't align with any of the five existing clans. Instead of using their bloodline traits to influence the water and attack, they directly used their mana to connect to and control the water.
This was unheard of. It was like they were surrounded by a constant domain that solidified their area of influence.
Nevertheless, their strangeness made it possible for the five clans to trust them. Their existence wouldn't cause harm to the power balance between them, a power balance that had been firmly established over the course of many hundreds of thousands of years.
In this case, rather than bringing the two elders down, wouldn't it be better to borrow their expertise to train the young into capable leaders?
That was exactly what the five clans did. Maximus, as the Ruvia Clan's Clan Head, was well aware of this fact. Whether it be power or charisma, he couldn't beat them in either.
Maximus gritted his teeth. He knew it wouldn't be easy from the start, but even though it was a probing attack, the ease at which Tilis dispersed his mana didn't make him happy at all.
"It's not that I'm amazing, it's just that you haven't grown into your strength quite yet. Come, show me how you've improved since I saw you last. I hope this isn't the extent of your capabilities." Tilis responded casually.
"Haa!"
Maximus let out a fierce battle cry and began attacking again. His lithe form gracefully danced through the water. His movements created a strange sound that resonated with the surrounding water and amplified, ringing continuously through the area.
'Siren's Song!'
The shrill dinging sound became more and more pronounced. The water began to vibrate in accordance with the frequency, becoming a minefield for anyone who stepped in it.
And though he didn't move, Tilis was included in this area of effect.
Ding~!
A sudden shockwave spread, centered on Maximus' body. The ripple spread through the water and caused it to break apart as if it was solid. Tilis pushed his arm forward and erected a mana barrier, blocking a majority of the impact just as easily as he had prior.
But unlike Maximus' previous attacks, he was prepared this time. When Tilis' barrier lowered, the vibration suddenly increased exponentially, surrounding him with a bombardment of sound attacks.
"Hahahaha! Good, looks like you've learned to properly utilize your bloodline!" Tilis commented with joy.
"However, you're still too green to catch up with your teacher."
Tilis waved his hand once more. The waters stilled instantly. That alone was enough to offset Maximus' attack.
After all, sound needed a medium to travel. If that medium was frozen, it'd be frozen as well.
The reason Tilis and Raka took the teacher role amongst Aquazyl's denizens wasn't just because of their strange prowess and origins.
Rather, it was also the fact that no matter how one tried to attack, it was nearly impossible to hit someone who could control the attack's medium.
Within Aquazyl, Raka and Tilis were nigh-invincible.
