The Water God saw the Sea God's astonishment but showed no reaction other than a solemn nod before speaking:
"That's right. From today onward, I no longer wish to be the Water God."
The Sea God felt utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't comprehend why the Water God would act so out of character. He asked:
"Wait a moment, do you understand that if you resign, you will cease to exist?"
The Water God's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied:
"Of course, I know. That is precisely why I made this decision."
Seeing that he wasn't joking, the Sea God's expression grew more serious. He said:
"Tell me your reason. There has to be a reason, otherwise, you wouldn't just seek death for no reason."
Although the Sea God often slumbered, he still remembered clearly that in the billions of years he had existed, no deity had ever requested to end their own existence like this.
For him to make such a reckless decision, there had to be an immensely compelling reason.
Realizing that he probably wouldn't get any assistance unless he explained, the Water God finally spoke:
"I have fallen in love with a girl. She was a mortal. These past one hundred and fifty years have been the most wonderful time of my existence. Now that she is gone, I find no meaning in remaining in this world any longer."
At first, the Sea God was stunned by the revelation, but as he listened to the latter part, he became furious. He roared:
"What the hell do you mean your existence has no meaning?! The very reason gods exist in this world is to maintain balance, to swiftly correct the great errors that arise in the planet's development. And now you're telling me you don't want to live anymore just because of some mortal brat?!"
The Water God had truly enraged him. In all of history, no deity had ever abandoned their divine duty. Yet now, this bastard dared to forsake his own responsibility.
But the Water God, too, was enraged by the Sea God's words. He pointed directly at the Sea God's face and roared back:
"You bastard! How dare you call my goddess a mere mortal brat?! If you cannot show her respect, then don't expect me to respect you!"
Veins bulged on the Sea God's forehead as he cursed:
"You motherf—! You little brat, since when did you forget your own origins?! From the very beginning of creation, I split my entire power apart, and from each fragment, consciousness was born, forming the gods. The duty of the gods is to ensure the eternal progression of heaven and earth. And yet, you're throwing away your responsibility over some ridiculous thing called love?! You deserve a beating!"
As he spoke, his clenched fist tightened, looking as if he was about to strike at any moment.
Seeing that the Sea God was indeed preparing to attack him, the Water God thought to himself:
"It seems I've truly angered him. But this still isn't enough. At this rate, he'll only beat me up, not allow me to relinquish my role as the Water God. Looks like I'll have to provoke him even more."
Provoking him wasn't particularly difficult, he had known the Sea God for so long that he understood exactly what to say.
His expression gradually darkened with anger as he shouted:
"And what right do you have to lecture me about a god's responsibility, huh?! Take a good look at yourself, what have you been doing all these years?! You call yourself the Sea God, but do you even care about the seas? You once said that seawater is still water, so it falls under the jurisdiction of the Water God. And what did you do after that? If you weren't sleeping, you were leisurely strolling around, enjoying the scenery!
And what about me?! I may not be drowning in work every second, but I have to constantly watch over this world! Every significant event involving water, if it threatens the balance, I have to intervene to prevent lasting damage. Did I ever want this job?! Spending endless years in solitude, who the hell would want that?! And the sole reason for all of this… is your own damn laziness!"
The Sea God was completely enraged. This was outright slander against him. He cursed:
"You son of a—! How dare you call me lazy?! I am the very foundation of all life's growth on this planet! I didn't want to become some kind of tyrant, which is why I relinquished all authority to all of you! And now you have the audacity to call me lazy for delegating power?! I sacrificed my own authority for the sake of this world's diversity!"
He couldn't hold back anymore and continued:
"Alright! If you want to die, I'll grant your wish. But before that, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"
He stomped on the ocean surface, propelling himself into the sky like a flash of lightning. In an instant, he appeared in front of the Water God and swung his fist.
A single, devastating punch completely distorted the Water God's face and sent him plummeting straight to the ocean floor.
The sea split apart, forming a massive crater, shattering waves upon waves. The sight was utterly terrifying.
The Water God was blasted thousands of meters downward, crashing into layers of rock and continuing to plummet for hundreds more meters before finally coming to a stop.
Trapped beneath the earth, he cursed internally:
"That's the first time I've ever been hit this hard… But I can't show weakness. If I do, he won't kill me."
With that thought, he erupted from the depths. The ground cracked apart from his movement, causing a massive rupture.
He shot up from the seabed, piercing through the ocean surface until he stood once more, facing the Sea God.
Not a single wound was visible on his face. After all, a god's regenerative abilities were beyond comprehension.
His gaze sharpened, and the radiance around him grew increasingly intense.
Dark clouds surged in the sky, swallowing the sunlight, while fierce winds howled, twisting seawater into enormous, towering waterspouts across the horizon.
Meanwhile, the Sea God had no dazzling aura. He stood there in midair, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary young man. He scoffed:
"You really think these little tricks can harm me?"
The Water God smirked and replied:
"Why don't you find out for yourself?"
With a mere flick of his hand, the seawater behind him surged violently, as if it had come to life.
The water twisted into an unnatural trajectory, ultimately forming the shape of a colossal, thousand-meter-tall man, majestic and imposing, holding a massive trident made entirely of ocean water.