The clash of elements shook the night. As the wall of water and torrent of fire collided midair, a violent hiss echoed across the frozen city. Steam erupted outward in every direction, cloaking the battlefield in a blinding white veil. From within the mist, Tai Lung broke free, a stream of flame trailing behind him as he darted around the towering water giant. He hurled fireball after fireball, each the size of a house, crashing into the titan's liquid body. Every impact made the colossus shudder, rippling waves coursing through its form.
The giant's head turned, its eyes glowing like moons locked onto Tai Lung. With a soundless command, the waters of the city rose in fury. Dozens of massive columns of water erupted from the canals and streets, all converging on the spot where Tai Lung flew. His golden eyes narrowed as he dove sharply downward, narrowly slipping between the crushing pillars that slammed together behind him.
But the titan was relentless. The sea itself seemed to lunge after him, a wave larger than any building rushing through the city like a predator on the hunt. Tai Lung's eyes widened. It wasn't just an attack, it was as though the ocean itself sought to swallow him whole. He ducked low, weaving between icy paths and sliding rooftops, darting through the narrow streets. The wall of water followed relentlessly, smashing aside houses and bridges wherever he had just been.
His jaw clenched. This… wasn't right. He had not expected the Avatar would continue the assault even at the cost of the city's people. Each crash of water tore apart homes, shattered frozen walkways, places that might still shelter frightened civilians. The destruction was merciless.
Tai Lung's expression hardened. He had made a mistake by descending here, he did not want to be the one to destroy homes again, he won't repeat his first life mistakes or be part of something similar. With a burst of flame, he shot back into the sky, climbing higher and higher. Lightning began to dance across his arms and shoulders, crackling wildly like an angry storm. He let it build, rotating through his chi channels, before hurling it downward in a brutal strike toward the titan.
The titan reacted instantly. Ice surged upward, forming a mountain between itself and the oncoming lightning attack. The lightning exploded against it with a deafening crack, the sound rippling through the city like thunder from the sky. Tai Lung's smirk faded into a troubled frown. The Avatar was already the most powerful bender alive, a vessel of countless lifetimes. The ocean spirit alone was a force of nature beyond comprehension. Together, empowered by the restored Moon Spirit, the sheer tide of chi radiating from the titan was unending, infinite.
He could feel it, an endless pool of power. He would never match such raw might. Attrition was hopeless. His only advantage lay in his speed, his agility, his size against the immense size of the spirit.
For now, he had no choice. He would hold the titan's attention, keeping it away from the retreating fleet, while his mind searched for some way, any way, to bring the titan down. Tai Lung darted around the giant once more, weaving between crashing waves and hurling wave upon wave of fire in retaliation.
The spectacle was impossible to ignore. The waterbenders who moments before had been bending water and hurling ice at fleeing soldiers stopped, staring in awe at the battle between the fire bending master and the spirit titan. Even Fire Nation soldiers, retreating in fear and defeat, would pause to look back, their faces lit by bursts of blue fire against glowing water.
Over the heart of the city, the air had become a battlefield unto itself. Fire rained from the sky, water exploded upward in geysers, and steam boiled between them. Mist wrapped the streets, blanketing the fleeing masses, rising into the sky like a shroud. Yet even through the veil, one sight could not be hidden, the piercing glow of Tai Lung's blue flames as he fought the ocean itself.
For long minutes, Tai Lung had been circling the spirit's colossal form, fire and lightning spilling endlessly from his fists. His chest heaved, his golden eyes narrowing with both frustration and complete focus. Every strike seemed useless, the titan had infinite chi and water supply.
He even began to curse the spirit in his mind [You stupid spirit, if you are so powerful and mighty, why did you allow that fool to kill your friend?]
The thought pierced deeper than he expected, the more he thought about it. For a heartbeat, his fire stuttered, then his eyes flashed with realization. That was it. The Ocean Spirit, with all its boundless might, had not acted until it was too late. Why? Because it couldn't fight, not on its own.
It needed the Avatar. It needed a vessel to channel its power.
His gaze snapped toward the glowing figure at the monster's core, Aang, suspended like a puppet. Earlier, he thought separating the boy from the titan was pointless as it will build itself again. But maybe it was not the case, the titan might collapse entirely if its power severed from its vessel. That was his only chance.
Determined, Tai Lung surged closer, flames blazing. He gathered every ounce of his chi and unleashed his greatest inferno yet, a wave of fire so massive it lit the misty sky like a second sun. The titan responded in kind, summoning a monstrous wall of water. They met in a thunderous collision, birthing another storm of blinding steam that blanketed the battlefield.
This time, Tai Lung didn't hold back. He used the cover and dived headlong into the titan's head. The liquid flesh boiled and rippled under his entry as he tore through it, channeling fire without restraint.
He pressed forward, eyes locked on the outline of the boy within. He was close, too close for hesitation. The water began to freeze around him, the spirit's ice defense clamping down like ice fangs.
Snarling, Tai Lung pushed his body harder than ever, muscles straining, chi burning. He broke through the freezing wall, his fingers brushing against Aang's clothes. Without pause, he released a small, controlled bolt of lightning, weak compared to his earlier strikes but enough to shock the boy's body.
The titan convulsed. The Avatar's body spasmed, and for the briefest moment the freezing ceased. Tai Lung roared, flooding the head with fire, searing a path as he grabbed Aang's limp form and burst free of the watery prison.
It all happened in moments, too fast for any watching eyes to comprehend.
From the mist, Tai Lung emerged, carrying the unconscious Avatar in his arms. Behind him, the great titan shuddered violently, its glowing form collapsing in torrents. The colossal spirit dissolved into rushing water, then nothing, vanishing back into the ocean from which it had risen.
Tai Lung hovered in the sky, drenched and trembling, but victorious. He exhaled, relief coursing through him. [It worked. The spirit must have gone back to being nothing more than a stupid fish.]
He descended slowly, landing atop the tallest building in the city, a perch that overlooked every street and every horrified face turned toward him. Water Tribe warriors stood frozen, their spears shaking in their hands, their eyes wide as they realized what they were seeing, the Avatar, limp in the fire monster's hand.
Tai Lung held the boy up by the back of his clothes like a captured animal, his voice booming with chi across the city.
"Water Tribe! The battle is over. The Avatar and your ocean spirit have fallen before me. If you insist on pursuing the Fire Nation soldiers, you shall face me instead."
His words echoed, silencing even the crash of waves. The warriors quailed, none daring to move.
With a final glance, Tai Lung tossed Aang onto the rooftop, leaving him unconscious but unharmed. Without waiting for a response, he pointed his arms backward and soared away, fire propelling him toward the retreating fleet.
The Water Tribe stood rooted in place, not daring to chase the monster who had shattered what can be described as a water god. Yet in truth, Tai Lung's strength was nearly spent. His flight wavered, his chi was reaching its limit. Battling an infinitely powerful spirit had drained him to the marrow.
But he endured and found a path. In the end, victory was his.