Using his qi-based martial arts, Aksai scaled Thorn's body as if it were a ladder.
He found footing on the man's shoulder, exploiting the damage inflicted on Thorn's leg.
Leaning down, he placed both palms on Thorn's head, using his arms as a support. Aksai stood upside down using his opponent's head as a platform.
"Aaaaaah! Help!" Thorn cried out while trying to shake Aksai off him.
Simultaneously, Aksai's Lian Flying Sword streaked out, whirling with deadly velocity before cleanly severing Thorn's head in a single swift motion.
The battle was a wrap within just 30 seconds.
As Thorn's lifeless body began to slump forward, Aksai executed a cartwheel-like maneuver, landing behind him while holding the severed head aloft.
A straight line of blood drops appeared right in front of Aksai because of the motion the severed head was subjected to.
Thorn still had a mix of extremely shocked and agonizing expressions painted across his face when Aksai lifted his opponent's severed head to take a look.
It only took half a minute for Aksai to be done with the first enemy that had charged at him out of his own volition. What kind of battle potential was that? The other Spirit cultivators were just warming up to each other while Aksai was holding a severed head in his hand, which he then quickly tossed away as if it was nothing but trash.
'Hmm. One more corpse to feed to my Spirit plants. I wonder what kind of goodies I'd get from this guy.'
Aksai mused to himself, eyeing Thorn's lifeless form with curiosity.
The outward Spirit Sense picked on something, sending danger signals.
Just as Aksai prepared to store Thorn's headless corpse in his storage ring, he sensed a threat looming from two opposing directions.
Before he could react, the attacks initiated by the two late-stage Spirit Refiners had already reached him. These Spirit spell assaults, cast separately by his adversaries, left Aksai with no time or space to evade.
A barrage of Spirit spell attacks descended upon Aksai from all angles, enveloping him like a storm. The assailants were none other than the two Spirit cultivators previously restrained by Nuya's runic chains.
Both Aria and Darius had identified Aksai as their primary threat, recognizing the destructive potential of his attacks and movements.
While Nuya's other team members were still casting their Spirit spells, Aksai had already begun saving his opponent's headless corpse in his storage ring.
To late-stage Spirit cultivators who fought conventionally, he was basically a monster in human skin.
This kind of destructive battle potential singled Aksai out as the main target for Aria and Darius. While their allies engaged Aram and the others from Nuya's team, Aria and Darius focused solely on Aksai.
From his left, Aria unleashed a barrage of Gust Blades and Whirlwind Slashes, while Darius launched a series of Midnight Blades and Void Strikes from the right.
Both sets of attacks converged, sealing off Aksai's escape routes and keeping him squarely within their sights.
Everyone on the deck was somewhat aware of what had transpired between Aksai and Thorn. Clearly, Aria and Darius were not taking any chances with Aksai, maintaining a safe distance while bombarding him with mid-range assaults.
A series of mini explosions rang out as the Spirit spells attacked Aksai from all directions, obscuring him from the vision. The kind of Spirit pulse the attacks released made it seem like Aksai would not be able to come out of this ordeal alive.
The attacks carried on for about 10 seconds. Just when Aria and Darius had thought that they were done with Aksai, they sensed something was odd. They saw a dome-shaped defensive barrier had been erected around Aksai.
This barrier had taken the brunt of their attacks, keeping Aksai safe and sound from the storm of attacks they had launched at him.
'This bracelet is really something,' Aksai thought to himself as he looked at the bracelet he wore with fascination. This was the same defensive-type bracelet that he had obtained from Lian during their first and last battle.
Previously, this bracelet had stopped Aksai from killing Lian despite all the odds placed against the latter. At this point, it had saved Aksai from a serious threat, turning the opponents' surefire attacks useless.
"How… how did he survive?" Aria mumbled, her wide eyes reflecting shock.
"It's that bracelet. It's a defensive-type treasure, bought in an auction 12 years ago by the Lakir family. I remember that damn thing because I failed to obtain it last time."
Darius explained grimly, his gaze fixed on Aksai's unscathed form.
Their coordinated attack should have been effective, but Aksai's unexpected defense caught them off guard.
"Don't worry. The artifact can only be used once per day. Let's attack him—"
Darius began, readying another assault, but his words were cut short as he watched Aksai's sudden movement.
At first, he thought Aksai intended to counterattack, but to his surprise, Aksai used his Lian Flying Sword to fly away, maintaining a steady distance above the sea.
Who could have imagined that such a fierce fighter would choose to run away from a fight? Whatever happened to the dignity of a warrior?
"What the…. Fu*k! He's running away. Catch him!" Darius shouted, summoning his own flying sword and leaping onto it to pursue Aksai.
The fact that Aksai had chosen to run away from the impending fight gave Darius the confidence he needed to go after him. He assumed that Aksai must have used some forbidden techniques to unleash such destructive force.
'What… what should I do?'
Aria, though torn, knew they couldn't let Aksai escape. She summoned her shield-type flying artifact and joined the chase, determined to neutralize the threat Aksai posed.
'That bastard is a bigger threat to us. We can't let him go off the hook like that.'
Aksai allowed his opponents to pursue him, a slight smile playing on his lips. Once he was certain he had put enough distance between himself and the motionless ship, he turned to face them once more.
"You pesky little rat, you're not getting away from this mess alive," Darius threatened, producing another sword from his storage, clearly another flying-type weapon.
Aria remained silent, drawing a shortsword and charging it with her Spirit essence, preparing for battle.
Meanwhile, both Darius and Aria readied themselves to unleash a barrage of Spirit spells against Aksai at a moment's notice. They assumed that Aksai's intense battle with Thorn had drained much of his stamina and Spirit essence, leaving him vulnerable.
However, dealing with Aksai was never that simple, especially when he had his puppets.
=== Newest update provided by NoveI★Fire.net
AN: Aksai obtained the defensive-type bracelet from Lian in chapter 57.