"Kraaaah!"
The Verdant Elder roared again, throwing another spell, then another.
Flas, vines, spikes of rock—he tried everything, all fueled by his will and rage.
However, Aksai managed to hold on his own.
Silent Wind was activated at a crucial ti.
Aksai's presence dulled. His aura faded until it was like trying to grasp smoke. The Elder's attacks grew wild, unable to track him properly.
Then Aksai moved. Fast. Swift as a shadow.
He then activated the Verdant Heart.
His pulse roared in his ears, and a seemingly endless amount of vitality surged within him. His strength, speed, and reactions were enhanced by many folds.
His body moved like a fish in water, darting between attacks, throwing counters, and landing precise blows across the Elder's spectral body. The beast snarled and pushed back, letting out a roar that shook the sea beneath their feet.
That's when Aksai called on the last blessing.
Agni Serpent Spirit.
His limbs lit up with glowing serpent tattoos. They moved across his skin, alive with fire. The air around him heated up, not enough to burn, but enough to bite.
He dashed forward, sliding past a vine-whip spell, and punched straight into the Verdant Elder's chest. A serpent of red light surged from his fist, coiling around the spectral form and exploding in fire.
The Verdant Elder scread again, but this ti his form flickered.
The battle raged on.
Aksai's strikes ca fast, one after another, each blow landing with the weight of his will and the force of his blessings.
His Qi-based martial arts flowed like water and struck like lightning. Every move seed to carry not just power, but purpose. The Verdant Elder, once wild and furious, was slowly starting to lose ground.
With each attack, Aksai could see the cracks forming in the Elder's spectral body. The beast's form flickered more often now, parts of his body dimming as if his soul was being chipped away bit by bit.
The Verdant Elder growled, lashing out with an all-out wood-elent vines attack that launched from all directions at once. But Aksai was ready.
He activated the turtle-shell shield. The blessing wrapped his body in a glowing, deep green barrier that shimred like hardened jade. The attack struck the shell and broke apart, unable to pierce the defense.
The Verdant Elder's eyes widened in fury. He could feel it now. The essence of his own power was woven into Aksai's attacks and defence. These were his powers, stolen and reshaped through the Qi Shell integration.
The beast's own strength had been turned against him.
"No! Human…. You—how dare you!" he roared.
But Aksai ignored the beast's tantrums. His fists, elbows, and knees moved without pause, hamring down again and again. He spun, ducked, and leapt, his druid blessings glowing faintly across his body.
The runic serpents burned. His steps beca lighter, sharper. His strikes carried more force. The rhythm of the fight beca his own.
Ti passed—how much, he didn't know. In the Soul Space, ti felt strange, slow and endless. But Aksai didn't tire. Not here.
Aksai was aware that he wasn't fighting with his real body in this place. As such, his breath didn't grow short. As long as his will to fight stayed strong, he could go on forever.
And the longer he fought, the clearer it beca—he was winning.
The Verdant Elder's spirit no longer roared with rage. Now it echoed with desperation. His attacks grew wild and sloppy. He was losing control. Aksai took advantage, breaking through the Elder's defenses one small step at a ti.
Then ca the mont Aksai had waited for.
The Verdant Elder hesitated. For just a breath, his will wavered.
Aksai raised both hands and called on his Spirit spells.
Wood-elent vines shot out from the air itself, thick and heavy, wrapping around the beast's limbs and pinning them in place. Water-elent whips followed, binding the Elder's body tighter and tighter.
"Release …. You vile human… you already have my body. What… What do you want from now?
Aaaargh!"
The Verdant Elder roared again, trying to break free. His soul flared with anger. But the vines held strong. The water tightened. His form flickered again, then dimd.
"I am not satisfied with just your body. I also want your soul. Hahaha!"
Aksai said to the demon beast as he laughed. But then his face beca awkward briefly. "Wait… that ca out wrong. But you get the jist."
After murmuring that to himself, Aksai kept on launching one attack after the other on the poor and trapped demon beast. The Elder's pride as a 3rd Order demon beast was thoroughly squashed by Aksai's blatant actions and remarks.
Inside Aksai's Soul Space, he could charge up his will anyti he wanted. His intent could be recharged using the dormant Aether essence found inside the Soul Space.
But the sa could not be said for the Verdant Elder. His struggles slowed. He stopped moving. The will to fight left his body like wind dying from a storm.
"Haaah! Finally."
Aksai stopped moving and looked ahead. He stood still, right in front of the demon beast. His breath was steady as if he had not fought with a formidable opponent at all.
The sea beneath them had stilled. The sunless sky above seed just a bit quieter. Aksai stood still for a mont, breathing calmly. Then, he raised his right hand.
The sea below stirred as the Aether Shell rose from its surface once again. It floated gently toward him, hovering just above his palm. The mirror-like sphere reflected the endless blue sky and naless waters, glowing faintly with a soft inner light.
Without a word, Aksai waved his hand forward.
The Aether Shell floated toward the Verdant Elder, who was still bound tightly by thick vines and water whips. As it moved, the shell began to expand slowly, like a bubble stretching open.
The light it gave off deepened in color, turning from soft white to a dark purple hue.
The sphere grew large enough to surround the trapped demon beast completely.
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