The battle between the two Core Formation Lords shook the night sky.
Saarken Starfire stood tall in midair, his white and gray hair whipping wildly around his head.
His eyes burned like distant suns as waves of star-colored Spirit essence rolled out from his body. Even though he was injured, his presence was heavy and crushing. The gap between his late-stage Core Formation realm and Aksai’s first level was clear from the start.
Aksai stood on the back of his draconic Bluewind Eagle, gripping a long 3rd Order Spirit sword in his hand. It was one of the artifacts the Frostbound Lord had handed to Aksai for dealing with Kalingoot. The blade glowed with pale blue light, cold mist drifting off its edge.
Ice-elent Essence Equation runes ran along the sword’s surface, faint but sharp. Although the sword was not fully suited to him, Aksai could still draw out most of its power thanks to his water-elent affinity.
Saarken moved first.
He raised one hand, and points of light appeared around him like distant stars. In the next mont, beams of sharp starlight shot forward, slicing through the air. Each beam carried terrifying force.
Aksai’s eyes narrowed. He activated Silverblue Moonsteps.
His body blurred as a soft blue glow wrapped around his legs. Moon-like ripples spread under his feet as he shifted positions again and again, narrowly avoiding the star beams. Each step felt smooth and light, as if the air itself was carrying him away from danger.
Even though Aksai was way too fast for soone in the 1st level of the Core Formation realm, he couldn’t really dodge the attack completely. After all, the difference between their realm was too big to ignore.
A beam grazed his shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air.
Even though Aksai was gravely injured, he did not get flustered. His advantage in this fight was his three Innate Spirit spells. His 3rd Order Spirit cultivation technique Sun Moon Stars Trifecta Tantra basically turned him into a tank. Even though Aksai did not have an offence-type Innate Spirit Spell from his regular Dantian, he could still hold on due to the fact that he had three Innate Spirit Spells.
What was even more interesting was the fact that the Innate Spirit Spell made available to him by his technique was completely compatible with his bloodline ability Druid’s Healing. In fact, his druidic nature was subtly transforming the Innate Cube related to his healing-type Spirit spell, increasing the spell’s effectiveness even further.
Thus, Aksai’s Innate Spirit Spell was leveled up even further by his druid bloodline.
Before the pain could settle in, green-gold light blood around Aksai’s body. Druid’s Healing activated on its own, warm energy flowing through his flesh. Torn muscles knit together. Broken skin closed in seconds. His breathing steadied almost instantly.
Saarken was internally shocked when he saw Aksai’s unnatural healing speed. Even a late-stage Core Formation Lord like him could not heal himself to such an extent in such a short ti. However, he didn’t let it show on his face and snorted.
"You heal fast," he said coldly. "Let’s see how long that lasts."
He spread both arms wide.
This ti, a large star-shaped formation appeared behind him. It pulsed once, then exploded outward. A rain of glowing star shards fell like a storm, each one heavy enough to crush stone.
Aksai crossed his arms and activated the Yellow Earth Skin Shell.
Deep brown light covered his body, forming a thick shell around him. Faint star patterns flickered across its surface. The first few shards struck him head-on, smashing into the shell and shattering. The impact still sent shockwaves through his body, forcing him back several ters in the air.
Cracks ford on the shell. Another wave of shards followed.
Aksai slashed forward with his Spirit sword. A wide arc of icy-blue sword light surged out, clashing with the falling stars. Explosions filled the sky as ice and starlight collided.
Saarken pressed the attack.
He chained his spells together, one after another. A burning star sphere followed by dark, twisted Spirit waves that carried a strange, demonic feel.
These spells did not feel clean or pure. They felt warped, filled with hunger and malice, clearly born from devoured mories and stolen power of the ghost ntor who was the original owner of the borrowed Spirit Core.
Aksai was pushed back again and again. His Earth Shell shattered under repeated hits. His body was pierced, burned, and torn apart more than once. Each ti, Druid’s Healing flared up, dragging him back from the edge. His Spirit essence dropped steadily, but his movents stayed calm.
He did not rush. Instead, he dodged, blocked, and healed.
Saarken’s breathing grew heavier with each passing exchange. His Spirit aura still burned strong, but small signs of strain began to show. His spells were powerful, but they consud large amounts of Spirit essence every ti he cast them. This was the disadvantage of using regular Spirit spells as compared to Innate Spirit Spells.
Aksai noticed everything. ’Good,’ he thought calmly. ’Keep spending.’
Saarken finally gathered his power and released his Innate Spirit Spell. The stars above trembled.
A massive star-shaped seal appeared behind him, glowing with blinding light. The pressure alone made the sea below sink inward, forming a giant hollow. The spell ford quickly, far faster than his other techniques.
’This is... an Innate Spell? Even he has one.’
Aksai’s heart tightened. This was the one spell he truly feared.
He poured everything into movent and defense. Moonsteps carried him away at full speed. Earth Shell reford around him, thicker than before. His Spirit sword flashed again and again, cutting into the edge of the incoming power to weaken it.
The clash lit up the sky.
When the light faded, Aksai was sent flying backward, his body cracked and broken. He coughed up blood as he struggled to stay conscious.
Green-gold light covered him once more. Bones reset. Organs healed.
Within seconds, he was standing again, breathing hard but alive.
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