At this moment, even Russ was starting to get a bit annoyed.
Fine. He'd already done so much to save his brother his dignity as Axis' uncle. But if the man wanted to humble himself this much, what could he do?
"The power he's showing off is certainly impressive! But it's not enough to make me, Lion El'Jonson, back down," declared the Lion.
"By all means." Russ stepped back.
In Lion's eyes, the strength Axis was displaying was nothing more than the daily routine for a Primarch.
This was the level of power a Primarch was supposed to possess, and any one of them could easily take on hundreds of Space Marines, and it didn't matter how many there were.
Axis twisted his neck and grinned.
"Now that's more like it. Beating up cannon fodder is so boring!"
He'd heard that, among the Primarchs, the Lion's physical prowess was among the best, right up there with Russ, Vulkan, and Angron.
They were the most physically powerful of all the Primarchs.
All these years, Axis had actually been missing a suitable punching bag.
His father knew full well how strong Axis really was, so he had no intention of volunteering to be a punching bag himself.
Thor and Dōu were either stuck on Fenris or busy every day using Ki to strengthen the Space Wolves, so they didn't have much spare time.
Now that a top-tier punching bag had shown up, Axis certainly wasn't going to refuse.
"Come with me, let's head to the training grounds," the Lion said, resting his Lion Sword on his shoulder as he led Axis down to a massive training room on the lower deck of the Invincible Reason.
The place had the décor of a medieval knightly monastery, a replica of the ancient training halls of the Knights of Caliban.
After returning to the Imperium, Lion had his flagship's lower decks remodeled in this style, so he could relive the days of the Calibanite Order.
"Axis, go easy on him, okay?" Russ put his arm around Axis's neck and whispered quietly.
"I know you've been frustrated for a while. But at least leave the man with some dignity."
This time, he even used psychic power to make sure only Axis could hear him, not wanting his proud older brother to catch on.
Axis smiled back, giving Russ a knowing look.
With a Primarch's regenerative power, how could he possibly kill one without going all out? At worst, the man would be seriously injured, just let him rest a few days and he'd be fine.
"Cut it out, brat! This match isn't actually Lion challenging you, he's only doing it on Father's orders," Russ said, communicating telepathically.
"???"
"Wait, old man, you mean the Emperor ordered Lion to test my strength?" Axis replied, using his own psychic power.
But that didn't make sense, the Emperor knew exactly how strong he was.
Otherwise, why send him off to deal with the Second Primarch the moment his own transformation was complete?
Unless… the Emperor thought Lion was getting too cocky and wanted Axis to put him in his place.
But Lion El'Jonson was actually the most level-headed Primarch.
Sure, he could be a bit proud, but he wasn't that arrogant.
"In any case, be careful in a bit, and go easy on him!" Russ urged.
Axis nodded, and soon the three of them reached a giant chamber below decks.
Lion now stood there, sword in one hand, clad in his signature green armor, his face cold as he gazed at Russ and Axis.
"You're not wearing any power armor? I have some spare Terminator suits. If you don't mind, you can put one on," Lion offered.
"No need, I'm comfortable like this," Axis replied, shaking his head.
Power armour, even Terminator armour, didn't do anything for his strength anymore.
At this point, if he powered up, he'd just break it.
The only thing it was good for was basic biochemical and cosmic radiation protection.
Since they were fighting inside an oxygen-rich, safe ship's cabin, Axis couldn't be bothered to wear armour.
"What about a weapon? Are you not even going to use one?" Lion asked.
"A weapon? This will do."
A golden radiance burst from Axis, enveloping his whole body. Then he held out a finger, wrapping it in a golden Ki.
This was Axis partially unleashing the power of a Super Saiyan.
Under this state, his strength surged, allowing him to access a portion of Super Saiyan's power.
"My weapon is a power sword.
"Take this seriously," Lion said, raising his Lion Sword and pointing it at Axis.
This brat was going to face him with just a single finger instead of a weapon?
Wasn't that just beyond arrogance? This was a power sword!
Axis shrugged.
The Ki of a Super Saiyan was completely different from a regular Saiyan's Ki. Super Saiyan Ki brought an incredible boost to the body's physical strength.
After transforming into Super Saiyan 1, Axis's entire body strength increased over fiftyfold.
The sword Trunks wielded could easily cut down both Frieza and his father, but Goku blocked it with just a finger and there was a reason for that.
Power weapons truly possessed terrifyingly matter-disruption force fields, but after so many years of fighting, Axis had discovered that his Ki, especially Super Saiyan Ki, could completely isolate those disruptive fields.
As long as his Ki isolated this force field, the power weapon wouldn't be able to tear down the molecular structure of his body.
That was why he dared to face this challenge with just a single finger.
"There is a very thin line between confidence and arrogance," Lion El'Jonson's golden eyes narrowed as he stated, only to be met with Axis' smile.
The Lion Sword in his hand instantly flared with the cold blue light of its disruptive field.
With a single stride, the floor shattered beneath him, his whole form becoming a green blur as he swept his blade straight for Axis's throat!
This strike was as fast as lightning and even the most elite Space Marines would struggle to follow its trajectory.
But—clang!
A crisp sound like metal colliding rang throughout the training hall.
Axis stood exactly where he had been, completely unmoved.
He had simply raised a single finger, the golden Ki at its tip clashing violently with the disruptive field of the Lion Sword, sending out dazzling sparks!
"What?!" Lion's pupils contracted sharply.
His power sword, the Emperor-blessed blade that could slice through Titan armor, had actually been stopped by a single finger!
"Power weapons are impressive, especially this one," Axis grinned, "My Ki is stronger."
The Lion's expression turned cold.
So this was the Ki that Father spoke of? The special power Axis possessed!
Before he could react, the golden flame at Axis's fingertip suddenly burst forth, taking shape as a golden sword of Ki over a meter long.
At that moment, a golden, formless Ki sword appeared around Axis's finger.
This was a move Axis came up with after watching some wuxia movies in his previous life, shaping his inner Ki into the form of a sword.
"I thought you'd use just your finger?"
"Ahem, your sword is a sword with physical form. Mine is formless," Axis said, striking a dramatic pose, ignoring Lion's remark.
Oh how much he wanted to do this!
Then, with a swing of the Ki sword, a terrifying shockwave blasted toward the Lion!
Boom!
Lion El'Jonson was forced back several steps, the alloy deck beneath his feet splitting open with deep cracks.
His hand that wielded the sword tingled from the shock, pain radiating through his palm.
For the first time, a look of true seriousness flashed in the Lion's eyes.
"I really did underestimate you."
With a deep growl, Lion tensed his muscles, unleashing all the power of a Primarch.
"Again!"
The Lion's sword strikes now raged like a storm, every blow strong enough to cleave mountains. As his blade swept through the air, it tore open shrill shockwaves.
Yet Axis still stood in place, blocking every attack with just a single finger.
His movements looked casual, but were frighteningly precise, parrying every strike. Golden Ki flames clashed with the disruptive field, sparks flying in every direction!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ringing of metal echoed nonstop as the entire training hall's floor crumbled under the force of their duel.
Russ could only cover his face and shake his head. "This kid… really isn't planning on leaving Lion with any dignity…"
"Hraaah—!" With a roar, the Lion suddenly changed tactics, swinging his sword at a sharp upward angle, aiming for Axis's ribs!
This strike was so fast it nearly exceeded the limits of vision.
Even Primarch-level reflexes could barely keep up.
But Axis still casually blocked the attack, his formless Ki sword constantly slashing down.
Lion found himself on the defensive, desperately fending off attack after attack, unable to do anything but block.
Every strike from Axis was heavy and unstoppable, forcing Lion to give it his all just to keep up.
At this point, Lion had no energy to focus on anything else.
The duel felt like a master knight teaching a novice.
It was as if Axis could predict his every move, seeing through all of Lion's attacks.
He saw no way for him to win, absolutely none!
Standing before Axis, he was full of openings, while the other man, simply standing there, was utterly unassailable.
Just fending off Axis's attacks had already left chips in Lion's power sword; even the disruptive field was breaking apart under the barrage of Ki strikes.
Suddenly,
pop!—Axis's finger was already pressing against Lion's wrist.
With a flick,
Vmm!—A terrifying shockwave blasted into Lion's arm, instantly numbing it.
The Lion Sword flew from his grasp.
With a clang, it embedded itself in the far wall.
Lion El'Jonson dropped to his knees, his body trembling, gasping for breath.
That brief clash had subjected him to unimaginable pressure.
The gap between them was just too enormous.
Ever since he had first begun fighting, even since he had become self-aware, no one had ever suppressed him like this.
Even his father, the Emperor of Mankind, could only defeat him by relying on psychic powers.
In pure physical combat, the Emperor's body might not be much stronger than a Primarch's.
Yet facing Axis, for the first time, Lion truly understood what despair felt like.
"You've lost." Axis dispersed the formless Ki sword from his hand.
That move was actually pretty useful.
Maybe next time he should try launching the Ki sword like a projectile instead of just energy blasts.
Kind of like Krillin's Destructo Disc.
Just thinking about it sounded awesome!
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