The remaining Custodes quickly adjusted their tactics.
No longer did they attempt to confront Axis head-on; instead, they launched a coordinated assault with impeccable teamwork.
They darted back and forth like streaks of golden lightning, power halberds weaving a deadly web, while the force fields of their storm shields overlapped to form an almost impenetrable defensive formation.
However, Axis only grinned.
Before absolute strength, all resistance was futile.
His figure suddenly blurred, and in the next instant, the air erupted with a thunderous crack. His fist, shrouded in a swirling aura of ki, smashed directly into a Custodian's shield.
Boom!
The storm shield's force field instantly overloaded, exploding with arcs of wild energy.
The Custodian holding the shield felt his arms go numb from the aftershock of that single punch.
He slid back dozens of meters, the soles of his boots gouging two scorched lines into the ground.
"His strength is actually increasing?!" one of the Custodes muttered under his breath.
"No, he just wasn't serious before!" Caesar gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the pain in his chest as he tightened his grip on his Phoenix Power Spear.
He'd fought Axis for more than a month already, he knew this guy all too well.
That earlier battle, as fierce as it had looked, had been entirely one-sided.
The Custodes were completely suppressed, but in truth, Axis was just playing with them.
He hadn't been serious at all, even now, still wasn't showing his true strength. The sheer gap in power was enough to crush all hope.
Axis's figure vanished once again, and this time he appeared right in the center of the Custodes' formation.
He stomped down hard, and the ground collapsed with a thunderous roar.
A violent shockwave rippled outward in a ring, leaving the Custodes reeling and unable to keep their footing.
Was this guy a humanoid Titan? Was he an actual monster?
Axis's arms shot out like lightning, grabbing two Custodes by the arms.
Spinning his body, he wielded the two warriors like makeshift weapons, turning himself into a giant spinning top.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Custodes who'd been surrounding Axis were sent flying in an instant, and the two being used as clubs suffered even worse, their entire bodies convulsing from the impact.
The remaining Custodes finally realized that they weren't facing an ordinary warrior, but something close to a monster.
"Spread out! Suppress him from range!" Caesar barked.
The Custodes quickly retreated.
Their power halberds switched to energy projection mode, and searing plasma bolts and explosive shells rained down like a storm.
But Axis merely raised one hand, gold-green energy swirling in his palm to form a translucent shield.
Every attack crashed against it and simply vanished, as if thrown into the sea, without so much as a ripple.
'Shields really are useful', Axis thought.
He even placed one hand on his hip and let out a yawn, making an exaggeratedly provocative gesture.
Malcador had forbidden him from using Ki blasts on these Custodes, but using a shield like this should be fine, 'right?'
"What… what is that?" One of the Custodes spoke up in disbelief.
This was just absurd! Was this some kind of void shield or energy shield? But the guy clearly wasn't wearing any equipment!
"Ahem. That's Axis's unique Ki, his own power. Be careful, he can project it outside his body," Caesar said, staggering to his feet.
More than twenty years had passed, and the gap between their strengths had grown as vast as the distance between sky and earth.
He used to feel confident that, once he donned his power armor, he could easily take down Axis when he was a kid.
But now, even with more than a dozen comrades in power armor, they had all been beaten and toyed with like children.
Axis suddenly swept his hand, and the shield exploded in a burst of energy. The backlash from the Ki barrier sent the Custodes stumbling backward.
Axis moved like a phantom, launching himself forward.
Fists, elbows, knees, and legs struck in an endless storm, each blow landing precisely at the weakest points in the Custodes' armor.
Crack!
One Custodian's chest plate shattered.
Boom!
Another was kicked flying, crashing through the adamantium wall of the training room before coming to a stop.
Thud!
Axis grabbed one Custodian by the throat with a single hand and slammed him to the ground.
"Surrender?" Axis grinned.
The Custodian didn't answer.
He could only struggle, trying to pry open Axis's fingers.
"Not bad. You've got some backbone," Axis nodded, then casually flicked his hand, tossing the Custodian away like a rag doll.
He hit the ground hard and was completely out of the fight.
The whole training ground fell into dead silence.
Sixteen Custodes, the most elite warriors of the human Imperium, considered the most perfect of mankind besides the Emperor and the Primarchs,
All defeated, in full power armor, with every weapon at their disposal, in just a few minutes!
Axis dusted off his hands and turned to the only man still standing: Caesar.
All the others were down for the count, but because Axis and Caesar had some history, Axis had deliberately held back and let Caesar remain standing.
"How's it been, Caesar? It's been more than twenty years!!" Axis grinned.
"Why don't you just come over and knock me down?" Caesar replied darkly.
'Damn it,' he thought, 'I'd rather go hand-to-hand with Orks or even fight those damn xenos than go up against you, you bastard!
'And what's the point of leaving me standing alone?
'To reminisce about the past?''
"If you really mean that, alright!" Axis said with a smile.
"You— You… whatever. I surrender." Caesar threw his weapon to the ground.
'What kind of monster had the Emperor and the Chancellor created?'
From the sidelines, Malcador had watched the whole battle, his face full of shock as he glanced at the data screen.
Axis had only used a simple shield to block their power weapons.
He hadn't used a single Ki blast, or any similar ability. With nothing but his physical body, and all the while having fun, he'd knocked down the Custodes like they were helpless children.
Even if there had been twice as many Custodes, the outcome likely would not have changed.
Even with a hundred, if Axis used the full power of his Ki, he could probably wipe them out single-handedly, and even destroy entire battalions on his own.
"Axis, you did well," Malcador finally stepped forward, nodding to him.
"Thank you for the compliment! These golden corns aren't bad, either," Axis replied.
'This kid should have no problem completing his mission.
'The Second Primarch wouldn't be a match for him, not to mention there's Russ.'
At that moment, the battered Custodes had all gotten back to their feet, straightened their damaged armor, and formed a line.
The look in their eyes had changed completely.
Axis's fighting power had earned their utter respect.
"There's still a dozen days left. Should I let these Custodes continue sparring with you?" Malcador asked, glancing at Axis.
These were already the strongest sparring partners he could find. Anyone stronger would have to be a Primarch, or the Emperor himself.
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