"Huff… Huff… Let's see who dies first if we keep this up!"
Axe's body was covered in numerous visible wounds, and his breathing had become laboured. His opponent was tough to deal with. Somehow, the opponent could always catch the exact moment he switched between his soul and body states. No matter how much Axe tried to feint, the opponent never fell for it and always responded perfectly when he genuinely attacked.
Could it be a type of advanced Observation Haki, or perhaps what Aim had mentioned earlier: the Voice of All Things, or even the ability to see into the future?
They were unaware of the existence of Ultra Instinct. Even Jotaro might need to fully understand its intricacies.
"Before you turn me into dust, there's no way I'm dying!"
Xanxus wasn't in great shape, either. He had numerous bloody claw marks from Axe's attacks, and blood was continually seeping out, staining his entire body red. However, getting him to fall was not an easy feat. Unless his life was utterly extinguished, Xanxus's willpower was unbreakable.
With a roar, he immediately started firing again, unleashing his Rage Flames, venting his frustration from the gruelling battle.
Strangely, this time, Axe didn't engage head-on or pass through the flames. Instead, he began dodging wildly, taunting as he did so, "Xanxus, right? I'll stay in my physical form now. Look at the difference in our strength. With your aimless attacks, you can't even touch my toes!"
It seemed like a simple provocation, but the problem was that Xanxus took the bait!
Are you daring to mock him?
Xanxus fired his dual Emperor Beasts Guns in all directions, sealing Axe's escape routes. He crossed them in front of him, his Observation Haki locking onto his opponent.
The previous Rage Flames were purely to limit Axe's movements. Now, the fire within him gathered into the Emperor Beasts Guns, the powerful energy waves rivalling Jotaro's X-BURNER.
Despite his expressionless face, Axe felt a surge of joy internally at that moment.
"If you have the guts, don't dodge! Turn to ashes!"
With a fierce roar, Xanxus unleashed his full power. Two enormous lion heads of Rage Flames surged forth, engulfing Axe.
The instant his body was enveloped by the flames, Axe's lips curled into a victorious smile. He turned his back to take the brunt of the attack, using the impact to propel himself forward. The tiger stripes on his body glowed faintly as he switched to his soul state to avoid further damage.
Only a fool would stay in their physical form under such an onslaught. If he took the full force of the Rage Flames, he'd lose at least half his life.
His entire ploy was to provoke Xanxus into unleashing a powerful attack!
Focused on his physical and soul state transitions, Xanxus fails to notice that his attack is directed towards Kaido's ice sculpture.
Axe intended to use the impact of the flames to position himself next to Kaido's ice sculpture. Once the fire hit the ice, he would use Armament Haki to free Kaido.
This would decisively turn the tide in their favour!
"Boom!"
The Rage Flames fiercely assaulted Kaido's ice sculpture, causing it to tremble and show signs of melting.
Realising his mistake, Xanxus saw the impending disaster. His rage had clouded his judgment, and it was too late to retract his power. He hoped that Jotaro's Zero Point Breakthrough would withstand his Rage Flames. It should be fine, as the Zero Point Breakthrough could freeze even him!
However, external destruction and internal destruction are fundamentally different...
If Jotaro had used the Zero Point Breakthrough against Xanxus, freezing him would be no problem. But now, the ice held Kaido. The Rage Flames striking the ice from the outside could melt it with sufficient force!
Issho also noticed the disturbance. His Mind's Eye saw through the flames, revealing that Axe was poised to attack the ice the moment the fire dissipated.
"This is bad!"
Realising the gravity, Issho turned to stop Axe. The flames had weakened the ice but hadn't destroyed it. If Axe's attack succeeded, it had a high chance of freeing Kaido.
But Aim wasn't about to let Issho interfere.
"Don't think you can leave! Life Return: Transformation!"
Aim's aura surged in an instant, his expression becoming twisted and crazed. He launched himself like a cannonball towards Issho, maintaining a unique stance as he roared:
"Armament: Iron Body!"
Covered entirely in Armament Haki, Aim turned pitch black, combining it with Iron Body to become a human cannonball.
Sensing the danger behind him, Issho knew he had to deal with Aim first. He turned and slashed, his cane sword clashing with Aim's potent attack, forcing him to retreat with each step, gouging deep marks into the ground.
"Boom!"
At that moment, Axe's fist struck the ice sculpture, releasing an almost complete burst of Armament Haki.
Everyone watched the enormous ice sculpture. Varia members even prayed, but prayers were futile.
"Crack... crack..."
A clear sound rang out, signalling that someone long frozen was about to see the light of day again!