Akashi gathered a Chi wave in his arm, compressing it. After successfully using this technique against Unalaq—or Vatuu, more likely—he thought about mastering some variations.
He created a wave that could emit a blue light.
"Okay. Not enough energy to call it a Kamehameha. So, let's settle for a Hadouken."
Akashi muttered before thrusting his hand forward. A Chi wave emitting light traveled at a speed higher than sound, encountering no air resistance. In the next second, it hit one of the icebergs.
Chi, when leaving the body, could be used to bend specific elements. As for the frequency Akashi used, it was random, and he didn't know how the matter would react to it.
The iceberg cracked before splitting into parts that scattered everywhere.
The Waterbenders hiding inside got confused and emerged from the ice. Those hiding behind also got confused.
More than that, some got caught and died.
If Akashi had to count their number, it was around 50, earning him around 500k pure experience points and around 1.5 million bonus points.
But even then, he still didn't level up.
The requirements were high. But he believed that he could level up if he finished them and attacked the next iceberg, which had more hiding in it.
'Even after fighting among each other, they still went with their plan,' Akashi thought to himself, turning his head.
The people on the cruise were still in their rooms, or in the casino, or restaurants, having fun. They hadn't heard the explosion that just occurred from his technique. And it was thanks to Akashi bending the sound waves away, ensuring that he hadn't grabbed anyone's attention.
Akashi started stretching. He needed some real exercise and to test his new stats. Compared to the man he was before, he was a superhuman.
"Okay, Chi Waves are strong attacks against strong defenses, but not good for mass area attacks. Besides, I have been waiting to test this technique."
Akashi floated in the air and flew forward.
The soldiers, adjusting themselves in the dark sea, couldn't notice the figure flying to them.
As for Akashi, he didn't need light to see. There was air and waves that allowed him to see. He was like a moving radar supported by AI to show him things that normal humans couldn't see.
Stopping in front of the cracked berg, Akashi took a deep breath, and then, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"WAAAAA!"
After the battle with Vatuu, he had gained an extra six levels in his wavesbending. The amplification and manipulation he could do to the waves were far more advanced than before.
The result?
A deadly sound-wave that carried a massive wind with it, surging in front of the berg.
But the special thing about that wave, despite being amplified and huge enough to deaf someone, was that it was barely heard.
That's thanks to the frequency, which was meant to damage internal organs.
The soldiers, one after another, dropped dead. Their eyes popped out, and their internal organs slipped through their holes. They fell dead, like empty bodies.
[You leveled up.]
[+2 AP. +1 SP]
Akashi nodded to himself. This deadly attack he had just used consumed around a third of his energy. It was more effective than the Chi wave he had shot earlier. As for the soldiers who dropped dead, in his eyes, they weren't soldiers dying in duty. They were just a bunch of assassins trying to kill his woman. And the fact that they were numerous didn't change that.
"There is another iceberg." Akashi stretched his arms. As he had already injured all of the nonbenders soldiers before, he knew that he still had only waterbenders to face.
Though he knew that he wouldn't level up, it was a nice way to try his new stats. And he would do it.
What's the point of having time-stopping reflexes if you don't use them?
And even though the people on the cruise heard nothing, the ones in the next iceberg heard everything.
They got out of their hiding, glaring daggers at Akashi. Now that they focused on him, they could see his silhouette.
Akashi continued flying to their iceberg.
"You knew that Daddy was coming home, so you got out of your hiding to welcome him." Akashi said in a slightly provoking tone, not caring that he was standing on ice in the middle of the ocean, the environment where waterbenders held an advantage.
The waterbenders seemed to be aware of that, and they didn't waste a second thinking. They directly attacked Akashi. Numerous water jets and ice spikes flew to him.
Akashi ran toward them. To him, the moment he thought about reacting, everything seemed to come to a halt, as if time stopped, and he moved with high agility between the attacks.
His speed was high enough that the waterbenders barely saw him moving. And by the time their attacks were over, Akashi reached a bunch of them, and he punched them. They flew everywhere, holes in their armor and blood gushing out of their mouths in the process.
For reference, Akashi didn't amplify the shockwave nor used airbending to boost himself. It was simply pure physical power, and it seemed to do wonders here.
"Impossible." Another soldier said. But the silhouette that left afterimages behind him was already in front of him, and with a single punch, that soldier was dead, literally. Akashi's fist just ripped his head off.
"I seriously love the perks." Akashi said to himself, looking at his fist. Not even a natural-born earthbender who had lifted his whole life would come close to Akashi when it came to strength.
And let's not forget that speed plays a higher role in punching power. Akashi had both strength and speed. That's why he became an abnormality in this world.
And just like that, time felt like it came to a stop. Akashi realized that the ice under his feet shifted its shape and was about to swallow him. He lifted his legs, laid on his back, and pushed himself into the air. His body ragdolled.
But strangely enough, it was completely balanced. Even in this state, Akashi could fly in any direction he wished smoothly, and so he did, kicking anyone in the way.
The waterbenders assaulting him stopped.
"What the hell is going on?"
"It's one man."
"He's not even bending. He's straightly beating up our ass…"
"Fuck it, who suggested this plan?"
Akashi stopped and stood in the middle of the iceberg, a new idea coming to his mind.
"This would have fucked me in the past, but I guess it's worth trying," Akashi clenched his fist, and looked at it. "I'm stronger than when I faced Vatuu. So, let's see."
Akashi jumped. In a few seconds, he was a few thousand meters high in the air. And then, he flew down, increasing his speed, removing resistance, and all, while creating a sphere of air around his fist, pointed down. His acceleration, unlimited and obstructed by any resistance, allowed him to break through the speed of sound without making any sonic boom.
His fist landed on the berg. And a massive force left in the form of a shockwave. Akashi controlled that wave and the backlash force, directing it down. He amplified it all he could.
The result was a very high-energy and force punch. The energy was more than enough to push through the ice, and it spread.
The ice just vaporized like that, creating a white explosion.
The men hiding and standing on it got affected by that. Their bodies spread into parts, flew everywhere.
As the white mist that spread after the explosion covered the ocean, Akashi was the only figure unharmed, flying above the mist. He shook his hand as he felt pain in his shoulder. But he treated it as if it were nothing since it didn't cause him to lose more than 30 HP. His stats allowed him to handle this better.
"I could have gone Mach 10. Though, I need to learn how to punch faster so I don't have to fly away. Maybe increasing my martial arts would help me learn that."
As for the reward, it was another level up. Remember, in the past, he beat most of the nonbenders. This time, he defeated benders, and so, the experience he got had increased. And he got around 35 million experience points this time from that punch alone, crediting most of it to the bonus experience.
The system was more rewarding to the
[You leveled up]
Akashi clapped his hands and turned his head, looking for the ships that the Northern came from.
But they were nowhere nearby.
"Fuck the twins. They left them here alone." Akashi groaned in pain. Korra's cousins seemed to know that there were some underhanded plans sewed by the soldiers and took who remained in the ships with them.
It was a wise call.
Other than that, Akashi would have taken care of everyone.
But then, he remembered.
The twins had witnessed him dealing with the dark Avatar.
"Even I wouldn't dare to mess with someone capable of killing the dark Avatar." Akashi muttered, flying back to the ship and landing.
Korra approached him, saying, "Done smoking?"
"Yeah." Akashi replied, waving his hand, making the air carry the smell away.
Korra opened her eyes widely, "What kind of mist is this. Cold like ice, but a bit of red?"
She asked, looking at the mist that Akashi had just created.
"I don't know." Akashi resisted the urge to scratch his chin and replied. He put his hand in his pocket and scratched something else.
Korra nodded, "Still, pretty."
The cruise changed its direction, going around the mist. The passengers got to the edge, watching the strange red-white mist.
And with that, the cruise took another five days, finally arriving at Republic City.