— A few hours earlier —
"This is bad… I can't see anything… it's all white!"
Benine thought, struggling to breathe.
The white surrounded him on all sides, suffocating and infinite. His legs trembled, his breath came in short gasps, and yet he had to move forward.
"No… I don't have time… no, I don't even have the right to rest… where is she! Where is the Bubble… I have to protect her!"
His voice echoed through the white space, lost in the void.
"My father entrusted her to me… she's all I have left, my only reason to live!"
As he spoke these words, the white space vibrated, responding to his emotions. Small glowing bubbles sprang up around him, unstable, floating like particles of memory. Some reflected memories, others fragments of pain and joy. Benine felt his heart tighten; each bubble seemed like a foundation of his mind materialized. And the more he worried, the more chaotic the world of bubbles became.
Gathering all his strength, Benine started running. Far… always farther.
"This Bubble… it's my whole life!" he shouted, his voice broken by panic and determination.
The white space tore into sheets of translucent bubbles that formed and burst beneath his steps. Every movement triggered strange vibrations in the air, as if the entire world hesitated to exist. And suddenly, there it was, in front of him.
"Ah… there you are…" he murmured, heart racing.
But when he tried to touch it, it burst instantly.
A strange pain surged through him: his body began to decompose into bubbles, floating, fragmented, fragile. He felt every part of himself separate into glowing particles.
"Has my time… come? Am I… going to die?" he asked, fear seeping into every breath.
The white world vibrated again. A bubble larger than the others approached him. Inside, a blurry silhouette appeared. Not hostile… familiar, almost comforting.
"I refuse! You will not dominate me… I will dominate you!" Benine shouted, his voice sharp and determined.
At those words, something changed. The bubbles escaping from his body froze. Then they returned to him, as if drawn by an invisible center. His skin reformed, his contours redrawing themselves. He recomposed, more stable, more balanced.
The large bubble before him hesitated… then contracted, perfect, and rested in his palm. It seemed submissive, accepting the truth: Benine was its master. A soft, reassuring pulse of light traveled up his arm.
"I found you… and now, you won't escape me," he murmured.
The white world around him seemed to slowly open, like a fractured shell, ready to reveal itself differently, or to send him back to reality… but this time, Benine was ready. His determination, mastery, and the Bubble at his side made him someone no longer at the mercy of his power, but capable of dominating it.
— Back to the present —
Blade panted, short of breath, eyes wide.
"Your scent and aura… they've changed! You're not… or at least, you're no longer human!" he yelled, his voice betraying both fear and rage.
Benine, the Bubble firmly in his palm, stood tall.
The world around them seemed to vibrate slightly, as if matter itself recognized his new authority. Benine advanced slowly, each step measured, as if even the air itself parted before him.
"Between you and me… who no longer looks human, Blade?" he murmured, his red eyes piercing through his opponent's confusion.
A shiver ran down Blade's spine.
The words resonated in the air, and for the first time since the battle began, he felt that the distance between them was not just physical… but moral, existential.
Around them, floating debris seemed to hold its breath. Every particle of dust sparkled in the diffuse light, reacting to Benine's new aura.
Benine continued his march. He reached Blade and, instead of stopping, passed him. Blade stepped back, shocked by the total absence of fear and the icy arrogance of his adversary.
"W-what are you…?" he stammered.
Benine leaned slightly, his voice a sharp whisper:
"Stay there and wait patiently…"
The battlefield seemed suspended. The debris, particles, and wind charged with electricity seemed to watch this duel, now more psychological than anything else.
Benine approached Thunder, lying on the ground.
With a calm gesture, he placed his hand on his ally:
"Don't worry… you fought well. Now, it's my turn. I'll borrow your lightning, alright?"
Sparks still danced along Thunder's body, alive, flickering.
Benine extended a finger toward one of these sparks and touched it. A vibration ran through his arm, as if the electricity itself recognized his hand.
"Burst — Catastro, the founding bubbles…" he murmured.
Then louder:
"1st Anomaly: Ryndar, the voltaic bubbles!"
The sparks decomposed into four yellow Bubbles, two with glowing blue cores and the other two with scarlet red cores.
Suddenly, the sky above them darkened, as if light itself feared what was coming.
Deep growls resonated in the air, muffled, threatening. Blade, tense and panting, muttered in rage:
"He dodged me… who does he think he is… me… Blade… no… this can't be… it's my imagination… impossible!"
Each word vibrated with anger and frustration, filling the space with almost tangible energy.
Benine, eyes fixed on Blade, sensed something strange.
A sharp presence, sharper than the scythe of death itself, seemed to cut the air around him.
His voltaic bubbles trembled slightly, as if reacting to the opponent's power, anticipating the imminent danger.
And suddenly, a wild roar tore through the air. In an instant, the entire area around them was razed.
No more grass, no floating debris… only air. The air itself seemed sliced, as if the world had been cut by his fury.
Dark veins appeared across Blade's metallic armor, running along every contour like a living network of raw energy.
An inverted smile stretched across his lips, sinister and terrifying, while his gaze took on the fierce intensity of a predator ready to strike.
Blade no longer looked like a man, nor even like a warrior…
He had transcended the stage of monster. His mere presence made the air vibrate, as if gravity itself hesitated to contain him.
Cold whispers escaped from Blade, carried by the remnants of the wild wind.
Every word seemed to cut through the air, resonating with almost supernatural power:
"Advanced Sushi Cut… Wounds of the raptor world!"
Blade's breath intensified, and the atmosphere around them began to vibrate dangerously. Then, suddenly… nothing.
Silence fell, strange and oppressive, as if the whole world held its breath.
Benine stepped forward cautiously, but at that very moment, his right arm compressed violently. The sharp pain surged through his body, forcing an impossible choice.
With a swift, almost instinctive gesture, he severed his arm, feeling the tension release, but heart pounding wildly.
Blade, motionless, piercing gaze, sighed with a disturbing calm:
"The world's scars have manifested… you will not escape them," he murmured, his voice deep and cutting.
Benine gritted his teeth, pain and determination intertwined:
"Then… I'll have to carve my path through this chaos…" he thought, every fiber of his body tense, ready to strike back.
Benine paused for a moment, stopping the bleeding still flowing from his arm.
He stared at Blade, heavy breath, as multiple questions swirled in his mind:
"(What was that attack… it felt like a bite? Scars… why did he mention scars? Why isn't he moving an inch?)" he murmured to himself.
A determined smile stretched his lips, despite the pain.
"Hahaha… that's it! It would take much more to take me down!"
Blade, eyes red with rage, growled in an icy, sharp voice:
"Shut up… and die!"
Benine suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, a clear, almost mocking laugh that echoed across the battlefield.
Blade, red with anger, gritted his teeth:
"Does death make you laugh, bug!"
Benine continued laughing, struggling to catch his breath:
"Hahaha… now I understand! It was simple, actually! Your attack… it's double-edged!"
"What are you talking about, you madman!" shouted Blade, eyes blazing.
Benine, the voltaic bubbles swirling around him, explained in a cold but triumphant voice:
"You sliced parts of the air, creating invisible scars. These scars shred everything they touch.
Proof… my severed arm is mysteriously suspended in midair."
He stepped slightly forward, eyes fixed on Blade:
"And these scars… they won't spare you either. That's why you're frozen, huh? Hahaha…"
Blade felt a shiver run through his body.
His burning rage now mingled with the realization: Benine had analyzed and anticipated every detail of his attack, transforming raw power into a controllable weapon.
"Blade… get ready, I'm coming!" Benine shouted, a smile on his lips.
Around him, the electric bubbles pulsed, vibrating with intense energy.
With each pulse, they traced a luminous path through the air, like an invisible road, ready to guide Benine across the devastated battlefield.
---
End