Ben's expression darkened.
"No, you don't."
He shot forward, and Apophis moved beside him.
Together they closed in on the core.
Ben's fist burned with warped gravity.
Apophis's claws dripped with dark water and crushing pressure.
They moved to strike, one clean hit away from shattering the core, but the system retaliated.
The air around the core twisted inward.
Code shattered like glass.
From the blinding light, twelve figures emerged.
Each one stepped forward in silence.
They wore shifting golden armor, their bodies humanoid but slightly wrong.
Glyphs floated around them.
Weapons formed in their hands.
Their golden eyes glowed.
Ben froze, not because of their strength, but because of what he felt inside them.
His expression twisted into a scowl.
"...Souls."
He sensed it clearly.
Each construct was not just data.
They were trapped spirits.
Former hosts, bound by the system after their deaths.
His voice dropped low.
"Do not use my power like that, you bastard."
