The two of them stared at each other.
Neither moved.
Ben's aura pulsed as he kept channeling energy into the black halo above his pickaxe.
He did not swing.
He wanted one clear chance, and he was not ready yet.
Apophis stood in front of him, silent and deep in thought.
'It will be fun,' she thought. 'Watching him meet the others.'
Her lips curved into a small smile.
She raised her hand and summoned her dark sword.
Then she dashed toward him in a sudden burst of speed.
Ben clicked his tongue. 'Still not ready.' He lifted his pickaxe by instinct and prepared to block.
Their weapons met, and the world dissolved.
The battlefield, the smoke, and the void around them vanished like mist.
His pickaxe passed straight through her form.
She was already fading, her body coming apart into darkness.
Only her voice remained, soft and distant.
"We will meet again, Ben."
Then there was silence.
The ruined space was gone.
His feet now rested on real, solid ground.
