— Benine, let me handle this.
He barely had time to finish before Benine collapsed into his arms, gravely wounded.
Blood gushed out — hot, thick — staining the dust beneath them crimson.
For a moment, Axel froze. Then slowly, he lifted his head.
Across from him, Blade calmly wiped his vibrating air blade.
A thin smile split the shadow beneath his mask.
— What did you expect? The weak always fall first.
Thunder gently laid Benine on the ground.
His fingers trembled — not from fear, nor anger… but from sheer excitement.
Electricity already crackled around him, forming a glowing aura that lit up the cave.
— Blade… I can already tell, you're going to be fun.
A lightning bolt split the heavens above. The fangs of thunder danced through the cavern walls, forming a deadly dome of light.
— Blade… did you know this cave is made of eighty percent graphite?
A savage grin spread across Axel Thunder's face.
— Graphite's a natural conductor. Which means… you're trapped in a thunder cage. There's no way out, Blade.
Blade sighed, unbothered.
— Still sharp as ever, Thunder. But I wasn't planning to run.
With that, Blade lunged like a predator, air swirling violently around him like invisible blades.
His hair whipped in the storm, his eyes gleaming with a cold, razor edge.
— Burst: Eidras — The Universal Blade! he roared, his voice echoing through the cave.
Thunder felt the danger crawl into his bones.
— The most dangerous Burst, huh? Hahaha… let's see what it's worth!
He raised both arms. Sparks erupted from the graphite walls, surging into arcs of blinding blue.
But Blade didn't stop.
Every step he took sharpened the air itself — turning dust and wind into invisible razors. The very breeze of his movement sliced through lightning, creating a storm of silence and death.
Thunder unleashed a column of lightning that filled the entire cavern with searing white light.
The bolts struck Blade… only to be split apart, shattered into a thousand sparks before reaching him.
Each clash screamed — metallic and bright — shaking the entire cave.
Blade whispered, releasing his attack in a spiral of blades:
— Cutting Sushi No.1: Lethal Wind!
The air compressed into a vibrating field of invisible death. Every breath, every current, became a blade ready to slice anything it touched.
Thunder stepped back, eyes glittering.
— Damn… I'm actually jealous.
— My Burst lets me alter the physical properties of solid and gaseous matter I touch, turning them into sharp, nearly intangible material. You can't win against me, Thunder.
Thunder drove one of his blades into the cave wall, absorbing the surrounding lightning. Then, in a flash, he tore it free and rushed Blade.
— What part of "you're finished" didn't you get?
But then Axel stumbled — coughing blood.
— Wh… what did you… do to me?
— You think you're breathing? No. You're tearing yourself apart.
Using his arms as leverage, Thunder flung himself out of the lethal wind zone, panting.
(Damn it… he's cutting my lightning… even the air I breathe.)
Gathering what strength remained, Thunder rose again — grinning wildly.
— Gotta admit, Blade… I'm having the time of my life.
— Cutting Sushi No.2: Solid Resonance! Blade roared, slamming his hand to the ground.
The floor shattered instantly, each fragment turning into a spinning saw, shredding the air with deadly force.
Thunder reacted in a blink, springing upward. His blade gleamed as he whispered with focus:
— Seventh Strike: Zeus's Arrow.
The lightning within the cave condensed into a single point behind Blade.
In an instant, a blinding bolt tore through the wall, impaling Blade and dragging him toward Thunder.
The thunder fused into Thunder's blade — the entire cave exploding in white light.
Blade's body trembled as energy coursed through him; his own wind burst merged with the lightning, forming a storm of cutting currents and living thunder.
Thunder smirked, whispering as he charged the final blow:
— Anti-Blade Strike: Zephyr of Thunder.
The impact obliterated half the cave.
The explosion's roar was deafening — light swallowed everything.
When the smoke cleared, Thunder stood, panting but smiling. Blade lay motionless.
— That's… your Burst? he murmured, sparks still dancing across his hands.
The floor smoked, walls crumbled, air itself still cutting the silence apart.
Blade slowly lifted his head — eyes glowing crimson through the dust.
— You… really think… it's over? he rasped, barely breathing.
The wind around him quivered softly — a deadly whisper.
Thunder narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
— Hahaha… didn't think you'd survive that. Still moving, huh?
Blade smirked, voice chillingly calm:
— You hit hard… but you haven't seen anything yet.
Overburst: Eidras — Zephyr of Steel.
The wind… shifted again.
— End —