The smoke from their initial clash still hung in the air—acrid, burning, suffocating.
Kai stood at one end of the corridor, Black Dranzer spinning at his feet. Eyes crimson. Aura flickering purple around him like restless flames.
Across from him—Gingka Hagane. Storm Pegasus circling protectively. Blue aura bright, warm, alive.
And between them—Kyoya Tategami. Rock Leone holding center position. Green energy crackling like contained lightning.
Three beyblades. Three bladers. One narrow corridor.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then Gingka's eyes found the exit behind Kai. The path deeper into the facility. Where Doji waited. Where the real answers were.
He stepped forward. "Move."
Kai's gaze shifted to him. Held.
Then—deliberately—Kai stepped aside.
Gingka froze. Confused. "What—"
"Go." Kai's voice was flat. Cold. "You're not what I want."
Gingka looked at Kyoya. At Kai. Back to the corridor.
Understanding dawned.
He's letting me through but why?
"Gingka." Kyoya didn't look away from Kai. "Go. I've got this one."
"But—"
"GO."
Gingka hesitated one more second. Then ran. Past Kai. Down the corridor. Footsteps echoing.
The door at the far end sealed behind him with a pneumatic hiss.
Silence settled.
Just Kai and Kyoya now. Their beyblades spinning. Waiting.
Kyoya cracked his neck. "Smart. You wanted this one-on-one."
"Yes."
"Good." Kyoya's grin was wild. Feral. "Because I remember you. Tournament kid. Heard what happened after. Dark Nebula got their claws in."
Kai felt slight irritation at being called "tournament kid" again but said nothing.
"Don't care." Kyoya's eyes narrowed. "You're here. That's all that matters."
***
Leone struck first.
Fast. Aggressive. The green aura flared as the bey shot forward like a bullet.
Black Dranzer shifted. Minimal movement. Perfect angle.
The collision sent both beyblades ricocheting. Sparks flew. The concrete beneath cracked from impact force.
Kyoya grinned wider. "Not bad."
Leone attacked again. Different angle. Same intensity.
Dranzer countered. Redirected force. Let Leone's momentum work against itself.
Another collision. Another spray of sparks.
The exchanges continued. Neither gaining ground.
Leone feinted left—pulled back at the last second. Testing.
Dranzer didn't fall for it. Held center position. Patient.
Kyoya's eyes narrowed. Reading my moves.
He adjusted. Leone dove low. Scraping the floor.
Dranzer jumped. Both beyblades clashed mid-air.
CLANG.
The impact created a shockwave. Dust cascaded from ceiling fixtures.
They landed. Circled. Repositioned.
Kai watched with analytical precision. Studying patterns. Calculating trajectories.Strong. Experienced. Adapts quickly.
Leone struck from an unexpected angle. Full commitment.
Dranzer shifted at the last instant. Redirected momentum. Let Leone's force carry it past.
Close.
Too close.
Another exchange. Leone attacking high. Dranzer blocking low. Both adjusting trajectories mid-collision.
The cracks in the floor accumulated. Spider-webbing outward from each impact point. The walls groaned. Metal fixtures rattled loose.
Kyoya exhaled slowly. Sweat gathering at his temples. "You've gotten better."
"You're not bad yourself."
"Tch." Kyoya's grin didn't fade. "I'm a king. 'Not bad' doesn't cut it."
Leone charged again. Full power.
Dranzer met it head-on.
CRASH.
The impact was massive. Both beyblades grinding against each other. Fusion wheels shrieking.
Then separated.
Kyoya's grin returned. Wider. "Evenly matched. For now."
He was right. They were close. Too close.
Time to shift the balance.
"Soul Drain."
The air changed.
Black Dranzer's fusion wheel began to darken. Not suddenly. Gradually. Like light being pulled into a black hole one photon at a time.
Space around the beyblade distorted. Bent inward. Creating a subtle vortex effect.
Leone struck.
Contact.
The collision felt... normal. At first.
Second strike.
Kyoya frowned. Something was off. Minimal. Barely perceptible.
Third contact.
There.
"My rotation." His eyes widened slightly. "It's dropping."
Not much. Just 1-2%. Easy to miss.
But wrong.
Fourth contact.
Another 2-3% gone.
Kyoya's internal alarm triggered. This isn't just stealing rotation—it's draining it completely.
Leone circled. Repositioned. Attacked from a different angle.
Fifth contact.
3-4% drain. The effect was cumulative. Accelerating.
"What is this?" Kyoya's voice had an edge now. Not fear. Recognition.
Kai didn't answer. Just watched as Black Dranzer circled. Patient. Hungry.
Sixth contact.
Leone's rotation was noticeably slower now. The green aura flickering slightly.
"Tch." Kyoya poured energy into Leone. Compensating. Trying to stabilize.
But the drain was relentless. Each hit took more than the last.
Seventh. Eighth. Ninth.
By now, Leone had lost nearly 25% of its rotation.
The beyblade wobbled. Just slightly. But enough.
Tenth contact.
30%.
Kyoya gritted his teeth. Sweat dripped down his face. Can't win like this. Every exchange favors him more.
He pulled Leone back. Defensive posture. Trying to minimize contact.
But Black Dranzer pressed forward. Relentless. The dark fusion wheel spinning with patient inevitability.
Every collision drained more. Every second widened the gap.
Eleventh. Twelfth.
35% gone.
Leone's movements were sluggish. The aura weak.
Kyoya's jaw clenched. Need to end it fast. Before there's nothing left.
He pulled Leone further back. Creating distance.
Breathing hard. Mind racing.
Drain's eating me alive. Every hit makes it worse.
Need full power. Everything. No holding back.
His grin returned. Wider. Wilder.
"Fine. No more games."
The green aura around Leone EXPLODED outward.
Not gradual. Not controlled.
Overwhelming.
The pressure filled the corridor. Made breathing difficult. Made the walls groan.
Above Leone—translucent and massive—the lion manifested.
Eyes glowing. Mane whipping like storm clouds. Body solid enough to cast shadows.
The avatar ROARED.
Not sound. Pressure. A wave of force that cracked the floor, rattled loose fixtures, made Kai's bones vibrate.
Kyoya's voice cut through the chaos. "KING LION TEARING BLAST!"
***
The wind gathered.
Not instantly. Building. Accumulating.
Small vortexes formed around Leone. Spinning. Growing.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Five spiraling columns of compressed wind. Each one starting small—barely visible distortions in the air.
Then growing.
MASSIVE.
Grey-green funnels that screamed with contained force. Each tornado as wide as a person. As tall as the ceiling. Dense enough to be solid.
They spun around Leone. Orbiting. Building speed with each rotation.
The corridor filled with howling wind. Debris lifted—concrete fragments, metal shards, dust, everything not bolted down became projectiles flying at lethal speeds.
Kai raised his arm. Shielding his face from the barrage.
Impressive.
The lion avatar roared again. The physical force of it pushed Kai backward. His boots scraped concrete as he fought to hold position.
The first tornado struck.
Not at Black Dranzer. At the environment.
The wall EXPLODED. Concrete shredded like paper. Rebar twisted into abstract sculptures. An entire section collapsed.
Second tornado.
The ceiling. Fixtures ripped free. Lights shattered. Darkness punctuated by flickering emergency strobes casting everything in intermittent red.
Third tornado.
The floor. Chunks lifted. Creating a crater that spread like cancer. The structural integrity of the entire corridor compromised.
Kai's footing shifted. He grabbed a support rail. Kept balance.
Fourth tornado.
This one came for Black Dranzer.
The beyblade was caught in the edge of the funnel. Lifted. Spinning helplessly in the wind.
Thrown.
Hit the wall. Hard.
CRACK.
The fusion wheel fractured. Visible damage. A hairline split spreading from the impact point.
Kai felt it. Shared pain through the connection. His ribs ached—phantom sensation where Dranzer had been struck.
Black Dranzer fell. Recovered mid-air. Spun back into position.
But slower. Damaged. The rotation compromised.
Fifth tornado.
This one was different. Tighter. Denser. More concentrated.
It compressed around Leone itself. Creating a shield. A fortress of wind that nothing could penetrate.
The sustained assault continued. The tornados grinding. Relentless. Not one decisive hit—continuous pressure trying to overwhelm through sheer duration.
Kyoya's voice: "Try getting through THAT."
The lion avatar roared. The tornados intensified. The wind speeds climbing past hurricane force.
Kai stood in the wreckage. Breathing steady despite the chaos. Eyes locked on the swirling defense.
Close. But not enough.
A smile curved Kai's lips. Cold. Predatory.
"I was waiting for this."
His eyes burned brighter. The crimson deepening.
"Dark Resonance."
The purple aura didn't flicker.
It ERUPTED.
Exploded outward like a shockwave. The temperature dropped ten degrees instantly—breath becoming visible, frost forming on metal surfaces. The emergency lights dimmed further—not breaking, just... retreating from the darkness that pressed against them.
Kai's posture shifted. Straighter. More predatory. Voice dropping half an octave—colder, flatter, menacing without trying.
"Let me show you what hell taught me."
Black dranzer manifested.
Wings spreading to fill what remained of the corridor. Feathers sharp as razors—black glass that reflected no light, absorbed everything. Body solid. Real. Massive enough to make the walls feel small and fragile.
Eyes burning crimson. Beak curved cruel and sharp.
The creature's presence was absolute. Oppressive. Like standing at the edge of an abyss.
Kyoya's grin faltered.
Just for a second.
Recognition flickered in his eyes.
Then the grin returned. Harder. More desperate.
"THERE it is."
The lion roared. The phoenix screeched.
Kai's voice cut through the chaos.
"Destroy him."
The flames shifted.
Purple collapsed inward—then detonated into white-hot plasma, shot through with veins of abyssal black. The temperature spiked so violently the stone walls glowed red, metal screaming as it warped.
The phoenix reared back, wings spreading wide.
Its chest flared.
And from within its open beak—Black Dranzer locked into place, spinning violently, rings screaming as they fed power forward.
The air compressed.
Then—
The phoenix FIRED.
A fireball.
A massive, condensed sphere of black-core flame wrapped in white plasma, launched straight from Black Dranzer like a cannon round. It screamed through the air, leaving a burning wake that set the atmosphere itself on fire.
It struck the first tornado.
There was no deflection.
No resistance.
The fireball punched through the funnel, detonating from the inside out. Wind disintegrated. Pressure collapsed. The tornado vanished in a flash of incandescent light.
The phoenix didn't pause.
Black Dranzer spun faster.
Second fireball—fired.
Another blazing sphere tore forward, hotter, denser. The second tornado evaporated on impact, ripped apart by heat and force so absolute it left nothing behind but scorched air.
Third. Fourth.
Rapid-fire.
Each launch was a thunderclap, each fireball a miniature sun hurled across the battlefield. Kyoya's summoned winds were erased one after another, shredded and burned away as if they'd never existed.
Then—
The fifth tornado.
Leone's fortress shield.
The fireball slammed into it and stopped.
For three seconds, the shield held—cracked, glowing, screaming under the pressure.
Then the black core of the fireball expanded.
The shield shattered.
Flames surged through the breach, swallowing the tornado whole as the phoenix loomed overhead, wings blazing, Black Dranzer still spinning—
already charging the next shot.
The lion avatar manifested fully. Translucent body solidifying. Trying to reinforce the defense.
Black Dranzer and the lion avatar collided.
Two forces locked together. Energy crackling between them like lightning. The plasma flames trying to pierce. The wind barrier trying to contain.
The phoenix's claws extended. Sharp. Deadly.
SLASHED.
The lion's form fractured. Cracks spreading across its translucent body like breaking glass.
One more push.
Time to end this."Blazing gigs"
The phoenix compressed all remaining energy. Black Dranzer glowing white-hot.
The phoenix opened its beak. Black Dranzer positioned inside—at the throat, ready to launch like a bullet in a chamber.
The phoenix FIRED.
Black Dranzer shot forward like a comet. White plasma trail blazing behind it. The heat so intense the air itself ignited.
Struck the first tornado.
Didn't deflect.
PIERCED.
Dead center.
The funnel cloud shattered. Wind dispersed instantly. Gone.
EXPLOSION.
***
Not just sound. Not just light.
FORCE.
What remained of the walls didn't just collapse—they disintegrated. The ceiling caved entirely. Metal pipes ruptured—steam hissing at lethal pressure, sparks flying like fireworks, coolant flooding.
The floor cracked into a crater six meters wide. Reinforcement rebar exposed like broken bones.
Heat so intense the concrete beneath turned to glass. The metal walls melted at the edges.
Thick smoke filled everything.
Silence.
Then—
A single beyblade emerged from the smoke.
Black Dranzer. Spinning proudly despite the damage. Dark flames fading to embers.
The phoenix dissolved. Pulled back into the beyblade. Wings folding. Form dissipating like smoke.
Across the ruins—Rock Leone clattered to the ground.
Wobbled once.
Stopped spinning.
Fell silent.
***
Kyoya stared.
Breathing hard. Covered in dust and sweat and small cuts from flying debris. Blood trickling from a cut above his eyebrow.
Leone lay at his feet. Motionless.
He knelt slowly. Legs shaking. Picked up the beyblade with trembling hands.
Fusion wheel cracked. Spin track bent. Performance tip scored and chipped.
Repairable. Eventually.
But beaten. Completely.
His pointer buzzed.
He pulled it out. Looked at the screen with dull eyes.
BEYPOINT TRANSFER: -15,800
CURRENT TOTAL: 0
He stared at the number for a long moment.
Then laughed. Quiet. Bitter. Hollow.
"Zero." He looked up at Kai through the smoke. "Back to nothing."
Everything gone. Months of work. Erased in one battle.
Not just defeat. Humiliation. Total loss.
Kai recalled Black Dranzer. The beyblade returned to his palm—warm, satisfied, pulsing with contentment.
He checked his own pointer.
BEYPOINT TRANSFER: +15,800
CURRENT TOTAL: 64,800
He pocketed it without comment.
Numbers didn't matter anymore.
Kai glanced to the side. The carrier sat against the wall—undamaged, protected by distance.
Gumball's wide eyes stared out through the mesh. Frightened but unharmed.
Safe.
Kai turned back to Kyoya.
The wild blader stood slowly. Legs shaking. Body exhausted. But eyes burning.
Clutched Leone tighter. "You're stronger."
Not a question. A statement.
"But not unbeatable." His voice was raw. Furious. "Next time—next time I'll tear you apart."
Not acceptance.
A promise.
Kai said nothing. Just turned away.
Started walking. Deeper into the facility. The direction Gingka had gone.
Kyoya's voice called after him. "Where are you going?"
Kai paused.
Didn't turn around.
Just smiled.
The kind of smile that promised violence.
Then kept walking.
The darkness swallowed him.
Behind him—Kyoya alone in the ruins. Defeated. Stripped of everything.
But not broken.
Not yet.
End Chapter 14