Apophis energy burst out.
The battlefield trembled under the crushing weight of Apophis's power. Gravity bent wildly around Ben, dragging his limbs down as if the world itself wanted to bury him alive.
He grit his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth as his knees buckled. Bones creaked under the strain, and even his reinforced muscles began to tremble beneath the impossible pressure.
"I told you," Apophis said, floating above the broken field like a goddess of ruin. "You're nothing without me. Your body, your system, your evolution, it all came from us. And now you'll die beneath the weight of your own arrogance."
Ben didn't answer because he couldn't. The air had grown too thick, and the pressure crushed every breath from his lungs before he could speak.
The tendrils on his back spasmed violently. One of them snapped off under the strain and disintegrated into ash. Cracks formed across his skin, and his vision blurred at the edges.
