Chapter 15: Victory

Lennox, Velena, and Benjamin stood back to back, their bodies tense and ready for the impending battle. Flanking them on either side were Cory and his clone, while Isaiah floated above them all. The tension in the air was palpable as they assessed their situation.

Lennox turned to the others, his voice filled with urgency. "What's our plan here, guys?"

Benjamin, always the strategist, responded quickly. "We need to hold on and survive until they run out of energy. We can't afford to give up now."

Velena, however, was already feeling the strain. "I'm almost out of energy!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with desperation.

Just as the situation seemed dire, Evan approached them from the front. "Now, Evan!" Cory shouted, leaping away from the opposing team. "Tsuki ga nakatta na!" Evan yelled, swinging his weapon, Excalibur, around.

Orange chains shot out from Evan, snaking their way towards the team. Benjamin, anticipating Evan's move, braced himself for what was to come.

The chains wrapped around Benjamin, Velena, and Lennox, binding them in a temporal stasis. Evan dashed forward, knocking them into the air, and summoned seven swords as he leaped into the sky.

The swords formed a ring around Evan's victims as he skillfully used Excalibur to slash through the three. With each strike, the intensity of his attacks grew. Evan swiftly moved from one sword to another, slashing through the group repeatedly.

As the attack continued, Evan's attacks became more rapid, his movements almost a blur. Finally, he dashed towards Excalibur, leaving it behind as he distanced himself from the group. Meanwhile, Isaiah floated above, charging his aura.

Miles, surprised by Isaiah's actions, questioned, "What is Isaiah doing?" The air crackled around Isaiah as his aura grew, forming a fiery storm around him. Charging his gun with his aura, Isaiah prepared for a powerful shot.

"This is it!" Isaiah exclaimed, his voice filled with determination. He pushed his hands forward, unleashing a massive beam of antimatter from Charles's weapon, All-Black. The beam crackled and sparked, reacting with the air around it.

The beam hurtled towards Velena, Lennox, and Benjamin at an alarming speed. Benjamin's mind raced, realizing that they needed to take drastic action to survive. He focused his energy, channeling his aura in a desperate attempt to turn the tide.

The beam collided with the three, resulting in a monumental explosion. The shockwave triggered the emergency spectator shield, protecting Jackie, Xavier, and Miles as they watched in awe. Isaiah, however, was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

Cory and Evan, witnessing the explosion, were shocked to see a black aura breaking through Isaiah's blast. The beam became tainted by streams of black, as the aura consumed the explosion, growing larger and more powerful.

Isaiah released the beam, and the last remnants of red were engulfed by the black aura. As the black aura dissipated, Benjamin floated in the air, surrounded by a smaller yet more intense aura.

Velena and Lennox, having been eliminated, watched from the stands. Isaiah, realizing the gravity of the situation, said, "Bad news, guys. I might have just angered him." Evan glanced over at Benjamin, who had somehow broken free from the stasis.

Evan, determined to continue the fight, rushed towards Benjamin with Excalibur in hand, ready to unleash his omnislash once again. But suddenly, he faltered, clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground. Moments later, he teleported to the stands, bewildered and annoyed.

Benjamin, wielding Broken War, pointed it at Isaiah, summoning two runic symbols representing "death" and "soul." With a resolute yell, he unleashed a massive black explosion, known as Shadowflare.

The explosion engulfed Isaiah and Cory, sending them flying. Isaiah, too, found himself teleported to the stands. "Charles, wake up," Isaiah said urgently. "What?" Charles asked, confused. "I'm out," Isaiah responded, leaning forward. "It's all up to Cory now."

As the explosion dissipated, Benjamin floated across from a giant mirror crystal. The crystal began to crack, and shards of glass fell to the floor. Eventually, the crystal shattered, revealing Cory, who now had two wings formed from mirror shards. The wings glowed and sparkled, giving Cory an angelic appearance. He faced Benjamin, ready to resume the battle.

Cory grinned, acknowledging the rematch they had both desired. Benjamin empowered his sword and lunged at Cory, who swung his scythe and charged forward. Time seemed to slow down as they clashed, their strikes too fast to be seen.

Both Benjamin and Cory wereBoth Benjamin and Cory were left panting and floating back-to-back, their bodies weary from the intense battle. Lennox, who had been watching the exchange, couldn't help but ask, "What just happened?"

Cory suddenly faltered, his body hunching over as if in pain. His wings shattered into countless pieces, showering the ground below with shards of glass. In an instant, Cory was teleported to the stands, where his team congratulated him on his efforts. "Quite the spectacle," Charles commented, impressed by the display.

"I concur," Isaiah replied, his eyes fixed on Benjamin. Across from them, Benjamin's team celebrated their hard-fought victory, exchanging high fives and hugs. Evan, though disappointed, looked over at them with a sense of admiration before turning to his own team. "We came close," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "On the bright side, we got really close."

As the spectator shield dissipated, Evan walked over to congratulate Lennox and his team. "Thank you, thank you," Lennox said, bowing respectfully. Evan shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, and headed towards the locker rooms to clean up.

Meanwhile, Benjamin flew over to Cory, eager to discuss the intense battle they had just experienced. "Man, what was that?" Cory asked, still catching his breath.

Benjamin pondered for a moment before responding, "I don't know, but I think I'm going to call it Soul Slash. It felt like tapping into something deeper within myself."

Both Benjamin and Cory made their way to the locker rooms, their bodies still buzzing with the remnants of their powers. As Benjamin opened his locker to change into his regular clothes, his mind wandered to the upcoming school tournament in a month's time. The thought of facing off against other skilled students filled him with a mix of excitement and determination.

"Come on, guys," Isaiah called out, interrupting Benjamin's thoughts. "We need to head over to Mr. Martin's room so he can sign off on our participation."

Quickly finishing his change, Benjamin joined the others outside. However, he purposely hung back, wanting to walk alongside Velena. As the rest of the team engaged in animated conversation about the fight, Benjamin's attention began to wane.

Suddenly, he stopped walking, his ears catching Velena's voice, though her words were muffled and distant. The world around him seemed to fade away, and the last thing Benjamin heard was an unknown voice whispering, "Home is coming to you."