Blink: Ethereal Fury

The Price of Power

The battlefield was an expanse of shattered ground and crumbled stone, lit by the flickers of energy that still sparked in the air. Benji blinked through the debris, his body aching, his energy reserves dangerously low. His violet aura was dimming, fading with each passing second, and the others—Mira, Daichi, and the remaining survivors—were no better off. All around him were the broken forms of those who had fought valiantly to defend their home. Tao lay motionless, teetering on the brink of death, his chest rising and falling in shallow gasps.

Nemesis, the stranger who had come to claim the power hidden beneath the temple, stood amidst the ruin, his blackened suit pristine, the yellow liquid in his tubes pulsing with ominous intent. His face, pale and expressionless, watched as his opponents staggered to their feet, only to collapse again in the face of his overwhelming strength.

Benji could barely breathe, his chest tight as he fought against the exhaustion that clawed at him. His eyes locked onto Nemesis, who hadn't even broken a sweat. The man was a force of nature, a nightmare given form, and as much as Benji wanted to strike him down, he knew deep down they were all outmatched.

Mira's light flickered as she stood beside Benji, her hand clutching her side, blood seeping through her fingers. Daichi, his liquid metal form shattered in places, groaned as he forced himself to rise again. His body, usually fluid and graceful, was sluggish and broken, like a melted statue trying to hold its shape. They were warriors, but even they had limits.

Nemesis looked at them all with a cold, detached expression, his eyes narrowing as if they were insects beneath his heel. "You all thought you could stop me?" His voice was low, grating, and full of menace. Each word was coated in an eerie calm that sent shivers through Benji's spine. "You thought this would end any differently?"

His words hung in the air like a curse. There was something deeply wrong about him—his presence was suffocating, unnatural. Every instinct Benji had screamed at him to run, but he forced himself to stay.

"I told you," Nemesis continued, his gaze sweeping over the survivors. "You are not ready for what lies below. None of you are. You could never understand the power you're trying to protect."

Benji gritted his teeth, wiping blood from his mouth as he tried to summon whatever strength he had left. "You don't know anything about us," he snarled. "We've protected this temple for generations. We've bled for it!"

Nemesis tilted his head, a smirk twisting his lips. "Bleeding for a cause you don't even comprehend. Pathetic. If you had any idea what was beneath this temple, you'd have run the moment you sensed me." His voice dropped to a whisper, each word dripping with disdain. "I have walked through worlds where gods tremble, where entire realms bow before me. What makes you think you have even a sliver of a chance against me?"

Benji didn't falter. "We've survived worse."

Nemesis's eyes glowed, the sickly yellow in the tubes running through his suit surging like venom. "Have you?"

Without warning, Nemesis moved. One second, he was standing still; the next, he was a blur, striking faster than Benji's eyes could track. Mira cried out as she was thrown back into the rubble, the light around her extinguished. Daichi, still trying to hold his metallic form together, was smashed into the ground, his liquid metal skin splitting and reforming as he tried to recover.

Benji blinked, trying to react, but Nemesis was already upon him. A fist connected with Benji's chest, sending him flying back into a cracked stone pillar. He gasped for breath as the impact left him winded, his body screaming in pain.

Nemesis loomed over him, shadows gathering around his form. "You're not even a worthy challenge," he said, his voice cold and disappointed. "I was expecting more from those who claimed to protect the temple."