Ben's expression darkened. "No you don't."
He shot forward,while Apophis moved beside him Together, they closed in on the core.
Ben's fist burned with gravitational distortion. Apophis's claws dripped with dark water and crushing pressure.
They moved to strike, one clean hit away from shattering the core, but the system retaliated.
The air around the core twisted inward. Code shattered like glass.
And from the blinding light, twelve figures emerged.
Each one stepped forward silently, cloaked in shifting golden armor, their forms humanoid yet unnatural. Glyphs floated around them. Weapons materialized in their hands. Their golden eyes glowed.
But what made Ben freeze wasn't their strength. It was what he felt inside them.
His expression twisted into a scowl. "...Souls."
He could sense it clearly, each of these constructs wasn't just data.
They were trapped spirits. The Former hosts, bounded by the system after their dead.
