Denji was already walking away when he suddenly stopped. And then slowly, he turned his head to look back at me.
I was still hanging in the air, suspended, as if my body hadn't yet decided whether to fall or not. Then, without warning, I stood up — like an animated corpse rising, my back never once touching the ground.
Denji's eyes widened slightly. "Huh… what's this?" and tilted his head in curiousity.
I looked at him, my black eyes now glowing with a deep blue light, cold and heavy. My gaze carried weight, the weight of a higher being staring down at its prey.
Then it happened. Out of no where the red jewel grew on my forehead pulsed and grew brighter, glowing as if it had come alive. My hair lengthened, the front strands of white hair falling lower across my face. My fingers stretched, sharper than ever before, as though reshaped by something beyond human.
I activated my Beast Resonance.
At that moment, the system chimed in my ears.
[Predator's Gaze — Activated]
To my surprise, the ability pulled something from Denji himself. Lightning — his own power.
A grin spread across my face. I activated it without hesitation.
The sky darkened instantly, clouds swirling as if dragged by the force of my presence. A deafening crack split the air, and lightning struck down upon me. Bolts of blinding light crashed into my body, wrapping around me until I was covered in storm.
The ground shook. I hovered higher, levitating as my Viper Armor activated on its own, glowing with an eerie brilliance blue.
The entire arena fell into shock. Gasps, shouts, even screams echoed around me. Some people trembled uncontrollably at the sheer pressure leaking from my body. Others fainted where they stood, unable to endure the oppressive force.The qualifiers were quite surprised by this turn of events.
From below, I could hear their whispers:
"He looks like a monster…"
"No… that's not human…"
Denji, however, didn't look shaken. His lips curled into a wide grin and laughed.
"I knew you were strong," he said with a laugh, electricity snapping around his frame. "Now… I'll use fifteen percent."
Yellow lightning erupted from his body, dancing wildly across his limbs until it completely surrounded him. His eyes glowed with the same golden brilliance, sharp and feral, as his aura swelled to meet mine.
I floated above him, wrapped in blue lightning and scales. He stood below, radiating golden arcs that tore cracks into the ground with every step.
The air between us snapped with tension.And the arena tell with absolute silence as if they were anticipating what next.
And then, without another word, I descended like a falling storm.
Denji shot forward at the same time, his speed a blur, yellow lightning trailing behind him as he raced to meet me head-on with a grin on his face.
The sky and the earth clashed in that single moment.