Deep within the heart of the forest, silence had long been devoured by chaos.
The ground trembled under the weight of two overwhelming forces.
Lioran and Bheem stood facing each other—two warriors, two storms about to collide.
Without another word, they moved.
"Prāṇa Fist!"
Their voices echoed simultaneously.
Their fists collided mid-air.
A deafening shockwave exploded outward.
The earth beneath them cracked violently, splitting into jagged fractures. Trees bent backward as if bowing before a god, their leaves torn away by the sheer force of the impact.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then—
Bheem struck again.
A brutal punch tore through the air, aimed straight for Lioran's chest.
Lioran vanished.
Using Prāṇa Swift, his body blurred to the side, narrowly evading the attack.
But Bheem didn't stop.
He followed instantly with another strike.
And another.
And another.
Each punch came faster than the last, like a relentless storm.
Lioran dodged—step, slide, pivot—his body flowing with precision.
Yet even he could feel it.
Pressure.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Bheem wasn't just attacking.
He was overwhelming.
Seeing an opening, Lioran countered.
His leg ignited with golden energy.
"Prāṇa Kick!"
The kick sliced through the air—but stopped mid-way.
A faint, invisible layer surrounded Bheem.
His Prāṇa Layer.
It absorbed the impact completely.
Lioran's eyes widened.
"Damn it…"
Bheem smirked.
With a single motion, he shoved Lioran backward.
Lioran slid across the ground before stabilizing himself, digging his feet into the soil.
He exhaled slowly, staring at Bheem.
His defense… it's insane.
"That Prāṇa Layer…" Lioran muttered. "It won't break… unless I use Golden Burst."
Bheem didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he looked around.
The broken trees.
The shattered ground.
Then his gaze returned to Lioran—this time, sharper.
Curious.
"Hey… brat."
Lioran frowned slightly.
"What is your Prāṇa attribute?"
The question caught him off guard.
"In the middle of a fight… you're asking that?"
"I'm curious," Bheem replied calmly. "After seeing your techniques."
Lioran hesitated.
But then shrugged.
"If you really want to know…"
A faint golden aura flickered around him.
"I have a Light attribute."
Silence.
For a split second, the forest seemed to freeze.
Then—
Bheem vanished.
"What—?!"
He reappeared right in front of Lioran, fist already swinging.
Lioran barely reacted in time, slipping away using Prāṇa Swift.
But Bheem didn't give him space.
He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
His speed had increased.
His aggression—exploded.
Lioran dodged desperately, weaving through the barrage.
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?!" he shouted.
Bheem's expression darkened.
"I got… frustrated."
His attacks became sharper.
"After realizing you're like the others."
Lioran blocked one strike, barely.
"What do you mean—?!"
"You have an attribute," Bheem snapped. "And not just any… a rare one."
His fist grazed Lioran's shoulder.
The impact alone sent him sliding back.
"I thought…" Bheem continued, his voice lower now, almost bitter. "Maybe… there was someone like me."
"Like you…?" Lioran repeated, confused.
Bheem stopped.
Just for a moment.
His fists clenched.
"You wouldn't understand."
A pause.
Then—
"You wouldn't understand what it feels like… to have nothing."
Lioran froze.
Something clicked in his mind.
Throughout the fight…
Bheem had never used an attribute.
Not once.
"You're telling me…" Lioran said slowly, realization dawning, "you're this strong… without any Prāṇa attribute?"
Bheem's eyes flickered.
"I wasn't always like this."
The air grew heavy.
"I had one… once."
Lioran's expression hardened.
"Had?"
Bheem turned away slightly.
"I sacrificed it."
The words landed like a stone.
"Sacrificed…? What does that even—"
"That," Bheem cut him off coldly, "is none of your concern."
The moment shattered.
Bheem rushed forward again.
"Fine!" Lioran shouted, charging toward him as well. "Then let's finish this!"
Both of their fists ignited.
Golden energy surged violently.
"Prāṇa Fist!"
"Prāṇa Fist!"
They clashed again.
BOOM!
The ground beneath them collapsed further, forming a crater.
Shockwaves ripped through the forest once more.
This time—
Lioran pushed.
With a roar, he forced Bheem's arm back inch by inch.
Bheem's eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" he smirked. "You've gotten stronger."
"Thanks," Lioran replied, teeth clenched, pouring more energy into his fist.
For a moment—
It seemed like Lioran was winning.
Then—
Something changed.
The golden glow around Bheem's fist… flickered.
Darkened.
Twisted.
"What…?" Lioran's eyes widened.
The gold turned—
Black.
A deep, consuming black energy wrapped around Bheem's arm.
It pulsed like a living thing.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
"I'll show you…" Bheem said quietly, "the difference between us."
The moment their fists connected again—
Lioran felt it.
His golden energy… was being crushed.
Suppressed.
Overpowered.
"What is this—?!"
Bheem's black Prāṇa devoured the light.
With a single surge—
He overpowered Lioran completely.
"YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE!"
BOOM!
Lioran was launched backward.
He crashed through tree after tree—
Wood splintered.
Leaves scattered.
Until—
CRASH!
He slammed into a massive rock.
Dust filled the air.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Lioran coughed.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
"…What… was that…?"
His body trembled as he tried to stand.
"That black energy…"
He wiped the blood from his lips, forcing himself upright.
"It completely overwhelmed my Prāṇa…"
Through the dust—
Bheem emerged.
Walking slowly.
Calmly.
Unshaken.
Then he stopped.
Raised his hand.
Prāṇa gathered at his palm.
At first, it was small.
A simple sphere.
But—
It didn't stop.
It grew.
And grew.
And grew.
Lioran's eyes widened in disbelief.
The sphere expanded beyond human size.
Then larger.
Then—
Gigantic.
Three times Bheem's size.
The air vibrated violently around it.
"He can create something… that big…?"
Without hesitation—
Bheem threw it.
The massive sphere tore through the forest like a meteor.
Trees disintegrated instantly.
Rocks shattered into dust.
Everything in its path—erased.
"I have to stop it!"
Lioran gathered his energy.
Two Prāṇa spheres formed in his hands.
"GO!"
He hurled them forward.
They collided with the massive sphere—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted.
But—
It didn't even slow it down.
"What?!" Lioran gasped.
The giant sphere continued forward, unstoppable.
"I could use Pragentex…"
His breathing grew heavy.
"…but that would drain my whole Prāṇa."
The sphere was almost upon him.
No time.
"Damn it!"
In the last second—
He vanished.
Using Prāṇa Swift, he escaped upward.
The massive sphere slammed into the ground behind him—
A catastrophic explosion followed.
The earth shattered.
A crater formed.
Smoke filled the sky.
Lioran floated mid-air, breathing heavily.
"…That was close…"
He steadied himself using Prāṇa Swift.
"Good thing I have this—"
"Indeed."
A voice.
Right behind him.
Lioran's eyes widened.
He turned—
Bheem was there.
Floating.
Mid-air.
"What—how—?!"
Before he could react—
Bheem's black-coated fist slammed into him.
BOOM!
Lioran plummeted to the ground like a falling star.
CRASH!
The impact shattered the earth beneath him.
Debris scattered everywhere.
Lioran lay there, barely conscious.
His vision blurred.
His body refused to move.
Slowly…
He forced his eyes open.
And what he saw—
Shocked him to his core.
Bheem…
Was still floating.
In the sky.
Using—
"Prāṇa… Swift…?"
Lioran's voice trembled.
"That's impossible…"
Bheem looked down at him.
A faint smile on his face.
"How…?" Lioran whispered.
Then louder—
"How can you use Prāṇa Swift?!"
The forest fell silent again.
Only the sound of Lioran's ragged breathing remained.
And above him—
Bheem hovered like a dark god.
Watching.
Waiting.
TO BE CONTINUED…