Side stood still at first, contemplating his hands as if discovering himself for the first time. His fingers were covered in glowing scales, and sparks flew from the edges of his wings. He opened his bright eyes and said in a deep, double voice that was both powerful and serene: "I am... Side."
The entire room shook with the echo of his voice, and the air trembled. Opposite him, Ethan stood with wide eyes in astonishment. "What is this being?" he whispered to himself. "I've never seen anything like it. Not even the Founder used this form."
Side began to move with astonishing agility. He swung his arms in the air, creating pressure waves that made the ground crack beneath his feet. He took a step forward, raised his fist, and then threw a punch into the void with a deafening crash, as if it were tearing through the air itself. He smiled lopsidedly and said with cold calm, "It's warmed up."
Then he turned toward Ethan, a thick murderous intent surging from him, a dark wave engulfing the entire place. Ethan shuddered involuntarily, a pang of fear in his chest, a sensation he hadn't known since the days of the First Founder. "This feeling…" he murmured softly as he regained his balance.
But he didn't allow fear to paralyze him for long. He lunged at Sid with a lightning-fast attack, brandishing his massive scythe with incredible speed. However, Side moved like a shadow between his strikes, effortlessly dodging every attack. Sid watched Ethan's every move with uncanny precision, his eyes following the scythe's every detail as it sliced through the air. Then, in a flash, he raised his hand and seized Ethan's arm with lightning force. He paused, astonishment frozen on Ethan's face: "Impossible… He's got me?!"
Side smiled calmly and said in a deep, confident voice, "You make your body transparent to evade attacks, but the moment you strike with the scythe… your hands become physical."
He didn't give Ethan a chance to reply, pressing down on his hands until the bone-crunching sound was heard. A muffled cry of pain escaped Ethan's lips, and Side violently snatched the scythe from him. Ethan barely had time to catch his breath before Side appeared before him in an instant, holding his scythe in one hand. "Let's see how a weapon affects its owner," he said in a mysteriously calm voice.
He swung the scythe with deadly agility, and a deep blow pierced Ethan's chest, sending blood gushing from his body. Before he fell, Side enveloped his arm in an aura of dark energy, then brought it down on Ethan's body. Ethan slammed into the ground with such force that smoke and gravel billowed from it.
Side stood at the edge of the pit, looking curiously at his hand. "This body… is truly amazing," he said, moving his energy-infused fingers.
He reached out and formed the chained swords of Saruto. He began testing their movement, swinging them with deft, precise strokes past Saruto, until he had slashed Ethan inside the pit. The blows came in rapid succession, each one finding its mark with deadly accuracy, leaving deep gashes on Ethan's body.
Ethan sprang out of the pit, gasping for breath. He grasped the scythe lodged in his chest and pulled it free, his body gradually returning to its translucent state. Side chuckled softly as he watched. "So when your body is wounded by your own weapon… it becomes material. That means I can strike you whenever I want."
Ethan's eyes blazed with fiery rage, and he charged forward, his scythe flashing like black lightning, slashing against Side's swords in a shower of sparks. The fight intensified frantically, voices mingling, the air exploding with pressure. Ethan raised his hand, and in an instant, the room was filled with dozens of dark cracks in the air, and from each crack came beams of intense energy that shot toward Side at the speed of light. But Sid didn't move. He remained rooted to the spot, deflecting each beam with his swords with deftness, his movements so precise that the scene resembled a performance more than a battle. He smiled, as if mocking Ethan.
Ethan frowned, his anger barely contained, then leaped into one of the fissures, vanishing from sight. "This is new," Sid said, glancing around. "I've never seen him do that before."
But as soon as he finished speaking, shadows multiplied from every fissure around him. Dozens of clones of Ethan emerged, each wielding a scythe and glaring at him with pure killing intent. They advanced slowly, then charged toward him all at once. Side smiled, extended his swords to his sides, sparks flying around him, and then said in a hoarse voice full of enthusiasm, "Things are starting to get... fun."