Paradox's words hung in the humid air, heavy with foreboding. Ben, Gwen, and Kevin exchanged uneasy glances. A being powerful enough to destroy the universe? Imprisoned on this backwater planet? It sounded like something straight out of a comic book, but Paradox's grim expression left no room for doubt.
"Who is it?" Ben asked, his voice barely a whisper. "What are we dealing with?"
Paradox sighed, his gaze drifting towards the ominous temple. "They call him… Chronos. He is not merely a being, Ben, but an embodiment of time itself. A cosmic entity of unimaginable power. He can manipulate the past, present, and future at will. He can unravel the fabric of reality with a mere thought."
Gwen gasped. "But how? How can anyone control time like that?"
"Chronos was not born with this power," Paradox explained. "He stole it. From the Celestial Clockwork, the source of all temporal energy in the universe. In doing so, he fractured the timeline, creating paradoxes and anomalies that threatened to tear reality apart. The Plumbers, in their infinite wisdom, managed to contain him, imprisoning him on this planet, a temporal dead zone where his powers are suppressed."
"Suppressed, but not gone," Kevin said, his brow furrowed. "So, he's still a threat?"
"A very significant one," Paradox confirmed. "The prison is weakening. The barriers that hold Chronos are failing. Soon, he will break free, and when he does… the consequences will be catastrophic."
"But why us?" Ben asked. "Why are we here? Why did you bring us here?"
"I did not bring you here intentionally, Ben," Paradox said. "Your arrival was… an anomaly. A ripple in the timeline that I could not foresee. But now that you are here, you may be the only ones who can stop Chronos."
"Stop him?" Ben scoffed. "Professor, with all due respect, we just crash-landed on this planet! We're outmatched, outgunned, and completely unprepared to fight a god of time!"
"I understand your apprehension, Ben," Paradox said. "But you have faced impossible odds before. You have the Ultimatrix, your skills, your courage… and each other. You may be the only ones who can restore the balance.""Aah! I lost Ultimatix... Again",Ben Exclaimed.Paradox said,Really?...Check Your Wrist. Ben Checked and found his watch is back in his place."Well, It's Hero Time",Ben Said.
Paradox led them into the temple, a labyrinthine structure filled with strange symbols and archaic technology. The air grew colder and heavier, the silence broken only by the drip, drip, drip of water echoing through the chambers. They passed through a series of corridors, each more imposing than the last, until they reached a massive chamber at the heart of the temple.
In the center of the chamber stood a colossal cage, constructed from an unknown metal that shimmered with an ethereal light. Inside the cage, a figure writhed in agony, his body contorted into unnatural shapes. His eyes glowed with an unholy light, and his mouth was open in a silent scream.
"Chronos," Paradox said, his voice filled with pity and dread. "He is suffering. His power is eating him alive."
Suddenly, the cage began to shake violently. Cracks appeared in the metal, widening with each passing moment. Chronos's eyes focused on Ben, burning with an intense hatred. "Tennyson!" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber. "You will not interfere! This universe will be mine!"
The cage shattered, and Chronos burst free, unleashing a wave of temporal energy that sent Ben, Gwen, and Kevin flying backwards. The temple began to crumble around them, the walls cracking and collapsing under the force of Chronos's power.
Ben scrambled to his feet, activating the Ultimatrix. He had to stop Chronos, no matter the cost. He slammed down the dial, transforming into… Clockwork. The irony wasn't lost on him. Facing a time-manipulating god while being a time-based alien.
"Clockwork?" Chronos laughed, his voice dripping with scorn. "A pathetic imitation! You cannot hope to stand against me!" He raised his hand, and time seemed to warp around Ben, slowing him down, accelerating his aging. Ben struggled to maintain his form, his gears grinding, his body straining against the temporal assault. He fired chronometric bursts, trying to disrupt Chronos's flow of time, but Chronos merely swatted them away like flies.
Gwen and Kevin joined the fray, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts and physical attacks. But Chronos was too powerful. He manipulated time around them, dodging their attacks, turning their own powers against them. Kevin found himself aging rapidly, his youthful vigor replaced by the frailty of old age. Gwen's spells fizzled and died, her mana energy drained by Chronos's temporal vortex. They were losing, and losing fast.
Ben knew he had to do something drastic. He focused his will, channeling all his energy into one final attack. He opened his chest plate, revealing the inner workings of his Clockwork form, the gears and mechanisms that controlled his temporal abilities. He unleashed a massive burst of chronometric energy, targeting Chronos directly. The energy collided with Chronos, creating a temporal shockwave that ripped through the temple. The world around them dissolved into a blur of light and color, past, present, and future merging into one chaotic mess. Then, darkness.
Ben awoke to find himself lying on the ground, the temple gone, replaced by a desolate wasteland. Gwen and Kevin were nowhere to be seen. He was alone, stranded in a temporal wasteland, with no idea where he was or when he was. And standing before him was Chronos, his eyes burning with triumph. "Now, Tennyson," Chronos said, his voice dripping with malice. "Now, you will truly suffer."
Chronos raises his hand, ready to unleash a devastating attack. But as he does, a figure emerges from the shadows, stepping between Ben and Chronos. It's Albedo, wielding a strange device that crackles with temporal energy. "I believe," Albedo says, a smirk playing on his lips, "that you and I have some unfinished business, Chronos."
Why is Albedo helping Ben? Is this another trick? Or has Albedo truly changed? Find out next time! Stay tuned!.