Chapter 71: seat holder of Nightmare
Joseph was sitting in his laboratory, wearing nothing but his lab coat and some worn pants...
He slouched over a chair, his eyes hollow and his face... exhausted.
What was he doing again?
Ah, right... Ben Tennyson...
Why had he kidnapped Ben Tennyson in the first place?
It was because he was the Order's biggest threat, after his grandfather...
'Yes... that's the reason...'
At that moment, one of the Forever Knights' new recruits—a youth in his late twenties, possessing beautiful golden hair and a neat short beard—walked into the laboratory. Strangely, his hands and face were covered in blood...
And was he holding one of the Awakened Knights' heads?
'No... I must be imagining it...'
Joseph's memory had been feeling strange these days. Perhaps he should see a doctor.
'But I am a doctor! How will another doctor examine me?'
It was such a strange thought.
At that moment, the youth—who was naked for some reason—walked closer, looking at the many Asuras lined up around the room.
Without any particular expression on his face, he turned to Joseph and asked:
"So, what's the story behind those?"
Joseph tilted his head.
"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty boy?"
His voice sounded dazed and drunk, but he continued:
"They were created by Inti, the Heir of the Sun, and Quetzalcoatl's brother... The Asuras—one of the greatest creations in existence, capable of enhancing the power of an Awakened to a great extent... You know, they share many similarities with Nether's Mantle of the Underworld."
He turned to the youth with a smile.
"Isn't it funny? The heir of the Sun God copying Nether, the son of the Forgotten God?"
The youth did not seem bothered by that knowledge at all, almost as if he were resistant to it.
Although, he did seem intrigued.
"I see... Which one is the best?" he asked.
Joseph rose from his seat and walked toward the row of Asura suits, stopping at an orb of white metal.
He grabbed it and showed it to the youth.
"This one. It's an exact copy of Nether's [Mantle], which makes it soulbound. The Plumbers are currently trying to mass-produce this, but to no avail."
The youth examined the sphere for a moment before taking it.
"Then, could you mass-produce it?"
Joseph shook his head in disappointment.
"No, unfortunately I'm not as great as Inti... I'm not even sure if the despicable Galvans can," he said with an annoyed expression.
"I see."
The youth then guided Joseph toward the hanging body of Ben Tennyson, trapped in the restraining device.
"Heal him."
Said the youth... and strangely, Joseph felt compelled to follow his orders. Almost as if they were an absolute law...
And so, Joseph extended his hand and touched Ben Tennyson's head, using his unnatural powers to heal Ben's eyes and extract the harmful chemicals from his body.
The golden-haired youth then climbed the restraining machine and managed to disable it on his own. Then, he grabbed Ben's body, carefully placing him on the ground...
A few moments later, Joseph was standing before the two men, each looking at him in a strange sync...
It was almost as if they were the same person.
But alas, that was impossible.
"What is the ultimate goal of the Forever Knights?"
Asked the golden-haired youth.
Joseph chuckled.
"Stop jesting, young man. It's pretty obvious..."
"Answer the question."
"Hmmm... well, if I had to explain it, it's the death of all noble creatures to empower—"
He suddenly paused, as if he were restricted from speaking any further by a higher being... not exactly It, but still something greater than Joseph.
"I see how it is..." murmured the young man before, suddenly, a torrent of white sparks manifested in his hand.
It was a gray mist, which quickly condensed into a long spear.
Looking at the youth in confusion, Joseph opened his mouth to say something.
"What are you d—"
And before he could even finish his sentence, the youth drove his spear into Joseph, impaling his chest.
---
Hugo looked at the impaled Forever King from both the perspective of his original body and his Spirit Body.
This man had caused him so much suffering... but now, he was within his grasp, completely enthralled.
He could torture him as revenge, but Hugo knew better.
Killing him and moving on was the best solution, especially considering that a higher being could be watching the scene unfold.
Hugo had already gained good rewards for his time here, after all.
His Spirit Body had massacred all of the Awakened Knights in this facility, harvesting their souls and increasing his [Harvest] counter to a whopping [1000/1000].
And he got the Asura, after all.
From the Spirit Body, he commanded [nothing] to reform into thousands of spikes within Joseph's body.
THUD
THUD
THUD
"AGHHHHHH!"
The Forever King screamed in agony as thousands of spikes protruded from inside his body, piercing every point.
Even his incredible healing factor couldn't contend.
He thrashed for a while, and then his body suddenly went still, and the voice of the Nightmare Spell resounded in Hugo's head.
[You have slain a @$$@#]
[Your Omnitrix grows stronger]
It seemed the Spell was censoring the name and race to protect Hugo from the influence of the Void. But it did not matter.
The man who bore the runes of Nightmare and Dreams was dead.
Turning to his original body, the Spirit Body tossed the Asura sphere to Hugo.
"Do us the pleasure."
"Sure," he replied to himself, even though he was just talking to himself.
He focused on the white sphere and then heard the voice of the Spell:
[Do you wish to bind relic?]
Not hesitating, Hugo answered:
"Yes."
[So be it.]
The sphere of white metal unraveled into a mass of metal and latched onto Hugo, bypassing his body and entering his Soul Sea directly.
Thankfully, it was not like the parasites he had dealt with in the past. Rather, it was just as Joseph had said—a soulbound relic.
Hugo felt changes occur in his physical body and soul, both taking on the properties of metal... very light metal.
It was not as terrible a transformation as expected—not unlike his Omnitrix transformations or his Awakening.
After a while, the Spell spoke in his head.
[You have received an attribute]
Hugo exhaled, feeling the change. Even his Spirit Body had been altered by the new attribute which was an indication of how potent it was.
Without wasting a second, he pulled out his runes to check:
Name: Hugo
True Name: Paragon of Purity
Rank: Awakened
Omni-core: [6/7]
Class: Terror
Aspect: [Omnitrix]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Description: [You have bonded with the first divine relic created by mortal hands, transforming you into a being woven from the primordial blueprint of life itself. Created by the greatest of minds in pursuit of a perfection forbidden by an absolute law of reality, you carry the potential to become any creature. Your existence is a testament to adaptation and the boundless diversity of the world.]
Innate Ability: [Essence Imprint]
Ability Description: [No creature is alien to your existence. You possess the ability to imprint the fundamental essence of any being onto your soul, storing its template within the relic.]
Aspect Abilities: [Morph], [Quick-Morph]
[Morph] Aspect Ability Description: [You can transform into creatures imprinted on your soul.]
Awakened Ability: [Quick-Morph]
Ability Description: [You can switch between your forms at will.]
Flaw: [Unstable Ego]
Flaw Description: [The line between your true self and that of your imprints is thin.]
Attributes: [Mutant], [Flame of Divinity], [Extraordinary Memory], [Anatomica], [Spirit Core], [Shadow-Rend], [Soul Bound], [Asura]
Opening the new runes, Hugo noticed the [Asura] attribute also possessed its own traits, which was a welcome surprise.
Attribute: [Asura]
Attribute Description: [Inti, the Heir of the Sun, created the mighty Asuras at the request of his brother, the Winged Serpent. Using these mighty vessels, the Winged Serpent forged the most powerful domain in the Sun Realm. However, his brother requested a far more potent Asura to aid him in conquering the Fifth Nightmare, and thus Inti drew upon the Work Daemon of the Underworld, experiencing a revelation. That was how the first soulbound Asura was created.]
Traits: [Shell], [Mantle], [Bound], [Last Light], [Unassailable Bulwark], [Essence Conduite], [Morphic Frame]
[Shell] Trait Description: [This Asura exists in a dormant state within your body and soul, giving your body the properties of metal.]
[Mantle] Trait Description: [You can manifest the Asura suit from within yourself.]
[Bound] Trait Description: [This Asura is as strong as its owner's soul.]
[Last Light] Trait Description: [When this shell suffers debilitating damage, the core will supercharge you with its reserves before shutting down.]
[Unassailable Bulwark] Trait Description: [Runes lining this armor absorb even extreme ballistic impacts, converting most of the damage into soul essence.]
[Essence Conduite] Trait Description: [This Asura suit can release condensed soul essence from its immiters.]
[Morphic Frame] Trait Description: [This Asura is forged from the bones of the Sun Killer, granting the shell the ability to change its size and shape.]
"Hooo…" Hugo let out a whistle, kicking Joseph's body with his foot.
"Well, main body… you've got quite yourself quite the prize, I'm sure sunny will be jealous..." he teased himself.
The [asura] attribute was indeed powerful, not only did it change his body but it also granted a new set of Abilities that would prove useful in the upcoming battles within this nightmare.
It was nice, to be powerful without having to transform.
Wanting to test the new attribute, he activated [Mantle], noting that it required no soul essence..
And just as he did, liquid white metal poured from the depths of Hugo's body, coiling and weaving around him like a spider's web. The strands shimmered, fluid yet solid, until they hardened into an intricate suit of armor that clung to every contour of his form like a second skin. It gleamed with a soft, otherworldly light, its surface smooth yet segmented with subtle ridges, a testament to the genius of its creator.
Repulsors ignited in the palms, feet, and chest of the Asura suit, glowing white-blue. Every joint and plate moved as if anticipating his intent, flowing with him like an extension of his own body—which it was. From his Spirit Body perspective, Hugo observed the suit's runic engravings adorning each plate, designed for the [Unassailable Bulwark] trait.
Hugo clenched his fists, feeling a profound, exhilarating transformation.
It was strange, yet invigorating, a state of power without requiring a full transformation.
This was the second transformation he had received within this nightmare, and just like the one his spirit had undergone, this one was also going to make him powerful.
"Of course," Hugo muttered to himself "I'm still going to rely on the Omnitrix, but this… this is a nice addition."
He than glanced at his Spirit Body and frowned.
"Oh right… you're still naked," he muttered, activating [Mantle] for the Spirit Body. Instantly, an identical Asura armor erupted around it.
'So the attribute can be used by my second body, unlike my aspect...'
The spirit body shared Hugo's access to memories and echoes but it did not possess the omnitrix nor did it have the rest of the attributes. However the [asura] attribute seemed to be an exception.
"Much better." Hugo then recalled the armor on his original body, preferring to remain in his clothes beneath it.
Then, he activated the Omnitrix and spun the dial until he landed on the silhouette of Swampfire.
A mass of green light engulfed his body as he transformed into a tall humanoid swamp like creature.
Even in this form, Hugo felt that he he was slightly stronger than before, which was also good for him.
"Swampfire!" his original body shouted as his hands ignited in flames.
Hugo took one final look at the laboratory... Not feeling to notice the dozens of others test subjects... All changed and corrupted by Joseph cruel expriments... If they were not injected with corruption, than he might been able to fix them via the [genetic repair] trait but unfortunately that was not the case.
The only Mercy he could give them now id death.
And so, Hugo unleashed the flames of swampfire, intending to burn everything within this cursed place.
Simultaneously, the Spirit Body, clad in the [Asura], activated [Essence Conduite], blasting condensed shots of soul essence through the machines and equipments.
Within exactly half an hour, The laboratory and the facility itself were obliterated.
Nothing was left alive inside, except for Hugo.
————
One of the Forever Knight's many strongholds, the Nightmare Facility, burned under the night sky, bodies of countless victims and those of the forever knights fueling the flames.
The stronghold, nestled deep within the mountains, was cloaked by a protective veil—hidden like the rest of the Knights fortresses.
No one would witness this inferno… except Hugo.
Seated on the ground in his human form, his legs folded, he observed the scene with calm, unblinking eyes. Beside him, the Spirit Body remained in its physical form, equally silent. Both reflected the fiery devastation in their empty gazes.
In moments like these, Hugo's mind drifted to emptiness, a space devoid of thoughts and emotions, simply existing.
It was a bizarre sensation, likely a coping mechanism for the trauma he had endured since last year.
It was the same thing he had experienced when thinking about the fates of the countless sleepers who lost their lives in the forgotten shore, and the civilization that existed on shore in the first place...
'This world... It was so cruel and so full of suffering....'
Hugo thought, wondering what terrible sins they, both humans and noble creatures, have committed to be punished in such a way.
The other divine realms likely asked a similar question, before their annihilation...
It was just too cruel.
A world where children like him were forced to become bloody killers in order to survive... Ascend and gain unimaginable power... But even that was not enough.
Hugo himself had survived so much… and yet he still felt unsatisfied. Even after everything, he found himself having more questions than answers and that unsettled him more than anything else.
Suddenly, the invisible veil shielding the Nightmare Facility shattered into thousands of silver sparks.
Hugo was no expert, but he knew for certain that the viel had not been destroyed by accident... Rather, it had been destroyed by someone.
And just as he suspected, the person responsible for destroying the viel appeared before him moments later, riding a hoverboard-like device that looked like a futuristic skateboard with anti-gravity tech keeping it aloft, similar to the technology created by the plumbers.
The board hovered as the figure stopped and dismounted, bending down to fold it neatly before slipping it into his pocket.
It was a young man who looked identical to Ben Tennyson… but with white hair, deep crimson eyes, and unsettling corpse-like pale skin...
That person, was none other than albedo. Ben Tennyson supposed evil twin.
Albedo whistled as he approched Hugo, looking at the burning facility behind him with calm eyes.
"Man, I've got to say, I'm a big fan of what you did to the place. I couldn't have done better myself," he said, oddly friendly yet ominous. "However, I—"
"Cut the bullshit, Albedo," Hugo interrupted, finally turning towards him. "Or should I say… Ben Tennyson?"
————
Author's note: thank you so much for 1M views! This is huge! We're officially one of the biggest SS fanfictions on the platform! Thank you all for the incredible support through this journey, you have no idea of how happy I am everytime I open webnovel and see a comment added in my notifications! I hope you guys enjoy the story, and let me tell you, the next chapters are going to be insane. Everything will become clear once this arc finished.
Again, I love you all!