Chapter 237: Ben vs Vilgax
Bellwood, downtown park.
The weather was just as pristine as the day before. A warm, comfortable breeze rustled through the lush canopy of the park, casting dancing shadows over the pavement. Even the towering trees that usually blocked the skyline didn't seem like a nuisance today.
"You're here?" Vilgax spoke without turning his head, his deep voice rumbling with feigned profundity. It was the classic, overly dramatic posture of a self-proclaimed master.
"I'm here," Ben replied, coming to a halt about forty meters away from the imposing alien warlord.
"I knew you would come. And you have arrived at precisely the right time." Vilgax finally turned around, his red eyes locking onto the teenage hero.
"I just didn't expect you to be the one calling me out here," Ben said, his expression unusually serious, dropping his usual carefree smirk.
Meanwhile, parked a safe distance away, the rest of the crew watched the unfolding drama from the monitors inside the Rustbucket.
Manny, never known for his patience or intellect, aggressively tapped his four-fingered hands against the leather seat. "Damn it, what are these two guys even talking about? What's with all this 'you came'and'I came' garbage? Why haven't they started throwing punches yet? The suspense is killing me!"
Beside him, Pierce rolled his eyes, utterly speechless at the hot-headed hybrid's lack of appreciation for dramatic tension.
"Alright, Manny. Just sit down and keep your eyes on the screen," Grandpa Max finally spoke up, his calm, authoritative tone instantly settling the restless brawler.
Back on the battlefield, Ben's patience snapped. "Enough talk! Vilgax! Since you're here, let's get this over with!"
He raised his left hand and slammed it down onto the Omnitrix dial. "Cannonbolt!"
A blinding flash of emerald light erupted across the park. From the brilliant glow, a massive, armor-plated yellow sphere shot forward, tearing up the grass as it barreled directly toward Vilgax at breakneck speed.
"Hmph. A mere parlor trick!" Vilgax sneered. He didn't even bother to draw a weapon. Instead, he simply raised his massive right foot, timed the incoming strike perfectly, and stomped down with devastating force.
BOOM.
The rolling Cannonbolt was violently trampled into the dirt. A deep crater formed beneath him, trapping the spherical alien. No matter how hard Cannonbolt spun, the immense friction and crushing weight of Vilgax's boot pinned him completely.
"You wish to be a ball? Then allow me to assist you!" Vilgax mocked.
With a brutal swing of his leg, Vilgax punted the curled-up Cannonbolt like a massive football. The armored alien went flying through the air, crashing through five or six thick tree trunks before finally skidding to a halt.
Unfurling his battered body, Ben slapped the Omnitrix symbol resting on his chest.
"Jetray!"
Another flash of green light illuminated the debris, and the crimson, manta-ray-like alien took to the skies, soaring aggressively back toward Vilgax.
"Why don't you just fall down and stay down already?! I have to hurry up and catch the latest Sumo Slammers movie!" Jetray shrieked, unleashing a relentless barrage of bright green neuroshock lasers from his eyes and the tip of his tail.
The rapid-fire beams rained down, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and smoke. But as the debris settled, Vilgax stood completely unharmed. He had casually raised his left hand, projecting a shimmering golden energy shield from the gem embedded in his gauntlet, effortlessly absorbing every single blast.
Jetray hovered in the air, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Vilgax didn't waste a second. Seizing the opening, his own eyes burned with intense heat before unleashing a devastating pair of crimson optic lasers. The beams sliced through the air and struck Jetray dead center.
With a cry of pain, Jetray plummeted from the smoke-filled sky, crashing hard into the dirt.
Before he could even attempt to recover, Vilgax leaped high into the air, clearing dozens of meters in a single bound, and came crashing down directly onto Jetray's back.
The sheer kinetic impact of the warlord's massive frame pressing down on him made Jetray feel like he was going to violently hurl the chili fries he'd eaten for supper last night.
Vilgax mercilessly pinned the alien down, grinding him into the soil while raining down fists larger than Jetray's entire head.
Fortunately, Jetray's alien physiology afforded him a surprisingly thick hide, preventing him from being instantly knocked out. But as the continuous, heavy blows hammered against his skull, his vision blurred, and a sickening dizziness washed over him.
To finish the combo, Vilgax delivered a vicious kick to Jetray's ribs, sending the crimson alien skipping across the grass until he splashed heavily into the park's decorative pond.
"Ben Tennyson, it seems this decisive battle is already coming to an end," Vilgax declared coldly, slowly marching toward the water's edge.
Half-submerged in the murky pond water, Jetray heard the taunt and let out an annoyed gurgle. Struggling against the pain, he reached up and slapped the Omnitrix dial once more.
As Vilgax stepped up to the edge of the pond, he was met with a blinding flash of emerald light right in his face.
Crack... crack... CRACK!
A terrifying wave of absolute zero temperature washed over the area. In an instant, the entire pond—along with Vilgax's lower half—was flash-frozen into a solid block of ice.
"Vilgax, how about I cool down those ugly tentacles for you?" a haunting, breathy voice echoed.
Big Chill hovered above the frozen water, his moth-like wings draped around him like a spectral cloak. The freezing mist escaping his lips with every word was so intensely cold that frost immediately began forming on the surrounding grass, completely defying the warm, sunny weather.
It was a clear display of his terrifying cryogenic power. Yet, even this extreme temperature couldn't hold the Conqueror of Ten Worlds for long.
Beneath the thick layer of ice, Vilgax's eyes suddenly flared a violent, glowing red.
BOOM!
With a furious roar, the ice encasing him shattered into a million glittering shards.
The sudden, explosive breakout caught Big Chill off guard, causing him to freeze in place for a fraction of a second. That was all the time Vilgax needed. A scorching blast of red optic lasers erupted from the warlord's eyes, slamming into Big Chill's chest.
The phantom-like alien was blasted backward, his ethereal body crashing through several more large trees before tumbling into the dirt.
"Stop making these futile struggles, Ben Tennyson. You cannot defeat me," Vilgax sneered, brushing a shard of ice from his shoulder. He felt a brief pang of disappointment. Having absorbed the unique superpowers of the ten strongest warriors from ten different planets, this battle was painfully underwhelming. Even facing the boy who had once been his greatest thorn, Vilgax could only describe the experience as 'nothing special'.
He was so confident in his newfound might that he genuinely believed if he were to face Klein right now... he could probably last at least two whole minutes before being beaten half to death.
"Heh heh heh... you sure like bullying the weak, don't you?"
As Vilgax took a menacing step toward the fallen Big Chill, a deep, booming voice suddenly echoed right next to his ear.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!"
From the center of another dazzling green flash, a massive, yellowish-brown fist shot out like a freight train.
Caught completely off guard, Vilgax took the punch square in the jaw and was sent flying through the air. However, the warlord's combat instincts kicked in. He spun twice mid-air and slammed his massive greatsword into the earth, carving a deep trench to violently arrest his momentum.
"Humungousaur!"
The towering Vaxasaurian clenched his massive fists, raising them high as he let out an earth-shaking roar into the sky. The raw, monstrous strength surging through his thick, armored veins made Humungousaur feel like he could shatter mountains.
This was one of the alien heroes he had unlocked back when he was ten years old. It was his cousin, Klein, who had originally given him access to his absolute favorite brawler. And now, through years of combat, his proficiency with this form was completely maxed out.
Staring down the warlord, Humungousaur felt a distinct sense of déjà vu. Everything that had happened at the Golden Gate Bridge all those years ago was replaying in his mind. The only difference was that his opponents back then had been both Vilgax and Kevin.
He remembered taking a pretty severe beating that day. But this time? He absolutely refused to be on the losing end.
"Heh heh heh... now this is getting interesting, Ben Tennyson," Vilgax chuckled darkly, standing up to his full height and casually tossing his greatsword aside. He wanted to break the boy with his bare hands.
The two titans locked eyes. The air between them seemed to warp with tension.
Then, they charged.
In the blink of an eye, the two behemoths collided, the impact sending a shockwave through the park.
Despite his size, Vilgax was terrifyingly agile. He slipped past Humungousaur's guard and delivered a bone-rattling punch straight to the dinosaur's face.
Humungousaur's head snapped to the side, but he gritted his teeth, swallowing the pain. Pivoting on his heel, he swung his massive, spiked tail in a vicious low sweep, slamming into Vilgax's legs.
As the warlord lost his footing, Humungousaur lunged forward, grabbing one of Vilgax's thick ankles. With a guttural roar, he hoisted the alien conqueror into the air and violently slammed him down into the earth.
The ground caved in, forming a massive, conspicuous crater around Vilgax's body.
Pain flared through Vilgax's spine, instantly igniting his rage. His eyes glowed crimson, firing a point-blank laser blast directly into Humungousaur's face. The searing heat forced the Vaxasaurian to cry out and release his grip on Vilgax's leg.
Taking advantage of the momentary blinding, Vilgax quickly scrambled to his feet. Pressing his advantage, he unleashed a relentless flurry of devastating hooks and uppercuts, mercilessly pounding Humungousaur until the giant alien finally collapsed onto his back, covering his bruised face.
"I have won! Ben Tennyson!!!" Vilgax roared in triumph. He leaped high into the air, aiming to deliver a final, crushing stomp down onto Humungousaur's chest.
But as he descended, the shadow beneath him shifted.
A colossal fist, just as large as Vilgax's own torso, rocketed upward.
SMASH!
A heavy figure was sent flying backward, crashing violently into the dirt.
It was Vilgax.
The warlord groaned, trying to push himself up from the ruined earth, but his vision swam. He collapsed back into the dirt, completely incapacitated.
A brilliant flash of green light illuminated the crater. Humungousaur transformed back into his human form.
Ben casually brushed the dirt off his jacket and walked up to the unconscious warlord, a familiar, cocky smirk returning to his face.
"No. Pretty sure it's me who won."
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