Chapter 28 It's a Trap
Ben entered his house with his hair sticking up from an explosion with his face covered with gunpowder. Coughing up some ash he sat on the couch after feeling dizzy. Izzy sighed and sat next to him.
"Who was it next, Forever knights, Dr. Animo?" Izzy asked.
"Hex and Charmcaster." Ben said with a deep breath. "They thought that it was okay to sap energy from a nuclear bomb for magic energy." He said.
"Did it work?" She asked. Ben looked at Izzy with tired eyes.
"I think it did, I don't remember, and they got awaa…" He said before passing out. Izzy sighed before giggling, she picked Ben up and threw him over her shoulders and dragged him to bed. She closed the door to let him sleep.
Meanwhile in the underworld, someone sneaked in to the underworld's prison, where Zeus and Loki were held. The man was wearing a rope so you couldn't see his face, but he was holding a large looking spear that looked like it could pierce the heavens. He stopped as he looked at Zeus and smirked.
"Took you long enough." Zeus said in a melancholy tone.
"Now is that any way to treat your savior." The man's voice was smug, and stuck up.
"Whatever, it's not good that your the only one left, so how about you let me, and this annoying brat, free." He said referring to Loki who was right behind him.
"You dare to call me a brat?" Loki said like he was about to throw a temper tantrum.
"Okay shut up, I'm only letting you out because Ophis is no longer with us, so don't screw up again, got it?" The man in the robe warned.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Loki said.
"I won't act so reckless." Zeus said. "But I will kill him." He mumbled under his breath.
"Good, now sit tight for a while, I'll come and get you when the time is right." The man said.
"You can't just let us out now?" Loki asked.
"Really? There are too many guards here, I'm just lucky to be here without detection." The man took a breath. "Don't worry, I have a distraction that is worth the wait." He finished with a smirk that could give anyone the chills.
Ben woke up in a daze and cleaned himself up. He was going to step out of his room until a magic circle consumed him and disappeared.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the middle of a pocket dimension, and one by one, the girls appeared before him.
"Hey, why did we come here?" Ben asked.
"Don't look at us, we were forced to teleport too." Kuroka said.
"Not good." Ophis said.
"What?" Ben asked, but out of nowhere came someone that only Rias met a long time ago.
"Welcome to the party friends, I was told that I needed to entertain some guests." He laughed a bit. Rias looked up with shock and confused.
"Diadora?" Rias yelled out.
"The one and only Gremory." Diadora laughed with a bow.
"Who is Diadora?" Ben asked.
"He's the head of the Asteroth Family, he was one of the quiet ones, but we never knew he would betray us." Rias explained.
"Wait." Ben realized. So you were the traitor this entire time!" Ben realized. Diadora began to laugh hysterically.
"Oh man, I've fooled all of you for so long, Sirzechs had no idea what he was in store for." He said.
"I can't even follow this guy, who are you again?" Ben asked. Diadora clenched his teeth.
"Ben Tennyson, how I've waited to destroy you. When I was finally given the order to deal with you, I simply couldn't wait till you showed your stupid face." Diadora grinned.
"Your stupid." Ben retorted.
"Enough, as much as I want to destroy you, I have one other trophy I must obtain." Diadora snapped his fingers and Ophis suddenly appeared behind him in some sort of magic shackle.
"Try not to struggle dear, it's a special magic that is supposed to have an effect on dragons, so don't try anything stupid." He explained. For the first time in forever, Ben got a good look of Ophis when she looked worried or even scared.
"Give her back!" Ben yelled.
"Haha, you'll have to get her first." Diadora said before disappearing.
"Come on, let's go!" Ben yelled. He stopped though as hundreds of soldiers began to appear out of nowhere.
"They all just coming out of nowhere." Raynare said.
"No kidding." Koneko agreed.
"Azazel, were surrounded, Diadora set a trap for us." Rias said through a communications circle.
"Alright, we were prepared for something like this, just get out of there and we'll handle the rest." Azazel said.
"We can't, Diadora took Ophis, we have to her back, we're not leaving without her." Ben said, and there was silence for a moment.
"Okay, I don't like this, but there are troops already on their way to give you cover." Azazel said. Behind them were hundreds of forces that were ready to back them up.
"Alright, let's go get her." Ben said before hitting the omnitrix.
"Cannonbolt!" He yelled after transforming. Enemies lined up to block his path but he rolled into his ball and ran all of them over like a bulldozer. "Follow me!" He yelled, and the girls followed as he made a trail up until they reached the stairs that led to a crepted looking castle.
They made it to the top to be stopped by a bunch of ladies that were dressed in robes that looked like it was from some sort of cult.
"Uh oh." Ben said.
"We got this, go." Kuroka said. Her, Koneko, Rossweisse, Xenovia, Irina, and Raynare lined up and got ready for a fight.
"Alright, be careful." Ben said before they made there way up to the next level. They were making their way down the hallway, Ben was almost there until he was jumped and swiped away from the ground and into a wall.
"Ah, what the hell?" Ben said as he picked himself up off of the ground. He looked back up and was in shock to see the big hybrid that he hasn't seen in a while.
"Kevin?" Ben asked.
"Long time no see Tennyson." Kevin said in his usual smug voice.
"I saw Izzy kill you." Ben said.
"Well you see, I was saved by the Brigade and was kept to the side in case you were out of control again." Kevin explained.
"Huh, so they kept you like a dog on a chain, doesn't surprise me since your such a slob." Ben insulted.
"Rah, come here and say that to my face!" Kevin yelled and began to charge. Ben was about to activate the omnitrix, but was interrupted by Kiba summoning a sword and giving Kiba a gash that made Kevin collapse instantly.
"No way, I have to beat Tennyson, why would you get in the way." Kevin asked.
"Because just like me, you let your past consume you, come back when you have a better attitude." Kiba said before sheathing his sword. He walked towards Ben.
"You need to save your strength for Diadora, we need to ensure that we save Ophis." Kiba said.
"Right." Ben looked back and saw Kevin struggle to stand. He shook his head and went to the next floor.
They made it to the next floor and was greeted by a fit of laughter that only made Ben angrier.
"Hahahaha, what took you so long, I was getting bored out of my mind and thought who I should violate first. The pretty little loli, or the smoking milf." Diadora laughed. Ben was angry after he said that and noticed what he just said. Ben looked up and saw Ophis and another woman next to her as they were both wrapped up in stone binds. Ben looked closer and noticed the color of hair that she had.
"Aphrodite!" Ben yelled. The woman lifted her head up, but also looked weak.
"I knew you would come." She said weakly.
"Don't worry, I'll save you both, just hang on!" Ben yelled before running after them.
"Haha, there is no use, you'll be dead and buried before you get anywhere near me or them." As he said that he pulled out Thor's hammer and slammed it on the ground, cracking the surface as the floor quaked below Ben's feet causing him to fall to the ground.
"Not cool!" Ben said after picking himself up.
"Now there is more where that came from." Diadora said before raising the hammer. A light glowed and began to drain magic power from both Ophis and Aphrodite. Both of them screamed as their life was draining from them, like how Ben was a long time ago.
"Stop it!" Ben yelled before turning into Fourarms and charged.
"He swings for a home-run." Diadora laughed like a madman. Fourarms tried to catch the hammer, but instead, he was blown away as the magic of the hammer and stolen power combined and sent Fourarms flying into a wall. He picked himself out of the wall and rammed tried to ram his fist into Diadora's face, but was blocked by a shield that he formed to block his attack.
"Want some more?" Diadora laughed. He then took the hammer and swung it down. Fourarms was preparing to jump out of the way, but it was too late. It hit Fourarms into the ground and he didn't get back up. He turned back into Ben and didn't open his eyes for a minute. Diadora jumped down and danced right next to Ben in victory. Ben tried to pick himself up but was then kicked in the stomach.
Hahaha, I've bested Ben 10, look at you, so weak, so helpless, I bet your crying while under my feet. Diadora said. Suddenly a blast of power exploded from across the room. Diadora's smile changed into a look of fear when he saw Rias, Akeno, Hades, Raynare, Irina, Xenovia, Kuroka, Koneko, Gabriel, Rossweisse, and Izzy all stood there with glowing angry eyes, and they were bloodthirsty. They all summoned there magic and weapons and aimed.
"Do not touch our man!" They all said in unison before exploding everything that they had in one shot. Diadora brought up a shield, but it shattered in pieces and consumed Diadora as he screamed before dissipating into nothingness.
They ran for Ben and helped him up from the ground. He stood up in a daze but got his vision to still.
"Is the party over already?" Ben asked.
"We had to make our guest leave early." Izzy said. Ben giggled as his ego was bruised, but he turned and saw the stone shackles unwind. Ben was there in time to catch them both.
"You alright?" Ben asked Ophis. She nodded.
"Thank you." She said. Ben looked at Aphro and helped her stand up straight.
"Are you okay?" Ben asked.
"A little weak, but yes, thank you so much for saving me." Aphrodite said with a smile. Ben smiled since he was happy to finally save her.
"Is it strange to think that we met before?" Ben asked. Aphrodite shook her head.
"No dear, that's because I've been there, every time you needed a nudge in the right direction, I was their, especially when meeting them." She referred to the girls as she faced them. Ben had no idea what to think.
"I'm grateful and all, in fact, more than happy, but why?" Ben asked.
"I saw everything, how fate left you as an empty shell, which is why I helped make your future form a little brighter." She said. Ben, again, had no idea how to think about the situation.
"Thank you Aphrodite, really, I don't know how to thank you enough." Ben said.
"Just keep doing what you're doing, and be the hero that you are, plus, you saved me, and I was more than happy to meet you." She said. Ben nodded with his smile, and everything seemed to be okay.
"Alright, let's go home." Ben said feeling tired after getting hammered.
With the help of the girls, Ben were making their way out of the castle until Ben noticed that Ophis was about to be consumed by some sort of light. Ben broke away from Izzy and Akeno's grip.
"Look out!" Ben pushed Ophis away from the light and consumed him instead. The light dissipated and Ben was gone.
"What?" Rias was confused.
"Where did he go?" Irina asked worried.
"He was just here." Gabriel said.
"Oh this is unfortunate, I was aiming for the traitor, the mischievous brat being gone should do nicely." A man with long hair appeared above them.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my servant?" Rias said.
"I am Shalba Beelzebub, a direct descendant of the Beelzebub family." Shalba said. Rias glowed.
"It doesn't matter who you are, you will pay for what you did to Ben." Rias announced.
"Hey, Ben?" Izzy stepped forward and called out for him. Rias stopped and everyone couldn't help but watch as Izzy was looking for Ben. "Hey, come on out now, we have to get back and patch you up. You know we don't like it when your hurt." Izzy called out. "BEEEEEEEN." She cried. She collapsed and cried on the ground, as did Rias and the others.
"Oh this is just pitiful, crying over a boy, if it means that much to you I'll tell you where he is." Izzy looked up at Shalba.
"Where is he? Where's Ben!" She yelled.
"I have sent him into the dimensional gap it was for Ophis, but he was the one that was swallowed. His body probably can't take that amount of pressure and is probably crushed flat. To put it simply, the bastard is dead." Shalba said. Everyone felt something leave their body as this was happening once again, but Izzy was sick of it all. Her eyes began to glow green as her power levels began to overtake her.
Izzy began to walk like a zombie towards Shalba and her gauntlet appeared on her left arm, and the green gem began to glow.
"Rias Gremory, if you rather not perish, leave this place." Draig's voice was heard as it echoed through the room.
"Leave?" Rias questioned.
"As for you Devil, the one who called himself Shalba, you made a poor decision. And now you must pay!" Draig said before Izzy's dragon energy couldn't be contained anymore as it exploded out from her body. The blast sent Shalba Beelzebub slamming back against the wall.
Her body was wrapped in her balance breaker, but her body began to morph into something more terrifying. Shalba stood up out of breath.
"Who are you?" He mumbled.
"I am the heavenly dragon who stole the principle of domination from god." Izzy's voice turned dark and powerful, almost monstrous. Her body grew larger and she began to look more like a dragon than a human in armor.
"I mock the infinite and fret over the dream. I shall become the red dragon of domination, and I shall drown you in the depths of crimson purgatory, Juggernaut Drive!" The monstrous dragon finished it's chant and roared a mighty roar that tore the whole building apart.
Everyone took cover as the dragon prepared to rip Shalba apart. Shalba formed a magic circle to destroy it, but it was torn off after it bit his arm, tearing it off. He cringed from the pain, but didn't flinch as he had no time to waist.
"Don't you dare, I will take every single strength I have left to kill you!" Shalba yelled.
Meanwhile, in a space that shouldn't be called a space, and a time where there is no time, Ben was floating inside the dimensional gap where he was taken by Shalba Beelzebub. He opened his eyes and realized that he was in some sort of space that helped him stay alive, even though his breathing was a bit weak.
"Where am I?" Ben looked around and saw that he was alone.
"RIAS, AKENO." Ben called out. "APHRODITE!" Ben yelled, but there was no answer. "Hello?" Ben called out over and over until he gave up. He sat down on what felt like a surface. "What am I supposed do now?" He asked himself. He sighed to himself and was heard a loud roar from behind him. Ben was shocked to see a massive red dragon flying over him with two sets of wings. The dragon stopped and landed right in front of him. "Whoa, too big!" Ben said in surprise.
"That is sort of rude, even though I have come here to aid you." The dragon said.
"Huh? You're here to help me?" Ben asked.
"Yes, this place is so quiet, I don't normally get visitors, but what bothers me is that you have Ophis's stench on you, do you have relations with her?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's a real good friend of mine, I even agreed to help work things out between you and her." Ben explained.
"Work things out is one way of putting it." The dragon said.
"Anyway's what is your name?" Ben asked.
"You may call my the Dragon of Dragons." The dragon said.
"That's a mouthful, how about DD?" Ben asked.
"Yes, I supposed that is sufficient." DD said.
"I'm sorry to cut our meaning short, but I need to know, how can I get out of here?" Ben asked.
"Of course, but there is one problem, door activates on both ends, and there is only one other person who can open it." DD explained.
"Ophis, am I right?" Ben guessed.
"Yes, all we can really do is wait for her." DD said.
"Oh no, I'm gonna be stuck here for a while." Ben said.
"I'm not so sure." DD said. Ben looked back and saw a door open he walked closer to it before getting grabbed by Ophis and pulled.
"Hey Ophis, thanks for the save." Ben said.
"Izzy is in trouble, she needs you." Ophis said.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked but got his answer after they got back to the pocket dimension. His face was surprised to see Izzy in a more scary dragon form.
"Izzy!" Ben yelled, he was going to run for her, but he was stopped by Kuroka.
"Don't Ben, if you get close to her, her energy will tear you apart." She said.
"But we can't just watch her like this." Ben said.
"Right, I think we might have a way to get through to her." Kuroka said.
"How?" Ben asked with worry.
"I might be able to help with that." Aphrodite stepped up.
"What do we do?" Ben asked.
"Just stand still, this might feel weird." She said before surrounding Ben in a green aura.
Izzy was in the dark, crying, suffering from a broken heart that left her nothing but sorrow, her anger and pain grew after every thought of Ben being gone, and how he couldn't save him in time from Shalba.
"Ben, I'm sorry, I couldn't save you, I'm so worthless." Izzy cried. A light glowed above her like a gleam of hope was shining down on her. She looked up and shocked to see Ben freefalling down towards her.
"Izzy!" Ben screamed out her name as he reached out for her hand.
"Ben, is it really you?" Izzy said. Ben grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Please Izzy, come back to me." Ben cried before everything faded.
The dragon suddenly broke into pieces revealing Izzy. Ben jumped up and caught her before she fell to the ground. Izzy opened her eyes and saw that Ben was okay.
"You're okay, I thought you were dead." Izzy cried.
"I've been getting that a lot." Ben said feeling relieved. He helped Izzy up and guided her to the others.
"Sorry, I gave everyone a scare, I'm such an asshole." Ben said. "I think I'm becoming more reckless by the day." Ben said he looked down, feeling guilty that this situation was his fault.
"It wasn't your fault." Aphrodite spoke up.
"Huh?" Ben was confused.
"I agree with her, you just did what you thought was right." Rias said. "That is definitely my Ben." She said.
"I should apologize too, I let my anger get the best of me, I was just so scared that he was gone." Izzy explained.
"Aww, that just proved that you love me so much, I'm touched." Ben said with his usual smile.
"Awesome, love points for me... " Izzy said before she collapsed in Ben's hands.
"Izzy? Izzy?" Ben said with worry. "IZZY!" He cried.
Meanwhile back at the prison, the man returned and with less security around there as they had to respond to a disturbance from the Brigade.
"Most of them are gone, and Vali team is taking care of the rest." The man explained.
"That's good enough, now let us out." Loki said.
"Patience." The man said, and the door slid open. The two captives stepped outside.
"What's the plan now Cao Cao?" Zeus asked. The man took off his hood and revealed
"Isn't it obvious, the only person that has stopped our plans, and defeated countless comrades. We have only one goal now. To get revenge, and kill Ben Tennyson." He said
