Corruption, Murder and Redemption?

by Man of cartoons

Corruption is said to be a monster that eats the soul of a man. So what if a hero with a pure heart decides to come to a world where the monster has almost taken over? Will he survive? Will he break? And will he get this dumb blond to stop calling him a cattle? Please read to find out. BenXAriaXSheele (Love Triangle). It used to include Leone.

23. Vs match, The son appears and Gone?

Hello, dear readers! I hope you all are having an awesome day! I present to you another awesome chapter of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?

I'm so sorry for the late update. I know a lot of you have been anticipating to read this chapter. It's the very one that would have Ben 10 fighting the great Grand General of the Capital, General Budo. So without delay, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 23: Vs. match, The son appears and…Gone?

Time seemed to be at ease as both combatants stood, glaring at each other. Ben Tennyson had faced a lot of enemies in his past, but never had he come across someone as resolute as General Budo. This was the same for the general himself as he was quiet and ready to take on the teenage boy. It was only a few seconds and yet things were feeling this intense.

Ben Tennyson didn't mind it though. General Budo looked like a guy that would attack a second later, so the teen hero acted. That is why, the moment he activated the Omnitrix, he slammed his hand on the core and was engulfed by the flash of light. From there, the light died down and revealed him to be a twelve foot tall humanoid dinosaur with brown skin, a long tail, green eyes and wearing black briefs and a green sash across his chest with the Omnitrix symbol on the middle.

"I hope you're ready for a pounding, because here comes HUMONGOSAUR!" He shouted.

From there, the hero charged at General Budo. But of course, this didn't mean the general stood still. He too charged at Ben with a loud cry and his fists tightened before closing in on the superhero here.

Not long after, a series of punches were exchanged. There weren't at anybody else, but at the two combatants, who surprisingly didn't hit any vital part of the opponent's body. Instead, their fists would continuously hit the other person's fists with both of them seemingly withstanding the force of it constantly.

However, this tactic didn't last for long. The reason became clear, because with each blow, they were actually increasing their strength. So when they again sent their fists at one another again, they let out a louder cry and made their fist to clash against the other, sending a massive shockwave.

This shockwave was almost unlike any other that had been witnessed that night. It was able to surpass what Whampire had done minutes ago and was strong enough to cause buildings to crack. In fact, it was so strong that even a person like Seryu was sent flying into the air.

"Their power…Is this much…?" Seryu wondered weakly. She had no control of her body, nor could she stop any collision she could make. As such, she accepted her fate and closed her eyes. 'This must be it…? There is no way I can…huh?!'

Something had caught Seryu. Surprisingly, it wasn't by the pain she thought she would receive, rather it was the familiar big hands of a certain someone. So imagine her then surprise when she opened her eyes and saw Koro's face in her view. She was happy.

"Koro! You're okay!" She smiled.

Koro nodded in response. He was indeed alright, but not in his berserker form like before. But he was still huge and still able to carry his mistress in his hands. Hence, it was with this form that he was able to jump away from the fight, especially as it came intense.

General Budo had been waiting for the right moment, and now that his fist was still against Humongosaur, he decided to use it. He did it by sending the iron pole on the top of his gauntlet to strike against the alien hero's fist, before then sending a huge charge of lightning at him. Of course, this surprised Humongosaur, before the power of the general's lightning sent him flying back.

Fortunately, Humongosaur was able to land on his feet. He may have been careless before, but he felt better now. As such, he ran straight for General Budo again, before then throwing a swing punch at the man. However, to his surprise again, the general swiftly dodged that attack and dodged another of his punch when he tried to hit him again.

Humongosaur was then suddenly hit. It came as a shock to him, as it was then revealed than the general had punched him at the stomach. But if that wasn't enough, the general then powered his right gauntlet and gave the alien hero an upper cut. As a result, Humongosaur was sent flying feet into the air, before hitting the ground hard, causing it to shake violently.

The battle didn't end there though. Instead, it continued, with General Budo jumping into the air and then landing down on the alien hero's chest. Of course, this caused the ground to shake again, but this time to break apart more due to the force of the general. But then the battle became intense when the general began punching lightning blasts at the hero's face.

"Weak! You stand no chance against me!" General Budo yelled furiously. "You dare talk against the empire and yet have no skill?! Pathetic!"

Humongosaur got angry. He had heard the general well and felt that his words and punches were enough. So, immediately, he punched the man off him and got back on his feet.

"You're one to talk!" Humongosaur yelled angrily. "You follow orders from a kid that's being manipulated and yet do nothing! At least I've been making a change! What about you?! What's your game in all of this?! The Prime Minister is the real problem and yet you fight me! Are you afraid to face him!?"

"That's enough!" General Budo yelled. He was clearly furious from Humongosaur's remark and wanted to shut him up. That was why he then shot a huge lightning blast at him.

However, the attack never hit the alien hero. This was because the hero jumped into the air and lifted both his arms up, ready to come down on the general.

"No, I won't!" Humongosaur shouted.

General Budo immediately jumped back. He was then able to put some distance between him and Humongosaur when he landed. As such, he watched as the alien hero landed on the ground with his fists hitting the ground and sending a trail of rocks straight for him. The general was still able to jump out of the way though.

"Besides…" Humongosaur then said. He seemed to have calmed down as he glared at the man determinedly. "I know people are counting on me. Can you say the same about you, general? People are dying and yet you stand by defending an empire that's only encouraging evil! Since you can't do anything about it, then I will! That is my resolve and I swear I won't stop until the innocent are able to sleep peacefully in a world where there is no war or fear!"

And with that, the hero then sent his fists down on the ground again. His attack then immediately sent a shockwave that headed straight for General Budo. However, the general didn't seem deterred or fazed by the attack as he then charged up his left gauntlet.

"Then I guess that resolve must die with you!" He said sternly.

With that said, the general immediately struck his fist against the ground. Of course, this caused a huge amount of lightning to shoot out of his gauntlet, but with devastating result. So, by the time Humongosaur knew it, it was too late. General Budo's single attack tore through the ground furiously with so much power that it not only hit the alien hero, but sent him flying backwards into the air.

The Omnitrix suddenly changed Humongosaur back to Ben.

"What the…?" Ben was surprised. He then immediately realized he was upside down in the air. "Well…so much for Humongosaur. But this fight isn't over yet. Turn to turn up the heat!"

The Omnitrix immediately exposed its core. It was like it had heard Ben and decided the alien it wanted for him. As a result, the moment Ben slammed his hand on the core he was engulfed by a green flash of light before landing on the ground on his feet. From there, the light died down and revealed him to be…

"HEATBLAST!"

As the name indicated, Ben was a being of fire. He wasn't as big as Humongosaur, but he was taller and muscular than his normal self. Also, he was composed of molten rocks and fire, with the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.

Just then, General Budo showed up. He was clearly not done with the hero, as was revealed then when he landed on the ground some feet from the teen hero. Fortunately, Heatblast didn't seem deterred by this. In fact, he tightened his fists and lifted them at Budo without a second.

"So…you have changed again." General Budo said sternly.

"Nice observation captain obvious! Now eat fire!" Heatblast shouted.

From then on, the alien hero let out his flames. He did this by shooting a stream of fire from his fists straight at Budo, who just stood there. But then the general lifted his arms forward and shot lightning straight at the flames without a single hesitation.

Things from then on began to intensify. The power of lightning and fire clashed with one another and exploded in a burst of force that tore apart the middle ground between the two combatants. But if that wasn't enough, the sheer force of it caused nearby buildings to shake, with windows breaking apart and things such as carts were sent flying. Good thing there was no normal people around.

So it went without saying that Esdeath was impressed. For some time now, the ice queen general had been watching the fight with no thought of intervening. And why should she? The view she had from above gave her a spectacular sight as she enjoyed the display of power between her rival general and the hero who had once kept her captive in a barrier a month ago.

"Amazing…" She said. The sly smile on her face never seemed to cease, especially as she watched the dust cloud now in the midst of the combatants. "It's just as you said. He is a young man with extraordinary power. But will he be able to beat Budo himself? I wonder…"

The mysterious cloak person was silent. The person knew the woman was speaking to them, but at the same time found no reason to respond.

Back at the fight, the dust cloud was clearing up. It wasn't as thick as one would believe; it didn't stick around for long. Hence, it was in that moment that Heatblast jettison himself into the air, before directing his hands at the general's way quickly. Then, without a word, he unleashed a big burst of fire down on the man.

General Budo wasn't taken aback by this though. He saw the attacks coming, and so lifted his wrists up in full display of his twin gauntlets. Then, with the metal poles on the devices mashing each other, he was able to create an electronic based shield above him, just in time to take in the blast.

Thus, it happened that the general took in the attack. It wasn't easy though, because he could feel the heaviness and heat from Heatblast's flames with strong amounts. But in the end he was able to stay standing, even when Heatblast suddenly stopped and the general put down his shield.

However, it was all a ruse. General Budo sensed this when he saw Heatblast coming right down on him. As such, he quickly jumped back and allowed his feet to skid back for him to stop. Thus, when that was done, he saw that Heatblast had landed on the ground, with said ground now turned into molten rock.

"Now then…time to heat things up a bit!" Heatblast said.

The atmosphere in air could only be affected worse now. Heatblast seemed to follow through with his words as he then began to power up his flames. As for general Budo, he would've attacked, but the alien hero didn't give him a chance. He already had his hands stretched at his direction, when suddenly he fired his flames.

Now it was General Budo's turn to react. He could see the flames, as well as the fact that it was wider and longer than the previous fire attack that the alien hero had shot. Fortunately, he knew what to do, even as he then brought his fists at his chest level and making the poles on his gauntlets to hit one another. Soon enough, an energy based shield was created before him and took the attack.

But once again, the general found Heatblast's power to be straining. He had to keep himself standing despite the heat from the alien's hero's power and despite how much the teen was hitting at him. But then, if that wasn't enough, the ground that General Budo wasn't standing on, as well as his close surrounding, was scorched by the hero's flames while houses not in the general's pathway were destroyed in flames.

Fortunately, the attacks didn't last for long. General Budo was able to endure it all till the end, when Heatblast stopped. However, his guard was still up when Heatblast flew straight at him and punched his fiery fist against his shield.

The attack didn't do anything to the general though. Budo may have underestimated Ben before, but he was no fool to the display of power just recent. But that didn't mean the teen hero stopped. No, he continued punching on the shield with fiery punches until then pausing for a moment and powering up his right fist.

So the next thing General Budo knew, he was sent skidding back. This was because Heatblast's powered fist hit his shield with such force that it sent him back. It didn't destroy the shield though, but it did cause the man to be pushed back and then willingly dropping his shield.

That didn't mean he was feeling overwhelmed though. Rather, from the look in his eyes, the general was feeling the adrenaline rush known to most fighters, even before attacking. He swiftly moved his arms forward and shooting a wave of lightning straight at Heatblast.

Now at this point, one would expect that Heatblast was a goner. He was in the direction of Budo's attack, which had the potential to cause so much destruction. But surprisingly the alien hero didn't move. Instead he stood there with a confident look, even as the blast finally reached him.

General Budo was shocked at what then happened. He would've expected for Heatblast to take some damage, but surprisingly that wasn't the case. Heatblast was still standing, but this time his body's flames were more intense than before that in such a way that his attack wasn't touching him. In fact, just the alien hero standing there seem to nullifying his lightning attack when it met with his flames.

"What the…How?" General Budo said, shocked.

"Through the power of science dumbass." Heatblast answered. "I've been pretty good with Heatblast for a very long time now. So, basically what I just did was create an air lens to supercharge the air around me to dry out all the static in the air. That is why your little bolts aren't gonna do you any good against me. So did you get all that or do I have to speak using smaller words for u to even comprehend what I'm saying?" he said the last part tauntingly

General Budo scowled. It was one thing to explain his attack and another thing entirely to be cocky about it. But there was little he could say about it, especially with what Heatblast then said.

"NOW'S IT'S MY TURN!"

The alien hero immediately made his move. He began to increase and intensify the heat of his body, even more than usual. He also didn't seem to hold back at this moment, as anything in his surroundings, close or far, where scorched by his flames. Basically, he was preparing to do a move he hadn't done since he was ten years old. At that time, he had been turned into a four year old by the Fortune of Youth.

So from his view, General Budo had little time to react. He wasn't afraid surprisingly, nor did he show a small indication of that. Instead, he tightened his fists and lifted his arms to his chest level, where he then had his twin gauntlets almost close to each other.

"Don't underestimate me, boy!" He yelled.

The general immediately reacted. The flames from Heatblast were drawing close, thus General Budo counteracted. By that, he knocked both his gauntlets together, which in turn caused a burst of numerous lightning to clash with the flames and caused a huge explosion. As a result, a loud boom was ahead from afar, followed by buildings blowing up into pieces and the very ground breaking apart and disintegrating. When it was all over, a huge dust cloud was in the area with no sign of the combatants close by.

General Budo coughed a bit. The air around him was thick as it gave him little sight of his surroundings. He could tell that his counteract and Heatblast's flames had caused a lot of damages, but he could care less of that. Instead, he had his eyes focusing on his surroundings in search of Heatblast.

'Where is he…?' General Budo wondered. 'I wish him to be dead…However, this battle has proven he is formidable foe. Could it be that I beat him?'

General Budo then spotted something. He noticed a body of fire behind him and quickly realized who it was.

"Apparently, not!" He shouted.

The general then quickly reacted. He turned back with a swing of his arm, wanting to backhand the alien hero with his electronic charged gauntlet. However, he missed when the alien hero dodged, before then receiving a strong punch at the stomach which instantly knocked the air out of him.

So before the general knew it, Heatblast attacked again. This time, with his alien fist still against his stomach, he let out a burst of fire from it that immediately sent the man flying out of the dust cloud. But if that wasn't enough, the general crashed through some rundown buildings and came to a stop when he hit the bottom of a small clock tower which ended up collapsing on top of him.

Heatblast was pleased. He flew out of the dust cloud and landed some feet from General Budo's crash site with a smirk on his face.

"Ha! So much for no skills huh?!" Heatblast mocked.

Just then, the Omnitrix began to time out. This caught the alien hero by surprise, especially when he looked at the symbol. But there was nothing he could do. The Omnitrix timed out and changed him back to normal in a flash of light, with that also restoring to him his former black and green shirt.

"Seriously, Omnitrix?! A timeout?!" Ben complained. He was, of course, glaring at the alien device on his wrist until he put his arm down and turned to face the tower where General Budo had crashed in. "Well…at least I took him down."

And so the fight ended like that –NOT!

Ben soon regretted that. He was still standing there, when suddenly the crash site of General Budo was exploded by a fury of lightning. Things then became worse when black clouds suddenly covered the skies of the Capital, with the general then levitating into the air and flying straight at him in a covered blue aura of lightning.

"Oh shit!" Ben exclaimed in shock.

By now, there was little time for the hero to react. Fortunately, the Omnitrix shined with its usual green light again and slide back its faceplate to reveal its core. As such, Ben quickly slammed his hand on the core and became engulfed by a flash of light.

Unfortunately, General Budo was still fast. He closed the gap between him and Ben and punched him at the chest when his transformation had been completed. As a result, Ben was sent flying backwards in the air as Cannonbolt.

A part of this was good, fortunately. As Cannonbolt, the alien hero could withstand the general's punch. However, that didn't stop him from being flown backwards uncontrollably and going through different buildings until finally stopping when he crashed into a rundown house.

"Yeah…that's going to hurt in the morning." Cannonbolt groaned. He then got back on his feet and looked to the sky. "Damn…if I had stayed human, I would've died. Good thing I got Cannonbolt."

Just then, the alien hero noticed something. It was sudden, but he could tell what it was. So, upon his eyes widened, he quickly ran out of the house and rolled away in his ball form, just in time. The house he had once been in was destroyed in an instant by a strike of lightning.

However, the attacks didn't stop there. In fact, if anything, they became more ferocious and rapid as they clearly aimed for Cannonbolt. Fortunately, the alien hero was fast and able to move out of the way, either by rolling through the streets or ramming through buildings to evade the lightning attacks. But then, before he could react, General Budo burst out of a rundown house in front of him and delivered a downward punch on his body, causing a devastating aftermath.

Cannonbolt didn't stand a chance. His body was able to withstand a lot of things, but the fact that Budo's attack was precise at one area of his body was enough to beat him. So it was there that the hero was halted with the ground blown apart and shots of lightning hitting nearby buildings, destroying them instantly.

A scene soon became clear when the dust cloud settled. However, the sight wasn't good. Ben lay on his back as his normal self while General Budo had his leg on top of the hero. But if that wasn't enough, the both of them were in a big hole which was caused by the general's blow.

"You were a formidable foe…" General Budo admitted. However, he then pointed his right gauntlet down at Ben. "….but this is the outcome of the battle." General Budo said. "Goodbye…boy."

"Yeah…I don't think so." Ben said and groaned.

General Budo immediately shot an electric blast for Ben's face. However, Ben was surprisingly able to react. He did it by allowing the Omnitrix's faceplate to slide back, before then slamming the core against the ground. Hence, in a flash of light, Ben was transformed into Diamondhead, which he then used to block Budo's attack with an open hand.

In response, General Budo was surprised. He was so certain that he had the teen hero cornered. But then, Diamondhead counteracted by firing diamond shards from his palm and towards the general's face.

"Surprise!" Diamondhead yelled.

Now it was the general's turn to react. He quickly used his other arm to shield his face of the attacks. However, due to Diamondhead continuously shooting more, he stepped back and unintentionally gave the alien hero enough room to stand back up.

Hence, the shots kept on coming. Diamondhead didn't show any sign of stopping his attack, especially as he brought his other open hand at General Budo's way and began firing similar small diamond shards the general. It was infuriating to the Grand General though, as he had to keep shielding his face with his arms while moving back.

However, the continuous firing couldn't last for long. General Budo was getting annoyed by the attacks, so he quickly counterattacked. By that, he immediately hit both his gauntlets together at Diamondhead's direction, causing a burst of blue energy waves that did some damage. Of course, this hit Diamondhead and destroyed any remaining pieces of anything nearby, sending the alien hero flying back.

It was a good thing that Diamondhead was durable. He was able to land on his feet, though it then skidded back before he came to an actual stop. However, the fact he survived the attack didn't seem to matter much. He could already see the darkness of the clouds thickens with charges of lightning running through them and heading to a specific direction, General Budo.

The general may still be on the ground, but he still had great command of lightning. It was obvious by the energy-based conduits that connected his gauntlets to the dark clouds as it seemed he was preparing for another attack.

So the next thing that happened was what one could to expect. General Budo directed his arms at Diamondhead's direction, which he then fired at. Of course, the blast he released was no mere blast. It was a large one that covered a large area in length and width while leaving devastating result. Even the ground that it came in contact with stood no chance.

Diamondhead had to react. He raised his hands up and created a huge pillar of diamond to rise from the ground in front of him. However, General Budo's attack was powerful, and so the pillar stood no chance in its path. It was destroyed instantly, with no sign of Diamondhead in its way.

Now the battle was over – at least it should've been. However, something wasn't right. General Budo saw no sign of his enemy so he powered down. But then suddenly felt something was up and looked up, just in time to see something. It was Diamondhead, heading his way, but at the moment upside down.

So before General Budo knew it, he was shot again by diamond shards from the alien hero. They came from above though, as Diamondhead was shooting from his knuckles. The general had to react to this, so he quickly shielded his face with his arms.

Unknown to the general, Diamondhead had intended that. His attack just then had given him the cover to go over him and land behind him. General Budo did notice this immediately, but it was too late when he turned to face the alien hero. Diamondhead moved his arms to different directions and caused huge diamond shards to come out of the ground and restrain the general.

Now, by this moment, Diamondhead clearly had the advantage. However, there was still the fire in the general that was alive. As such, the general let out a furious cry and destroyed the diamond around him by random blasts of lightning. From there, with another cry, he punched into the ground and released a huge wave of lightning towards the alien hero.

Fortunately, Diamondhead was very reactive. He punched the ground with a fist and caused three huge diamond spikes to rise from the ground in front of him. Unfortunately, they didn't last because the general's attack made impact and destroyed them, thus creating a dust cloud.

That didn't mean the general was at ease though. He was still feeling the heat of the battle despite his counterattack. So this then led to him running into the dust cloud and then coming out of it, clearly to attack Diamondhead. But then, to his shock, when he looked up, he saw six diamond shaped boulders levitating in the air and surrounding him in a circle formation.

General Bud snarled angrily. "Don't you dare…" He said. He then charged up his gauntlets and continued. "…underestimate…" From there, he lifted his arms up and shot every diamond shaped boulder almost instantly. "THE EMPIRE!"

"No duh!"

General Budo was suddenly attacked. He had heard that voice and turned to it. However, he only got to see Diamondhead jump forward from the dust behind him and hit him with a strong knee jab at the side. As a result, the general was sent flying through the air for a few seconds before rolling roughly against the ground and finally crashing into some big rubble, becoming silent afterwards.

Now at this point, one would think the general was down. His presence was quiet, with no indication of movement from his direction. But Diamondhead didn't seem at ease with this though, especially as he stood there, glaring at the direction he had sent the general crashing.

And so, something did happened. A beam of lightning shot out from the general's crash site and headed straight from the sky. Diamondhead was a bit taken aback by this, of course, but he maintained his stance and watched the clouds and watched what happened.

Hence, it was his position he noticed something. There was the eye of a now apparent storm, which was a circle of blue energy in the clouds. But if that wasn't enough, General Budo levitated close by with the energy-based conduits on his gauntlets, connecting him to the eye of the storm.

"I underestimated you!" General Budo yelled sternly. "You have proven in my eyes to be a strong warrior in my eye! Now you have two options just like before! Surrender or let the place you stand become your burial ground!"

"I'm not going to surrender!" Diamondhead shouted confidently. "I've been through a lot already to stop now! So come at me with everything you got! I'm not scared of you!"

"Very well…" General Budo replied. "Tell me your name, so I may know the name of the young man who fought bravely against me."

"Hmph!" Diamondhead smirked. "Call me…Diamondhead. That's what I am right now."

"Fine…Diamondhead. Die!"

General Budo then did what he intended. He moved his arms to Diamondhead's direction and tightened his fists. Then, from there, he unleashed a huge beam of lightning-composed energy that headed straight for the alien hero.

Diamondhead quickly reacted. He squatted and punched his fists into the ground at both sides and caused two huge diamond spikes to rise and cover him. He then did that again, but this time covering any other opening to his shield. Hence, he was now covered in a dome of diamond and prepared for the worse.

'This young man…' General Budo thought. He was watching his attack approaching the ground as he continued. 'Despite being in the face of death, he still believed what he's doing is right…Normally, this would sound outlandish, but I can't help but agree with him a little…Who knows, if he didn't want to rid the empire so much, I may have considered him a potential ally against Honest…But it doesn't matter. Whether it is him, Esdeath or Honest, I will rid the empire of those who threaten the stability of the empire, one way or the other. That is my resolve, for the empire and for the young emperor himself. Goodbye, Diamondhead.'

With that, General Budo watched the devastation. He watched as his beam hit the ground, while still pouring more of it. However, his eyes suddenly widened in shock when he noticed the beam was becoming smaller and concentrated to just Diamondhead's place alone.

'What the…This is not my doing!' General Budo thought in realization.

Something wasn't right, and the general knew it. But he said nothing about as he then ceased his attack. Now his eyes were focused on the dust cloud in the ground, waiting to see if something would happen.

He didn't have to wait long though. General Budo was still levitating in place, when he then noticed a flash of blue light from the dust cloud. So, while it may at first seem nothing, the general's instincts kicked in and made him to move out of the way. As a result, he was able to avoid a huge blue beam similar to what he had shot recently.

'Is that…my attack…?' General Budo wondered in mild shock.

This experience was certainly something to remember. However, the general was suddenly taken aback when the beam moved towards him despite his distance. So, despite moving a bit further, he was hit by the side and sent crashing the ground, screaming.

Fortunately for him, the impact wasn't so bad. General Budo was a formidable fighter, so he was able to get back to his feet despite the pain. But still, none of that could hide the bents on his armor and the cuts on his skin and scattered blonde hair as he stood still.

At first, General Budo thought Diamondhead was the cause. After all, the beam that had hit him was from the exact place the alien hero was in. But then, as he stood and watched the dissipating dust cloud from the alien hero's area, he noticed something walking out. It wasn't Diamondhead.

Diamondhead didn't have a black and green color scheme. Maybe he did in his clothing, but he certainly didn't have a Cyclops green eye, two long black antennas and a tail with a yellow plug at each end or fingers with the same plugs at each fingertip. So it was safe to say that this alien wasn't Diamondhead, but Ben Tennyson's Conductoid alien known as Feedback.

General Budo was immediately angry. He knew who the alien before him was, because he could see the familiar green and black hourglass symbol on his chest.

"What are you!?" General Budo yelled angrily. "Time and time again you elude my attacks! Just what are you!?"

"Me? I'm just a guy who's a hero doing his thing." Feedback said confidently. "I'm also someone who's willing to do the right thing. That is why I won't lose this fight, especially to someone like you! So do yourself a favor and just give up!"

General Budo didn't like that. In fact, if anything, he hated it so much that he growled with a low tone and took a step forward at Feedback.

'This infuriating young man...!' General Budo angrily. He clearly had enough of the alien hero. So in response, he levitated in his personal field of lightning, before flying straight at Feedback. 'He makes me want to give this everything I got!'

And so the general went onward. Feedback was still standing, when suddenly the general began flying around him in a speed of blinding light. Strangely, he didn't lay a single physical attack at the alien hero. Instead, he was just going around him, observing for an opening.

'My experience from recent is very clear; I have to find a vital witness! Once that is done, only then I can end this battle!'

General Budo's eyes then widened. He immediately spotted a side of the alien hero and became further determined. 'There it is! Now to attack!' He thought.

However, there was a problem. General Budo threw a punch at that side of Feedback, but he was intercepted by the alien hero, who now had the general's fist in his open hand.

"Nice move, but I could totally drain the energy your Teigu emits!" Feedback stated with a smirk.

"Im-Impossible!" Budo said back in shock.

General Budo was then surprised at what happened next. Feedback used that exact arm to absorb the lightning from his gauntlet like it was nothing. From there, before he could react, the alien hero redirected the absorbed energy into his free hand and shot it at the general's stomach, immediately sending him flying backwards.

So it went without saying that the attack was very effective. However, General Budo was still strong despite the constant beating. As such, he let his feet touch the ground, even to the point of it digging right into the ground and skidding. But then the result of the blow also showed itself when he spat out some blood and panted a bit.

'Such power…Am I a match for him?' General Budo said in shock. The idea had clicked to the general in that very moment. However, as a resolved man, he immediately shook his head in refusal. 'No! I cannot think of that! I can still –'

"Knock! Knock!"

"Huh?"

General Budo was suddenly bombarded with punches at his front. He didn't know how it came, but he was certain there were fast and strong. As such, he stood no chance against Feedback's rapid punches, especially when the last one came and sent him flying away into a rundown one-floor building.

The moment then became silent. However, like other experiences, this didn't last long. General Budo suddenly shot upward from the rubble with the clouds once again charging up blue lightning as he levitated close by.

"I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" He cried out.

General Budo was at his limits when he went forward. However, it was clear the general didn't care. He was building up lightning power all around him and directing it to his own gauntlets. Thus, he continued.

"ALL MY ENERGY, MY SOUL AND BODY SHALL GO INTO THIS ONE ATTACK! NOT FOR MY SAKE, BUT FOR THE EMPIRE AND FOR THE EMPEROR!"

And so the general continued. His level of power was becoming greater than he had done in the entirety of the battle. In fact, the lightning field was so powerful that it could be seen throughout the entire Capital and those close by. Of course, this included the Emperor and the Prime Minister seeing the energy from the Imperial Capital as a huge ball of blue energy and Night Raid, Aria and Satou seeing it as the same thing as well.

However, despite how scary and horrifying it seemed, Feedback wasn't worried. He took a step back and raised his arms to his waist level, while at the same time smirking much.

"You're a fool! You fight for the wrong side!" Feedback stated confidently. "I'll admit that while you're loyalty is admirable, it also makes you a hypocrite for letting the kid be influenced badly by the Prime Minister! So go ahead and hit me with everything you got as your last gambit! I'll just stay here and take it!"

However, unknown to Feedback, there was another presence nearby. This presence wasn't Esdeath or her shadowy figure; it was something else. But of course, Esdeath noticed it when she saw a flash of purple light behind an unaware Feedback, with a person now ready to strike him.

So in a few seconds, Feedback had little time to react. He did notice the presence, but only in an instant before it swung a short blade at his waist side. Fortunately, Feedback was able to jump back, but not without feeling a cut at his side. As such, he landed on the ground and held that injured area, before the Omnitrix timed out and changed him back to normal.

"That was fast…" Ben noted. He then looked forward at the person who struck him. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm surprised you haven't heard of me." The mysterious person said. He had a grin on his face while tossing the short blade in his hand up and down in his hand. "But I guess that is to be expected considering we haven't met before."

Ben said nothing back. He did shoot a glare at the young man though, as he could already sense a dangerous aura from him. It also didn't help that the man had an appearance that differed from most people the teen had meant. The man had tan skin, green eyes and white spiky hair, while also having an X-shaped scar on his face and a crown-like headgear on his head. As for his clothes, he wore a white skintight shirt that revealed his stomach and white pants.

"Anyway…" The man said causally. He seemed too calm for Ben's taste, especially as he then looked up to General Budo. Surprisingly, the general was still powering up, which was what got the young man's attention. Hence, he said. "Hey, lightning geezer! I'll be taking on this guy from now!"

"Hmm?" General Budo uttered. For some reason, he found the voice somewhat familiar. So, when he looked down, he immediately recognized the person facing him from below. 'What is he doing here?' He wondered.

General Budo didn't know much at the moment. However, upon seeing that person, he surprisingly powered down and levitated his back to the ground, where his feet made contact with. Then, with a small scowl look on his face, he glared at the young tanned man.

"The Prime Minister's son…what are you doing here?" He asked sternly.

Ben was surprised. "The Prime Minister son?" He questioned. "Wait, you're the guy's actual son?"

"Yup. Surprising huh?" Shura smirked. He was clearly amused, especially as he then then turned to Ben. "But I got to say, watching you fight was something. You're clearly no pushover. Heck, you even brought the so called great general to his limits."

General Budo snarled in response. He didn't like the amused tone the Prime Minister was using, nor did he like the fact that the young man had interrupted his battle with Ben. However, none of that concerned Shura, especially as he continued.

"But this is where it ends for you." Shura said menacingly. "I'll be taking you on from here on out."

"Nonsense!" General Budo rebuked angrily. "Get out of my way! I will be the one to deal with the young man, myself! This has nothing to do with you!"

Shura immediately frowned. "Actually…it does." Then he smirked wickedly and turned to Ben with a psychotic expression. "You! You're the reason why I'm here! Because of you I had to cut my vacation short and speed up some things! So you better be certain that I'll make this experience your last!"

"Right…" Ben replied plainly with a roll of his eyes showing his disinterest. He didn't seem a bit worried about Shura's threat, especially as he touched the Omnitrix's faceplate and began selecting through the alien playlist. "Thanks, but I've faced scarier things that you."

"I see…" Shura said. "Then I guess…"

Ben was then surprised. Shura was saying something, but he suddenly cut himself off and disappeared in a flash of purple light. Hence, the next thing Ben knew, the young man was right behind him with an evil sly smirk on his face.

"…you won't have a problem with this, will you?" He finished saying.

Ben quickly jumped to his right. He then followed that move by a cartwheel, before landing on his feet in a bent position.

"How did…" He said.

However, the teen didn't get to finish. Shura had appeared directly in front of him in to cause pain. As such, before Ben knew it, he was punched painfully at the stomach with so much force that he cried out in pain and was sent flying back.

"Ha! So much for your talk!" Shura humored. He then watched as Ben hit the ground on his back, before continuing. "But if you must know, I have a little gift in my hand."

Ben held his stomach and quickly sat up. His stomach hurt, but it didn't deter him in any way to give up. As a result, he was able to see Shura lift his hand to his direction, revealing a small hand-held device.

"This is Shambahala! It grants me instant teleportation!" Shura stated. "And don't think you can escape me! I have this entire area marked, so there is no hope for you!"

Ben didn't like the sound of that. However, that didn't mean he was fearful of the Prime Minister's son. But then, Shura decided to prove a point by stretching his arms apart to do something. Hence, Ben was able to see similar Ying and Yang symbols appear at different places, both on the ground, in mid-air and higher in the air and then disappearing. It was really shocking.

'Damn…So he's got the air covered too. So much for Astrodactyl or Jetray.' Ben mentally noted. From there, the teen got back to his feet and brought his hand above the Omnitrix. 'Then I guess I'm just going to –'

"I won't give you the chance!" General Budo shouted.

For some time now, the general had been watching. However, his position changed when he saw what Ben was about to do. So in response, the general quickly used his power to fly to Ben's back and then pick him up from the ground by the back of his shirt. Then, before Ben could react, he lifted the teen over his body and stoned him hard on the ground.

Ben was immediately paralyzed. The impact was devastating, as it even caused the ground to break apart. But if that wasn't enough, the man threw him up a bit and then punched him right in the stomach with so much force that once the pole of the general's Teigu hit his stomach, it sent a bad electric shock to his body and sent flying away.

So in that moment, the teen hero stood no chance. The shocking blow from General Budo was enough to cause him to crash into some rubble, some feet away from the battle. Fortunately, the impact wasn't so bad, though the same couldn't be said about the teen's body. The teen was in pain, especially as he felt the electric current all over his body and shook repeatedly in response to them.

'Shit...Not good…So not good.' Ben thought in pain. 'I have to fight back or else…I won't be able to see my family and friends again.'

And so the teen fought back. He bit his bottom lip and slowly sat up on the rubble. Of course, this feat wasn't easy. He could feel each part of his body hurting as he continued to move. So fortunately he succeeded and was then able to slam his hand on the Omnitrix core when the faceplate moved out of the way.

The thing that happened next was what to expect Ben was engulfed in a flash of green light as the transformation then took place. Hence, by the time the light died down, Ben felt a lot better and jumped back to his feet, revealing his current alien form.

"KICKIN HAWK!" He cried out.

A bird-like cry then followed before the hero jumped off the rubble. So in that moment he was in the air, his eyes met the humanoid figure of Shura. He decided then to do that moment to stomp down on the villain just to get the upper hand. But unfortunately, Shura was able to react, by then jumping back before Kickin Hawk hit the ground.

However, Kickin Hawk didn't stop there. He let out another bird-like cry and charge for Shura, who just stood in place. But then, when the alien hero swung a punch for the man's face, he disappeared in a flash of purple light and appeared behind Kickin Hawk.

"Not this time!" Kickin Hawk shouted.

Unlike his presence form (Feedback), Ben was more aware of his surroundings. He saw Shura coming and immediately swung his foot back at the young man. However, the Prime Minister's son reacted in time and disappeared again before Kickin Hawk could hit. He then appeared in front of Kickin Hawk, who in return swung his fist at him and missed; Shura had disappeared just in time. But unlike before, he appeared again a few feet away from Kickin Hawk, displaying his sly grin.

"Hmph! Is that all you can do?" Shura asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Kickin Hawk replied. "I may be a bird right now, but you're more of a chicken!"

"Is that so?" Shura asked rhetorically. "Then I guess I better up my game a bit."

Just then, the Prime Minister's son brought out something. It was a big injection which had an unknown substance in it. So before anything could be said, the young man grinningly injected the substance into his neck and felt the effect of it when his veins briefly became visible on his face and the rest of his body.

"Ha! That's the stuff! Now come out at me!" Shura exclaimed excitedly.

In response, Kickin Hawk agreed. He quickly straightened his hands, before then tightening his fists. Then, without a word, he ran straight for the Prime Minister's son, who just stood there. However, before he actually got close, General Budo seemingly appeared in a blink of an eye and threw a punch at the alien hero.

Fortunately, Kickin Hawk went into his own defense. His animal senses was still active, so he was prepared. Thus, he moved his arms crossed into an X position and took the brunt of Budo's blow. So, rather than being blown away, he skidded backwards and came to a stop.

Back at Shura, he wasn't pleased. He was behind the general since it was the older man that had gotten in his way.

"Out of my way, geezer! He's mine!" Shura yelled angrily.

General Budo turned to him in response. He wasn't scared or worried about the fury that was burning in the young man's heart or what he could do. He instead tilted his head slightly at him and glared at him.

"You are the Prime Minister's son; however…make no mistake on this. You are an uninvited guest and a thing in my way. So take note of this. If you continue to be a disturbance, I will have to put you down to successfully carryout the emperor's order." General Budo stated.

Shura didn't like that though. In fact, if anything, he would've wanted to send the general to a place far away so he could continue fighting Kickin Hawk. However, he surprisingly didn't do it. Instead, he became relaxed and smiled slyly, before taking a few steps back to watch what would unfold.

Now the fight seemed to be back at General Budo and Kickin Hawk. The both of them were the present combatants, as their eyes locked on each other. So rather than say any word, the both of them ran at each other furiously.

But then, something happened. It wasn't by General Budo or by Kickin Hawk; it was by Shura. The young man had seen the moment as a chance to teleport behind the alien hero. So, before Kickin Hawk could react, he felt Shura hold his arm, which then led to him being teleported to some feet from the ground. In other words, he was now falling from high above.

"What the….!" Kickin Hawk shouted in shock. Shura's move had just been too quick for even him to react. But once he looked below him and felt the airy breeze on his body, he knew exactly what happened. As for the one responsible, he was nowhere to be seen.

Back on the ground, General Budo could see the alien hero falling. He didn't like that his clash with the alien hero had been interrupted. However, even he saw the advantage to strike the alien hero in the air while he was vulnerable.

So without delay, General Budo lifted his arms to Kickin Hawk's direction and fired some of his lightning. He had a good eye, so his shot was precise. As a result, Kickin Hawk could only watch the attack coming with widened eyes.

"This is gonna hurt." Kickin Hawk said.

It wasn't long after that the hero was hit. There was little time for him to react properly, so he accepted his fate and screamed when he was hit and sent plummeting to the ground. As for the aftermath, he ended creating a big dent on the ground.

"Ow…" Kickin Hawk winced.

The alien hero could take a lot of hits, so fortunately he wasn't too beaten up. As Kickin Hawk, he was also able to taken an extent of beatings unlike his human form. Thus, the alien hero was able to get back on his feet despite the currents of lightning slightly going over his body.

"Well that could've gone better." Kickin Hawk said. He was commenting on the recent event as he stood up straight. "I should be more aware of my surroundings. The Prime Minister's son could show up anytime."

"You mean like this?" asked a certain person.

Kickin Hawk immediately reacted. He turned back to see who had responded, but only got a glimpse. That was because the person, Shura, touched the Omnitrix's symbol and teleported himself and Kickin Hawk to a few feet in the air. However, unlike before, Kickin Hawk was falling backwards while Shura was above him and coming down towards him with his legs straight.

So before Kickin Hawk could react, it was too late. The distance between Kickin Hawk and the ground was very short to counterattack. However, this was then shortened when Shura stomped his foot down on the hero's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and hit the ground harder with the young man on top.

A dust cloud immediately shot up into the air. Shura was stronger than he looked, especially due to the substance he had injected himself with. That was why on the ground Kickin Hawk was at a big hole caused by the crash, while Shura stood on top of him. The Omnitrix then chose that moment to time out, changing the teen back to normal.

The moment from then on didn't seem good for the hero. The dust cloud was dissipating when Shura got off the beaten teen and lifted him by grabbing his hair so he could look at him directly. But if that wasn't enough, the young man chose that moment to spit on his face, much to Ben's obvious disgust.

"So you're still alive." Shura said with a mischievous grin. "It doesn't matter though. Right now I have so many thoughts of ways I could kill you now. Maybe then, when you're in the afterlife, you'll regret ever crossing me. But who knows. I might let you live long enough to watch every single person you care about die right before your eyes."

Ben's eyes immediately snapped open with an intensifying glare that then followed. "Big mistake creep!" He shouted.

However, the teen hero didn't stop there. No, he swiftly brought his arms close together and slapped his hand on the Omnitrix's core when the alien device moved back the faceplate. As a result, Ben was engulfed in a flash of green light which caused the Prime Minister's son to let go of him and step back a few.

Meanwhile, Ben's transformation came and ended. Now, rather than being human, he was a red mollusk-like alien with a hood, four slitted green eyes (both on his head and his chest), while also having a mouth that didn't move and barnacles on his shoulders, arms, legs and hands. He also had sharp fingers that represent dactyls (the 'moveable finger' of a crab claw), as well as spikes on his back and crab-like legs on his chest that formed a rib cage. The Omnitrix symbol was on his chest.

"Water Hazard!" Ben bellowed. From there, his focus went back on Shura, who had just recovered. "Let this stick to your head, you spoilt rich brat! A world dictated by the weak and strong is bound to collapse! Why? It's because the tides always changes! LIKE THIS!"

Water Hazard immediately shot water from his palms to hit Shura. However, the Prime Minister's son only smirked in response and disappeared in a flash of purple light. From there, reappeared behind Water Hazard with a short blade to hit his waist.

"You never learn!" Shura yelled.

With that, he attacked. He swung his short blade straight for the alien hero's waist side with much of his strength. However, to his immediate shock, the weapon broke into pieces when it made contact with the hero's armor.

"Actually, it's you that hasn't learned!" Water Hazard said.

The alien hero then counterattacked. He turned and grabbed Shura in the face within his alien hand and then lifted him off the ground. Then, before the young man could react, the alien hero hit the back of his head against the ground, causing the ground to shake and a dust cloud to shoot up into the air.

The next scene that then followed was Water Hazard walking away. Shura was on the ground; however he was unresponsive while most of his head (besides his face) were in the ground. But it didn't matter anyway to the alien hero. He walked out of the hole and looked around him.

"One annoying creep down and one pompous general to go." He said to himself. "Odd…I figured he would come at me right about –"

Water Hazard was interrupted. This was because, upon sensing something coming, he jumped forward to avoid it, before turning back to see it. Not surprising, it was a lightning that had hit the ground with Budo then standing there, facing him.

"So the Prime Minister's son failed. I expected such." General Budo said calmly. He still had that stern look on his face as he continued. "In the end, it is my duty to take you down. Do not forget that."

"Yeah, yeah! This conversation is boring my mind already, you know! If you really believe you can take me down then you're as ludicrous as your loyalty" Water Hazard said jokingly.

General Budo took immediate offense to this. He let out a loud battle cry, which was then followed by him stretching his arms apart and charging up gauntlets furiously.

Unknown to Budo, though, Water Hazard wasn't bothered about him. The hero was just standing there, watching him come for him with no movement at all. But then, when he did move, it was just his one arm, which he directed at the general expressionless.

"Hey, there's water in your eye." He casually said.

Water Hazard then fired. He shot a good blast of water all over General Budo's body before the man could react. So before the general knew it, his own lightning was used against him as the voltages generated by his own teigu shocked him furiously until finally it stopped and he fell on his knees, his body smoking.

"Well that looked quite painful, so are you doing alright still?" Water Hazard asked with no concern.

"No…I am not 'alright'…" General Budo managed to say. He was weak though, as his body couldn't respond due to the numb feeling he was now going through. But surprisingly he was still able to look at Water Hazard's way and continue. "Anyway….now is your chance. Finish me off. You are clearly the better combatant."

"Finally admitting it after I put you through the ringer, huh." Water Hazard said causally. He then lowered his hand to his hand to aim at the general. "But you're right, I should end your life right here and now. You're a dangerous obstacle that has to be removed. With you gone, the empire would surely lose some power to oppose people like me."

General Budo said nothing back. He was still conscious though, but the fact that Water Hazard was right had silent him. However, the alien hero still continued by shocking the man when he lowered his arm he meant to kill him to his side.

"But I won't do it." Water Hazard said, surprising the general. "That's not the kind of guy I am or the person I want to be. Being a hero is enough for me. It's through it that I'm going to save this world."

"That…is a foolish…ideology." General Budo said.

"Perhaps it is." Water Hazard replied. He didn't seem the least doubtful though, as he then continued. "But that's the kind of person I was raised up to be. Just because you have power, doesn't mean you should use it irresponsibly for greed or selfishness. Besides in case you forgot, you've lost this battle so perhaps this just proves that my ideals trump your beliefs."

"I…see…" General Budo said back. 'So that's what the Beheader meant that time…This man is truly something beyond our comprehension.'

With that, the general could feel himself blacking it. However, before fully accepting it, he then said. "You have a strong resolve…I see that now. However…just know this. When we meet again, I shall treat you as my arch-enemy…and I will do what I must…for the emperor."

"I expect nothing less." Water Hazard merely acknowledged.

With that, General Budo became unconscious. He didn't fall like most would do; instead his body just maintained that kneeling position with his head down and eyes closed.

With the General finally down and out Water Hazard reverted back to human form as Ben took some breaths as fatigue was catching up to him after fighting 3 enemies in a row.

"Well…I guess that's it." Ben commented. The teen could see that the general was unconscious, so there was no need for him to stay around. However before he left a thought came to his mind. "But I suppose I should at least make sure he can't be a big threat."

And with that Ben walked to the Generals body as he reached for his Teigu intent on claiming it. He didn't know what he would do with it but at least he'll keep it out of the empires hands. Who knows with luck perhaps he might give it to Night Raid when he trusts them enough to have it, until then it'll be safe in his possession away from those who would misuse it.

"Anyway…I hope Aria and Satou got Sheele and that girl to safety. This night's been messed up and I've…huh?"

Ben was suddenly interrupted. It was a flash of purple light from the ground that he noticed. But when he looked down, he realized that a good portion of himself and his surrounding was covered in a huge Ying and Yang energy symbol.

"Did you really think it would be that simple?" asked a familiar voice.

Ben immediately turned back. He knew that voice well and didn't fear it. But he was mildly alarmed when he saw Shura with a scowl on his face and his hand stretched to his direction, holding his Teigu in his hand.

"Anyway, I've decided…" Shura then said. "You're too good for a quick death. That is why I will send you somewhere you will die slowly in an endless void. Witness the power of my Teigu trump, kid, for it will be the last of this world you will see!"

With that, Ben was in trouble. He tried to move his body, but for some reason it refused to obey him. But if that wasn't enough, the Ying and Yang symbol began to move up and teleport any part of his body it passes away. It also hurt him badly. Maybe it was because he could feel the agonizing part of his atoms being taken away from this reality.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done. The symbol continued to move despite his screams until finally he was gone. So unknown to those who knew the teen, he wasn't just gone from the Capital, but their world entirely.

_(CHAPTER END)_

And that happened! I know the cliffhangers can be annoying, but sometimes they're necessary. I'll see about positing the next chapter as soon as I can.

Anyway, about Shura (or Syura as he is called as well), I know his appearance seemed sudden, but it was foreshadowed in chapter 10. So if you want to be reminded, please read that chapter again. It makes sense for him to be in this chapter.

On another note, I want to announce that I'll get to writing the Generator Rex and Attack on Titan crossover sometime in February. I know I said it would be this month, but some things have come up. Please look forward to it. It'll be interesting.

So in closing, please review this chapter, and if you haven't then please follow and favorite this fanfic. Your support means a lot to me and helps me to continue typing.