Ben X Chapter 37
Abominatrix Arc
Pandemonium part 3
Ben Tennyson and his friends looked upward at the mighty visage of the Gardener. Their arena of battle was the opulent and complex gardens surrounding the heart of Pandemonium. The stone face which gazed upon them displayed the emotion of sadness. The eyes narrowed and down turned like the great frown which laid upon it's lips. Two heavy teardrops seemed to hang from the corners of each eye, eternally frozen in an expression of sorrow. The Gardener hovered over them just as before seemingly searching for the intruders that it sensed. For a being whose eyes were nothing more than rock, it was incredibly obvious when the Gardener spotted them. The spherical guardian recoiled backwards, its granite faces spinning about its surface. It finally landed on one which displayed an unmistakable expression of fear. The eyebrows raised high in shock and disgust while the mouth held open in a silent scream. Immediately the eyes began charging with light, intent on firing upon them again. But this time the party was ready for the encounter.
They scattered in different directions, taking cover behind the large hedges and stone statues which littered the Gardens. The lasers fired off from each of the eyes of the stone faces as the Gardener chased them around. But miraculously, none of the group was hit. From behind their cover, Rook, Charmcaster, and Gwen took fire at the great guardian spirit. The two magic users launched spells at the behemoth while Rook shot at it with his Proto-tool, only when a face wasn't looking at him. The great stone and mana guardian seemed taken aback by the attacks but his body remained otherwise unscathed. In retaliation the faces of the Gardener began to spin rapidly around the glowing orb which comprised its body. All four pairs of eyes began to glow. The group of heroes immediately recognized the attack from when they first encountered the mystic spirit. They dove to take cover and hoped to avoid the emotion altering blasts. The laser fire burned through the air with the smell of ozone.
"We need cover or we're not gonna last much longer!" Kevin called from behind a statue which he absorbed onto his skin.
Thinking quickly Ben transformed into Diamondhead. He placed both palms to the ground. Immediately large spires of crystal erupted from the ground through out the impromptu battlefield. But if anything the disorganized spread of the crystal shields seemed to enrage the Gardener even more. The group watched in fascination as four large tentacles of mana emerged from the spherical body, spaced in between the stone faces. Its mana tentacles coiled around the crystal protuberances. With a great heave it attempted to rip the diamond structures from the ground. "Now's our chance let's attack while it's distracted!" Diamondhead called out. He ducked around one of the crystal shields and fired off a multitude of shards from his arm. Around him his friends did the same, attacking at range with whatever they could. The multiple impacts seemed to have an effect as the stone facades of the Gardener began to chip and crack.
Suddenly the Gardener emitted a high pitched noise like a ringing in their ears. It released its grip from the crystals and lashed out wildly with its tentacles, forcing the heroes to jump for clearance. The battlefield became chaos as the surprisingly quick Gardener whipped around in a frenzy. Between the group's own attempts to avoid its attacks they tried firing back as best they could. But sadly, it seemed that alone their attacks only succeeded in enraging the spirit further. Ben's diamond projectiles seemed to be doing the most damage but he could not attack and defend at the same time. The Gardener reared back again, another high pitch scream emanating from its body. The eyes of the saddened face glowed again and the Gardener fired off another pair of twin lasers. Unexpectedly the lasers reflected off the polished crystal, bouncing in all directions. The group ducked their heads as the beams burned the air above them.
"Ben you need to get rid of those crystals!" Kai screamed from the ground as a beam narrowly avoided her.
"I concur! They seem to be making the situation worse!" Rook added as he too dodged the beams which criss-crossed around the battlefield. Ben could see the logic in the situation. With a clench of his fist the diamond structures collapsed into a pile of harmless shards. But now they were presented with a new problem as their cover was drastically reduced. But instead of immediately going on the attack, the Gardener did something strange. It extended its tendrils downward into the ground. The light of the mana tendrils phased through the dirt and stone of the Gardens. When it withdrew its limbs they were followed by large masses of rock and earth. The boulders shifted around the orb like body of the Gardener, gradually forming into a shape. A body formed of stone began taking shape around the gardener, with the multi-faced body becoming the head. Wings formed from large flat stones, spread to either side of the body. Two massive claws took shape underneath the body, with sharp talons. The Gardener eventually took on the form of a large eagle, with glowing blue veins running through the granite stone.
The Gardener screamed again, the noise vibrating the very air around them. It beat at the ground with its large heavy wings. Despite a body made of literal rocks it managed to soar and glide through the air as naturally as any avian creature. It flew around them in a wide circle, and the group crowded together in preparation for the next attack. They did not have long to wait as the hawk like body swooped down at them with talons extended. The group scattered and jumped out of the way as the talons carved deep gouges in the ground. But unfortunately not all of the group escaped the spirit's clutches.
"Kevin!" Gwen called out in anguish.
"I'm okay!" Kevin shouted back from the grip of the stone talons. He put his hand to the granite and absorbed it onto his body. Next he reshaped his fists into the form of a large hammer and chisel. He began to pound away at the limbs which held him in place. With his powerful strikes it was soon just a matter of time before large cracks spread up the limb, before it shattered and the Gardener screamed again. Kevin plummeted to the ground with the rest of the debris before he landed on his feet. Gwen quickly ran to his side but was reassured by a simple grin from the resident Osmosian.
The group watched as the body of the Gardener tumbled back to the ground. They dared to hope that the Gardener would be grounded and damaged from Kevin's assault. But fortune would not be so kind to them. Instead the boulders and mana streams rotated around the Gardener as it fell. By the time it reached the ground again it had taken on a new body form. Once again the multi-faced orb served as the head, with a long cylindrical body tailing after it. The body appeared segmented, with discs of granite rotating in opposite directions to each other. The Gardener reared up at them, giving the menacing impression of a snake. It slithered toward them with surprising speed until it had circled all around them. The group backed around each other, watching the Gardener with wary eyes. The gargantuan serpent seemed impossible to get away from now as its circle narrowed with each pass.
Suddenly, the serpentine construct lunged at them, eyes glowing with power. The group thought there would be no way to avoid the blast and they prepared for the worst. But they were all surprised by a sudden bubbling sound. They looked up shocked to see that they were suddenly encased in a bubble and the lights of the beams bouncing off in a different direction. They turned in shock and confusion to see that Ben had transformed into a small shrimp like alien about four feet in height. His carapace was a mix of ocean blue and sea foam green. Large bulbous eyes hung on stalks over a mouth formed by complex mandibles. Small scurrying legs supported the length of the alien form and two large pincers formed the alien's hands. They were all somewhat perplexed by the sudden appearance of the alien.
"Nice job Ben! How did you know that would work?" Rook was the first to ask.
"These bubbles are pretty tough! I had a feeling they could bounce back ugly's beam attacks." He replied in a high pitched squeaky voice.
"Ok great but how are we gonna get out now?" Kai asked. "You can't possibly think this pipsqueak is strong enough to take on this thing?"
"He's not but he can do this!" Ben replied. He rushed through the bubble at surprising speed, popping it with a single pinch of his claws. He then jumped into the air, blowing several large bubbles as he went. Using the first elastic bubble as a trampoline he propelled himself into the air before the Gardener. Once in the air Ben blew an even larger bubble that was precisely the size of the Gardener's head. Then he reached out with his pincer and popped it. The bubble exploded in a large shockwave, knocking the serpentine Gardener backwards. Ben landed and immediately scurried back to his friends urging them on to run away. He then shot out a stream of multiple smaller bubbles which spread out into the air before leaving the scene behind.
"Dude that was sick!" Kevin exclaimed. "What do you call this guy?"
"I don't know man I haven't had time to think of a name. Let's just call him Bubble Shrimp. Now let's go!" He replied with his legs scurrying fast beneath him.
The Gardener recovered and looked around to see the immediate area covered in a field of small irridescent bubbles which floated harmlessly through the air. The bubbles acted like a smoke screen and obscured the senses of the stone spirit. But being a construct of mana the Gardener was soon able to detect the group's mana signature and dove after them. The serpentine construct slithered along the ground following their trail. The group ran at full speed away from it and towards the central temple, but still the speed of the construction had it catching up to them in no time. Bubble Shrimp's compound eyes rotated backwards to see the approaching guardian. The crustacean like alien stopped to blow another smokescreen of bubbles behind them, but instead of letting the bubbles float and obscure their tracks, he burst them with his claws. The bubbles exploded in a cascading chain reaction. Unfortunately, the smaller size of the bubbles meant that the explosion was significantly smaller than the previous ones. But still it proved sufficient distraction for the Gardener, allowing the group of heroes time to convene a plan.
"We won't get anywhere like this!" Kevin said frustrated.
"Kevin's right. I think we should split up." Bubble shrimp gestured to the temple which lay beyond them. "Julie, Gwen and I will make our way up to the Alpha Rune while the rest of you keep that thing busy!"
"Be quick, we likely will not be able to hold the Gardener at bay for long." Rook nodded.
With the plan set the group divided in half to set about their goals. Julie, Ben, and Gwen escaped the scene of the immediate battle to the central temple. The rest of the group stayed behind, determined to keep the Gardener's attention on themselves. Kai and Charmcaster launched powerful magic spells at it, while both Kevin and Rook fired upon it with their blasters. But despite their best efforts the massive Gardener seemed mostly unfazed. So they switched tactics. Instead of trying to take it down with their firepower, they decided to keep the construct's attention by goading it into attacking them. They would duck behind structures or in between thickets of vines and bushes to avoid the mana construct's attacks. Each time the Gardener would begin to turn to their fleeing compatriots, the group would fire on it again, restarting the cycle.
Far ahead, Gwen, Ben and Julie finally managed to reach the foot of the temple. It towered above them on massive roots extending from a wide and placid lake. Floating stone platforms drifted around gently in the air. The path upwards seemed obvious if a little difficult to traverse. With nary a word Ben transformed into Crash Hopper. The insectoid like alien launched itself high into the air and alighted easily on the floating platform above them. He turned around to look back at the rest of his friends. "Come on! What are you waiting for?" He asked. Julie replied with a smirk as a jetpack formed on her back. She shot into the air, the rocket propulsion carrying her easily onto the platform. Gwen bypassed the platforms completely, choosing to make platforms of her own as she ascended towards the temple. The group carried on fairly easily this way, with Ben and Julie jumping to platforms and borrowing some of Gwen's own when one was too far out of reach. They managed to make it up a third of the way when they heard another of the Gardener's high pitched screams.
They turned around to see a large alien figure launch itself directly at the Gardener. With a single mighty punch it sent the magic construct careening to the ground. From their distance they could just make out the sight of Vilgax-Eon attacking the Gardener. The evil shapeshifter strode forward to the downed body of the Gardener. His eyes narrowed in contempt as the rest of the team of heroes watched them warily. The Gardener recovered from the attack quickly and floated once more into the air. It's face switched to one of rage and fury. It slammed its large mana tentacles down into the ground. The earth rumbled and shook as the tendrils extended downwards. The head of the Gardener ascended upwards, bringing a massive column of earth with it. The body eventually resolved into a humanoid shape, with two arms and legs. But Vilgax-Eon was unfazed.
The Gardener lifted a massive fist into the air before swinging it down at Eon. But the powerful body of Vilgax jumped straight into the air, avoiding the attack completely and launching a vicious uppercut into the construct's chin. The group of heroes stared in shock as Vilgax-Eon accomplished in one move what they had been trying to do for the better part of half an hour. The Gardener stumbled backwards and Vilgax-Eon pressed his attack. His alien muscles bulged, the pylons on his arms injecting steroids into his body to enhance his already impressive strength. The alien warlord attacked with ferocity, jumping on and around the massive collossus. With his incredible strength he punched and kicked at the stone which made up its body. Massive cracks spread up the stone with each impact, the sound being heard for miles in all directions.
But the Gardener was tenacious. Its mana tendrils spread downwards through its body, repairing the damage and holding the construct together. This did not deter Eon however. As the Gardener went on the counter-offensive by swinging and stomping his massive limbs, Eon gripped the large appendages, crushing them with his incredible strength. The group of heroes meanwhile, did not know whether to intervene or not. On the one hand, helping stop Eon would be no easy feat, and then they would still have to deal with the Gardener. On the other hand, they were barely able to put a dent in the massive construct, and Eon was single-handedly battling the creature. But while they debated on the correct course of action, Eon was continuing to battle the Gardener and seemed to be winning. Vilgax-Eon dodged the golem's strikes with effortless leaps and bounds. Far ahead, the trio of heroes watched the battle with trepidation.
"We need to go!" Crashhopper said to his friends. "The way that fight is going, I don't expect the Gardener is going to last long." The trio nodded to each other and continued to ascend the fantastical staircase to the Temple proper.
But Ben's approximation of the battle was spot on. Vilgax-Eon was soon to be on the cusp of victory. He dodged between the mighty foot falls of the titan, rolling backwards before regaining his footing. He launched himself at the ankle of the mighty being. With a swing of his powerful fist he crumbled the stone to dust. The lack of support immediately caused the Gardener to stumble backwards, unsteady. Seizing the opportunity, Vilgax-Eon wrapped his arms around the remainder of the creature's foot. With a powerful heave, he caused the golem to topple over. It landed on the ground with a great crash, the foliage around them quaking as if they were scared for their protector. A cloud of dust burst upwards from the collision. Eon wasted no time and leaped upon the prone form of the Gardener. The collossus swiped futilely at the alien form as it ascended to it's face. Vilgax-Eon began to pummel the rock like body of the construct. Massive cracks formed at each impact of his powerful fists. The Gardener struggled helplessly, it tried to squash the smaller creature but found it could not move fast enough to keep up. It tried to right itself, but Vilgax-Eon was relentless. He began to turn his assault to the Gardener's face. He used his incredible alien strength to beat the construct senseless. Fissures and cracks soon began to appear on the stone masks which made up the Gardener's head. Even switching to a new face did nothing to protect it as Eon continued his assault. Finally with a mighty crack one of the faces finally crumbled to nothing more than dust. The orb of mana below pulsed and squirmed. Light burst from every crevice in the construct's body. A last dying scream pronounced the Gardener fallen, as the mana dispersed in beams of light and the body of stone crumbled away.
The effect seemed immediate. With the Gardener defeated the Gardens themselves seemed to destabilize. The group of heroes could not even hope to make it to Eon as the once carefully manicured vegetation around them began to grow wild and lash out. The very earth beneath them quaked and trembled in rage at the loss of its protector. They fell to their knees, trying desperately to cling to the suddenly shifting ground beneath them. Ben, Julie, and Gwen felt the effects as well. The stone platforms which once orbited the temple languidly became speeding missiles as they spun around frightfully fast. The once placid lake beneath them roiled and bubbled and the roots of the massive tree squirmed and writhed. The streams of light above them which had once maintained a teal color, swelled and shifted, casting the area around them into a sickly purple and pink glow. The group's progress, which had previously been steady, halted at once as their every effort was focused on keeping them level. Eon was the only being who seemed unaffected as he began sprinting towards the temple.
With great bounding strides, Vilgax-Eon made his way towards the temple. Each of his heavy foot falls cracked and sundered the path beneath him. But he paid it little attention. At the speed he was travelling it mattered very little to him. Unfortunately, for the heroes behind him, the path now seemed utterly obliterated.
"He is getting away!" Rook yelled. "And we have no way to follow him!"
"Everybody gather round!" Charmcaster called. The group heeded her cry as they stumbled over the uneven terrain. Charmcaster pulled several of her smaller flying rock golems from her charm bag. The creatures immediately took flight and the group of heroes followed the sorceress' lead by hanging onto the flying statues. They gave chase to the villain, Charmcaster poised expertly ontop her golem while the others hung on more or less haphazardly.
Far above them, Ben, Julie, and Gwen were still desperately attempting to ascend the nearly nonexistent steps to the temple proper. But below they could spy Eon quickly approaching and gaining ground on them so to speak. He was quickly ascending towards them, leaping from floating platform and grabbing the next one above, even using the massive roots of the tree to his advantage.
Gwen turned to her friends finally. "You guys go ahead and secure the Alpha Rune. I'll deal with Eon." She said with finality.
"Gwen are you insane?" Crash hopper said gripping his hands to his head. "We all know Eon's too powerful to take on by ourselves. Besides you're the only one that's going to be able to use the Alpha Rune!" Gwen frowned and looked back down to see Vilgax-Eon making far quicker pace what they had. What fueled the maniac villain she did not know, but clearly he would soon surpass them if he wasn't stopped.
"That may be true." She finally answered. "But I'm also at my most powerful here." In a blink her form had been replaced by that of her hybrid anodite form. Her body glowed with the sheer amount of mana she was putting out. Her 'Lucky Girl' transformation was familiar but had changed much since the last time Ben had seen it. Her hair style and mask were the same, but her shirt was now a long sleeved ensemble and her skirt had been replaced by a pair of dark blue leggings with stripes running up the sides. A belt with the familiar cat head logo as its buckle sat around her hips. Lastly a light blue scarf completed the look. "I'll keep him busy. You guys go! Hurry!" With out another word she created a staircase of platforms which led up to the temple. Julie and Ben exchanged worried glances but they both knew better than to argue. The situation seemed desperate. They ran off, leaving Gwen behind to face Eon.
Gwen did not have to wait long for Eon to come to her level. But she also wasted no time in trying to take him down. She summoned two massive orbs of mana in her fists and launched them at Eon. The shapeshifter had scarcely mounted the next platform before he came face to face with the barrage. With no time to react the attack hit him full force and sent him careening down several dozen feet. But he quickly regained his bearings. With one outstretched arm he grasped at the nearest ledge as he fell. The platform nearly twisted with the force of the impact but it held steady. He climbed up on the perch with some difficulty and gazed upwards at the direction of the attack.
"You're not getting by me Eon!" Gwen called out floating above him. "In Ledgerdomain, my powers are magnified!" She called out as she summoned enormous whips of mana from her hands. Eon smiled sinisterly at her.
"Maybe not in this form." He said before palming the Abominatrix symbol. In a split second Vilgax's body was replaced by that of Addwaitya's. "But you're not the only one who can use magic." He retorted snarkily.
Gwen frowned at him before swinging her arms wide. In a fluid fast motion the whips hurled down at Addwaitya-Eon. The turtle like alien surged upwards, blocking the attacks with shields of mana he summoned around his arms. Like a speeding bullet he shot towards Gwen who knocked him aside with a large palm of summoned mana. Eon spun out for a minute before he righted himself in mid-air, floating much as Gwen was doing. The pair danced around each other in mid air. They exchanged spells at blinding speeds, all the while dodging the rapidly rotating stone platforms which orbited around them.
Gwen pulled out all the stops. She held nothing back. She threw her strongest spells and attacks at Addwaitya. With the sheer amount of mana in the air her attacks were supercharged like never before. It filled her with a strange sense of cosmic power and she had forcefully remind herself not to give into her Anodite instincts. But despite her vast amounts of power and the walls of mana she was hurling, her opponent seemed to be holding his own. Eon had access to not only Addwaitya's incredible mana, but his thousands of years of experience in wielding it. That fact made their fight evenly matched for the moment. But Gwen kept reminding herself. She did not necessarily have to win, she only had to hold him off long enough for someone else to get the Alpha Rune. She only hoped that Ben and Julie would reach it soon.
Said heroes had finally ascended the platforms which led to the temple. As they finally alighted on the stone grounds surrounding the massive temple they barely had time to catch their breath as the ground beneath them began to crumble away. They jumped for safety, away from the quickly disintegrating edge of the isalnd. Finally when they had a moment to catch their breath they surveyed their surroundings. The temple grounds were tiled by large stone squares, with bonsai like tree bushes spaced out around them at uneven intervals. The building of the temple was elaborately decorated with geometric patterns seemingly carved into the walls. It seemed more like something that would come out of a fractal painting then any kind of hand built structure. Another set of large stairs ascended up the temple into its main chamber. Julie and Ben could see the multiple strands of mana in the sky converging together and entering into the building. Strangely the mana streams seemed to be pulsing in midair, growing and shrinking like blood vessels reacting to a heart beat.
But the pair had no time to take in the sights. They had a mission, they had to retrieve the Alpha Rune. It was the final piece that Eon needed to resurrect Dagon and absorb his power. They knew that they couldn't let that happen. The pair raced to the stair case only to be halted as the growths spurting from the ground seemed to grow and lash out at them. The pair took up defensive positions with Ben ready to turn into Swampfire and incinerate the plants in his way. But strangely, as soon as the plants seemed to grow, they then began to wither and shrivel up. Their color drained and turned a shade of ashy gray as they creaked and twisted into shrunken forms of their previous selves.
"Uh, I'm assuming that's not a good sign." Ben said dryly.
"Gee ya think? Come on!" Julie retorted and together they raced up the stair case to the interior of the temple.
They entered a chamber with a high vaulted ceiling, inlaid with gold, silver, and other precious gems and minerals. The floor had smaller tiles arranged in similar geometric patterns as the outside of the temple, colored in a kaleidoscope of turquoise, magenta, and multiple other hues. But what drew their attention the most was the central pedestal in the chamber. Lying atop it was the Alpha Rune, glowing with power. The streams of mana which had entered through the high windows of the temple all converged on the piece of mystic stone.
"There it is!" Ben yelled and leaped to retrieve it. But as if sensing his approach, a massive dome of energy erupted from the Alpha Rune. Crashhopper slammed straight into the energy barrier which expanded and pushed him back to his starting position. Ben shook off the impact only to have his eyes widen in shock as bolts of magic lightning began shooting off the Alpha Rune. He was shocked by the bolt of energy, feeling it shoot through him painfully. He distantly heard Julie call out his name. But he grit his teeth and suffered through the pain. As he opened his eyes again he saw multiple bolts of lightning shoot off the rune. With no more than a thought he transformed into XLR8. He weaved between the chains of electricity towards the Alpha Rune, but again was halted by the shield around it. He dashed around madly, searching for an opening as he attempted to pierce the forcefield over and over again. But his efforts were in vain. Suddenly, he heard Julie cry out as she was struck by the lightning as well. He raced back to her, picking her up and moving her out of the radius of the lightning strikes.
"There's a shield around the Alpha Rune. I can't penetrate it." XLR8 spoke to her. The pair had little time to contemplate their predicament as an explosion soon rang out from behind them. Gwen crashed onto the tiled grounds of the temple proper followed closely behind by Addwaitya-Eon. Gwen appeared exhausted and hurt as she desperately tried to hold Eon back. But a blast of mana sent her rolling along the ground.
"Gwen!" Julie and Ben cried out simultaneously. The younger girl stood to her feet and rushed off to help the sorceress. "Ben keep trying to get the Alpha Rune!" Julie called as she ran off.
"How? I can't get through the shield!" He called back.
"Well think of something!" She retorted as her armor shifted into assault mode.
Ben returned to the inner chamber. He dashed around, dodging the bolts of lightning. He continued to throw himself at the barrier. But XLR8's thin body didn't have the strength to penetrate the shield. Using his mastery of the Omnitrix he transformed into his stronger aliens at the moment of impact in an attempt to shatter the forcefield. But even that tactic was proving fruitless. If anything he thought the bolts of lightning were growing larger. He turned his head backwards and saw that the crackles of energy were spreading beyond the chamber. Ben grit his teeth and rapidly rotated through his alien forms, trying to think of a tactic that would get him through the shield. He tried Chromastone and Feedback in an effort to drain the energy, but the mana proved incompatible with them. He tried his smaller alien forms like Nanomech and Grey Matter in an attempt to sneak by the shield but it proved too complete. He even used forms like Ghostfreak and Big Chill to try and phase through it, but even that did not work.
In the courtyard Eon was still duking it out with Gwen, now joined by Julie. The two spellcasters were still exchanging spells in an even duel. Only Julie's interference with missiles and lasers seemed to be evening the odds. For a moment it seemed with Julie's help and Gwen's extremely powerful magic they were gaining the upper hand. But their battle was taking them dangerously close to the edge of the temple chamber where the defenses of the Alpha Rune were running wild. As they neared, whips of electric energy struck the two magic users from behind causing them to cry out in pain. The shock, though painful, was over quickly and they recovered, smoke rising off them. Gwen was the first to react, holding her hands out only to be surprised by the vastly reduced output of her magic.
"My mana! It's like it's been drained!" She said in astonishment. Still rocked by the sudden weakening of her powers she didn't notice that Eon had recovered as well.
"Haha fool! The Alpha Rune is the source of all magic! And with no-one to control it its taking it all back." He said in Addwaitya's voice. "Luckily for me, I can still fight you even without magic." He spoke as he transformed into Malware. With a strike of his outstretched hand, Malware sent Gwen tumbling. She rolled across the ground painfully. Her body struck by another bolt of electricity, draining her mana further and causing her to lose her anodite form. Eon smirked internally but was interrupted by an attack from behind as Julie unleashed a salvo of missiles and laser fire. The barrage of attacks kicked up a small cloud of dust, obscuring Malware's form from her. She waited with weapons at ready but was still unprepared as Malware-Eon emerged suddenly and gripped her. He lifted her body in the air and slammed her into the ground multiple times. Each time she cried out painfully, until at last she lost consciousness.
"Julie!" Ben's furious cry came from behind. Eon turned around just in time to be sucker punched by XLR8. Eon growled in unbridled fury. With a sudden swiftness he grabbed the dinosaur like alien by the tail and proceeded to slam him into the ground as well. "I grow tired of these incessant obstacles!" Eon growled as he beat Ben mercilessly, preventing him from even considering transforming. Eon shifted again into Vilgax once more and squeezed the lithe alien between his arms. Ben struggled to retain consciousness, but the pain and the lack of oxygen proved too much. As his body went limp Eon finally released Ben to fall to the ground.
With his adversaries out of his way for the moment he strode up to the interior chamber. The lightning raged fiercer than it had before. But Eon paid it no mind. He transformed into his normal body and stepped forward, ignoring the raging energies that swirled before him. With a wave of his hand the forcefield fell before him as he stepped to the pedestal to claim his prize. He grasped the Alpha Rune and at once the realm around them seemed to settle into quiet.
"At long last…" Eon spoke to himself. He stepped out of the temple chamber back onto the staircase. "I have all of the pieces to commence the ritual." He held the Alpha Rune aloft which floated into the air before him. From his cloak he withdrew the sword of Ascalon and the piece of Dagon's seal. They too floated upwards, dancing around each other in mid air. Finally, Eon brought up the Abominatrix. From its face he summoned a crackling orb of red and grey mist. That too floated up until all four components laid in front of him. "The time has finally come! Soon I will absorb the Dagon's power and I will be unstoppable! HAHAHAHA!" He cackled menacingly.
The sound of Eon's malicious laughter filled the air and stirred Ben from his pain induced slumber. He lifted his head to see Eon chanting in front of the objects needed for the ritual. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Eon was close to completing the ritual, and if he did, then all hope was lost. Ben struggled to his feet, grit and determination helping him to just barely push past the pain. He needed to take Eon out. The thought gave him pause. He needed to take Eon out, and there was only one way to do it. His eyes set on the maniac as he continued his chanting, energy crackling around each of the objects. It was now or never. Ben rushed at him, transforming into Bugshido mid-stride. A long blade extended from his wrist. His eyes were set on his target, Eon's head. He only needed one clean stroke and he would end the threat permanently. Ben inhaled deeply. Time seemed to move in slow motion. He saw Eon's eyes widen in shock, he wasn't prepared for Ben to recover so quickly. He could do it, Ben could end it all there.
But something strange happened in those intervening seconds. Doubt crept back into Ben's mind. He had the sudden feeling of Déjà vu. He had held this decision in his hands before, too many times. But he knew it to be the right decision. He saw himself killing Eon, his head falling from his body. He saw that it was the right thing in the moment, everyone would agree. His vision fast forwarded to the future. To the next impossible choice. Only the next time, it wasn't so hard a choice to make. Vilgax had always been a threat, if anything he should have gotten rid of him sooner. Then next was Animo, with all the modifications he had made to himself could he even be called human anymore? He saw people questioning him and his decisions. How dare they? After everything he'd done for them, everything he'd sacrificed. The threats wouldn't stop, and only he could stop them, if he was in control. And control would come easily, with the Omnitrix at his disposal none could stop him. Eventually even his friends and allies turned against him, but they couldn't see what he saw, foolish as they were. But he didn't need them, so long as he could keep everyone safe! Ben suddenly recoiled in horror at the vision of himself as absolute overlord of the galaxy. Distantly, he realized what was happening, the magic of Pandemonium had finally gotten to him, confused him at the very last second. But that half second of hesitation was all Eon needed to avoid the strike. Instead he countered, knocking Ben backwards.
"Fool! You cannot stop me now!" Eon called out as energy surged downwards. Ben stared in shock as the four objects glowed impossibly bright. They swirled around Eon, blasting him with energy. The energy surged into the Abominatrix at his wrist. Ben had failed, Eon had absorbed Dagon's essence, and with it the power to dominate any world he so chose. The light subsided, the objects fell to the ground, no longer necessary for the ritual. Eon laughed, gloating in Ben's face. But before any of them could react a grey blur crashed into Eon.
Ben looked up, surprised to see Kevin wrestling with Eon on the ground. His stone fists pummeled the time travelling villain, trying desperately to knock him into unconsciousness. The pair tumbled around as Kevin tried fiercely to attack Eon. But with a mere thought Eon transformed again into Vilgax and batted away the stone covered Osmosian. Kevin rolled across the ground before he was picked up by Eon and held aloft.
"Ah Kevin Levin. Just the man I was looking for." Eon gloated, holding him by his shirt.
"What, are you talking about. You've got Dagon now don't you? What do you want with me?" He asked. Eon laughed.
"Ha do you really believe that I would collect all of Ben 10's worst enemies and not leave room for you?" He asked sarcastically. "With you in my collection, my transformation will be complete!" Eon said as he reached for Kevin's head. The young man cried in pain as purple electricity raced across his body. The Abominatrix was trying to absorb Kevin like it had done to Dagon just a moment ago. But Ben would not let that happen. He may have failed to stop Eon from absorbing Dagon, but he sure as hell wouldn't fail his best friend. Ben launched himself at Eon, slicing at his arm with the extended blade. Eon dropped Kevin to the ground and Ben stood over him protectively.
"You're too late Ben Tennyson!" Eon yelled. "I've absorbed enough of your friend's DNA to reach my ultimate form!" Eon shouted. The Abominatrix glowed violet on his arm, eventually his entire body glowed with the same purple light. Behind them Ben could sense the presence of the rest of his friends as they all watched Eon's body shift in sickening slow motion. They saw his body grow taller, limbs thicker and more powerful. When the light faded they were shocked to find that Eon had transformed into an unholy amalgamation of all of Ben's worst enemies. Eon's torso had been replaced by the shell backed body of Addwaitya. His left arm was that of Malware's while his right arm took on the clawed form of Ghostfreak. The lower half of his body had the metallic sheen of Maltruant's robotic legs. His face still resembled Eon's but with the long tentacle like beard of Vilgax and Dagon. Four horns sprouted above his brow like Aggregor and below them were the Galvan like eyes of Albedo. The heroes stared in shock at the newly formed Fusion-Eon.
"Now, this multiverse will be mine!" Fusion-Eon spoke in a horrifying mutated voice. Eon lifted his hands above his heads and the group watched in terror as a huge rift opened right above them. Through it they could see the town of Bellwood. Lightning began to crack at the edges of the rift as Ledgerdomain seemed to disintegrate as the portal grew larger. The group of heroes charged at Eon but they were rendered inert as with glowing eyes Fusion-Eon caused them to float into the sky. They flailed about useless against the omnipotent powers of Dagon.
"And for you Ben Tennyson." Fusion-Eon spoke in his warped and twisted voice. He gestured with one hand and a dark portal opened up behind Ben. "I have a special prison for you. You will be cast into the space between dimensions. No longer will I need to worry about your interference. But rest easy, knowing that this world, all worlds, all dimensions, all timelines, will soon belong to me! HAHAHA!" With a wave of his hands Fusion-Eon sent Ben through the portal.
"No, no, NOOOOO!" Ben screamed as blackness surrounded him and the portal disappeared, leaving him alone in crushing darkness.
A/N: Another climactic battle finished. I had some trouble writing this one because I felt like I definitely rushed through some parts. I hope everyone enjoys it. Also big news I will be shortly uploading this story over on A03 under the same username and story name. So if you prefer reading on that site I should hopefully have the story so far uploaded there as well. Also I'm steadily working on building up my buffer of chapters as well. Until next time.