When Ben returned to Sakaar, the first thing he laid eyes upon was the lifeless body of Praetor Kallark.
His once-powerful form had become desiccated, as shriveled and hollow as a mummy interred for a millennium. The magnificent Shi'ar Imperial Guard armor, a symbol of his station and might, now hung loosely on his withered frame, like the shell of some great beast whose occupant had shrunken away to nothing.
"It's as if he was sucked dry," Eunice observed, her voice laced with a clinical curiosity. She had accompanied Ben to Sakaar, and her sensitivity to life force was unparalleled. Placing a hand gently over Kallark's chest, a soft light emanated from her palm before she drew it back. "His vital energies appear to have been… siphoned. Absorbed completely."
"Absorbing the powers of others," Ben mused, a grim look on his face as he processed her conclusion. "That definitely sounds like something Vilgax would do."
Caiera, standing beside them, frowned, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes. "To absorb another's power… is such a thing even possible?"
"For Vilgax, it's just another Tuesday," Ben replied, not bothering to elaborate on the full, sordid history. He recalled a timeline where Vilgax's rival, Aggregor, had absorbed the powers of five of the galaxy's most powerful champions, transforming himself into a nigh-unstoppable monster. Vilgax, having witnessed such a feat, would surely seek to replicate and surpass it.
Kallark's power was on par with Thor's. If Vilgax could assimilate that, combined with his own formidable strength and cunning, he could become a threat on the level of a new Thanos—perhaps even a more dangerous one.
Ben mentally reviewed the long, dark history of Ben 10 old nemesis. The Chimera Sui Generis warlord was a master of leveraging other powers, a cosmic sycophant who would latch onto any greater force that could serve his ambitions. He had been cannon fodder for Thanos and a lackey for the Diagon. This pattern of seeking out powerful patrons was his defining trait.
"Bill, besides Kallark's body, did you find anything else?" Ben asked, a knot of confusion tightening in his gut. "Logically, even with his recent power-up, Vilgax shouldn't have been strong enough to defeat Kallark so decisively, let alone steal his abilities. Did he find a new master to serve?"
Ben himself had certified Kallark's strength. The fact that the Praetor had forced him to use his Gravattack transformation—a form fused with the power of a living planet—was proof enough of the Shi'ar champion's capabilities. What Ben didn't know was that Vilgax had already absorbed the power of a weakened Thanos and the cryokinetic might of the Frost Giant King, Laufey.
"Based on the ship's logs, he was the sole attacker," Beta Ray Bill reported. He tapped his Plumbers badge, projecting a holographic recording into the space between them. "We received the distress signal from the Shi'ar warship not long after we parted ways at the Galactic Conference. By the time we arrived… the space ship was already a derelict."
The footage was chaotic and brief. It showed Kallark on the bridge of his ship, looking uncharacteristically discouraged, his confidence clearly shaken after his defeat at Ben's hands. Then, the attack came—a barrage of overwhelming firepower, followed by Vilgax himself tearing through the ship's hull like a living projectile. The elite Shi'ar soldiers were swatted aside like flies. The final image was of the towering Vilgax holding the Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire aloft by his throat, not like a formidable warrior, but like a helpless child.
The recording ended there, but Ben didn't need to see the rest. The outcome was brutally clear. It was the ease of the attack that baffled him.
"How could he have lost so quickly?" Ben wondered aloud. "In the Galactic Federation, even when facing a black hole, Kallark held on for a considerable time. I doubt even Odin himself could have dismantled the Shi'ar's greatest general that fast."
"I've heard his abilities are intrinsically linked to his confidence," Caiera offered, her logic sound. "His spirit was completely shattered by you at the conference. Attacked by Vilgax in that vulnerable state, it's likely his will to fight was already broken."
Bill glanced at Kallark's body and shook his head grimly. He wasn't refuting Caiera's theory, but he found the idea disappointing. For the strongest blade of the Shi'ar Empire to possess such a fragile inner spirit was unbefitting. A true warrior's resolve should never falter, no matter how overwhelming the enemy.
"Perhaps…" Ben's mind was already racing, trying to calculate Vilgax's next move. If he was allowed to continue this rampage, he would undoubtedly become an apocalyptic threat. But the universe was vast, and tracking a single, power-hungry warlord was a monumental task.
"Broadcast Vilgax's image to every Plumbers branch in our allied star systems. List him as a priority one wanted target. Any agent who encounters him is to report to headquarters immediately, no engagement," Ben commanded, his voice firm. "And every branch needs to get its particle collider operational as soon as possible. Without them, the distances are too great for us to provide rapid support."
A particle collider could only open a stable, point-to-point wormhole when two machines were active simultaneously. Otherwise, the destination was randomized, making precise deployment impossible.
Caiera nodded. "Should we forward this intelligence to the Skrull and Kree Empires?"
The three great empires controlled vast swathes of the galaxy. Their intelligence networks could significantly increase the chances of locating Vilgax.
"Hmph," Ben scoffed. "If we tell them about our feud with Vilgax, I'm afraid it won't be long before we hear that the Skrull or Kree Empire trying to collaborate with him. I don't overestimate their integrity." They would undoubtedly see Vilgax as a potential secret weapon to use against the Plumbers, foolishly inviting a wolf into their home. "Just pay close attention to any intelligence coming. When are the Shi'ar arriving to reclaim the body of their Praetor?"
"Their recovery fleet will take some time to reach Sakaar," Caiera answered.
Ultimately, Kallark's body would not remain on Sakaar. With their champion gone, Ben cared little for the Shi'ar Empire's fate. If they sought the Plumbers' protection, he would welcome them. He waved a hand, and several agents approached to respectfully carry Kallark's body away.
"How is Tony Stark?"
Ben had just returned from transforming the planet Morag into the new Primus and had spent a considerable time in the lab before that, making significant progress on integrating new functions into the Omnitrix. With Eunice's help, his research into cross-species genetics had expanded to alien DNA, making the transformations reversible—a feature that was less a disadvantage and more a crucial safety protocol. Without it, the constant accumulation of foreign genes would inevitably cause a user's own genetic code to collapse, turning them into a hideous chimera. He was finally ready to install the new subroutines, but the research had kept him from checking in on his favorite prisoner.
"He is still in the mines," Caiera reported. "Loki has been… creative. He's been using illusions to torment him, playing the part of various cruel guards. They've tasered him, amputated his arm, and now they keep him chained by a hook through his scapula while whipping him daily."
She recounted Tony's recent experiences with a detached air.
Brutal, Ben thought, reasonably suspecting Loki's particular cruelty stemmed from Tony's past disrespect. "The arm is fine, a single vial of the healing serum will fix that… But tell Loki not to permanently damage Stark. Odin needs him for a 'reunion' with his brother."
The Convergence of the Nine Realms was imminent, heralding the return of the Dark Elves. Odin planned to use the conflict to help Thor reclaim his faith and power, and for that, he needed a stage—and an experienced actor to play the part of the treacherous brother. Stabbing Thor, faking his death—it was the classic family drama, a routine Loki had perfected because Thor, bless his heart, fell for it every single time.
Ben planned to leverage Thor's awakening once more. The seeds of Mana he had distributed had already grown into a massive network, especially after infusing the World Tree, which had caused his personal dimension, Genesis, to solidify and expand at an impossible rate. With a foundation of power from beings like the Ancient One and Odin, he could feel that true life was on the verge of being born within his dimension.
Perhaps Thor's re-awakening was the final piece of the puzzle.
Given Thor's importance, Ben planned to give him a motivational push soon. But first, he had to deal with Tony Stark. He still needed to make Tony admit his inferiority, and he wanted to record it for all of New York to see. Now, on Sakaar, he would finally get his revenge. Not only would Tony bow his head, but he would be a perfect test subject for the Omnitrix's new functions.
"Find an opportunity to get him into the arena," Ben instructed. "And give him a chance to forge some gear. A one-sided fight is no fun at all."
With that, he pulled Eunice toward the laboratory.
Inside the sterile, humming facility, Ben tapped the faceplate of the Omnitrix. With a soft hiss, the straps seemed to melt away, and he detached the watch, placing it on a central platform. A series of mechanical arms, like the legs of a metallic spider, descended and surrounded the device.
Eunice tilted her head. "The watch can be removed now?"
"It always could," Ben said with a wry smile. The technology within the Omnitrix was still far beyond his complete understanding, but he had long since mastered its conventional functions, including voice commands, manual switching, and even the self-destruct sequence.
He flexed his wrist. Under their combined control, the robotic arms carefully separated the outer casing from the core movement. Eunice transferred the core to a test bed, and a web of complex circuits began to connect to it. She synced her own consciousness directly with the watch's intelligent program, ensuring perfect integration as they began to install the new subroutines.
After receiving Caiera's message, a drowsy Loki immediately shot up, knocking a bowl of fruit from his table.
"Deal with my brother?!" he exclaimed, all traces of sleepiness vanishing instantly. "Now that gets my attention!"
He rubbed his hands together, his grin widening, half-suspecting he was hallucinating from staring at too many magic runes. An official order from his father to go play a trick on Thor? Could such a wonderful thing truly exist? Ever since the grand coronation ceremony, Loki had avoided returning to Asgard, living in the very real fear that Odin would run him through with Gungnir for his theatrics.
"It seems that not only will I avoid a beating," he chortled, "but I might even find time to stab Thor a few more times."
The grin was now a manic slash across his face, a joy he couldn't have suppressed if he tried. His father truly was the best. Just when his work on Sakaar was becoming tedious, he provided such a delightful diversion.
"So, it's the Dark Elves…" Loki sat down, buzzing with a renewed sense of purpose.
He had to admit, ever since Thor had lost his powers and started wallowing in self-pity, mocking him had lost its appeal. Whenever Loki tried to flaunt his own power, Thor would no longer show jealousy or anger. Instead, his face would be filled with a sickeningly earnest expression: Thankfully, you are here. You are worthy, my brother. With you protecting Asgard, I am at peace… followed by that cloying, Thor-style smile.
Loki, who had intended to torment his brother, often left feeling disgusted himself. Besides, Thor was now a mere mortal. He couldn't withstand a real blade, and if you couldn't even properly stab the person, what was the point? It was the main reason he preferred torturing Tony Stark.
But this… this was different.
"Crisis, family affection, betrayal, anger, death, understanding, and regret…" Loki licked his lips, his mind already weaving the intricate threads of the coming drama.
"I'm literally the god of stories!"