Chapter 67: Deal with a Devil
Albedo — now transformed into Feedback — smiled darkly as he looked up at the two incomplete Void beings hovering above him.
The energy of the explosion he had absorbed surged through his body like a raging storm. It flooded his circuits, raced through his veins and poured through his soul with terrifying intensity, as though the power itself was begging to be released.
Than, without giving the two abominable beings even a moment to react, Albedo raised both arms.
All ten fingers spread wide.
The antennae behind his head extended and aligned themselves with the targets above as well.
Then he fired.
Realizing the danger too late, the blue phoenix that was Sir Connor tried to flee, dragging its master away from the attack and racing toward the horizon.
But escape was impossible.
A colossal pillar of lightning erupted from Feedback's body and shot toward the heavens at the speed of light. The air rippled violently and the very sky warped under the pressure of the transcendant power.
Sir Connor barely had time to turn his head before the lightning engulfed him completely.
His azure flames — which once burned with the darkness of corruption — were devoured in an instant.
And just like that…
Sir Connor was gone.
The pillar of electricity continued upward, tearing through the sky before crashing into the massive concealment barrier that surrounded the Forever Knights' fortress.
The barrier shattered like glass as well, revealing the forever knights to the entire world.
Sir Patrick, however, managed to survive the initial blast.
Drawing upon the unholy power granted to him by his god, he absorbed part of the lightning into his body.
But even that was not enough.
The sheer weight of Transcendent power was far beyond what he could endure and so that only made the damage worse.
His body plummeted from the sky and slammed violently into the ground, tearing through the dirt. His Transcendent transformation collapsed instantly, leaving behind a broken, burned figure whose flesh had been scorched black.
Albedo descended silently behind him, still in his Feedback's form.
His single crimson eye gazed down at the fallen king with cold, murderous malice.
Sir Patrick — one of the Seven Kings of the Forever Knights and seat holder of the sun —crawled across the ruined ground like a dying animal.
"Why…" he croaked weakly, barely managing to talk. "Why did you attack us…? We had no quarrel with you…"
His voice was barely louder than a whisper, and at his words, Albedo only laughed.
A mocking laugh to be precise.
"Oh, but that's where you're mistaken."
His voice was calm, almost cheerful but it held an unfathomable amount of hatred behind it..
"I do have a quarrel with you. With you, with the other six kings, with that pathetic leader you serve… and most importantly…"
His eye shone with crimson light as it focused on the king's dying form.
"With that [thing]."
Sir Patrick coughed violently, forcing himself to raise his head to meet the insidious Shapeshifter.
"How?!"
His voice cracked with anger and disbelief.
"I oversee every operation of our order! I know every mission we have ever carried out and I'm certain that we have never harmed you or your race."
He paused for a moment before adding:
"…At least not yet."
For a moment, Albedo said nothing only savoring the moment.
Then he crouched beside the broken king and leaned close to his ear.
He whispered something.
He whispered the most dreadful Truth of this world...
Sir Patrick froze, as if the pain and misery he was no longer mattered.
His eyes widened so violently that they looked ready to burst from their sockets.
"No…"
His voice trembled with fear and refusal.
"No! That's impossible! You're lying! That cannot be true! Never!"
His body shook violently as disbelief and madness shattered his composure.
Albedo sighed in boredom, not interested in debating with the corrupted king.
Then his antennaes extended forward and gently touched the sides of Sir Patrick's head, plugin into his ears.
"Oh, but it is true, you miserable wretch."
A pulse of electricity surged through the contact point, entering Patrick's brain.
Sir Patrick's body convulsed violently as he screamed in pain.
"Find peace in the mercy of death, bastard. Even if it's more than you deserve."
The lightning surged again.
Sir Patrick's already charred body blackened further before evaporating and turning into dust.
The wind carried his remains pitifully, not leaving a single part of him intact.
And just like that, the King of the Sun was dead.
————
Far away, deep within the most heavily protected chamber of the Forever Knights' headquarters, a massive round green stone tablet stood upon an ancient altar.
Runic inscriptions circled across its surface, glowing faintly in the darkness...
Before it knelt a lone figure dressed in pure crimson robes and wearing a golden mask.
The figure was prostrating themselves before the altar in reverence, chanting hidden secrets and forbidden knowledge that could corrupt the brightest of flames...
On the tablet, eight glowing orbs protruded from the tablet.
One in the center and seven others arranged symmetrically around it.
At that very moment, one of the orbs flared to life with a sudden golden glow.
Something had entered the round tablet.
The robed figure slowly raised their head and beneath their golden mask, a quiet whisper escaped their lips.
"And so…"
A smile formed in their hideous lips, unseen by anyone.
"Armageddon begins."
————
Moving through the shattered remains of the ruined fortress, Albedo eventually stopped before a colossal black door, the same one that Connor and Patrick were about to enter before he attacked them.
The surface of the door was covered in countless runic glyphs and layers of ancient sorcery. Seals overlapped seals, forming a defensive barrier meant to imprison something far too dangerous to ever be released.
And that was exactly what Albedo had come for.
He touched the red Omnitrix on his wrist and began rotating the dial, watching as the Alien holograms flashed past one after another, untill eventually, the dial stopped on a certain figure.
A towering armored figure appeared above the device.
Without hesitation, Albedo slammed the dial down.
Crimson light swallowed him once again.
His body expanded violently as thick, plated armor formed across his skin. His frame grew taller and broader, his limbs transforming into powerful mechanical structures.
His head reshaped into something resembling an ancient Greek Corinthian helmet, with armored ridges forming ear-like protrusions on the sides.
Massive jackhammer mechanisms formed along his wrists, elbows, and hands.
When the transformation ended, a ten-foot-tall armored yellow alien stood in his place.
"Armodrillo!" Albedo shouted, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
Then he slammed the Omnitrix symbol again.
Four claw-shaped lines erupted from the device, spreading across his body as a crimson wave of evolutionary energy engulfed him.
His rank surged upward.
From Ascended…
To Transcendent.
Armodrillo's form expanded further. Massive drills formed along his shoulders, arms, and tail. His entire body grew slightly larger and the color of his armor morphed from yellow to orange, and his body suddenly gained the ability to compress into a rotating drilling machine capable of tearing through almost anything.
Without hesitation, he activated the drills, transforming into a drill himself.
The ground trembled violently as the colossal drill struck the sealed door.
The dark Stone begun to crack and at the same time, the runic barriers shattered one by one.
Even the ancient magical defenses struggled to withstand the force of a Transcendent Titan.
And Finally the door split apart.
Fragments of enchanted metal collapsed inward as moonlight poured into the chamber beyond.
Inside an empty dark room revealed itself and at the farm back of it, a gigantic figure revealed itself.
Its body was long and reptilian, covered in dark green scales. Bat-like wings folded against its back while a powerful tail curled behind it, its face resembled a strange beaked serpent.
The creature slowly opened its eyes and as it did, massive chains revealed themselves , wrapped around its body from every direction, binding its limbs, wings, and neck.
Its power was bound as well, and it's vast
soul had been crippled.
Even its will had been shackled.
Albedo canceled his transformation, reverting to base armadrillo form and than returned to his human form, completely unfazed by the overwhelming pressure radiating from the imprisoned creature.
Putting his hands ands in his jacket's pockets, he approached the chained creature calmly.
"My, my…" he said casually, eying it's form.
"A Supreme Dragon — created by the Goddess of Life herself — chained up like a rabid animal."
He shook his head in pity, his white hair flowing around.
"How pitiful..."
The dragon shifted slightly, it's chains clanking loudly as it opened it's maw
"You…" it spoke slowly in ancient runic language.
Albedo, naturally understood it's language even if he was not a carrier of the nightmare spell.
"You are not one of them."
"Of course not," Albedo replied with a grin.
He raised his wrist, showing the Omnitrix In all of its glory.
"Would any of those animals carry this?"
The dragon's serpent-like eyes widened for a moment before narrowing again in focus.
"What do you want, wielder of the device that should have never existed?"
Albedo shrugged as he stepped closer.
"Oh, nothing too serious."
He counted on his fingers playfully.
"First I need to slaughter an army of Awakened and Ascended warriors, defeat six lesser Void creatures, prevent the end of the world, and kill an unholy god."
He suddenly paused, as if remembering something.
"Oh, and I also need to reclaim something that was stolen from me by a copycat."
He smiled again.
"So really… nothing too difficult."
The dragon stared at him silently for a long moment, before speaking, his voice filled with hope.
"And you expect me to help you?"
Albedo nodded.
"The assistance of a Supreme Devil such as yourself would be greatly appreciated, so yes."
The dragon's voice rumbled through the chamber.
"And what do I receive in return?"
Albedo's grin widened slowly.
"Only the greatest lie ever told."
He spread his hands widely as if embracing the dragon.
"Freedom."