BOOM!
Vilgax's massive frame slammed into the highway, but he didn't stop to recover. Using his cybernetically enhanced leg muscles, he launched himself at Tyler like a ballistic missile.
"Get down!" Tyler roared. He wrapped one arm around Gwen's waist and used his other hand to fire a high-pressure water jet into the pavement. The recoil sent them sliding backward across the asphalt, narrowly dodging the crater where Vilgax's fist landed a split-second later.
Vilgax was relentless. Speed, strength, and centuries of combat experience—he was the ultimate predator. He gave Tyler no room to breathe, forcing him to dodge back-to-back strikes that shattered the road into gravel.
CLICK!
Tyler's wrist hissed. The Carnitrix's dial began to spin wildly—the Predatory Targeting System was calculating a counter-move.
"Tyler, the watch! Should I press it?" Gwen shouted over the roar of the wind. Tyler nodded frantically, and Gwen slammed her palm onto the glowing red core.
WHOOSH!
A blinding crimson light erupted just as Vilgax's fist reached Tyler's face. Instead of flesh, Vilgax struck a wall of reinforced organic crystal.
The Crystal-Ripper stood tall, his body covered in jagged, obsidian-like shards that were far denser than Ben's version. "Gwen, get to the Rustbucket! Now!" Tyler ordered, his voice echoing with a metallic rasp.
"Be careful!" Gwen clutched her staff and bolted toward the RV.
"Hmph!" Vilgax stood atop the crystal wall, looking down with pure contempt. He jumped, intending to crush Tyler under his weight.
PFFT!
Tyler didn't retreat. He willed his body to erupt. Hundreds of razor-sharp diamond spears shot out of his chest and shoulders, piercing through Vilgax's armored boots and into his thighs.
"AGHHHH!" The Conqueror of Ten Worlds roared in genuine pain. Blood—thick and dark—spattered the crystals.
"It's working!" Tyler yelled, trying to impale the tyrant further. But Vilgax was a monster for a reason. He grabbed one of the spears piercing his own palm and snapped it off, using the shard like a dagger to shatter the other incoming spikes.
Tyler was forced back, his crystalline armor cracked and bleeding static energy.
CLICK.
The Carnitrix cycled again. Tyler slammed it, transforming into The Quad-Sunderer. He lunged forward, locking all four arms with Vilgax's two. The highway groaned under the weight of two titans wrestling for dominance.
"Damn Azmuth..." Vilgax hissed, his face inches from Tyler's. "How did he create such a wretched, bloodthirsty device? You've only had it for days, and you dare to match me?"
Inside the Rustbucket, Max watched with a grim expression. "It looks like a stalemate, but Tyler is burning through his stamina. If this drags on, Vilgax will outlast him. And Ben... Ben is out of time."
A hundred yards away, the Bio-Mechanical Robbers were treating Ben like a soccer ball, kicking his XLR8 form back and forth. Ben was semi-conscious, his visor cracked, unable to even stand.
"Don't kill him yet," one robber sneered, grinding his heel into Ben's tail. "This specimen is worth a fortune on the black market. Let's break his legs first."
Tyler saw Ben's agony from across the battlefield. Panic flared in his chest. I have to end this!
He tried to reach for the watch, but Vilgax pinned both of Tyler's upper arms. "No more tricks, human!"
Tyler gritted his teeth. He curled his toes, grabbed a piece of jagged concrete with his foot, and slammed it against the Carnitrix dial on his chest.
WHOOSH!
The transformation light blinded Vilgax. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer on the highway. He was in a void. Thousands of eyes peered at him from the darkness.
"Stay back... STAY BACK!" Vilgax muttered, his eyes glazing over.
The Void-Wraith hovered in the center of the road, channeling every ounce of his mental energy into a localized nightmare for Vilgax. It wouldn't kill the tyrant, but it bought Tyler the seconds he needed.
Tyler turned toward the robbers, his purple eye glowing with a murderous light. "I can't kill a god yet... but killing you pieces of trash? That's easy."
One robber raised his foot to crush Ben's neck.
PFFT!
A shadow-tentacle erupted from the robber's own chest. He looked down in confusion as his mechanical heart was ripped out. He collapsed, sparking and convulsing.
"What?! Where did—"
Before the others could react, the Void-Wraith blurred through them. Tentacles pierced through necks and torsos with surgical precision. Six mechanical robbers fell into the blood-stained asphalt, dead before they hit the ground.
Tyler scooped up Ben's limp body and flew toward the open door of the Rustbucket just as Vilgax broke out of the illusion with a primal roar.
"EARTHLING! I WILL FLAY YOU ALIVE FOR THIS!" Vilgax screamed, but the Rustbucket was already flooring it away, disappearing into a cloud of dust.
Inside the RV, the air was thick with the smell of ozone and copper. Tyler reverted to human form, his head splitting with a migraine from the mental strain. He picked up a rag with a trembling hand and began wiping the blood off his arms.
This was the first time he had taken lives so decisively. It wasn't like the games or the show. It was cold. It was necessary.
[Ding! Host stood ground against Vilgax and executed six Bio-Mechanical Drones. Progress +1%]
[Template Mastery: 24/100. DNA Unlocked: THE FALLOUT-FORGE!]
Tyler collapsed onto the floor, a tired but victorious smile on his face. He finally had it—the ultimate deterrent. NRG.
"Vilgax," Tyler whispered into the silence of the car. "Next time, I'm not running."
The Fallout-Forge (Carnitrix NRG)
Traits: A suit of rusted, spiked lead-iron. The heat radiating from it is high enough to melt the asphalt just by standing on it.Tactical Significance: This is Tyler's "Nuclear Option." In this form, he doesn't just fight; he contaminates the battlefield.