"Did I seriously just sweep the entire area clean?"
Diamondhead surveyed the fortress courtyard, his crystalline eyes taking in the destruction. Aside from the dozen or so Forever Knights who'd fled into the inner fortress, not a single armored figure remained standing. The battlefield looked like a hurricane of diamond shards had torn through it, because, well, one had.
A wave of exhaustion crashed over him, forcing Diamondhead to sit down right where he stood. His breath came in deep, measured pulls as his crystalline body gradually relaxed.
Those last few minutes of combat had been something else entirely. It was like he'd been possessed by pure combat instinct, every movement flowing seamlessly into the next, his speed pushing beyond normal limits, his strength magnified, his technique absolutely flawless.
But fighting at that level came at a cost. His body had been operating well beyond its usual capacity, pushing every system to the absolute limit.
Thankfully, the genetic enhancements from his sign-in rewards allowed him to maintain such intense combat loads without breaking down mid-fight. The enhancements kept him functional even when his body should've been screaming for rest.
Even sitting motionless in the center of the devastation, the surviving Forever Knights clutched their weapons with trembling hands. Not one of them dared approach.
Their eyes kept darting to the honeycomb Gatling configuration that Diamondhead's hands had transformed into during the final assault. They were convinced, absolutely convinced, that those weapons were still tracking their every movement, ready to open fire at the slightest provocation.
"Don't... don't move," one knight whispered to his companions. "I think his diamond weapons are still locked onto us!"
"Yeah," another agreed, his voice shaking. "We're battle-hardened warriors. We've survived dozens of missions. We know a tactical advantage when we see one. If we move, we'll end up like the others, shredded into confetti!"
"He's trying to lure us into attacking," a third muttered. "Stay perfectly still!"
It wasn't Diamondhead they feared anymore. It was the idea of what Diamondhead could do to them if they gave him a reason.
After a short rest, Diamondhead rose to his feet as if nothing had happened. He made his way to a nearby water basin, one of the decorative fountains that dotted the fortress courtyard, and began washing himself clean.
His crystalline form was streaked with dirt, dust, and the residue of battle. The grime stood out starkly against his green diamond surface, making him look like he'd been rolling around in a construction site.
"Can't walk around looking like this," Diamondhead muttered to himself, carefully rinsing away the worst of it. "Totally ruins the whole 'invincible alien hero' image."
Throughout the entire process, not a single Forever Knight moved. Not one attempted an ambush. They simply watched in stunned silence as their unstoppable enemy casually cleaned himself up like he was getting ready for a photoshoot.
Once he was satisfied with his appearance, Diamondhead turned to face the remaining knights. His arms reformed from their crystalline blade configurations back into something resembling normal limbs, though the threat of what they could become again hung heavy in the air.
"Alright, people. I'm giving you one choice," Diamondhead said, his voice cold and commanding. "Right now, you're going to remove every piece of armor and every weapon you're carrying. Throw it all on the ground in front of me. I'll destroy it all, and in exchange, I'll let you walk away with your lives."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"If you refuse, you die. Right here, right now."
CRACK!
His arms instantly reconfigured into the honeycomb Gatling formation, dozens of crystal barrels gleaming in the afternoon sun. Each barrel was aimed directly at the cluster of surviving knights.
This wasn't a bluff. This was a promise.
The knights hesitated for maybe three seconds, three seconds of internal struggle between pride and survival instinct.
Survival won.
Clatter! Clang! Crash!
Armor pieces hit the ground. Energy swords followed. Laser lances clattered against stone. Within moments, a small mountain of Forever Knight equipment lay piled in front of them.
Their bodies, now revealed in plain clothes beneath the armor, looked disturbingly ordinary. They were just well-built humans, no abilities, no enhancements. The armor had been their edge, and now it was gone.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Diamondhead's arms swept across the pile, unleashing a barrage of crystal shards. The diamond projectiles tore through the equipment with surgical precision, shredding every piece of armor and shattering every weapon into useless fragments.
When the dust settled, nothing remained that could pose a threat.
"Now get lost," Diamondhead said flatly. "And tell your Eternal Knight that if he wants this Omnitrix, he's going to have to do a lot better than sending cannon fodder."
The knights didn't need to be told twice. They scattered like leaves in a windstorm.
"Asher! Did you seriously not leave me a single enemy?!"
Ben's voice echoed across the courtyard, equal parts impressed and annoyed.
Diamondhead turned to see his cousin swooping down from above, the red-gold armor gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. The lightning core in Ben's chest piece pulsed with crackling energy, and his repulsor-equipped boots left faint trails of exhaust as he made a perfect landing.
The armor made Ben look like a miniature superhero, which, Diamondhead supposed, was exactly the point.
"Hey, you made it," Diamondhead said, his crystalline features forming something approximating a grin. "Where are Grandpa Max and Gwen?"
"We're here!"
The distinctive rumble of the Rust Bucket's engine announced Max's arrival before the RV even came into view. The battered vehicle rolled through the fortress gates and into the courtyard, Gwen visible in the passenger seat as she helped navigate around the debris.
They'd not only rescued Howell, but they'd also managed to retrieve the Rust Bucket, complete with repaired tires, while Diamondhead had been handling the main assault.
Max and Gwen stepped out of the RV, their expressions somewhere between shocked and awed as they took in the scene. The courtyard looked like a warzone. Forever Knights lay groaning and unconscious across the entire area, their armor dented and shattered. Scorch marks from energy weapons decorated the walls. The artillery section was completely demolished.
And in the middle of it all stood Diamondhead, looking slightly dusty but otherwise completely unbothered.
"Did... did you do all this?" Max asked slowly, his experienced military mind struggling to process the sheer scale of destruction.
"They started it," Diamondhead replied with a shrug.
Having Diamondhead as an enemy would be an absolute nightmare.
Having him as family? That was the ultimate security blanket.
"Grandpa, let's go," Diamondhead said, brushing the last of the dust from his crystalline shoulders. He strode toward the Rust Bucket and opened the door. "No point sticking around. These guys aren't a threat anymore."
As he pulled the door open, he found Howell sitting inside, looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a professional boxer. His face was bruised, one eye was swollen nearly shut, and his nose looked suspiciously crooked.
The Forever Knights had clearly not been gentle with their prisoner.
Howell looked up as the door opened, his eyes widening when he saw the towering diamond alien standing there.
"Hi... hello," Howell managed, forcing something that might have been a smile through his swollen lips. "You're the, uh... the 'new' alien hero, right?"
Diamondhead gave him a single, curt nod of acknowledgment, then climbed into the RV. He found an open spot and settled into it, his crystalline body making faint clink sounds against the seat.
Ben flew in through the still-open door, his armor's repulsors shutting down as he landed. He immediately began the disengagement sequence, the suit's various pieces retracting and folding away.
"Man, Asher," Ben complained as the armor segments collapsed back into his Max III core unit. "You completely cleared out all the enemies before I even got a chance to test this new armor properly! Do you know how much work I put into upgrading this thing?"
"Ben, you could've taken down those Forever Knights with your eyes closed," Diamondhead replied evenly. "They were just ordinary soldiers in fancy armor. You need real opponents to properly test that suit, people who can actually push you to your limits."
"Real opponents..." Ben's expression grew thoughtful, and then his eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "Wait a second. Strong opponents. You know who's a strong opponent?"
His gaze locked onto Diamondhead with unmistakable excitement.
"You! Asher, you're the strongest person I know! We should have a friendly match, you versus me! Not to the death or anything serious, just a friendly sparring session. First person to hit the ground loses!"
"A sparring match?" Diamondhead's crystalline eyebrows rose slightly. The idea was admittedly tempting. He was curious about Ben's current capabilities too, especially with that upgraded armor providing enhanced combat potential.
But before either of them could continue the discussion, Max's voice cut through from the driver's seat.
"Boys, we're not out of enemy territory yet," their grandfather reminded them, his hands steady on the wheel as he navigated the Rust Bucket through the fortress gates. "The Forever Knights' base is still right behind us. We haven't escaped yet. How about we table this discussion until we're somewhere safe?"
Diamondhead and Ben exchanged glances. The excitement of potential combat still sparked between them, but they both recognized the wisdom in Max's words.
"Later then," Ben said.
"Definitely later," Diamondhead agreed.
They turned their attention to the road ahead, watching through the windows as the fortress grew smaller in the distance.
The surviving Forever Knights made no attempt to stop them. They simply stood amid the wreckage of their stronghold, watching the Rust Bucket disappear down the road. They didn't have the equipment, the manpower, or frankly the courage to mount a pursuit.
Diamondhead kept his eyes on the rearview mirror, watching the fortress's silhouette gradually shrink until it finally vanished completely from view.
The moment it disappeared beyond the horizon, something changed.
DING!
The familiar notification chime echoed through Diamondhead's mind, a sound only he could hear.
"Congratulations! Sign-in successful!"
"Reward obtained: Blue-tier, Random Alien DNA automatically integrated into Omnitrix database!"
Diamondhead's crystalline features remained impassive, but internally, excitement surged through him.
A new transformation. Another alien added to his growing arsenal of forms.
The reward was effectively granting him an entirely new alien hero, a new set of abilities, a new tactical option, a new tool for whatever challenges lay ahead.
I wonder which one it'll be, Diamondhead thought, his mind already racing through possibilities. Something fast? Something strong? Something with unique abilities I haven't encountered before?
The Omnitrix on his wrist pulsed faintly, acknowledging the new DNA integration.
He'd find out soon enough.
For now, though, they were safe. The mission was complete. And as the Rust Bucket rolled down the highway toward whatever came next, Diamondhead allowed himself a moment of quiet satisfaction.
Another challenge overcome.
Another victory secured.
And now, another transformation waiting to be discovered.