The massive object streaked across the sky like a falling star.
Whoooosh!
XLR8's visor locked onto the descending shape, his Kineceleran perception processing details at superhuman speed. The meteorite grew closer and closer until he could clearly see what it actually was, not a space rock at all, but an enormous circular spacecraft trailing flames and smoke.
"That flying machine..." XLR8's voice came out sharp and tense through his helmet's filters. "It has to be Vilgax. No, it isVilgax. It has to be!"
His body tensed like a coiled spring, legs spreading into a combat stance as he rapidly calculated possible landing points. His tactical mind ran through the options at lightning speed.
Fight or run?
Charging in recklessly isn't my style. But neither is running without trying.
XLR8 took a deep breath, his reptilian chest expanding. "First, I'll test if I can fight him. If I can't... then I'll retreat."
A strange anticipation ignited in his chest, an almost primal desire to measure himself against the most dangerous being in the galaxy. After months of training, mastering alien forms, learning martial arts from the Sign-In System... what were the results of his efforts compared to the legendary Vilgax?
Let's find out.
BOOM!
The massive circular spacecraft struck the highway ahead with devastating force. Sixteen simultaneous explosions erupted along the impact zone, blasting enormous craters into the concrete and asphalt. Shockwaves rippled outward, shattering windows in nearby buildings. Debris and smoke filled the air in billowing clouds.
XLR8's entire body went rigid, every muscle locked and ready. His visor polarized automatically against the bright flashes. He could feel it, a suffocating sense of danger approaching, far greater than anything he'd faced before.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the dissipating smoke. Each footfall shook the ground like a small earthquake, creating visible cracks in the pavement. A massive silhouette emerged from the haze, terrifying in its sheer size and presence, stepping slowly toward XLR8 with deliberate, methodical movements.
"Asher Tennyson." The voice that emerged was deep and resonant, carrying lethal authority. "We finally meet face to face."
The first thing that became visible through the smoke was the terrifying octopus-like head, pale green skin marked with yellowish spots, facial tentacles writhing like a living beard. Then came those eyes. Burning red orbs that radiated pure murderous intent, fixing on XLR8 with predatory focus.
"Vilgax!" XLR8's visor snapped down over his face with a metallic click. His legs spread wider, clawed feet gripping the broken asphalt. "Let's skip the talking and get straight to the fight!"
The helmet's targeting system activated, tracking Vilgax's vital points.
"Hmm." A hint of surprise flickered across Vilgax's features as his full form emerged from the smoke. "You know quite a bit of information about me, boy."
His body slowly came into view, absolutely massive. Easily twelve feet tall, built like a tank given humanoid form. Thick slabs of muscle covered every inch of his frame, but this wasn't bodybuilder physique. This was functional brutality, muscle developed through centuries of combat and conquest.
And the scars.
Burns crisscrossed his chest. Deep gashes marked his arms. What looked like bite marks from enormous teeth pitted his shoulders. Each scar told a story of survival, of battles won despite injury. They didn't diminish his intimidation, they amplified it, proof of how hard he was to kill.
"Hmph!"
Detected: 'Signable Object', Once conquered ten worlds, the notorious 'Most Dangerous Creature in the Universe': Vilgax!
The host may choose to 'Foil Vilgax's Plot' to complete sign-in.
, OR,
The host may choose to 'Defeat Vilgax' to complete sign-in.
XLR8's eyes widened behind his visor. Two sign-in tasks simultaneously? That had never happened before.
In an instant, Vilgax transformed in his perception from merely "the big bad" into a world-class boss encounter, the kind that drops legendary loot when defeated.
Or gets you killed trying.
"Why are you alone?" XLR8 asked, forcing casual confidence into his voice. "Where's Kevin? Where's Dr. Animo?"
"Enough idle chatter, boy." Vilgax slowly clenched his massive fists, the motion producing sounds like grinding stone. His expression hardened into something truly vicious. "Hand over the Omnitrix and I'll grant you an easier death!"
His voice carried absolute authority, each word dripping with raw intimidation that would make most beings in the galaxy cower.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the XLR8 standing before Vilgax simply... vanished.
The alien warlord's eyes widened fractionally.
"Can't wait to strike first?" From Vilgax's perspective, XLR8 had completely disappeared, not even a blur remained, not even an afterimage. Yet his expression remained eerily calm. "Predictable."
CRACK!
XLR8's form materialized on Vilgax's left side, his whip-like leg already mid-strike. The kick connected hard with Vilgax's abdomen, a perfect hit to what should be a vulnerable spot.
Thwack!
"Tch!" Pain shot through XLR8's leg. It felt like kicking a solid steel plate wrapped in concrete. His entire leg went numb from the impact, vibrations running up his femur.
"Your power..." Vilgax slightly contracted his abdominal muscles. All eight of his core muscles became visible, sharp, angular, and hard as forged metal. "...means nothing to me!"
But deep in those crimson eyes, a flash of actual pain flickered for just a moment.
What?
Vilgax's internal monologue darkened. This boy, this child, had actually made his abdomen hurt. Not much, but enough to notice. Those genetically-enhanced specimens with variable devices couldn't even accomplish that much!
He's more dangerous than I calculated.
"Useless?" XLR8 withdrew his leg, flipping backward with fluid grace to land twenty feet away, light as a feather. "Then let's try something else!"
The moment his feet touched ground,
BOOM!
Vilgax's right arm bulged grotesquely, muscles swelling like inflating balloons. The outline of his musculature became twice as pronounced as his left arm, veins bulging to the surface.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The punch exploded through sound barriers, creating layered sonic booms. The sheer air pressure from the strike was visible, distorted heat waves and compressed atmosphere radiating outward in concentric rings.
"This guy's power is insane!" XLR8 felt the ground beneath him crack and splinter. The wind pressure alone pinned him down like gravity had tripled, making his body feel heavy despite his speed. "Only Four Arms could match this kind of raw strength!"
I can't take that hit.
"Wind God Leg, First Form: Catching Shadows!"
XLR8 directly activated the martial art he'd learned from the Sign-In System, Wind God Legs! The first form emphasized supreme agility and movement, practitioners moving like shooting stars across the sky.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, power flooded XLR8's legs. His already superhuman speed multiplied. His body moved sideways at impossible velocity, literally blurring out of existence to normal perception, completely escaping the punch's trajectory.
"What kind of technique is that?!" Vilgax's eyes went wide with genuine shock. His fist, already committed to the strike, couldn't change direction. The momentum carried him forward, his massive body pitching toward the ground.
CRASH!
The punch struck pavement instead of alien. With Vilgax as the epicenter, spiderweb cracks spread across fifty meters of highway surface. The ground itself splintered and buckled. Where his fist impacted, the concrete and asphalt simply ceased to exist, exposing dark brown earth beneath.
That punch hadn't just broken the road.
It had deleted it.
"Vilgax!" XLR8's voice called out from sixty meters away, his body low in a razor-sharp combat stance. His entire demeanor had changed, sharper, more focused, radiating controlled lethality like an unsheathed blade. "Did you really think I'd lose to you so easily?"
Using the martial arts felt like becoming a different person entirely. The techniques flowed through him, changing even his mental state.
"Why did your combat aura suddenly strengthen so dramatically?!" Vilgax slowly extracted his fist from the crater, shaking off chunks of concrete. His expression had shifted from confident superiority to genuine wariness. "You not only control these alien abilities... but you've also developed specialized combat techniques that dramatically enhance your effectiveness..."
His analytical mind was already working, cataloging this new threat variable. This wasn't just a child with alien transformations anymore. This was a trained warrior with skills that could challenge even him.
"You talk too much!"
XLR8 vanished again.
Next instant,
WHAM!
The sole of his clawed foot slammed directly into Vilgax's speaking face, the strike as fast as a meteor.
"Wind God Leg, Second Form: Grass in the Strong Wind!"
Vilgax's head snapped sideways from the impact, facial tentacles whipping through the air. A thin trail of green ichor leaked from where his cheek split against teeth.
"Your words really are far too many!!" XLR8's mocking voice echoed as he rebounded away, already planning his next strike.
For the first time in centuries, Vilgax tasted his own blood in combat.
And the realization struck him like lightning.
This boy... might actually be able to kill me.