The toxic crimson gas erupted like ink expelled from a massive cuttlefish, billowing outward in waves of noxious death.
Ben felt the pungent, acrid breath rushing into his nostrils like liquid fire, and momentarily his vision swam with disorienting dizziness. The chemical assault on his senses was immediate and overwhelming, forcing him to stagger backward as the world tilted around him.
"The Hypnotick also possesses gas-based attacks?" Ben muttered through gritted teeth.
His slender form swayed precariously within the expanding cloud of blood-red poison, and he quickly pressed his arms over his mouth and nose in a desperate attempt to filter the toxic atmosphere. When it came to these natural enemy species, Ben's knowledge was frustratingly incomplete compared to his comprehensive understanding of the Ben 10 Aliens.
He could only recall that this giant moth possessed hypnotic capabilities specifically designed to incapacitate Necrofriggians, he had completely forgotten about its secondary poisonous gas generation abilities.
Even with his airways covered, Ben's vision became completely obscured by the crimson mist that seemed to cling to everything like liquid malevolence. From somewhere within the darkness, Morlun's razor-sharp mandibles struck again with deadly precision.
SLASH!
The tearing sound of rent flesh echoed across the dimensional battlefield, followed by the soft patter of light blue droplets hitting the ground.
Ben burst free from the toxic cloud, pale blue blood flowing freely from wounds along his left arm where Morlun's attack had found its mark. The injury wasn't deep, but it served as a stark reminder of his vulnerability in this transformed state.
"Damn. The spider-sense really is useless here," Ben observed with clinical detachment, his brow furrowing in concentration.
What restrained him wasn't merely the Hypnotick's natural advantages, it was also the vampiric totem power inherent to all Inheritors. Within the obscuring blood mist, virtually all of his enhanced senses had been blocked or compromised, rendering his spider-sense completely ineffective.
In a moment of carelessness, he had actually been wounded by Morlun, something that shouldn't have been possible given his usual combat awareness.
Morlun's triumphant laughter echoed from within the dissipating crimson fog, carrying an edge of sadistic satisfaction.
"Those pathetic insects placed such high hopes in you. I genuinely thought you might pose a real challenge, but it turns out you're absolutely nothing special. Compared to that warrior who piloted the giant robot, you're completely insignificant."
Ben remained remarkably calm despite the injury and mockery. The wound wasn't life-threatening, and he simply lowered his head to exhale a thin stream of supernatural cold air, instantly freezing the bleeding tissue to prevent further blood loss.
"Regardless of your tactics, your defeat is inevitable," Ben replied with quiet confidence.
"The Hypnotick is your species' natural predator, just as we Inheritors were born to twist Spider-Man's heads from their necks, shatter their limbs, and devour their flesh and blood!"
As Morlun spoke with growing excitement, the pairs of translucent blue wings behind his transformed body began vibrating at increasingly high frequencies. The sound was piercing and unnatural, like fingernails dragging across space chalkboard.
But this auditory assault wasn't the true threat lurking within his attack.
Under the accelerating wing vibrations, blood-red patterns slowly emerged across the blue wing membranes like arcane symbols materializing from another dimension. These markings began projecting hypnotic magical energy directly toward Ben's transformed consciousness, seeking to overwhelm his mental defenses.
For a moment, Ben's mind felt as though it had been struck by a sledgehammer, his entire soul growing drowsy as if powerful anesthesia were flooding his nervous system. The hypnotic assault was far more sophisticated and overwhelming than simple visual illusions, it operated on a fundamental neurological level.
This was the Hypnotick's true power, the ability that made it such an effective natural predator of Necrofriggians. It could directly control Big Chill variants through targeted hypnosis, rendering them helplessly passive while the moth fed at its leisure.
Observing Ben's head drooping as obvious drowsiness overtook his movements, Morlun's transformed features twisted into an expression of ravenous excitement.
The prey is finally captured! Now it's time for a proper meal.
He beat his wings and approached Ben with predatory grace, the powerful air currents generated by his flight dispersing the lingering blood mist like hurricane winds. His fangs, each nearly three feet in length, came within inches of Ben's chest as the Inheritor savored his anticipated victory.
The mere thought of tasting such exquisite, powerful prey filled Morlun's consciousness with overwhelming joy and anticipation.
"Should I begin feeding from the head?" Morlun mused aloud with sadistic relish. "Or perhaps I should pierce directly through your chest cavity and drain you completely dry?"
"I think roasting the larva over an open flame after impalement would be an excellent approach. What's your opinion?" Ben suddenly opened his eyes the precise moment Morlun drew close enough to strike.
Morlun startled backward, instinctively attempting to create distance, but emerald light flashed before his compound eyes. A solid crystalline spear materialized and thrust forward like a lance, shattering his massive fangs and driving deep into Morlun's throat with devastating force.
Ben's counterattack nearly skewered him completely, but his enhanced reflexes kicked in just in time. His natural enemy form flickered and he immediately transformed into an entirely different creature, a writhing mass of crimson swampland.
Before the Blood Swamp, whose two distinct heads were separated by several feet of malleable tissue, could fully react to the transformation, Ben's crystal spear pierced directly through the creature's central mass.
"A Nemetrix alien I've never encountered before?" Ben's eyes flashed with genuine surprise.
The Blood Swamp represented a creature completely outside his existing knowledge base. However, having transformed into Diamondhead's crystalline warrior form, Ben didn't hesitate for a single moment. He extended both arms and immediately generated razor-sharp edges along their length, converting them into gleaming blades that could slice through virtually any material.
SLICE!
In one fluid motion, Ben cleaved Morlun's transformed body completely in half.
Theoretically, bisection should result in death for most biological entities, but Ben never dared underestimate the incredible diversity of alien creature abilities. The Omnitrix database contained numerous species with regenerative capabilities approaching true immortality, Swampfire and various sludge-based life forms could recover from seemingly fatal damage.
It was impossible to predict what capabilities this unknown creature possessed.
Therefore, exercising appropriate caution, Ben raised both arms toward the two halves of Morlun's fallen form and prepared a devastating follow-up attack.
Densely packed crystal formations spread outward from his position like a blooming flower of death. In an instant, he released them toward the downed Inheritor like a storm of needle-sharp projectiles covering every possible angle of escape.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
"Reduced to paste. That should definitely be sufficient," Ben concluded as he slowly lowered his hands.
In the space of a few heartbeats, what had been 2.5 relatively intact Moruns had been thoroughly converted into what could generously be described as Morlun sauce spread across the dimensional battlefield.
However, even this level of destruction failed to account for the Blood Swamp's extraordinary regenerative capabilities.
Between the scattered crystal fragments, black matter began surging like living maggots, reforming into a two-headed monstrosity in midair with nauseating speed.
"The device on your chest is indeed identical to mine. It grants you the ability to transform into various creatures," one of Morlun's heads observed with cold analytical interest.
Obviously, this was precisely the power that concerned Maltruant and the Time Variance Authority so deeply.
But for Morlun, it represented something with irresistible appeal, the ultimate trophy to claim and wield.
"It seems the Hypnotick isn't the only entity eager to devour you. Every beast soul within my device is practically salivating over that artifact," he said, extending his serpentine tongue with obvious relish before both heads launched forward at lightning speed.
However, Diamondhead made only the slightest motion, and two sword-light flashes cut through the air with surgical precision, severing both of Blood Swamp's heads cleanly.
But in the next moment, two additional heads sprouted from the creature's neck stumps with disturbing ease.
Cut off one head and two more grow back. What are you, Hydra?
"It appears the Blood Swamp form cannot meaningfully threaten you," Morlun acknowledged with what seemed like grudging respect. However, his tone carried an undertone of confidence suggesting he possessed additional resources.
"Perhaps your device does indeed contain countless predatory enemies capable of restraining my alien transformations, but conversely, as long as I remain sufficiently adaptable, I can also mount targeted attacks against your weaknesses," Ben replied, his crystalline gaze fixed on Morlun's heads as he considered tactical options.
The situation had indeed become like an elaborate chess match, where victory was no longer easily predictable based on raw power alone.
However, Morlun shook his heads with obvious amusement.
"I have no intention of slowly wearing you down through attrition," he declared, reaching out to tap the central core of the Nemetrix device. His body immediately began twisting and reshaping, transforming into a sphere of black fluid shot through with blood-colored veining.
For the first time since the battle began, Ben's pupils contracted with genuine alarm.
"Malware?!" he exclaimed.
The very creature that had once claimed Feedback's life in Ben 10 timeline, one of the most dangerous entities in the predator catalog!
But soon, Morlun revealed that this surprise was merely the beginning of his true strategy.
"Allow me to turn those pathetic insect powers of yours against you!" Malware declared with malicious glee.
"I believe that creature was called..." The transformed Inheritor made a thoughtful expression that was somehow filled with mockery despite his fluid form.
Suddenly, the very fabric of reality seemed to collapse and buckle around them!
A colossal robot materialized between the dimensions, its massive form blotting out the space background like a mechanical mountain rising from digital earth!
The unmistakable silhouette of Leopardon, the giant mecha from Universe 51778, stood ready for battle once again, but this time, it served an enemy instead of a hero.