Chapter 117: Magnificent Drill
Hugo had no strong reason to interfere in this harrowing battle between a Saint and a Corrupted Tyrant.
But he had his excuses, nonetheless. He wanted the imprint scan of that dragon, and more importantly, he wanted to risk it for a chance at receiving a Transcendent Memory or an Echo from the nightmare spell—something he had been lacking lately.
But more than that, Hugo wanted to make sure the Saint didn't take too much damage in this confrontation.
Saints were valuable assets to humanity, with fewer than a hundred existing in the world currently. An injured Saint couldn't fight more abominations or fulfill their duties.
This was especially true for Saint Cor, who carried heavy responsibilities on his shoulders due to being one of the leaders of the government.
So Hugo wanted to help, to ensure the Saint emerged with fewer injuries, and most importantly, to eliminate any chance of him dying.
"Jetray!"
Just as he had transformed into Jetray, he twisted the Omnitrix dial on his chest to the side, activating his [Omni-Kik] feature causing a beautiful armor of red, white and black to manifest around his body and then, he took off to the sky.
Hugo had not activated his [Omni-Enhanced] ability yet because of its massive essence drain.
He was not completely exhausted now that he had time to rest and recharge.
One noticeable boon that he had noticed since his Aspect evolved was the fact that the Omnitrix's recharge mode had extended to his soul and Omni-Cores, making his essence regeneration much faster when compared to most Masters due to the fact that he and the Omnitrix were one and the same.
As he was now, his essence regeneration speed should be around that of a Saint.
And according to his calculations, he would have one chance to use [Omni-Enhanced] before running out of essence, so he was planning to save it for the right moment.
Jetray as an alien was considered a speedster—a flying one. With [Omni-Kik] armor augmenting him, he would be able to perform incredible feats of speed.
He flew through the sky, soaring through its clouds as Hugo headed Closer towards the area where the two beings were fighting.
As he did, Hugo saw the two creatures battle from afar, and used Jetray's ability, unleashing a wave of Neuroshock from his eyes and tail, directly aimed towards the dragon's eyes thanks to the visor granting him better aiming.
At the same time, Hugo used his last two cores, becoming a Titan. His presence spread across the world, encompassing it in a mystical sense.
That was done to draw the attention of the tyrant towards him.
'Just focus on me, you fat lizard...'
Hugo had another audacious plan in his mind, this one far harder then the previous.
Fortunately, that had caught the attention of both Cor and the Tyrant, with the Tyrant specifically focusing on him.
The dragon's crimson eyes narrowed, locking into him. Then, with a flap of its wings, the dragon soared towards him, ignoring the thousands of crows attacking it and focusing entirely on Hugo, as if enthralled by him.
Seeing this, Hugo flew upward, slightly regretting his decision now but it was already too late.
Not far behind them, a horde of crows was following them, that was Wake of Ruin.
The Saint was capable of subsonic speed, perhaps even more when augmented, so he had no problem keeping up with them.
'he's going to be so mad about this later... If I survive, that is...'
A Transcendent could indeed damage a Corrupted Tyrant, however they could also be damaged back in return.
Saint Cor did not possess the strongest Aspect, however his skills and unique transformation made him extremely powerful.
Hugo exhaled, as he felt himself reaching the atmosphere.
Here, countless Nightmare Creatures floated here, spawned by Nightmare Gates that had appeared here. Naturally, most creatures here were dead due to the lack of oxygen, but it still painted a terrifying image.
Hugo also made sure not to look directly at the moon due to the dangers on its surface. But strangely, he did feel a bizarre feeling attempting to creep into his mind at that moment, despite suppressing his Titan sense and his sight.
It was silent, almost imperceptible, but thanks to [Omni-Mind], Hugo detected it. And yet... He couldn't suppress a shiver, sensing that someone—or something—was trying to breach his mind.
It wasn't Dagon—that much he knew. If it were, he'd be screaming and infected by corruption by now and it wasn't a creature of corruption...
Infact, Hugo knew that feeling very well as he has felt it once before, back in the ashen barrow when he encountered the soul devourer tree.
'What the hell is this...'
Whatever that thing was, it was still looking at him.
But unfortunately, or thankfully, Hugo had bigger problems right now.
The damn dragon was still chasing him, which was good but also ridiculous. Hugo had managed to get here thanks to the [Omni-Kik] armor providing him with protection and the fact that Jetray didn't need oxygen but the Corrupted Tyrant had done so through sheer power which meant that Hugo's hope of weakening it this way had failed.
'If you wanna play like this, you bastard, then so be it...'
It was time to execute the second part of his plan.
Hugo flipped backward mid flight and let himself fall toward the earth, the planet's surface rushing up to meet him.
The dragon was close now, close enough that he found himself face to face with the dreadful being.
Hugo drew on Jetray's power and unleashed a concentrated [Neuroshock] blast from his visor, aiming directly at the dragon's head.
The beam crossed the distance in an instant, striking its target but the damage was little more than a mild inconvenience for the Corrupted Tyrant, causing the dragon's visage to blur for only a moment.
That moment was what Hugo needed to execute the final sequence of his plan.
He slammed the Omnitrix, transforming once again.
"Armodrillo!"
Blue light energy surrounded Armodrillo's yellow metallic form, as Hugo activated his awakened ability [Omni-Enhanced], causing rock and plasma to manifest on his body, forming mainly around his arms, chest area, and head, leaving only his crouch without the rocky energy.
His arms turned into two sets of drills, which were made of Omni-Energy instead of standard metals, and spun them rapidly as he fell down like a comet, spinning alongside them to create momentum.
The dragon regained its vision and it was met by a terrifying sight.
An Ascended Titan made of metal and rock with spinning drills for hands rushing directly at its head.
BOOM!
Omni-Energy spread through the sky like an explosion as Hugo plummeted towards the earth alongside the dragon's body, drilling hard into its scales.
The difference in rank was indeed vast, but thanks to the two class difference, [Omni-enhanced] and the momentum, Hugo had managed to Peirce its scales.
They both became a meteorite, falling into the ground at a terrifying speed.
CRASH!
They crashed into the earth, quite far from NQSC, digging a crater into the earth—one that was nearly a quarter of the size of NQSC.
Hugo's metallic body was burnt by now, his rocky and energy enhancement had fell apart with both of his drill arms being broken and shattered, completely devastated by the impact.
Before his wounds caught up to him, Hugo made sure to scan the massive dragon with his omnitrix.
The yellow light washed over the dragon, as the spell whispered:
[You have received an imprint]
He breathed heavily as his Omnitrix made a sharp beeping sound, detransforming him in a red flash of light.
Hugo fell unconscious from exhaustion, shortly after.
The dragon on the other hand... looked in a much worse shape. Its head was dug in, with a massive hole in its centre, nearly completely obliterated and bleeding heavily.
The Spell whispered in Hugo's unconscious mind:
[You have slain a Corrupted Tyrant: Alduin, dragon of war. ]
[You have received a Memory.]
Eventually, a flock of crows landed on the crater's edge, before flying towards Hugo unconscious frame, then the flock fused together to form the silhouette of a man, one with a furious expression.
"Foolish child..."
Cor was angry, yes. But he was also happy—beyond that, even.
His expectations had not only been met but completely shattered, reaffirming the Saint's belief that taking this young man in had been the right choice.
If he was capable of such fears while being a mere ascended, then no one knew what he would be capable of as a Saint...
Still, the fact that he had acted alone was not something Saint Cor approved of.
Eventually, he simply sighed, hoisted the unconscious young man onto his back, and carried him away.
—————
Hugo felt dizzy as he slowly woke up. The first thing his senses registered was the soft mattress beneath him, which was clearly a bed.
Above him was a white ceiling, and as he sat up carefully, he realized he was in a hospital room, with a bed positioned near a window.
Looking outside of it, Hugo noticed that was back in NQSC and that it was still intact.
"Thank the dead gods, it's over..."
"Yeah..."
Hugo suddenly jumped, backing away into a corner.
There, near his bed, seated on a chair, was none other than Master Jet. She was back in her normal outfit, with her dark blue jacket open, revealing a dark tank top and her massive...
'No! don't focus on her chest, Hugo. Don't focus on her chest... Just imagine her as a Nightmare Creature.'
With that image in his head, Hugo calmed down.
"What are you looking at?" Jet asked, her eyes fixed on him.
He froze, feeling sweat bead on his skin.
Did she notice him staring at her? And more importantly, what the hell was he supposed to Say?
"Relax, I'm just joking. " Jet said, chuckling.
Hugo let out a sigh of relief, as he sat down on the bed.
"Teasing your junior is not very nice, Master Jet."
"Perhaps, but it's only fair considering the old man gave me an earful because of you." Jet said
"Oh." Hugo had indeed done something that would anger the old Saint, he risked his life when he didn't need to.
"Does that mean I'm fired?" Hugo asked.
It would be embarrassing if he had lost his job on the first day. He would never hear the end of it from Sunny.
"No, not at all. In fact, he seemed almost proud of you but don't do that again. You nearly died from your injuries if we hadn't brought in an awakened healer." Jet said, her tone becoming less friendly.
It made sense why she was serious about this. The loss of a Master might not be catastrophic to all of humanity, but it was still a significant blow to the government, especially considering how powerful he was.
Still, Hugo would have been fine either way, thanks to the Omnitrix's failsafe or at least, he hoped he would be.
The failsafe had saved him from near-death before, but only when he was about to take a blow that would have killed him instantly.
What would happen if he bled out or died slowly from his injuries?
Hugo shivered... Perhaps he wasn't as invincible as he had believed.
Hugo shrugged a little.
"I knew what I was doing. Besides, Saint Cor wouldn't have been able to kill the tyrant without suffering heavy injuries himself. I was thinking about the far future, not just about killing the abomination."
Jet stared at him for a long moment, a look of amusement in her eyes.
"So you're the heroic type? I always thought that the stories about you from the Forgotten Shore were an exaggeration but it seems I was wrong. you are truly foolish, Hugo."
Hugo looked at the Ascended woman for a long moment.
Did he consider himself a hero? No, not at all.
It wasn't because of insecurity or anything like that, he simply didn't like the modern concept of heroism.
In the age of the Nightmare Spell, being a hero meant slaying Nightmare Creatures, interacting with the public through merchandise and giant companies, and climbing the ranks, both in the path of ascension and the social ladder.
That was not why Hugo did what he did, nor was it the reason he wanted to save people.
Hugo felt a sense of responsibility on his shoulders, ever since his first nightmare, and that feeling only grew as he became more powerful.
He carried the most powerful Aspect in existence, one even more powerful than the legendary Divine Aspects, something that was unheard of in history.
Being blessed with such powers, Hugo could not simply pursue his own goals selfishly while ignoring the suffering of other people—people who he could easily help with his powers.
In the end, Hugo only raised his arm, showing the Omnitrix to Jet.
"I was blessed with one of the most powerful Aspects in existence. In fact, I'm powerful enough to be considered a pseudo-Transcendent while still being a mere Master. I have enough power to change this world, and I'm well aware of that. Like many Awakened, I feel a sense of responsibility when it comes to battling Nightmare Creatures... But I do not want the glory that comes with being awakened, like that of the great clans. That's why I joined the government. I want to do good simply because it's the right thing to do, and if that mean I have to change the world using my powers, then I would try my best to do."
Jet looked at him deeply now, processing his words.
It was not rare to see people like Hugo in the age of the Nightmare Spell, not at all.
Awakened who gogt a taste of power and think they are capable of changing the world.
This heroic type usually met two endings: either they die horribly, or the horrors of reality catch up to them, burning their conviction and turning them into bitter people.
However, she had never seen someone as powerful as Hugo possess such strong conviction. And more than that, he didn't seem to do it because of the fame or the titles.
Jet had noticed that he never once referred to himself as a hero, which was unusual...
He wanted to save people simply because it was the right thing to do. Much like Jet herself. Their reasons for joining the government were also similar.
In that moment, Jet saw the reflection of her past self in this boy.
Eventually she only sighed. "As I thought, truly foolish..."
She got up and walked toward the door, but before she left, she turned her head and looked at Hugo.
"We Awakened are saviors, yes. But we are also a bunch of miserable wretches, constantly fighting against danger and madness. If you truly want to continue on your path and change the world, never forget that."
With that, the Master opened the door and left, leaving Hugo alone.