"After Phil and I took down Vilgax, we went our separate ways. We haven't really kept in touch since," Max said, draining a glass of water after recounting the history of his former partner.
Tyler stretched his limbs, his eyes thoughtful. "So that's the story. Honestly, Grandpa, he doesn't look nearly as formidable as you."
"Haha, I'm just a retiree, Tyler. Phil is still out there on the front lines," Max replied humbly, though he couldn't hide the flicker of pride in his voice.
The Rustbucket hummed back to life, heading toward their next destination. The cabin was quiet—Gwen was buried in her books, and Ben was occupied with a handheld game.
"MARK!!"
A frantic voice shattered the silence, erupting from the RV's communication screen. It was Phil. His face was a mask of panic. "There... there are monsters everywhere! The meat processing plant off Highway 42... I need backup!"
The screen flickered into static.
"Dozens of aliens?" Max's face hardened. He slammed the wheel, pulling a sharp U-turn. "We're going in!"
"Alright! Time to show that old-timer what a real hero looks like!" Ben cheered, slamming his fists together.
Tyler frowned. This wasn't in the original timeline. An army of aliens at a meat plant? Something smells worse than the offal.
Outside the plant, Phil lowered his radio, a greedy glint in his eyes. He watched from the shadows. "Since you're so eager to help, I'll just release a few more 'specimens'... the bigger the mess, the bigger my paycheck."
Inside the gates, the night was orange with fire. A scarred Pyronite cackled as he incinerated the hanging carcasses. Two adult Wildmutts tore through the cold storage, and a massive, four-armed Tetramand was casually roasting a side of beef over a trash fire.
"Xiao Tian, I'll draw them out," Ben shouted. He transformed into The Crystal-Ripper, his hands morphing into heavy diamond hammers. Tyler followed, transforming into The Crypt-Stalker (Snare-oh).
The Wildmutts lunged first. Tyler's bandages unfurled like crimson whips, snagging the beasts in mid-air and slamming them into the concrete. Ben followed up, shattering their momentum with his hammers. The scarred Heatblast roared, throwing a massive fireball, but Tyler's bandages formed a dense, blood-red shield that deflected the heat effortlessly.
They were handling the criminals like they were swatting flies.
Phil watched from the darkness, stunned. "They're too strong... they're fighting at Vilgax's level. Fine, let's see how they handle the real heavy hitters."
He leveled a high-tech rifle and pulled the trigger. A swirling vortex of white light appeared—a rift to the Null Void. Seven, eight, then ten more hardened alien criminals scrambled out.
"FREEDOM!!"
"I've been in that hole for a decade! Today, we bleed this world dry!"
Tyler's expression went grim as the crowd surrounded them. "This is getting crowded."
"We fight until we drop!" Ben panted, bracing his diamond shield.
"Gwen, stay in the car!" Max yelled, reaching for his Plumber rifle. "Tyler, Ben, hold on!"
Tyler looked at the closing circle of criminals. "Ben, get back. Far back."
"Tyler, we're in the middle of a brawl! I can't just—"
"I'm not asking," Tyler's voice was like ice.
Ben saw the look in Tyler's eyes and scrambled away. He knew that tone. Something catastrophic was coming.
CLICK.
The Carnitrix sensed the life-threat. The dial rotated on its own, locking onto a massive, jagged icon. Tyler reached down and pressed the core.
[THREAT LEVEL: OMEGA. ACTIVATING THE COSMIC HORROR.]
A pillar of blood-red light erupted, piercing the atmosphere. The shockwave blew out every window in the processing plant. For a moment, the world was silent. The criminals looked up, their eyes widening as they stared at the deity descending from the light.
Over forty meters of pitch-black, armored muscle loomed over the facility. The creature was a demonic To'kustar—pointed head, golden predatory eyes, and a mouth filled with rows of serrated fangs. He looked less like a hero and more like the ultimate judge of the universe.
"Now," Tyler's voice rumbled, sounding like a mountain collapsing. "What was it you were going to do to me? I didn't catch that."
The criminals fell to their knees. The two Wildmutts, driven by blind instinct, tried to bite at his massive toes.
Tyler felt a tickle in his throat. He leaned down and let out a single, sharp cough.
The gust of air from the cough hit with the force of a Category 5 hurricane. The Wildmutts were blasted a hundred meters away, knocked unconscious by the sheer air pressure. The other aliens were swept off their feet, tumbling like ragdolls.
"Oh my god..." Gwen whispered from the RV. "He's... he's a god."
Tyler turned his massive head, his golden eyes locking onto Phil, who was paralyzed with fear dozens of meters away. "Grandpa Phil? Why are you hiding?"
Phil's hand shook so violently he dropped the Null Void Projector. He collapsed into the dirt, weeping. "I was wrong! Please! Don't kill me!"
[Ding! Host eliminated ten Null Void criminals and shattered Phil's spirit. Progress +1%]
[Template Mastery: 30/100. CRITICAL NODE REACHED.]
[CARNITRIX STATUS: FULL CALIBRATION COMPLETE.]
Tyler's mind flooded with new data. The "Full Calibration" had removed the locks. Every piece of DNA in the Carnitrix—from the original roster to the future Alien X—was now at his fingertips.
He looked down at the cowering Phil with a twisted sense of appreciation. Because of this man's greed, the leash on the Carnitrix was finally gone.
Phil looked up, seeing the giant's golden eyes fix on him again, and buried his face in the mud. "Spare me... please spare me!"