The former herald's gaze studied the boy. Now that he had him close and could see him in more detail, using cosmic energy channeled through his eyes, an energy signature began to reveal itself on his wrist, a particularly powerful one.
— Although it seems that your ability isn't truly your own, but rather an external factor.
His hand moved toward the boy's wrist, and just as he was about to grab it…
A green flash overwhelmed his vision for a few seconds.
In his hand, he could feel matter changing at an incredible speed.
Where the boy had been, there now stood a creature sculpted from living rock.
Its body was covered in compact, polished dark gray mineral armor, reinforced with sharp violet protrusions jutting from its shoulders, arms, and back like amethyst crystals. Its single eye, glowing a vivid green, stared at him with a cold and determined expression, shining with contained energy.
— Chromastone!!
Terrax narrowed his eyes. For the first time, he saw something that forced him to release the boy and take a step back.
— This… is not simple technology.
But the new warrior wasted no time.
His hands grabbed both sides of Terrax's head, and a torrent of cosmic energy began to flow into him. Violet and golden light illuminated the battlefield. Terrax growled in rage, feeling his own power drained at an alarming speed.
— Let go of me, you wretch!
He roared, and with a powerful swing of his free fist, he sent the alien flying like a projectile. Chromastone smashed through a wall of rubble before tumbling across the ground, leaving a trail of shattered crystals.
Rising quickly, intent on not giving his opponent a moment to breathe, he launched himself like a violet bullet, striking Terrax in the chest and making the ground tremble with a dull roar.
Terrax growled, surprised by his rival's raw strength, and blocked the next strike with his cosmic axe.
The impact sent sparks of energy flying in all directions.
The giant unleashed a close-range blast of cosmic energy, but to his surprise, the beam did not harm his opponent.
Chromastone's body absorbed the attack, which vanished in a flash of multicolored light.
He smiled faintly and returned an amplified energy beam, which struck the former herald's torso and forced him to step back several meters.
— What…?
Terrax murmured, genuinely confused.
The ground shook with tremendous intensity as Terrax, towering in his imposing figure, swung his massive axe, each strike rattling the destroyed city.
Before him, Chromastone glowed with multicolored intensity, his body vibrating with cosmic energy that seemed to grow with every impact.
At first, he didn't understand the change himself. The Omnitrix had reacted on its own, unlocking a form it shouldn't possess yet. But knowing the series, he assumed it was a life-safety response to the imminent threat.
Now there was no time for doubts: Terrax advanced.
The first clash was brutal. Terrax's axe fell like a guillotine, and Chromastone, trusting in his resilience, raised his arms to block. The sound of impact echoed like thunder, but to the Destructor's surprise, Chromastone didn't just resist: he absorbed part of the energy embedded in the weapon, and his body glowed even brighter.
Terrax stepped back a few paces, his look of surprise barely hidden behind a sneer.
— Cosmic energy absorption?…
He murmured, adjusting his grip on the axe. I've never seen anything like this. What are you, creature?
The warrior did not respond, launching forward with a concentrated burst of cosmic energy.
Terrax crossed his axe to block, but the energy explosion forced him to retreat. His foot slammed into the ground with such force that the pavement cracked in shockwaves.
In response, he raised his hands, summoning columns of rock that rose from the ground, attempting to trap Chromastone between spikes of stone. The stony warrior moved with agility, flying and firing multicolored energy projectiles that shattered the formations, before landing on Terrax with a kick that pushed him several meters back.
Terrax smiled.
— The possibilities you offer grow the more I fight you. Show me more, I want to understand what makes you so special.
The battle intensified. Terrax stopped openly using cosmic energy in his attacks, relying on his mastery of the earth.
He raised walls of stone that hurled like battering rams, sharp rock fragments that rained like blades, and platforms that propelled him to strike from impossible angles.
Chromastone responded by absorbing the few energy bursts that still escaped Terrax's control and returning them with precision. Each shot sounded like a cannon, each melee strike made the air vibrate.
At times, Chromastone seemed to dominate the terrain; his attacks shone with renewed strength, and Terrax had to dodge rather than block.
— That's it! I wonder if there's a limit to your body? We'll have to find out together, once this planet becomes starlit haze.
Terrax exclaimed, dragging his axe along the ground, raising a wave of debris that forced Chromastone to step back. I've never had to hold back this much.
But in the midst of his offensive, a flash struck him. Chromastone froze for a fraction of a second.
The world around him distorted, and fleeting images appeared before his eyes:
A woman screaming before being devoured by fire.
A child begging as the ground crushed him.
An entire city erased by a single blow.
Voices, screams, and whispers filled his mind. The energy he had absorbed was not clean; it was imbued with the tortured souls Terrax had slain to feed his power.
That moment of distraction nearly cost him dearly. Terrax appeared before him, swinging the axe with force, and the impact sent him crashing into a building, breaking the walls like paper. Chromastone got up, staggering, his glow flickering.
Terrax advanced slowly, still smiling.
— Now I understand…
He said mockingly. You absorb my energy, but not just my power. You carry the torment of those who perished by my hands. Every soul you consume screams in your mind, doesn't it? That's what happens when you touch a power so great without being prepared.
Chromastone clenched his fists, breathing heavily. Another wave of alien memories shook him, making him fall to his knees for a moment.
Terrax took advantage: with a gesture, he raised stone pillars that hurled toward him like spears.
Chromastone reacted in time, crossing his arms and releasing a wave of energy that destroyed the projectiles and forced Terrax to shield himself.
— So many… lives…! Why?! Not only did you take everything from them, reveling in their pain… even in death, you keep them prisoners and torture them!?
The warrior's body began to glow in multiple colors as anger tinted his voice.
— Why!?
The alien shouted, throwing himself back into the fight.
The battle continued, fiercer than ever. Terrax increased his speed, changing strategies: now his attacks were more physical, crushing axe swings and rock-reinforced kicks.
Chromastone, though psychologically weakened, responded with a mix of instinctive reflexes and absorbed energy blasts, gradually learning to redirect it.
For the first time in a long time, Terrax seemed to enjoy the battle.
— You are fascinating!
He exclaimed as his axe clashed against a beam Chromastone fired at point-blank range, creating an explosion that lifted a cloud of dust. I don't know what you are… but I will tear from you… every… secret!
Chromastone charged through the dust, his hands glowing like purple suns.
Terrax blocked him but took a direct hit to the chest, forcing him to retreat several meters, his armor completely shattered, revealing his bruised body.
Still, he stood firm, and his smile remained.
Meanwhile, Chromastone was losing ground on another front: each second he absorbed more energy, more voices echoed in his head.
The pain, fear, and despair of hundreds of souls hit him like an endless wave. His breathing quickened, his aim began to falter, and Terrax noticed.
— In the end, you are nothing but a child playing with forces you don't understand.
He said, throwing his axe like a boomerang, striking him fully and sending him crashing onto the pavement. That energy isn't yours, and the souls it carries will consume you.
Chromastone fell to his knees, panting, as Terrax walked toward him with heavy steps, the axe returning to his hand with a metallic whistle.
— You feel their hatred, don't you? Their pain. Their regrets. They all scream in your mind… demanding justice…
He grabbed the warrior by the head, lifting him and bringing his face close.
-Vengeance.
He raised the axe and pointed it directly at Chromastone's chest.
— But you are not their hero. You are just another corpse we will add to this chorus of laments… in due time.
================================================================
POV FURY
Fury pressed against the glass of the Helicarrier, his eyes fixed on the battle unfolding below. Terrax advanced relentlessly, and the unknown individual, barely keeping their feet, struggled through the onslaught.
— Damn it, this is getting out of control!
Fury growled, frowning. Where the hell are Thor and Hulk?!
Beside him, Maria Hill watched the screens intently, her hands flying over the controls.
— The invaders have lost many troops, but even more keep coming through the portal. If we don't find a way to close it, any effort will be in vain, sir.
The Destructor appeared on the field, advancing toward the rock figure.
Fury held his breath as he saw the alien colossus' massive hand closing around his head.
Suddenly, the communicator buzzed with a sharp tone. Fury grabbed it and saw the names: his superiors and Alexander Pierce.
Pierce's voice hit him like a blow.
— Fury!
Pierce thundered, filled with anger. This is unacceptable! If you can't control the situation, we will. The launch of two nuclear missiles at the exact location of the invaders has been approved.
Fury gritted his teeth, feeling his rage rise.
— That's insane! There are allies down there, our men, civilians, officers! You can't do that!
— It doesn't matter, Pierce replied coldly. The order is approved. Their lives will be remembered; they gave their lives so that the world would not fall to extraterrestrial forces. I'll end this conversation before there are more questions.
The line went dead.
Fury stared at the glass, unable to move for a moment, as the scene below seemed even more desperate. Maria Hill approached, pointing at the radar screens.
— Two aircraft are taking off toward the city, sir.
— That son of a…!
He exclaimed, rushing toward the Helicarrier's flight deck.
As he ran through the corridors, his eyes caught an RPG left on an equipment table. He grabbed it without hesitation.
He reached the edge of the hangar just as the jets emerged in the distance, gliding over the city's horizon.
He aimed at the first one and fired. The missile roared out, striking and exploding in a fireball that tore a piece from the jet, now useless.
— Damn it…!
He cursed under his breath.
The second jet continued advancing. Fury gripped the RPG tightly, cursing for not having another immediate option.
The roar of the engines mingled with the chaos unfolding below, while the Helicarrier trembled slightly under the tension of the battle.
================================================================
SOMEWHERE ELSE
A young boy stood small and fragile, in the middle of a world that did not belong to him. His feet barely touched a ground that seemed to dissolve beneath him, and around him, shadows twisted, changing shape as if alive. The figures vanished before he could focus on them, but their echoes remained, filling the air with a silence heavy as lead.
Suddenly, piercing screams cut through him. They did not come from a single place; they seemed to erupt from everywhere at once.
Voices demanding justice and vengeance, pleas begging for mercy, roars of pain and despair tangled together into an endless chorus.
The boy tried to turn his head, seeking a point of origin, but there was no reference: the entire space was filled with that clamor.
Each image stabbed like blades of light and shadow, blending into one another without order, striking his memory violently. Each scene carried the sensation of being there, feeling the fear and pain as his own.
Sometimes the echoes sharpened, and he could make out brief phrases:
Pleas for help, accusations, regrets.
A man begging for his life;
A mother weeping over the loss of her child;
A warrior crying out for vengeance.
Each of them layered over the other, creating an unbearable chaos that penetrated every fiber of his human body.
Reminding him of his fragility.
His vulnerability.
==============================================================
How are you all? I hope well.
Well, Chromastone was selected by the Omnitrix.
Look, I know many don't like him or don't think much of him, but in the series, they never did justice to the capabilities this alien possesses.
So I want to give him his due respect. And yes, I know he's losing now, but the power, the energy he took, wasn't just that—it contained all the souls Terrax uses as fuel for his power.
I wonder how our protagonist will manage to win?
Honestly, I was very tempted to use Way Big, but… I feel that might be too soon.
Not to mention Alien X—him, I was sure about. Guys, let me cook a bit, hehe.
That's it. In the next episode, we'll see the conclusion of this fight and also of the invasion.
Who do you think will get along better with Nicolas? Who will distrust him?
I'm anxious to finish this arc. I hope you like it. After this, consequences will follow: character relationships, public opinion, the world's reaction to the Avengers' revelation, and the new unknown hero who actively participated in the battle.
Thank you very much for your support and comments. I take them very seriously.
Take care :)