Las Vegas, downtown.
On the rooftop of a towering iron tower, a gaunt figure sat cross-legged, floating near the edge.
"Lucian... that guy is terrifying."
Thinking back to the battle with Necromancer, Hex unconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
Given how that fight had gone, even if Charmcaster hadn't launched that sneak attack earlier, he still wouldn't have been Necromancer's opponent.
High above, the blazing golden sun suddenly dimmed as part of it began to disappear behind a shadow.
"The total solar eclipse is almost here, but without the Keystone of Bezel, I can't complete the summoning ritual!" Hex slammed his fist against the ground in frustration.
"Who says you don't have it, Uncle?"
A pleasant voice came from behind him.
Hex turned sharply, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Charmcaster! You still dare show your face in front of me!"
As he spoke, Hex raised his staff, ready to cast a spell and destroy this traitorous niece.
Was it because Lucian was handsome that she decided to side with them?
Charmcaster saw the fury on her uncle's face and quickly pulled out a ruby from her bag.
"Wait, Uncle. I came to give you the Keystone of Bezel."
Hex's eyes flickered. He raised his hand and pulled the ruby through the air into his palm.
"What exactly happened?"
Charmcaster stepped forward and told him everything about her fake surrender.
After hearing the explanation, Hex was still displeased, but he didn't attack her again.
More importantly, the moment of Heaven and Man as One was about to arrive.
Hex clenched the Keystone of Bezel tightly and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Once the summoning ritual is complete, I'll gain supreme magical power—and the five destroyed pendant stones will return to me! After that, let's see who could possibly stand against me!"
After a long while, the blazing golden disk in the sky was completely swallowed by shadow.
The world fell into darkness, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Hex began chanting a spell as the Keystone of Bezel slowly rose into the air from his hand.
His dark crimson robe whipped violently in the wind while a massive surge of magical energy spread around him.
"…#￥@#@!"
Ancient and obscure incantations echoed through the darkened sky.
As the spell continued, the total solar eclipse above projected a strange and powerful energy onto the Keystone of Bezel.
In an instant, the Keystone erupted with immense magical power, forming five additional Bezel pendants around it.
Charm of Fire, Charm of Levitation, Charm of Transformation...
Six Keystones of Bezel in total.
The Bezel Summoning Ritual continued.
"Next comes absorbing the supreme magical power!" Hex raised both hands, his expression completely unhinged.
But just as he was about to absorb the energy, the sound of flapping wings came from the distance.
Charmcaster glanced over.
"They're here again..."
Between rows of skyscrapers, Stinkfly shot forward, its giant wings beating rapidly with metallic clangs.
Lucian and Gwen were riding on its back while sticky slime dripped from its mouth and scattered in the wind.
"Charmcaster, stop them!" Hex ordered.
"Yes."
Charmcaster reached into her pouch and summoned dozens of bats.
These bats looked similar to the earlier stone beasts. Their bodies were made of magical stone and covered with glowing purple patterns.
The swarm of stone bats screeched as they rushed toward Stinkfly.
"Hahaha! Bring it on! I'll smash every last one of you!" Stinkfly shouted.
The eyes on both sides of its head shot out streams of green slime, sweeping wildly through the swarm.
Many stone bats had their wings glued together by the slime. Unable to stay airborne, they froze midair before losing lift and crashing from the sky, shattering into piles of black rubble.
"The heroes have arrived!"
Stinkfly landed steadily on the rooftop with Lucian and Gwen on its back.
"You again! Today I'll show you the power of a true master of dark magic!"
Hex unleashed several streaks of black magical energy that tore through the air like clawing demons, rushing toward them.
Stinkfly fired back with several bursts of slime, but the terrifying black magic swallowed them instantly, leaving nothing behind.
"Let me handle this." Lucian tapped the Omnitrix, switched forms, and slammed the dial down.
Thud!
Lucian's body rapidly transformed.
A pair of fiery red fox ears appeared on top of his head. Long hair flowed behind him as a magnificent crimson dress wrapped around his body, accentuating graceful curves.
Her pale skin glowed softly. Her deep, shining eyes looked both gentle and passionate. Beneath the hem of the dress, slender bare feet touched the ground lightly, like a dragonfly skimming water.
Peerless beauty.
Enchanting and irresistible.
A faint, alluring fragrance drifted through the air.
"Red Fox Princess!"
Lucian stared blankly at his own transformation, stunned.
Through a nearby glass window, she saw her reflection clearly.
An exquisite face like a blooming crimson rose, dazzling enough to make anyone fall under its spell.
Red Fox Princess looked down but couldn't see her own feet because of the view blocked by her chest...
[Red Fox Princess: A Charm Fox alien. Aside from the red fox ears and tail, the rest of her appearance is very similar to a human. Her tall, alluring figure radiates overwhelming charm. Those with weak willpower can easily fall under her influence.]
[Notably, the Charm Fox species is a matriarchal race where females are far stronger than males.]
[Abilities: Extremely high beauty, sharp claws, and exceptional agility.]
[Psychic Flame: This is not real fire but a special mental attack that causes enemies struck by it to experience hallucinations and slightly weakens their condition. The stronger the target's willpower, the weaker the effect.]
[Energy Absorption: By piercing a target with claws or fangs, life energy can be drained. This energy can enhance strength and speed or be refined and stored within the body, allowing long periods without food.]
[Notes:]
[① Moderate energy absorption will not harm the target's life, similar to drawing blood. They can recover after some time.]
[② As more life energy is absorbed, additional tails appear, up to a maximum of nine tails, forming a Nine-Tailed Red Fox.]
[③ Due to the DNA characteristics of the Charm Fox species, the Omnitrix records the gender of the scanned individual. Regardless of the user's original gender, the transformation will always match the recorded one.]
[④ The appearance of the transformed Charm Fox is influenced by the user's original looks. The more attractive the user, the more beautiful the transformation.]
Because Lucian had scanned Yan Ji's DNA, the Charm Fox form he transformed into could only be female.
Combined with Lucian's already high appearance, his Red Fox Princess form was no less beautiful than Yan Ji's—and perhaps even more enchanting.
Seeing this sudden transformation, everyone present was completely stunned...