Staring at the fox maiden with her icy, jade-like beauty, Ben's eyes went wide as he froze on the spot. "Th-this… what's going on?"
Gwen seemed completely petrified, standing stiffly in place and unable to say a word for a long moment.
It wasn't just them. Hex and Charmcaster were equally stunned, staring at the Red Fox Princess with strange expressions.
At that moment, the sinister black aura had already surged close.
With a flick of her tail, the Red Fox Princess released a burst of rainbow-colored Psychic Flames. Carrying a faint, lingering fragrance, the flames rushed straight toward the terrifying black energy.
The surging rainbow fire instantly suppressed the massive black aura, grinding it away until nothing remained.
"Charmcaster, go hold her off. I must absorb the supreme magical power. I cannot be disturbed." Hex kept one hand raised as he spoke.
A strange glint flashed through Charmcaster's violet eyes.
Even so, she followed the order. Violet lightning spheres formed in her palms as she walked forward with elegant steps toward the group.
"Charmcaster! How dare you toy with my feelings! I'll never trust you again!"
Gwen charged forward, unleashing Water Magic to confront Charmcaster.
The Red Fox Princess turned her head toward the restless Stinkfly, her voice clear and pleasant.
"Ben, Charmcaster isn't simple. Go help Gwen."
Charmcaster came from Regidomon and had trained for a long time. Gwen's talent was impressive, but she still wasn't Charmcaster's match right now.
"Got it! Let's see if I don't make her scream!"
Stinkfly beat his wings and shot forward, diving fiercely toward Charmcaster.
With the two of them fighting Charmcaster together, Lucian felt much more at ease.
Beneath the dim sky, five black Magic Pendant Stones surrounded the central red Magic Pendant Stone like stars encircling the moon.
Hex spread his arms wide, greedily absorbing the energy from the Magic Pendant Stones. Magical power surged through his body like a raging flood, and his aura continued to rise.
If he truly reached the state of unity between heaven and man, how powerful would Hex become?
The Red Fox Princess didn't know—and had no desire to find out.
Right now, her only goal was to stop Hex from obtaining that supreme magical power.
"Don't even think about stopping me, you foolish woman!"
Hex freed one hand and clenched it in midair.
From the gray, beak-shaped wand, six blood-red beams shot out, slithering through the air like agile serpents as they rushed toward the Red Fox Princess.
She dodged swiftly left and right, turning into a streak of red afterimages as she avoided the terrifying crimson magic beams.
Then she raised her slender hand, releasing another wave of rainbow Psychic Flames that engulfed the stunned Hex.
Because the ritual was still underway, Hex couldn't move. He could only watch helplessly as the rainbow flames crawled over his entire body.
His pupils suddenly shrank, then slowly lost focus.
One moment he laughed, the next he cried—already trapped in endless hallucinations.
Taking advantage of Hex's loss of consciousness, the Red Fox Princess tapped the Omnitrix on her chest, and a faint green light burst forth.
A vine-like green body appeared, covered with sharp claws. A single blue eye sat on its face, while its shoulders were shaped like Venus flytraps that could open and close freely—once shut, they allowed it to burrow underground.
Wildvine stretched out both arms, extending flexible tendrils that wrapped around the five Keystone of Bezel.
Crack! Crack!
Under Wildvine's tremendous strength, the five Magic Pendant Stones were crushed apart, shattering into tiny fragments that scattered through the air.
In an instant, the Bezel ritual was broken.
"Pfft!"
Hex spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his bare chest red. The backlash from the interrupted ritual actually snapped him out of the Red Fox Princess's illusion.
"Y-you…"
Hex was both shocked and furious, panting heavily.
Wildvine grinned.
"It's over."
The red Magic Pendant Stone above, now without magical support, dropped onto the concrete floor with a sharp, mournful clatter.
The sixth Keystone of Bezel hadn't shattered like the others, but it had lost all its magic.
From now on, it was nothing more than an ordinary stone.
Its appearance hadn't changed though—it might still make a decent decoration.
Blood dripped from the corner of Hex's mouth as his arms trembled. He tried to forcefully activate magic.
But Wildvine wasn't going to give him that chance.
Wildvine struck immediately, slamming Hex to the ground.
The gray magic wand was knocked from his hand and hurled off the tower.
Against the powerful Wildvine, Hex had no way to fight back.
And the ritual backlash left him in unbearable pain, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Meanwhile, the battle on Stinkfly's side had also ended.
Charmcaster couldn't defeat the two of them. She had been firmly glued to the ground by Stinkfly's sticky liquid, completely unable to move.
Wildvine chuckled mischievously and extended several tough vines, wrapping Hex and Charmcaster together and binding them to the tower.
"Ah! Let me go!" Charmcaster shouted.
"Not happening," Wildvine replied flatly.
Buzz—buzz—
The roar of helicopter rotors came from above.
Moments later, a helicopter landed steadily on the rooftop.
The cabin door opened, and a large number of combat personnel poured out. Dressed in black uniforms and holding laser rifles, they immediately aimed their weapons at the group.
Wildvine simply shrugged, completely unconcerned about the dark gun barrels pointed his way.
Soon, a man with a short blond crew cut stepped out from among the soldiers.
"Lieutenant Steel?" Stinkfly tilted his head.
"Oh? You know me?" Lieutenant Steel asked, surprised.
Stinkfly pointed at the Omnitrix on his face.
"It's me. Last time on the San Francisco Bridge, I turned into Ghostfreak and saved you."
Lieutenant Steel's eyes shifted, then he glanced at Wildvine beside him.
"Then that means he must be…"
Wildvine smiled slightly, tapped the Omnitrix, and transformed into Blitzwolfer.
"Awooo!"
Blitzwolfer straightened up and released a powerful wolf howl that echoed across the entire city.
A rare hint of delight appeared on Lieutenant Steel's usually fierce face, leaving the other soldiers completely stunned.
"L-Lieutenant Steel… should we fire?" someone asked quietly.
Lieutenant Steel's expression hardened.
"Silence. They are not our enemies!"
"You two—go grab those two people in the strange outfits and escort them to the helicopter."
"Yes, sir!"
Though confused, the soldiers didn't dare disobey.
Stinkfly, Blitzwolfer, and Lieutenant Steel had once fought together on the San Francisco Bridge against Kevin 11 and Zs'Skayr.
In a sense, they were comrades who had fought side by side in life-and-death battles.
Having not seen each other for so long, the three quickly warmed up, chatting and laughing like old friends as they exchanged greetings for quite a while.
When their transformation time was almost up, Ben and Lucian hurriedly said they had things to do and needed to rush home to bring in the laundry before it started raining.
Lieutenant Steel was completely puzzled, but he didn't ask further.
"Goodbye, Lieutenant Steel!"
Stinkfly carried Gwen and Blitzwolfer on his back as they disappeared into the distant horizon...