BOOM! BOOM!
Tyler swung his hands, unleashing high-pressure fireballs that, when mixed with the methane venting from his pores, detonated in a series of thermobaric blasts around Kevin. Although Kevin skillfully dodged the direct hits, the concussive force sent him tumbling. He relied on pure grit and his stolen electricity to stay on his feet.
"No way..." Tyler muttered incredulously. "He's still standing? Kevin's durability is insane."
Between Kevin's own naturally tough physique and the absorbed DNA of the Spark-Imp, he had become a sponge for punishment.
"Even if I can't win, I'm taking you down with me!" Kevin roared, desperately closing the distance.
BANG!
Tyler simply ignited the vents in his feet, mastering the flight capabilities of the Bog-Stalker to soar into the rafters. In a flash of desperation, Kevin exhausted days of accumulated electrical power to transform himself into a living bolt of lightning. He streaked through the air, aiming for one final touch to finish the DNA absorption.
Tyler's focus reached its peak. He twisted his body mid-air, feeling the "Slaughter Instinct" guide his movement. Kevin's hand brushed past Tyler's chest, missing the flesh by a hair's breadth—but his fingers grazed the protruding dial of the Carnitrix.
"Carnitrix, you've done a good deed with bad intentions," Tyler sighed, watching Kevin land roughly on the factory floor.
"Hey, monster!" Kevin laughed, a sinister, confident grin spreading across his face. "I've got it now. I have a hundred ways to kill you!"
Kevin violently clenched his fists. His skin began to tear as his body underwent a forced, agonizing mutation. "Ugh, why does it hurt so much?!"
In a spray of blood and light, an extra pair of arms erupted from Kevin's torso. He had transformed into The Quad-Sunderer—or at least, a pathetic imitation of it. This version was spindly, lacking the mountain-like muscle of Tyler's form. His teeth were flat and blunt, lacking the predatory fangs of the Carnitrix original.
"He cut himself a piece of the wrong pie," Tyler noted with relief. He threw a massive fiery punch.
"You think I'm the same as before?!" Kevin roared, stepping forward to tank the hit. But the moment the flames touched him, he felt a level of agony he had never imagined.
"AGHHHH!!" Kevin was sent spiraling through the air, crashing into a pile of machinery. He rolled on the ground, shrieking as the magical flames refused to go out.
"Idiot," Tyler rumbled, his voice echoing from his floral head. "It's not just the DNA that's powerful. It's the Watch."
Tyler's arms transformed into long, blazing vines, lashing out to bind Kevin's charred body. Kevin frantically switched forms, trying to find an edge. He became a malnourished Velocity Wraith, then a stunted Glitch-Worm that Tyler hammered into the floor like play-dough. He even tried the Blitzwolfer form, only to be nearly suffocated by the swamp gas Tyler was venting.
It wasn't a fight; it was a unilateral thrashing.
"Why..." Kevin whimpered, now a shivering, underfed Sludgepuppy just to keep his internal organs from failing. "Why can't I beat you?!"
"Actually, you're impressive," Tyler complimented him coldly. "Most people would have died ten transformations ago."
[Ding! Host has defeated Kevin's corrupted forms: Blitzwolfer, Quad-Sunderer, Glitch-Worm, and 10 others. You have gone wild! Progress +1%]
[Template Mastery: 32/100. DNA UNLOCKED: THE RUIN-COLOSSUS & THE ARACHNO-SIMIAN!]
Tyler smiled. Kevin was a walking gold mine for template progress. He was ready to finish the job when Kevin's body underwent one final, massive surge of energy.
RUMBLE!!
The ceiling of the Mint shattered as a towering figure erupted through the roof. It was a deep black, skeletal nightmare with golden eyes—a malnourished, "Error" version of The Cosmic Horror.
Kevin had rolled the dice and hit the jackpot. He loomed over the building, spreading his massive arms. But as his eyes met Tyler's cold, battle-hungry gaze, a memory flashed in his mind—a montage of the last thirty minutes of being beaten into the dirt.
"No! Even like this, I'm not fighting him!" Kevin yelled. He turned around, ignored his money-making plan, and ignominiously sprinted toward the suburbs, his massive strides shaking the city.
Tyler, stunned, reverted to the Velocity Wraith to give chase. "He... he actually ran away while using a To'kustar form?"
Outside the Mint, Tyler met Gwen. "Gwen? What happened to the soldiers?"
"Ben and I led Captain Steel's men away," Gwen whispered. "They were going to charge in and get themselves killed. Ben is still leading them on a chase."
Tyler looked toward the horizon where the giant Kevin was leaping toward the mountains.
Inside the Rustbucket, the mood was heavy.
"Kevin has the Cosmic Horror DNA now," Max said, his face pale. "If he hides and switches forms, we'll never find him."
"I don't think he can," Tyler said, pacing. "He was cycling through them like he was glitching. I think he's stuck in a singular mutation loop."
In the dark suburbs, Kevin sat in a forest, staring at his hands. "Damn it... I can only turn into the giant or that tiny spark-imp. Nothing else works!"
He looked back at the city lights, his eyes hardening with a desperate, fractured rage. "Fine. If I can't have the money, I'll take everyone out with me. The 'Hero,' the soldiers—everyone dies!"
[Transformation Profile: The Ruin-Colossus (Humungousaur Variant)]
Traits: A towering, bipedal dinosaur with dark, obsidian-like scales and spiked protrusions along its spine.Ability:Goliath Growth. Can increase its size up to 60 feet. Unlike the original, its strength increases exponentially with its size, but it becomes more feral and bloodthirsty.
[Transformation Profile: The Arachno-Simian (Spider Monkey Variant)]
Traits: A four-armed blue primate with six eyes and a prehensile tail that ends in a serrated stinger.Ability:Steel-Web Snare. Spits a web that is as strong as carbon-fiber and can be electrified if Tyler uses his internal energy.
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