"Ok, Grandpa! If you say so!"
Zack awkwardly extended his tentacles, helping Grandpa Max to his feet while also handing him a few solid weapons for self-defense.
Then, he slowly floated over to Ben's side.
Ben gave him a knowing look, then raised his wrist and activated the Omnitrix. "Gwen, it's hero time! Go hide with Grandpa!"
"Ben, Zack... be careful!"
Gwen, usually quick with a sarcastic remark, left behind a rare moment of genuine concern before retreating into Grandpa Max's protective embrace.
"Uh…"
Ben, having just transformed into Fourarms, looked down awkwardly. "Why is the bookworm suddenly so caring?!"
"Haha, Ben, you're the one in the wrong this time~"
Zack grinned, his blood-red tentacles slowly unfurling like ominous banners. "Let's go!"
Bang! Bang!
The two of them stepped out of Grand Aunt's house in tandem, moving onto the lawn outside.
The yard was crawling with goo-covered aliens—Sludgepuppies—their twisted faces full of malice, their shapeshifted limbs now transformed into grotesque biological weapons.
"You're not getting away!!"
"Two fists are no match for four arms! Even if you're stronger than the average Earthling, you still can't beat us!"
"Instead of running wild. Just give up and die."
The Sludgepuppies crept forward step by step, their grotesque faces twisted into cold, menacing expressions.
"Run? Who said anything about running?!"
Ben stepped forward boldly, slamming all four of his fists together with thunderous force!
BOOM!!
A massive shockwave of kinetic energy exploded outward like a gale, sweeping across the lawn and knocking the Sludgepuppies off their feet!
"My turn."
Hovering above the downed enemies, Zack's skeletal face was filled with bloodthirsty killing intent. His body radiated crimson light as he floated above the chaos.
Just as the Sludgepuppies began scrambling to get up—
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Zack's body suddenly flared as his blood-red tentacles snapped outward like spears from the sky, piercing through the Sludgepuppies and pinning them to the ground one by one!
The entire scene looked like he'd just unleashed his ultimate technique.
"Zack, we both just unlocked new skills!" Ben grinned, completely at ease.
These Sludgepuppies were laughably weak.
They had been completely overwhelmed by the two of them!
"What are you so proud of?" sneered one of the gooey aliens as it oozed like slime across the ground, then quickly reformed its original shape. "We're immortal!"
"Yeah! Try and kill us!" another Sludgepuppy taunted as more of them began pulling themselves back together.
Even though Zack could control and shred them, he couldn't finish them off permanently.
Ben was stunned. "Immortal?! That's basically cheating!"
"Ben! Zack!" Grandpa Max's voice suddenly rang out from behind them, sharp and clear. "Their bodies are composed of a unique energy compound! You either have to deplete that energy or hit them with water—they're vulnerable to it!"
One of the Sludgepuppies twitched in alarm. "This old guy knows our weakness?!"
"So what if he does?" another snapped. "It's not like they have water just lying around!"
But despite their bravado, the gooey aliens had begun to panic, their bodies writhing and shifting in agitation.
"Got it!!"
Zack's lips curled into a grin. He quickly retracted all of his tentacles, concentrating them to snatch up one of the gooey Sludgepuppies.
He dragged the creature up onto the rooftop with ease.
"Go ahead! Even if you tear me apart, I'll just pull myself back together. It'll take a little time, that's all!" the Sludgepuppy shouted arrogantly, writhing in his grip.
"Haha! Let's take down that Tetramand!"
"Yeah! Kill him!!"
The other Sludgepuppies scrambled to their feet and lunged at Ben, who had transformed into Four Arms.
At a glance, the situation looked completely one-sided.
Crack!!
Without hesitation, Zack tore the Sludgepuppy in his hands clean apart—then calmly reached for the dial on the Carnitrix Watch embedded in his body.
He twisted it until he stopped on a specific alien silhouette.
In the next instant, a blood-red storm of light burst across the rooftop!
Everyone below instinctively turned their heads, eyes widening at the ominous glow coming from above.
On the rooftop, a short alien appeared.
He stood barely a meter tall, slightly bloated—his body resembling a toad standing upright.
In short, he looked completely unimpressive... [Img]
The protagonist's transformation had three equally sized mouths lined up across his face.
"Haha! This is your trump card?!"
The torn-apart Sludgepuppy let out a hoarse, mocking laugh.
The other gooey aliens burst out laughing as well.
Ben covered his face in embarrassment. "That… that thing looks incredibly weak…"
"You."
Zack slowly raised his head. His face bore three wide, round mouths drooling in unison. "Zeeehee~~ You smell delicious~!"
"Wh-what?"
That Sludgepuppy suddenly felt a bone-deep chill wash over him.
It wasn't fear born of logic or reason.
It was primal—instinctive—the dread a prey feels when it senses a predator.
Bang!!
Zack lowered his head, and one of his mouths suddenly opened wide with an unnatural suction force, slurping the alien into his body like a noodle!
His belly bulged outward, wobbled for a moment... and then fell completely still.
"Eat…"
"He ate it!!!"
"Holy crap!!!"
At that moment—
All the Sludgepuppies froze, stunned into silence, staring at Zack with expressions of sheer terror, as if they'd just lost their parents.
"Hmm? You guys want to try how you taste?"
Zack slowly turned around, his voice calm and his smile faint—but chilling.
Bang!!
His three gaping mouths each unleashed a unique yellowish-brown energy wave, blasting through three Sludgepuppies on the spot and shattering their gooey bodies!
The remaining Sludgepuppies, witnessing this horrific display, immediately turned tail and bolted!
"Kehee~~ Don't even think about running!"
Zack leapt down from the rooftop, landing with a heavy thud.
He opened his mouths wide, inhaling with terrifying suction—pulling in the fleeing Sludgepuppies, absorbing their energy into himself, and then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired bursts of energy bullets from his mouths, one after another, blowing apart more gooey aliens in a relentless, unstoppable assault!
Zack raised his foot and continued chasing after the scattered Sludgepuppies, blasting them apart one by one with precise energy shots.
Some of the gooey aliens had run quite far—but it was pointless.
Zack's honed targeting skills (Apprentice Plumber muscle memory) made every shot from his mouths terrifyingly accurate. No matter how far they ran, he could still hit them.
And just like that…
An entire street full of Sludgepuppies was wiped out by Zack alone in a relentless massacre!
Immortal?
He devoured the immortal.
"This… this level of strength… What should we even call him?" Ben muttered, trembling as he watched, his voice shaky. "Eating Demon? Fear devourer? None of that seems to fit right..."
"Call him the Gluttony," Grandpa Max said as he slowly stepped outside, voice calm and thoughtful. "In many cultures and religions, particularly Christianity, Gluttony is considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins, representing an excessive desire for food. And since this alien looks like a demon, I'd say that name fits Zack's alien perfectly."
His eyes were filled with awe as he watched Zack move with deadly efficiency.
To be this familiar with the counters and traits of so many alien species…
This was high-level play.
"Grandpa, you're really strong too..." Gwen sat inside the house, quietly watching the remains of the Sludgepuppies that Grandpa Max had smashed to pieces.
In this family, she was the only one without powers.
Why was her life so unfair~?
…
"Don't run!!"
Zack came to a stop as he launched his final energy blast!
The twenty-eighth Sludgepuppy was struck from over a hundred meters away, exploding into slimy chunks—then promptly devoured by Zack.
Slurp~~ Burp~!
"Ahhh, that one was especially satisfying," Zack muttered contentedly as he slumped onto the ground, holding his slightly bloated belly.
Ding! The host has completely defeated 28 Sludgepuppies using raw power, altering their original fate of being destroyed by water. Progress +2!
Zack shot to his feet, instantly re-energized.
Holy crap!
+2 progress all at once?!