"AHHHHH!!!"
The scream tore from Frightwig's throat, loud enough to shatter glass. She scrambled backward, eyes wide with absolute terror as Ghostfreak peeled back his protective outer skin, revealing the writhing mass of tentacles and his true nightmare form beneath.
Even Ghostfreak winced, covering where his ears would be. "Ugh! Why do you people always have to scream so much?!"
The sonic assault was worse than any punch. Ultrasonic frequencies like that were impossible to block, even for someone as experienced as him.
But before Frightwig could scream again, her eyes rolled back in her head. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed face-first into the concrete, completely unconscious.
She'd literally fainted from seeing Ghostfreak's true face.
THUD.
Meanwhile, Zombozo stumbled backward, his painted face slick with cold sweat. His legs shook beneath him as he retreated several more steps, staring at Ghostfreak with the wide-eyed terror of a child caught doing something forbidden.
The image of what he'd just seen, the writhing tentacles, the exposed skull, those cold, merciless eyes, was burned into his brain. A picture he would never forget.
"Not bad," Ghostfreak said, his voice cold as death itself. He slowly drifted forward, his ghostly form hovering just above the ground. His fists clenched, knuckles cracking with audible pops. "You managed to stay standing. That's more than most people can say."
He tilted his head, studying Zombozo like a predator studying wounded prey.
"Now you're the only one left. So tell me, how exactly do you want me to beat you down?"
"N-no! Don't move!!"
Zombozo's hand shot out desperately, grabbing one of the unconscious civilians by the throat. His fingers trembled as he hoisted the poor man up like a human shield, his voice cracking with barely-contained panic.
"If you dare take one more step toward me, I'll snap this guy's neck! And then I'll do the same to everyone else here! One by one! Right in front of you!"
"Go ahead and try," Ghostfreak said flatly.
His expression was completely indifferent as he continued floating forward, not slowing down even slightly. The coldness in his voice could have frozen fire.
"I guarantee you, if you kill even one innocent person, you'll die screaming. And it won't be quick."
Zombozo's breath caught in his throat.
The sheer conviction in Ghostfreak's words, the absolute certainty in that cold, hollow voice, it wasn't a threat.
It was a promise.
And Zombozo believed him.
His hands began to shake harder. His painted smile looked more grotesque than ever as sweat ran down his face, smearing his makeup. His whole body trembled like a leaf in a hurricane.
"Wait, wait!" Zombozo's voice rose to a desperate pitch. "What if, what if I let these people go right now? What if I surrender? Would you spare my life then?!"
His tone was pitiful, almost begging. Like a cornered animal willing to do anything to survive.
"Of course," Ghostfreak said with mock cheerfulness. His skull-face couldn't smile, but his tone dripped with false kindness. "I'll absolutely let you go!"
The answer came so easily, so readily, that it was obvious he didn't mean a word of it.
But Zombozo's brain, scrambled by fear, latched onto that slim hope like a drowning man grabbing a rope.
His grip loosened slowly. He hesitated, then gently pushed the unconscious civilian aside, letting the man slump safely to the ground. His movements were careful, almost reverent, as if he genuinely believed he'd reached an agreement with the ghost in front of him.
"That's right," Ghostfreak said, nodding approvingly. His voice was soft, almost soothing. "Good choice."
Too easy, Ghostfreak thought.
WHOOSH!
But Zombozo's eyes suddenly sharpened with desperate cunning.
His hand dove into his jacket and pulled out several knives, long, wicked blades that gleamed under the dim light. In one fluid motion, he wedged them between his fingers like Wolverine's claws, gripping them so tightly they bit into his own flesh.
"Don't think you can trick me that easily!!" Zombozo roared, his voice cracking between rage and terror.
If that ghost came any closer, Zombozo would cut him to ribbons!
VWOOOOM.
A sphere of concentrated purple energy began forming in front of Ghostfreak's chest. It pulsed with heat and light, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second, like a miniature sun condensing into a deadly projectile.
The air around it shimmered with raw power.
"Wh-what the hell is that?!" Zombozo's eyes widened as he stared at the growing energy sphere.
Every instinct in his body screamed DANGER. His feet moved backward on their own, his body trying desperately to retreat from the overwhelming threat radiating from that glowing ball of death.
What kind of attack was that?!
"Let's see if you can stop this, clown!" Ghostfreak snarled. "If you can't, well, I'll be sending you straight to hell!"
With a flick of his wrist, Ghostfreak hurled the purple energy sphere forward.
FWOOOOSH!
The sphere blazed across the ground, leaving a trail of scorched concrete in its wake. It lit up the entire area with brilliant purple light as it rocketed straight toward Zombozo.
Like a spaceship streaking through the night.
KABOOOOM!!!
The explosion was massive.
The energy sphere detonated directly on Zombozo's body with devastating force. The shockwave rippled outward, tearing chunks from the cement floor and sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ground. Black smoke erupted from the blast site, engulfing the area in a dense, choking cloud.
Debris rained down like hail. The remaining impact force spread in all directions, creating a powerful gust of wind that swept through the entire plaza.
WHOOOOSH!
Ben yelped as the wind caught him, throwing him sideways. He tumbled across the ground, barely managing to catch himself before slamming into a wall.
"Gah!" He scrambled to his feet, coughing and waving smoke away from his face. His eyes immediately locked onto the thick black cloud where Zombozo had been standing.
"Is, is that clown dead?!"
"Not sure," Ghostfreak muttered, squinting through the smoke. He floated closer, his single eye narrowing as he tried to pierce through the darkness. "But he definitely won't be jumping around anytime soon."
Biiiip! Biiiip!
The sound made Ghostfreak freeze mid-air.
His eye snapped down to the Omnitrix symbol glowing on his chest. The pattern was flashing rapidly, a warning signal he knew all too well.
His expression turned to pure exasperation.
"Are you kidding me?! Right now?! This stupid watch just has to run out on me at the worst possible time!"
Before he could say another word, his entire body erupted in brilliant green light.
FLASH!
When the light faded, Asher dropped heavily to the ground. His sneakers hit the concrete with a solid thud, and he stumbled slightly, momentarily disoriented by the sudden shift from floating to standing.
It took him a few seconds to adjust to having a normal, non-intangible body again. The sensation of weight and gravity felt strange after flying around as Ghostfreak.
"Alright," Asher muttered, shaking his head to clear it. He straightened up and turned toward the smoke cloud. "Now let's see how our favorite clown is doing."
He took a deep breath and started walking toward the thick black smoke, ready to confirm Zombozo's condition.
SLAM!
A pitch-black hand suddenly shot out from the smoke, slamming into the ground with desperate force. Charred fingers clawed at the broken concrete, pulling at the shattered debris.
It was Zombozo's hand.
"AHHHH!!!" A hoarse, ragged scream tore through the smoke.
A blackened figure stumbled out of the darkness, roaring with pain and fury. The shape lurched forward unsteadily, crashing into something unseen in the haze before stopping to steady itself with labored breathing.
The smoke began to clear.
And there stood Zombozo, barely.
His entire body was scorched black, his colorful clown suit reduced to charred rags. His makeup was completely burned away, revealing raw, blistered skin underneath. Smoke rose from his body in thin wisps, and his breathing came in harsh, wheezing gasps.
But somehow, somehow, he was still alive.
"I didn't expect your life to be that tough," Asher said quietly, stopping a safe distance away. His eyes studied Zombozo carefully, taking in the clown's pitiful state. "I guess I picked up a lucky break for you."
He glanced at Ben, who'd come up beside him. "I wanted to give you a way out earlier, Zombozo. But you attacked me instead."
Asher's voice hardened.
"So now I'll have to transform again and finish what I started."
His hand moved to the Omnitrix, fingers hovering over the dial. He was trying to intimidate Zombozo, hoping the threat alone would be enough to make the clown give up.
Zombozo opened his mouth. Smoke poured out between his lips as he exhaled, followed by a voice so hoarse and damaged it barely sounded human:
"Boy... if I'm guessing right... your watch has a time limit on transformations, doesn't it?"
His burned face twisted into something that might have been a smile.
"Otherwise... you wouldn't have reverted to your Diamond form... when you fought those bald punks earlier. And you would never have let me go..."
He coughed violently, more smoke escaping his lungs.
"That means... you and those bald idiots... didn't stand a chance of escaping me!"
His logic was twisted by pain and desperation, but it was still terrifyingly accurate.
"You're right," Asher admitted calmly.
He met Zombozo's burned gaze without flinching, his expression completely unbothered. "The Omnitrix does have a time limit. I'll give you that."
Then his eyes narrowed.
"But do you really think you still want to resist? Look at yourself. All three of your henchmen are down. They can't even stand up. And you, "
He gestured at Zombozo's charred, smoking body.
"You're in this pathetic state. Do you seriously think you have any chance left?"
His voice dropped to something cold and final.
"Just give up, Zombozo. Surrender."
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