Mera guided the submarine into the concealing shadows of a dark oceanic trench, the vessel's bio-luminescent running lights dimming to avoid detection. Several kilometers ahead, ancient and dilapidated structures slumbered quietly in the crushing depths of the deep sea. Even reduced to ruins after millennia of neglect, the architecture still hinted at the magnificent civilization that had once flourished here.
The darkness was pierced by countless glowing corals and phosphorescent seaweed that had made their homes among the crumbling stones, creating an ethereal constellation of blues and greens that resembled a underwater galaxy. The organic lights pulsed in slow, hypnotic rhythms, as if the ruins themselves were breathing with the tide.
Outside the perimeter of the ancient complex, several patrol craft hovered like mechanical manta rays, their sleek forms cutting through the water with predatory grace. Ben could see dozens of Atlantean warriors wielding obsidian tridents, their movements as fluid as the fish they resembled as they maintained their eternal vigil.
"There's definitely energy fluctuation from the Mother Box," Ben confirmed, the Omnitrix providing him with detailed readings of the exotic particles emanating from somewhere deep within the ruins. The readings were unlike anything in his experience, not quite space cube energy, not quite Infinity Stone resonance, but something altogether more primordial.
"We should park the submarine here first," Mera suggested, her tactical mind already calculating the risks. "Otherwise it'll be troublesome if we're discovered. My little craft isn't exactly equipped with heavy weaponry."
Compared to a direct assault, Mera clearly favored a stealthy infiltration approach. Ben, however, had different ideas about the definition of 'stealth.'
"I'll transform first," he announced, not wanting to deal with the inconvenience of breathing water in his human form. He pressed the Omnitrix's activation dial, and familiar energy coursed through his body as he assumed his Ripjaws configuration.
The submarine's transparent aluminum canopy retracted immediately, allowing the ocean to rush in and fill the passenger compartment. What would have been a death sentence for most air-breathing beings felt like a refreshing breeze to Ben's transformed physiology.
"The power has definitely increased again," he observed, examining his webbed hands with scientific curiosity. When he clenched his fists, he could feel tremendous strength surging through his enhanced muscular structure.
During their journey here, he had successfully integrated genetic material from both the Kingdom of Xebel and the Kingdom of Atlantis into his Ripjaws template. Although the inhabitants of these underwater realms appeared more humanoid than the truly aquatic species of the Fishermen Kingdom and the Brine Kingdom, the genetic differences weren't as vast as surface appearances suggested.
Tracing their evolutionary history revealed a common ancestor, with surface humans being the true genetic outliers among the various subspecies. This made the fusion process remarkably smooth and efficient.
Ripjaws' capabilities had been enhanced across the board. His genes now incorporated the best traits of the Atlantean bloodline, giving him complete mastery of their combat techniques. With a proper trident in hand, Ben was confident he could generate whirlpools capable of splitting gold and shattering steel. The transformation had also granted him the ability to communicate with marine life through a form of bio-acoustic resonance.
His Waterhazard form had achieved even greater compatibility with Xebel genetics. The water manipulation abilities had been dramatically amplified, reaching levels comparable to the most advanced hydro-technology Atlantis had ever developed. With minimal effort, he could now channel enough liquid force to level an entire hillside.
"There are quite a lot of guards," Mera observed, carefully parting some drifting strands of kelp to peer around the ruins' perimeter. The security presence was clearly beyond what she'd anticipated.
"One, two... I count ten patrol vessels total, with more than forty individual sentries. That's a substantial force. I'm afraid we're no match for them in direct confrontation. We'd better find a way to sneak in, "
Before Mera could finish outlining her infiltration strategy, a powerful current struck her face-first, nearly bowling her over in the water. When the white foam and disturbed sediment cleared from her vision, she saw Ben rocketing toward the ruins like a living torpedo, his streamlined form cutting through the ocean with devastating efficiency.
Wait, what are you doing? she thought in bewilderment. This isn't infiltration at all!
Ben's perspective:Actually, this IS infiltration! Wouldn't it be simpler if we just eliminated all the witnesses? Know more about stealth tactics!
Seeing Ben charging ahead like an aquatic missile, Mera realized she could no longer stop him and could only shake her fins desperately to catch up. However, despite being faster than any surface vessel, she was still considerably slower than Ben's enhanced form.
In the blink of an eye, the distance between them had widened dramatically.
Ben was now completely within the observation range of the perimeter guards. Powerful searchlights swept back and forth through the murky depths, their brilliant beams carving tunnels of illumination through the darkness. With multiple patrol craft working in coordination, there were virtually no blind spots in their coverage pattern.
But Ben's velocity was simply too extreme. He moved through the water like a phantom of the deep, a dark blur that shattered the normal flow patterns of the current. In mere seconds, he had crossed the killing field and materialized directly in front of one of the patrol vessels.
The crew aboard only caught a glimpse of a black shadow passing overhead like some primordial sea-crow before Ben's terrifying visage was pressed directly against their reinforced viewport, his bioluminescent markings creating an otherworldly glow in the darkness.
The patrol craft, engineered to withstand thousands of tons of crushing water pressure, proved as vulnerable as tissue paper before Ben's enhanced physiology. His razor-sharp teeth punched through the hull like industrial drill bits, then proceeded to tear the vessel apart as if he were opening a particularly stubborn can of sardines.
Ben ripped away the thick metal plating that comprised the ship's armor with casual ease, then reached inside to extract the crew members, not to harm them, but to eject them safely from the wreckage before it became a death trap.
It wasn't until this moment that the other patrol units realized they were under attack.
The remaining vessels reacted with military precision, their manta ray-like forms proving incredibly agile as they surrounded Ben in a coordinated formation. Energy weapons charged with ominous humming sounds as targeting systems locked onto his position.
"Intruder alert! Unknown hostile entity!"
"All units, open fire immediately!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dense energy beams erupted like an overwhelming tsunami of destruction, their brilliant streams cutting through the water and leaving trails of superheated bubbles in their wake. Each blast carried enough force to vaporize a school of whales.
Mera, still racing to catch up from a distance, felt her heart sink with terror. If those energy beams made contact with anything living, the target would likely be vaporized instantly or suffer catastrophic injuries.
She desperately tried to close the distance, hoping to use her hydrokinetic abilities to redirect the incoming projectiles away from Ben's position.
However, despite appearances, Ben was in no actual danger whatsoever.
He moved through the deadly light show like a master dancer, his body flowing between the energy streams with impossible grace. Every projectile missed by mere centimeters, creating spectacular light displays but dealing zero damage.
During his gladiatorial combat with Tony Stark on Sakaar, Ben had perfected the technique of integrating his alien abilities with his spider-based genetic enhancements. His spider-sense was now functioning at full capacity, while his enhanced Ripjaws form provided incredible sensitivity to changes in water pressure and current flow. In Ben's perception, every incoming attack was clearly telegraphed, its trajectory as obvious as a neon sign.
"All attacks are useless against my spider-sense!" he declared with confidence.
In that moment, he became like an arrow released from a space bow, shooting forward with explosive force.
A black shadow pierced through the torrential barrage of energy fire at lightning speed, penetrating the flanks of multiple patrol vessels in a single devastating pass! Ben's trajectory carried him through the ocean in a perfect arc, his body cutting through the defensive formation and emerging on the far side with mechanical precision.
BOOM!
Explosions erupted throughout the water as damaged vessels began to fail. Dozens of guards fled from their compromised craft in panic, staring at Ben with the horrified expressions of people who had just witnessed something beyond their comprehension.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of them demanded, his voice carrying clearly through the water despite his obvious terror.
"Why are you attacking us?!"
"Hand over the Mother Box," Ben replied with cold directness, his voice carrying an electronic distortion that made it even more intimidating.
"So you really are here for the Mother Box," the lead guard said, his expression grim with confirmation. The only thing that puzzled him was how this creature knew the artifact's location in the first place.
Guarding the Mother Box was classified at the highest levels of state security. Only a select few members of the royal families and the governing council were supposed to know where it was stored.
Just as confusion was setting in, Mera finally arrived at the scene.
"Ben, you're too impulsive," she chided, her long rosy hair floating around her like a living crown as she examined him with worried eyes.
After a thorough visual inspection confirmed that there wasn't a single mark on Ben's body, she released a sigh of relief.
The guards immediately recognized the newcomer.
"Are you... Princess Mera of the Kingdom of Xebel?" one of them asked in disbelief, his tone clearly asking: You're the one who brought these invaders here?
"Princess Mera, aren't you supposed to marry King Orm soon? Why are you consorting with this dangerous criminal?"
"Mind your own business!" Mera bristled like an offended cat, puffing out her chest with the imperious attitude of someone whose political allegiances had dramatically shifted.
"I'm telling you, the future Sea King has commanded me to deliver a message!" she declared with theatrical authority. "Hand over the Mother Box immediately!"
The guards weren't intimidated by her posturing. Their loyalty belonged to the Council and King Orm, not to a princess from a neighboring kingdom making demands on behalf of an unknown entity.
"All units, switch to combat configuration!" the lead guard commanded. "Princess Mera has committed treason. Arrest both her and this terrorist from the Fishermen Kingdom immediately!"
As soon as the order was given, he raised his trident and charged directly toward Ben's position.
Among the dozens of soldiers behind him, half immediately launched a coordinated assault while the other half began transforming into heavy white armor that resembled advanced deep-sea hazmat suits.
Mera prepared to join the battle, but Ben caught her wrist and pulled her back to safety.
Although this princess clearly possessed formidable combat abilities, she would be no match for this many opponents simultaneously. When the real fighting started, Ben considered her presence more of a liability than an asset.
Ripjaws' dorsal fin sliced through the viscous darkness like a living blade, his gray scales flickering with reflected light from his bioluminescent patches. He folded the webbed membranes between his fingers, feeling the familiar sting of deep-sea pressure caressing his adapted skin.
Three azure energy beams suddenly tore through the water around him!
The guards in their advanced combat suits had attacked from range, their weapons unleashing concentrated plasma that instantly caused explosive vaporization of seawater along their paths. The superheated water created massive bubble cavitation that would have been deafening in an atmosphere.
Ben's spider-sense registered the incoming threats, though the danger level was surprisingly minimal.
But rather than dodging, he had other plans.
He suddenly spread his arms wide, and the surrounding water began gathering into spiraling vortexes within his palms. Those webbed hands functioned like enormous nets, his fingers curling as if to capture the very essence of the ocean itself.
Then Ben's hands shook with tremendous force!
Whoooosh!
"Ocean Current Over-the-Shoulder Throw!"
The massive body of water stretching before him suddenly began to undulate like a living curtain. In that moment, the invisible currents became completely subject to his will, bending the incoming energy beams into harmless parabolic arcs that dispersed safely into the depths.
"Such incredible power!" Mera gasped in complete amazement.
She had never witnessed anyone control ocean currents with such delicate precision and overwhelming force simultaneously. Her captivated gaze lingered on Ben's broad back, noting how the fins along his spine radiated strength and primal authority.
You still claim you're not Aquaman?!
In truth, Ben was experimenting with his new capabilities and hadn't expected such dramatic results. While his technique wasn't quite as refined as Waterhazard's direct water manipulation, the ability to weaponize massive oceanic forces in a style reminiscent of Fish-Man Karate from One Piece was more than sufficient to create devastating tsunamis!
The guards were equally shocked by this display, but their mission parameters were clear: protect the Mother Box and repel all intruders. Retreat was not an option, so they steeled themselves and continued their assault.
At this moment, the soldiers who had initiated their charge finally reached striking distance.
The tips of their obsidian tridents glowed with dangerous energy as they pierced through the water toward Ben's position.
However, these attacks seemed to move in slow motion from Ben's enhanced perspective.
The scales along his torso suddenly flipped upward and expelled pressurized water, propelling him toward the oncoming weapons with counterintuitive timing. At the critical moment, he twisted his body to avoid the deadly points while his densely packed steel teeth clamped down on the nearest trident shaft, sending sparks cascading through the water.
In a single exchange, the weapon was severed cleanly in two.
Ben wore a predatory grin as he chewed the captured section into metallic fragments and swallowed them, then seized the remaining pieces with his free hands to use as improvised projectiles.
The guards with ranged weapons were charging their arm-mounted energy cannons for a second volley.
However, when they raised their targeting systems, the blue glow reflected off Ripjaws' terrifying visage as he materialized directly in front of them through the murky water.
Ben hurled both trident fragments with devastating accuracy.
The improvised spears pierced through the chests of two soldiers and pinned their bodies to the ancient ruins behind them.
Then, moving with fluid precision, he twisted the arms of the soldier directly in front of him, blood began spreading through the dark water like crimson clouds.
In just one brutal exchange, the power Ben had displayed left all the remaining guards paralyzed with terror. They hesitated, unsure how to proceed against such an overwhelming opponent.
Fear radiated from them like a palpable force, and while they didn't scatter like a school of startled fish, neither did they dare launch another coordinated attack.
"Retreat... retreat..." gasped the soldier whose arms Ben had twisted, his eyes rolling back as he issued weak commands through gritted teeth.
"Quick... contact the kingdom... request... immediate support..."
"That won't be happening," Ben observed, then shifted his attention to the other warriors who were already beginning to fall back in disarray.
"I don't want to kill innocent people, so, "
In the next moment, every scale on his body began opening with mechanical precision, and his arms spread wide to catch and manipulate the ocean currents to their maximum extent.
"OCEAN CURRENT OVER-THE-SHOULDER THROW!"
The entire sea region suddenly turned into chaos!
The water within a hundred-meter radius became trapped within what resembled a massive underwater washing machine. The enormous vortex of ocean current swept up all the enemies before Ben, the tremendous hydraulic forces twisting the guards' equipment and eliciting metallic groans of structural failure.
Agonized screams echoed through the depths.
But Ben couldn't hear them clearly, because the impact sounds of the ocean current forming a massive horizontal tornado had drowned out all other noise.
In the dim bioluminescent light, as if some space flush button had been pressed, all the enemies were sucked into the whirling maelstrom and battered unconscious like debris in a storm drain.
By the time the artificial tsunami subsided, the guards had been scattered like dead fish, their eyes rolled back and their bodies floating limply in the disturbed water.
"Are they all dead?" Mera asked with concern, her voice carrying genuine worry for the defeated soldiers.
"No way, they're just unconscious," Ben replied with a casual shrug. "I'm not some kind of monster."
"Well, the ones with pierced chests might be in some danger," he admitted, producing a bottle of healing serum from his equipment. "Just sprinkle some of this medicine into the seawater around them."
After tossing her the emergency medical supplies, Ben flicked his powerful tail and immediately swam deeper into the ruins.
The structure resembled a fusion of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Roman Colosseum, externally tilted but internally hollow with multiple levels of galleries and chambers. Ben grasped one of the abandoned obsidian tridents and propelled himself toward the center of the complex, following the increasingly strong energy readings from his Omnitrix.
Soon, the Mother Box radiating immense space power appeared before his eyes.
The artifact was even more magnificent than he'd expected, a perfect cube of what appeared to be living metal, its surface covered with intricate circuit patterns that pulsed with their own inner light. Energy readings suggested it was operating on principles that transcended conventional physics, existing partially in dimensions beyond normal space-time.
"The Mother Box is now in my possession," Ben declared with satisfaction.
Using the trident to carefully extract the artifact from its mounting, Ben turned and swam back toward the entrance. He found that Mera had already distributed the healing serum and was waiting for his return.
"What are you planning to do with their broken trident?" she asked curiously, noting that he'd kept one of the weapons.
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