Crack...
Cracks began to spread across the meteorite's surface, forming a dense spiderweb pattern that rapidly expanded outward.
"Hiss!" The meteorite let out a hoarse screech as its body trembled violently. The layer of pitch-black, charred soil on its surface rustled loose and crumbled away, revealing the shell beneath.
Thick smoke and dust billowed into the air, the noise and movement immense. Only after the haze began to settle did everyone finally see the meteorite's true form.
It was a colossal alien tick.
Its pink exoskeleton was etched with complex, ancient patterns. From its mouth extended blood-red tentacles that writhed and twisted madly. Along its massive sides, tough, jet-black legs gleamed with a metallic sheen as they drove deep into the soft earth, anchoring it like the roots of a great tree—firm and unyielding.
As if that weren't enough, the creature opened its mouth and let out a guttural roar. The crimson tentacles burrowed into the ground, greedily sucking at something unseen.
"What the hell is this thing?" Grandpa Max frowned, baffled. Despite all his years of experience, he'd never seen anything like it. It was as if the monster had appeared out of nowhere.
"Ugh, don't tell me it's more trouble," Gwen groaned, clearly annoyed. Their park trip was about to be ruined again. It felt like every outing turned into a mess—either monsters or villains, never peace.
"Relax, Gwen. With this hero around, no alien freak can cause any trouble!" Ben pounded his chest confidently.
Lucian stepped forward, studying the creature's massive shell. The sight stirred a faint memory.
If he remembered correctly, this thing absorbed Earth's energy and devoured it, eventually leading to planetary destruction. It was hard on the outside but soft within—its shell nearly impenetrable, yet its organs inside were fragile. In the original story, Ben had destroyed it using Cannonbolt.
"It seems to be absorbing Earth's energy," Lucian said, feigning a thoughtful tone. "We can't just sit back and do nothing. This thing looks like a parasite to me. Let's take it down."
"Hell yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking!" Ben shouted, already itching for a fight. He slammed his hand onto the Omnitrix and began cycling through his hero options.
"Ben, let me—"
Before Lucian could finish, a sharp whooshing sound echoed from above.
Everyone looked up, tension creeping through them.
A circular spaceship hovered high overhead, sleek and metallic, bathed in a silvery glow.
The hatch opened slowly, and three figures floated out.
At the front was a tall, slender alien with blue frog-like eyes. Dressed in white, his drooping eyelids gave him a perpetually sleepy, lazy look.
To his left stood a short, burly warrior with four yellow eyes and a large purple double-bladed axe gripped in his hands, his expression fierce and hostile.
On the right was a thin, small alien with six arms and yellow skin. His expression was twisted and sinister, giving off an eerie vibe.
All three had a circular purple device embedded in their foreheads—some sort of weapon—and each stood atop a hovering platform.
Suspended high above, they looked down on everyone below with unmistakable arrogance.
The leader, Frog Eyes, spoke first, floating before the massive insect. He spread his arms wide, expression reverent, and proclaimed loudly,
"Rejoice! It has arrived! This is its great glory, reserved solely for it!"
"Who are you?" Grandpa Max demanded coldly.
"We are faithful servants, followers of the Great One, who has descended here with us," Frog Eyes replied, his voice ethereal and slow.
"I heard this planet has billions of humans," the Purple Axe Alien said, baring his jagged teeth. "Too bad—they'll all be extinct soon."
"Hey, weirdos! You here to fight? This hero's ready for you!" Ben snarled, clearly ready for a brawl.
"No, we cherish peace," Frog Eyes answered calmly, almost with scholarly poise.
"Yeah, right. That's what every alien says before stabbing us in the back," Gwen shot back, her tone full of disbelief.
"This filthy planet deserves destruction," the Purple Axe Alien sneered, twisting his face into an ugly grin.
"Shhh!" The Six-Armed Yellow Alien flew forward, pressing itself against the insect's shell as if listening intently. "Silence, all of you. The Great One is speaking to me."
"I don't hear anything," Gwen muttered, baffled. The yellow six-armed alien looked completely deranged—like some self-proclaimed prophet pretending to commune with the divine.
"Only I can understand its voice." The six-armed alien spread his arms wide, clinging tightly to the insect's shell. His eyes darted rapidly as if he were truly hearing something.
"What's it saying?" Ben asked curiously.
"The Great One says that tonight, under the full moon, this planet will be purified," the yellow alien declared with pious conviction.
"Purified? What does that mean?" Grandpa Max's face darkened, a sense of dread creeping in.
Frog Eyes glided forward on his Hoverboard until he hovered before them. The purple orb on his forehead flared to life, projecting a holographic image into the air.
It was a planet, with a gigantic insect crawling across its surface—identical to the one before them.
Frog Eyes pressed his palms together and spoke with fervent devotion. "We follow the Great One from planet to planet, from system to system, for it once revealed a divine miracle on our world!"
As the projection played, the insect's legs burrowed deep into the ground, spreading like the roots of a massive tree. In moments, they reached the planet's core—until finally, with a deafening boom, the planet was torn apart, disintegrating into a cloud of ash.
"Behold its magnificent miracle! Its tentacles stretch and retract at will, piercing the heart of every world, corroding it from within, and consuming it entirely!" Frog Eyes continued fervently.
"So our planet will end up like that too—destroyed by this Great One?" Gwen asked, her tone thoughtful but uneasy.
"Indeed. Give thanks for the Great One's purification!" Frog Eyes lifted both hands high and proclaimed loudly.
"Heh, for humans, that's what you'd call the end of the world!" the Purple Axe Alien jeered, flashing a mouthful of uneven yellow teeth before shouting, "Celebrate!"
"Celebrate!"
"Celebrate!"
The three chanted in unison, their mocking voices making Ben's blood boil.
"Celebrate my ass!" Ben growled, slamming his hand down on the Omnitrix.
Thud!
A flash of green light burst out, and Stinkfly emerged.
"Hero's here!" Stinkfly spread his wings, whipping up a fierce gust of wind as he charged straight at the trio.
"Filthy creatures, do not disrupt the Great One's miracle!" Frog Eyes shouted as a beam of purple energy shot from the orb on his forehead.
The Purple Axe Alien's eyes gleamed with malice. He swung his massive energy axe, unleashing waves of purple energy that slashed through the air toward Stinkfly.
In an instant, Stinkfly and the trio were locked in a furious aerial battle, attacks colliding in bursts of light and wind.
Meanwhile, Lucian stood near the Great One, feeling the soil beneath his feet darken and rot—its texture soft and slick, like melting, spoiled chocolate.
He turned toward the distant forest and saw it decaying at an alarming speed. Trees withered and collapsed, the ground shriveling as all energy was drained away, leaving nothing but foul, black sludge.
The terrifying phenomenon spread rapidly, sweeping outward in all directions.
If this continued, the entire Earth would be drained dry, then explode—vanishing from the universe entirely.
[Ding~ Triggered Alien Hacker Mission]
[Eliminate the evil Great One and save Earth from destruction]
[Successfully completing this mission will unlock a random powerful hero]
A series of mechanical tones echoed in Lucian's mind.
A powerful hero? Which alien would it be this time? Way Big? Or maybe Alien X…Clockwork?
[Guess for yourself]
This system... seriously, what's the point of you?
"Forget it. Let's deal with this so-called Great One first," Lucian muttered decisively.
"Grandpa, I'll take down the big bug. You and Gwen, find somewhere safe to hide."
With that, Lucian transformed into Cannonbolt, curling tightly into a spinning sphere and launching himself straight toward the giant insect's gaping maw...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake