Behind the old wooden crate, Ben clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, torn between fear and determination.
He wanted nothing more than to rush out and help his Cuz take down those monstrous beasts—but the words Lucian had spoken echoed in his mind, stopping him short. Deep down, he knew what his Cuz was doing: pushing him to face his fear of the Joker, to stop being the coward he'd been.
Taking a deep breath, Ben lowered his gaze to the eerie green glow of the Omnitrix and made a firm decision.
He was going to defeat the Joker himself.
Scanning the area, he noticed a faint blue light flickering from a nearby cave. It pulsed softly in the darkness, strange and unnerving, like something alive.
Glancing back toward the battlefield, he saw Diamondhead steadily gaining the upper hand, holding off the raging beasts with overwhelming power.
Relieved, Ben slipped quietly into the dark cave, vanishing as if swallowed whole by some unseen creature.
...
At the Circus Camp, a maze of tents sprawled across the grounds. Broken cages stood open beneath the cold silver moonlight, their iron bars twisted and bent.
A fierce, earth-shaking battle was unfolding under the icy night sky.
Wind howled. Dust billowed. The cracked ground split apart, spreading black fissures in every direction like webs spun by a monstrous spider.
Eliza sat astride a massive rhinoceros, smiling as she watched Diamondhead surrounded and besieged. Her lips were crimson, her skin pale, her beauty dazzling even amidst the chaos.
The circus trio, however, was nowhere to be seen—they had disappeared completely.
At the center of the battlefield lay deep craters from pounding hooves, savage claw marks gouged into the earth, and countless crystal spikes jutting upward.
Faced with the horde of frenzied beasts, Diamondhead finally stopped holding back. He unleashed his full power, cutting through them without mercy.
The monsters came from every direction, their eyes glowing pink, their snarls echoing like thunder. Under Eliza's enchantment, their bodies shimmered with a faint rosy light that vastly enhanced their strength and defense, making them deadlier than ever.
Within mere moments of combat, Lucian realized how dangerous they were. These enhanced creatures fought on par with the bio-mutants created by Dr. Animo. The rampaging elephant before him was easily as strong as the mammoth from the Prehistoric Museum.
MOO!
The maddened elephant bellowed, swinging its enormous trunk with terrifying speed and power. The air cracked as it came crashing down toward Diamondhead.
Diamondhead raised both arms, summoning a shimmering crystal shield above him that expanded to envelop his entire body.
BOOM!
The trunk struck like a giant iron whip, slamming into the barrier and leaving it covered in a web of fine cracks.
But Diamondhead's crystalline form had been strengthened—its durability increased by twenty-five percent. Even under Eliza's spell, the elephant's raw power wasn't enough to break through his defense.
CRACK!
With a sharp sound, Diamondhead burst out from behind the shield. His crystalline form moved like lightning, dodging the attacks of the other beasts as he lunged straight at the elephant.
The colossal beast showed no fear. It raised its massive foot high, blotting out the moonlight, and stomped down in an attempt to crush him.
Diamondhead's eyes hardened. He slammed his fist into the ground.
BOOM!
A colossal crystal mountain erupted upward from beneath the elephant, glowing emerald-green under the moonlight. Sand and dirt exploded skyward, raining down gently over the glittering crystalline slope.
At the mountain's sharp peak, the elephant thrashed violently, its pink eyes blazing with fury and bloodlust. It kicked and writhed, desperate to break free—but the razor peak had already impaled its abdomen.
No matter how it struggled, there was no escape.
Diamondhead raised his hand and summoned a gleaming halberd of pure crystal. With a powerful swing, he hurled it upward at the massive elephant.
Crack—!
The halberd tore through the air with immense force, shattering the glowing aura around the beast before piercing straight through its body, striking deep into its chest.
Atop the crystal mountain, the elephant thrashed twice before its glowing eyes dimmed, a trace of clarity flickering within them. But its life force was fading fast—it wouldn't last much longer.
Even after bringing down the elephant, Diamondhead didn't relax. More beasts were charging in from every direction.
The situation was dire. He had no choice but to fight ruthlessly. If he let himself get bogged down too long, once his transformation time ran out, the consequences would be catastrophic.
He still had one last trump card—but he wasn't ready to use it yet.
"ROAR!"
A powerful lion, its neck covered in thick, bristling mane, launched itself like a cannonball. Its massive claws gleamed as it lunged at Diamondhead.
From the opposite side, the white tiger burst from a ruined tent, its fur matted with dirt and dust, muscles tensing as it bounded forward. With a tremendous leap, it slashed down at him with dagger-like claws.
One from the left, one from the right—an attack meant to crush him completely.
In a flash, Diamondhead lifted his arm, forming a crystalline staff that extended across his body.
With a surge of will, the staff expanded at blinding speed. Its hardened tips struck outward, slamming into both beasts and sending them crashing to the ground.
"What a big stick..." Eliza blinked in surprise, her eyes wide.
"The game's over."
Diamondhead's low growl rumbled as he charged straight into the horde.
From the heart of the beast pack, countless sharp crystal spikes exploded outward in all directions, glittering with cold, deadly light. They sliced through the air like a storm of blades, cutting down everything around them.
Under the devastating assault, the frenzied beasts were skewered in an instant, their bodies riddled with crystal spikes until they looked like grotesque hedgehogs.
They howled in pain, and in their final moments, their eyes cleared—then dimmed forever.
"Your turn."
With a single bound, Diamondhead appeared before Eliza.
She sat gracefully atop her rhinoceros, her eyes glowing with an eerie pink light that reflected in his golden gaze.
Diamondhead froze, his body locking in place. His pupils began to glow pink, confusion and resistance flickering across his face.
"Dear Diamond, I'm your little darling~"
Eliza leapt lightly from the rhino's back, walking toward him with slow, deliberate steps. The air around her carried a sweet, intoxicating scent.
Her pale fingers brushed against his face, tracing slowly downward as her voice slipped out—soft, lazy, dangerously sweet.
"So, you belong to me. From now on, you'll obey my every command~"
"You'll do whatever I tell you~"
"No questions. No resistance~"
Her voice whispered through his ears like a siren's song from the depths of hell—irresistible, consuming, seductive.
Diamondhead's eyes glowed brighter with pink light. A primal heat rose within him, his self-control slipping away under the pull of Eliza's power.
He clutched his head, gritting his teeth. He knew that if this continued, he would fall completely under her control—reduced to nothing more than her puppet.
Watching his struggle, Eliza laughed softly, her tone dripping with satisfaction. "As long as the target's male—whether animal, human, or alien freak—none can resist my charm~"
"Don't worry, Diamond. I'll take good care of you..."
Diamondhead's eyes narrowed. "Target... male?"
"Hahaha, that's right!" Eliza giggled, twirling one of her blue-and-white ponytails. "I can only control the opposite sex. It's just how my ability works~"
"I see..." Diamondhead's lips curved upward slightly.
"But so what? It's not like you can change your gender now, can you?" Eliza teased, her hand resting on his crystal chest, her expression smug and playful.
"That's not necessarily true."
Before his last trace of reason was lost, Diamondhead clenched his crystalline fist. Three alien silhouettes flashed through his mind as he muttered in a low, focused voice—
"Big Chill."