The instant she touched the freezing air, Harley Quinn was encased in ice, her body solidifying into a crystal-clear statue that shimmered under the cold moonlight.
Big Chill lifted one claw, ready to crush the ice sculpture to pieces.
[Ding~ Host, please let go of your killing intent. Be careful not to kill the alluring Harley Quinn.]
[Successfully completing the task will grant a random reward.]
A series of mechanical prompts echoed in his mind.
Lucian, in the form of Big Chill, was already used to such interruptions.
He lowered his claw, withdrawing the attack. Then, phasing into his ghostly state, his form flickered and slipped effortlessly through Eliza's frozen body.
Crack—crackle—
The crystalline statue began to melt rapidly, turning into a pool of clear water that revealed the Joker Girl within.
If he had left her that way, she would have frozen to death.
[Congratulations, Host, on suppressing your killing intent.]
[You have obtained the seamless transformation effect.]
[Description: Within your transformation duration, you may switch between two Alien Heroes once without delay. However, the combined total time of both forms cannot exceed the current available duration.]
Big Chill blinked, then smiled faintly.
So now he could swap alien forms once during a single transformation cycle. Though his current limit was only fifteen minutes, both forms combined would share that same timer.
Still, since the Omnitrix's duration varied with environmental factors, Lucian wasn't too worried.
Freed from the ice, Eliza stood soaked to the bone, her hair clinging to her face and her body dripping with melted frost.
She looked up at Big Chill, her wide eyes filled with fear. But she didn't dare run. She knew she wouldn't get far.
"Um... you..." she stammered, her voice trembling, unsure of what to say—afraid that one wrong word could seal her fate.
Big Chill exhaled sharply, the air around him frosting over. He grabbed her by the collar and glared straight into her eyes.
"You said you knew where Zombozo was. Were you lying?"
His gaze was cold and merciless—utterly serious.
Eliza nearly broke down crying. She shook her head desperately, her twin ponytails swinging like rattles. "N-no! I swear I wasn't lying! I wouldn't dare deceive you, not even if I had a hundred lives!"
Just as Big Chill was about to respond, a brilliant flash of blue light erupted behind him, the explosion rumbling like thunder.
He turned, his expression darkening.
"That's... the direction of the circus!"
Without hesitation, he tossed the clown girl aside and unfurled his wide, sky-blue wings.
With a single beat, he shot into the air like a streak of ice, racing toward the source of the light at incredible speed.
Left behind, Eliza sat trembling on the ground, her drenched figure motionless, her eyes wide in shock.
She looked up at the empty sky, wanting to cry—but no tears came.
...
Half an hour earlier.
Ben Tennyson stepped cautiously into the cave, guided only by the faint glow of the flames flickering along the walls.
Each step felt heavier than the last. His heart pounded in his chest, terrified that at any second, the terrifying clown might jump out of the shadows.
He didn't know how long he had been walking when he finally reached the end of the cave. But just as relief began to settle in, unease crept back over him—he had entered a strange chamber.
The dark room was lined with tall mirrors on both sides of a narrow, muddy path.
From the ceiling above hung a single candle—its sickly white flame flickered weakly, reflecting endlessly through the mirrors, twisting the space into something eerie and distorted.
Ben swallowed hard, inching forward, searching for an exit.
As he stepped into the center of the mirrored corridor, the polished surfaces suddenly multiplied his reflection—countless Bens staring back at him.
"So it's you, little mouse, sneaking into my home," a sinister voice echoed. "Perfect timing—I was just getting hungry! Hehehehehe!"
The reflections in the mirrors shifted instantly, transforming into countless Zombozos.
Their ghastly faces twisted under the ghostly candlelight, eyes filled with venomous delight, as if they were ready to tear him apart.
Ben froze, fear flooding his body, and instinct screamed at him to run.
But then—his Cuz's voice echoed in his mind.
"Be fiercer than him. Be stronger than him. And he'll be the one who's afraid."
Ben stopped mid-step. Slowly, he straightened his back, clenching his fists as his fear melted into determination.
He glared at the mirror, locking eyes with the army of Zombozos.
"Don't think I'm scared of you! I'm a superhero! Beating up a gross clown like you is easy!"
Zombozo blinked in surprise before bursting into maniacal laughter. "Excellent! Then come down here and play with me!"
Thud!
The ground beneath Ben collapsed in an instant, swallowing him into endless darkness.
...
Under the dim, yellow light, Ben lay motionless on a dusty, cracked stage.
Not far away stood a massive machine, covered in tangled pipes and studded with glowing blue orbs. Inside each orb, faint white shadows flickered, releasing haunting wails that echoed through the room.
If Lucian had been there, he would have recognized it immediately—the Psyclown Machine, designed to drain human joy.
"Wake up, kid," Zombozo sneered, leaning over the unconscious Ben before kicking him sharply in the side.
Ben gasped and jolted awake, springing upright in alarm.
"Good. You're awake," Zombozo grinned, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "Now let's see what you can do."
Ben clenched his fists, forcing down the fear boiling inside him, and raised the Omnitrix on his wrist.
Four Arms. Diamondhead. Heatblast...
He hesitated. "No... they're strong, but not scary enough."
His eyes hardened.
If the clown was terrifying—then he'd just have to become something even more terrifying.
"Hey, kid. You ready? Because I'm about to begin."
Zombozo stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the blue orbs embedded in his arms pulsing with flashes of white light—each one brimming with stolen human joy.
"Got it!" Ben's eyes lit up as he slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.
Thud!
His skin turned pale and cracked with dark fissures. A single purple eye gleamed from his chest, radiating a chilling, deathly aura—like a specter risen straight from hell.
Ghostfreak floated in midair, his cold gaze locked on Zombozo.
Zombozo blinked in surprise, then broke into mocking laughter. "Ha! I thought you'd turned into something impressive, but this? Just a second-rate magic trick! Pathetic!"
"Is that so?" Ghostfreak rasped, his voice low and hollow. "Then let's see if you're still laughing in a minute."
Before Zombozo could react, Ghostfreak's body began to fade, dissolving into the air until he vanished completely.
Zombozo's expression twisted in alarm. He spun around, scanning the shadows.
A cold breath crept up behind him.
Before he could turn, a force slammed into him like a hammer, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the massive machine nearby.
Zombozo gritted his teeth, forcing down his panic. He staggered to his feet, grabbed one of the machine's thick pipes, and drove it straight into his back.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the room. The blue canisters on the Psyclown machine glowed violently, the white shadows inside writhing and churning in chaos.
Moments later, the energy merged into a blinding blue beam that burst upward, tearing through the ceiling and streaking toward the sky.
Streams of stolen joy flowed endlessly into Zombozo's body, his power swelling at a terrifying pace.
Ghostfreak's expression darkened. This isn't good. He shot forward, trying to stop the flow of energy.
But as he phased through the air and swung a punch toward Zombozo, the clown easily sidestepped.
"Too slow," Zombozo sneered, swinging his fist backward. His punch landed hard, sending Ghostfreak crashing into a wall.
"So… strong…" Ghostfreak groaned, his voice rasping as he pulled himself free from the cracked surface.
For several minutes, the two battled fiercely. But as Zombozo continued to absorb power, his strength only grew—each strike heavier, faster, more brutal. He was turning into a monster.
In the end, Ghostfreak couldn't keep up. An explosion from a rigged gift box sent him flying across the stage, his battered form landing hard among the broken boards, his body covered in deep gashes and burns.
Meanwhile, Zombozo absorbed the last of the energy from the Psyclown. His aura swelled until the air itself seemed to shudder.
Throwing his hands high, his grin split wide with madness. "I've absorbed the joy of everyone in this town! There's no one left who can stop me!"
"This filthy world will soon belong to me—Zombozo, the Clown King!"
As his laughter echoed, a streak of blue light pierced through the darkness and burst into the chamber like a meteor.
Big Chill emerged from the shadows, his icy gaze sweeping briefly over Zombozo before landing beside Ghostfreak.
"Cuz… you're here," Ghostfreak rasped, his voice weak but relieved. He glanced at the familiar emblem on Big Chill's chest.
Lucian felt a strange sense of unease at hearing Ben's tone directed at him. It was still surreal seeing his cousin trapped inside that eerie alien form.
"I couldn't beat him," Ghostfreak admitted, shame thick in his voice. "He's too strong."
"You did well," Big Chill said calmly. "You faced him head-on—and that already means something."
"So… what now?" Ghostfreak asked hoarsely.
"We take him down."
With that, Big Chill spread his massive wings. A surge of freezing wind burst forth as he shot upward toward Zombozo.
Ghostfreak's single eye gleamed faintly. A ragged laugh escaped him. "Heh… then let's do this together."
From opposite sides, two ghostly figures—one wreathed in icy blue mist, the other cloaked in shadow—rushed forward, their powers intertwining as they launched their assault on Zombozo...