Boom!
Blinding blue-and-white lightning flooded the corridor ahead, exploding with a thunderous roar.
Feedback went all out, rebounding the hundreds of lasers it had absorbed in one savage release, the counterattack ferocious beyond measure.
As the searing light gradually faded, the scene inside came into view.
The once-smooth corridor was now riddled with craters. The ground was carpeted with red wreckage, scattered components and severed cables strewn in every direction, charred black and still belching thick smoke.
In a single exchange, hundreds of warrior robots had been wiped out.
"Such terrifying firepower…" Shadow Death Guard's eyes flickered with shock.
Inside the control room, Slix Vigma stared wide-eyed, clutching his head.
"That's… a Conductoid! Damn it!"
"All four champions throughout history have betrayed me. Since you're all courting death, I'll grant your wish!"
With a furious command, Slix Vigma deployed every remaining robot aboard the ship, teleporting them to the corridor outside the cafeteria.
Five hundred warrior robots surged forward in dense ranks, wielding blades and massive axes. Fearless and relentless, they charged ahead at full speed.
Slix Vigma's database contained records on Conductoids. Knowing they could absorb energy-based attacks, he abandoned laser fire entirely and ordered the robots into close combat instead.
"This is bad! There are too many of them!" Technorg roared.
Swinging his flail with all his strength, he smashed open the cafeteria doors and stormed inside.
The others followed close behind, charging into the cafeteria as well.
The moment Technorg entered, he threw his head back and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Brothers, the time to fight back has come!
We don't belong here! We were all captured by Slix Vigma! He forced us to fight for entertainment, just so he could rake in profit!"
Blood Shadow Tiger stepped forward, raising a clenched fist.
"That's right! You risk your lives every single day, and what do you get in return? A pile of purple sludge!
Brothers, don't you want to go home? Don't you miss your families?"
"Join the resistance!" Shadow Death Guard called out loudly.
"With us four former champions leading you, we will defeat Slix Vigma!"
"Rise up with us!" Technorg's voice thundered.
"Rise up with us!" Blood Shadow Tiger echoed.
"Rise up with us!" Shadow Death Guard repeated.
Hundreds of aliens in the cafeteria froze in place, shock and disbelief written across their faces. Everything was happening far too suddenly.
Then, an Octopus alien stepped forward.
"Friends, now is the time to resist!" he shouted, his eyes burning with resolve.
"With several champions leading us, why should we still fear Slix Vigma?"
"If we don't fight back now, then when? Ten years from now? A hundred?"
"By then, everyone we once knew back home will be dead and buried! Are you really willing to live as slaves forever?"
His words grew more impassioned by the second, striking straight at the hearts of his fellow prisoners.
"That's right! Why should we be enslaved?"
"Defeat Slix Vigma! Give us back our freedom!"
"Charge! Kill anyone who stands in our way!"
"Kill! Kill!"
.....
The entire cafeteria erupted. Voices clashed and roared together as countless aliens were swept up in the frenzy. Flames burned in their eyes now, filled with an overwhelming hunger for freedom.
"Oh yeah! We can finally go back to Earth!" Ben shouted excitedly as he was carried along by the crowd.
Kevin snorted coldly.
"When we catch Slix Vigma, I'm beating it to a pulp."
Thud!
A flash of eerie green light flared as Ben transformed into Ghostfreak.
"Hey, buddy, I don't feel like being tied to you anymore~"
Ghostfreak chuckled, shifting into a spectral state and slipping free of the soul-binding shackles.
"Works for me," Kevin replied with a cold sneer.
At that moment, the five hundred robots reached the cafeteria entrance, just seconds from breaking in.
"You three hold them off," Feedback said, its single green eye fixed on Shadow Death Guard and the others.
"I'll help remove the controllers!"
"No problem!" Blood Shadow Tiger roared.
He transformed into a savage beast and slammed headlong into the robot horde.
Technorg, massive and unstoppable, swung his giant hammer in wide arcs, smashing robots apart like toys, one blow at a time.
Shadow Death Guard's arms surged with purple shadow energy, his aura climbing rapidly. His figure flickered, turning into a living blade as he carved through the robots at extreme speed, severing heads one after another.
Three legendary champions were more than enough to hold back five hundred red robots, as long as the controllers remained inactive.
Seizing the opportunity, Feedback moved among the other aliens, tearing off their controllers one by one while absorbing stray electrical energy to further strengthen itself.
After their controllers were removed, Ghostfreak and Kevin immediately stormed out of the cafeteria and threw themselves into the chaos of the fight, beating down the warrior robots and taking a huge load off Shadow Death Guard and the others.
Blue sparks crackled beneath Feedback's feet. It moved insanely fast, like a gust of wind weaving through the crowd of aliens, constantly reaching out to yank the controllers from their bodies.
The aliens who had been imprisoned for years had long been simmering with endless resentment and rage. The moment their restraints came off, they let out fierce roars and surged forward like beasts breaking out of their cages.
As more and more aliens poured out of the cafeteria, the hundreds of robots were swallowed by the mob almost instantly, crushed into countless pieces that scattered across the floor in jagged fragments.
Once the robots were dealt with, Feedback led the entire group of aliens straight into the main control room.
The second Kevin saw Slix Vigma, his teeth clenched so hard it looked like they might crack. He charged forward on thick legs, crossed the distance in a blink, and seized Slix Vigma in his fist.
"You freak! Weren't you pretty tough earlier? Now I'm gonna make you pay!"
As he spoke, Kevin moved to rip Slix Vigma in half.
Zzzzt!
A streak of blue lightning flashed, blasting Kevin backward and slamming him into the wall.
"It can't die yet," Feedback said with a grin, pulling back its smoking fingers.
"Why?" Blood Shadow Tiger demanded, completely baffled. "Shouldn't we kill this thing right now?"
Feedback lifted Slix Vigma with one hand.
"It's the core of the control room, the one that controls all the ship's electronic systems. If we want to activate the emergency escape pod switch, we still need it."
Shadow Death Guard stood in his armor, a faint purple aura curling off him as his brilliant golden eyes suddenly lit up.
"Then we force it to open the emergency escape pods. That way, we can all go home."
"Heh heh… keep dreaming. I'd rather die than help you," Slix Vigma sneered coldly.
Technorg raised his flail.
"If you won't help, I'll smash you into scrap metal!"
Feedback waved a hand, stopping Technorg.
"No need to make things that complicated. I have a way to activate the escape pods."
The moment the aliens heard that, they lit up with joy, all of them turning to Feedback with eager, hopeful eyes.
Feedback tapped the Omnitrix on its chest, and a crimson glow burst out…