Chapter 164: One Last Gamble
Hugo found himself floating in absolute darkness. It was a space darker than anything he had seen before... Even darker than the space Spell pulls its carriers into during appraisals.
It was more sinister as well... As if he was drowning in a sea of corruption.
Upon further inspection, Hugo found out that the space was not totally black, but instead a dark shade of crimson that he had mistaken for black due to its vulgar nature.
'Am I dead?'
Hugo wondered if this is the fate that awaited people after their death, after all no one in the modern era knew what happened after your life ends.
But no, he could not be dead, at least not yet...
Realizing his shadow was there, he realized that he was, in fact, not dead.
Groaning, Hugo slowly remembered what happened and how he had ended up here.
He had lost again to that abomination... And was consumed by it.
Malware had proved to be far more powerful than Hugo, and in truth, it was the only possible outcome. Hugo had gotten overconfident in his abilities, perhaps because he was the strongest Ascended in this world, or perhaps because he had experienced being a god once, making everything seem slightly inferior.
He had slain many powerful abominations after all, so he thought he could kill or defeat anything that came his way, including Malware.
He had paid for his arrogance and more importantly, two innocent lives were gone... Just like that, extinguished forever.
They had burned in his flames and died as a result. Their death was on him, even if he was tricked into doing it by Malware.
Does he even deserve to live, after what he had done?
'No... But the people outside still need me.'
If he stays here, Malware would destroy Erebus Field and devour everyone there. His vessels would also be enslaved for all of eternity, so he could not allow that to happen.
No matter how guilty he felt right now, what mattered more right now was defeating Malware.
'What to do...
He could try transforming.
Grabbing the Omnitrix, Hugo tried to change forms, mainly to Ghostfreak, as it was the only alien with soul like abilities.
However, it did not work.
Looking deep within himself, he found his Aspect blocked by a sinister, malevolent will.
No doubt that of Malware.
Without his Aspect, Hugo felt naked, worse than that, he felt powerless, Utterly and completely powerless...
He couldn't access his soul sea as well. Even his connection to the nightmare spell was blocked, making it impossible to summon echoes or memories.
His shadow was facing the same problem, unable to manifest physically or transform.
Looking deep within himself, he saw that even the Spirit Body had assumed its most natural form, that of his spirit and could not be manifested.
There was nothing he could do.
But deep within himself, he felt something outside. A part of himself that had not died, but continued existing, aimlessly and without purpose.
It was his minions, who he had created using parts of himself.
Tyrant minions were slightly more independent that of terrors, as they were separate from the Tyrant. Terror minions, on the other hand, were mostly an extension of the Terror, making their connection much more powerful yet taking away the individuality of the minions.
Without their individuality, they had no room for growth or ascension.
Of course, at the Ascended rank, that connection was not so powerful that Hugo could control them from afar. At best he could only sense them, but as for deep commands, he would need the [Crown of Falsehood] for that.
But he did think he could give them simple instructions, even from such a distance.
But what could they do? It's not like they were powerful enough to fight Malware, nor could they ask for help.
Even Saints would be eaten alive by this monster, who devoured both creatures and technology alike.
...
'Why am I here?'
That was a cryptic question. He knew he was here because he was absorbed by Malware, who had lusted for the Omnitrix for thousands of years.
But that was not the real answer.
The real answer was one much more simple, and much more brutal.
'I'm weak...'
He was too weak to overcome a Corrupted Terror, he was too weak to save the people of the bunker, and he was too weak to change the world and reshape it in his image.
Weakness, in this world, was the only sin.
But he was not weak because the world dictated it, no... He was too weak because he had chosen to hold himself back.
He had focused on his friends, saving people and allowed himself moments of respite instead of chasing after power at every waking moment.
By now, he should have been in the Third Nightmare, desperately seeking Transcendence.
Transcendence...
Was there anyone, in any world, who craved it more than Hugo did?
That was especially the case right now... But alas there was no way he could achieve it..
Or was there?
The archives of the Omnitrix did not hold any methods of achieving Transcendence naturally, however it did document The Transcendent rank for various species and what unique trait each lifeform possessed at the Transcendent rank, which gave Hugo insight to what a Transcendent being looked like, even if it was purely theoretical.
He had also remembered what Lord Asterion told him clearly.
The path of ascension, in its truest form, is simply a matter of amassing quantity disguised as cultivating quality.
To ascend... He needed to consume.
It seemed that the conversation he had with Lord Asterion was not so useless after all.
'The story of the mad demigod Kanakht who had tried to consume his people to become a god...'
The mad king had failed in his attempt, not because his method was flawed but because he was stopped by a dreadful daemon... But there was no daemon to stop Hugo right now.
He had hundreds of minions running around right now, each carrying the power of their Awakened souls.
Creatures grew by killing and devouring souls and his minions were no different. Each kill made them stronger, and elevated their souls slightly... However they were incapable of ranking up due to their nature and the lack of desire in their spirits.
Still, with each of the souls they absorbed in Antarctica, and the original powers they possessed, he could use that to push his soul beyond its limits and elevate himself to the Transcendent rank, much like what Kanakht had done in the ancient past.
'The story of Kanakht is the key...'
Cassie knew this was going to happen and it seems she had ensured this was the only outcome.
'How cruel of her...'
Whether he should be angry or glad, he did not know. What he knew was that he needed to act right now...
This dangerous method was a gamble, the most dangerous gamble in the whole world, two worlds in fact.
In fact, he was not even sure it would work. After all, the Transcendent rank has other requirements besides expanding your soul...
He could die or become the most powerful Transcendent being in the world.
Closing his eyes and opening them again, Hugo let out a long sigh.
"I'm sorry..."
And with that, a mental command was sent to each of his minions, one not complicated enough for them to understand.
It was plain and simple, containing only two words.
Kill yourself.
All over Antarctica, in Erebus Field and in Falcon Scott, his minions obeyed the word of their lord.
The Stone Saints knelt on the ground in unison, raising their dark blades and drove them into their chests.
The Dragons roared in the skies as they soared towards the atmosphere of space.
There, without air, they quickly died to the lack of oxygen, and their Awakened bodies fell down to the earth, burning from the pressure and disappearing into sparks of essence.
The Necrofriggians allowed their ice to consume them, reaching towards the deepest parts of their hearts and encasing them in ice, before shattering them with their own hands.
The Vaxasaurians, being the most powerful physically, simply did one thing.
They grabbed their heads and brutally snapped their necks, causing their bodies to fall down like empty sacks to the ground, nearly causing an earthquake from the impact.
All of their souls, hundreds of them, rushed towards their lord as he called them back.
The influx of souls startled Malware, who was in the process of assimilating the Omnitrix.
They passed right through him, into the deepest parts of his being, where Hugo was.
Hugo gasped as he felt the influx of souls slam into his being, reaching into his Omni-Cores and saturating them with latent power.
He felt his soul burning brightly, yet he did not assimilate that essence normally like he usually does when reabsorbing his minions after battles.
Instead, he absorbed them in the way he did when absorbing soul shards, using them to improve the innate qualities of his soul.
He screamed in pain as he felt himself grow vaster, more powerful, and infinitely more.
His soul, body, spirit, mind, and shadow all were bathed by the waves of soul essence.
And deep within his vast soul, something stirred. It was the [Flames of Divinity], that burning fire of divinity soared like pyres, illuminating every part of him.
All of this was too much for his Ascended soul to bear, so it naturally began to expand rapidly.
Cracks formed over his Ascended Cores as they were overwhelmed by the amount of soul essence and divinity that was pushed into them.
The Omnitrix was the first to speak:
[Your Omnitrix is growing stronger]
[Your Omnitrix has grown stronger]
[Your Omni-Core is taking shape]
The Omnitrix kept repeating this phrase over and over, and Hugo felt himself grow vaster and vaster, beyond limits, beyond what was naturally possible.
If he had the ability to bring out his runes right now he would've seen:
Omni-Cores [10/7].... [11/7].... [14/7]...
Rank: Ascended...
Rank: Asce...
Rank: Tra...
Rank: Transc...
[The fifth seal i...]
The Nightmare Spell did not finish its sentence as it quickly realized that Hugo was not undergoing natural Transcendence but Instead forcing his soul to Transcend.
His scream reached Malware, who had sensed what Hugo was doing and attempted to use his authority to stop him.
But it was too late.
In the depths of his soul, all the omni cores that had been created in his soul suddenly exploded into hundreds of shards, falling gracefully into the maze...
And slowly, those shards started rising once again, forming a beautiful radiant core...
His eyes glowed bright blue, as his body was engulfed in azure light, pushing the crimson darkness away, at the same time, rocks formed over his body and omni energy replaced his skin. It was as if he had utilized his Awakened ability on his human form.
His soul suddenly stopped shaking as the agony finally stopped.
His runes said the following:
Name: Hugo
True Name: Daemon of Change
Rank: Transcendent
Omni-Cores: [1/7]
Class: Beast