Chapter 250: A Misunderstanding? Just Giving Them A Way Out
Honestly, the Red Commander was more than just a little flustered at this exact moment. His usually rigid posture had crumbled, and his breathing grew shallow.
After all, the being standing before him bore a symbol that was universally recognized across the entire Milky Way Galaxy. It was the absolute mark of someone you simply did not provoke under any circumstances.
Vilgax's relentless drone legions, the warmongering fleets of the Incursean Empire, the absolute genetic supremacy of the Highbreed armada... which one of those terrifying cosmic forces had not been beaten into a miserable pulp by the wielder of that watch?
Although the Red Commander took great pride in his planet's military strength, believing his forces held a respectable position in the universe, he was entirely self-aware. He knew his armies were absolutely no match for the likes of the Incurseans, let alone the Highbreed.
If even those galactic superpowers were dealt with so miserably, what chance did his local planetary militia have?
"Uh... do you think there is a possibility that this entire situation is actually just a massive misunderstanding?" the Red Commander stammered, his voice cracking slightly as he took a cautious half-step backward.
"I haven't even said why I am here yet," the alien speedster replied, his voice carrying a distinct, metallic edge.
"Whatever you are going to say, I assure you, it is a misunderstanding."
A blinding flash of dark blue light illuminated the rocky terrain. The sleek, armored form of XLR8 vanished, reverting into the casual, completely unbothered figure of Klein.
This desolate rocky outcrop was a million miles away from the active battlefield, ensuring the Red armies would not be finding their supreme leader anytime soon. The wind howled across the barren landscape, kicking up small clouds of red dust.
Klein casually strolled over to a nearby boulder and took a seat. He rested his elbows on his knees, looking down at the trembling Red Commander with an amused, lazy smile. "So... do you think the misunderstanding has been resolved now?"
"Th-that... of course! It has been completely resolved!"
Being stared down by those calm, indifferent eyes caused a cold sweat to break out across the Red Commander's forehead. He hastily wiped the moisture away with the back of his sleeve. "I remember very clearly now. We do not have any grievances whatsoever... no, I should say we are the best of friends! We certainly do not need to resort to fighting and killing..."
Klein nodded in silence, his expression unreadable.
This lack of verbal confirmation did absolutely nothing to reassure the Red Commander. He opened his mouth, desperately wanting to say something to fill the void, but after chewing on his thoughts for a second, he swallowed the words back down.
Neither of them spoke. The atmosphere grew eerily quiet, the heavy tension pressing down on the Red Commander's shoulders.
After a long, agonizing while, just as the Red Commander's cold sweat began soaking completely through his inner uniform shirt, a streak of red and blue tore through the horizon. The rushing wind heralded the arrival of something fast.
This sudden noise immediately caught the Red Commander's attention. He craned his neck upward.
Only when the flying figure rapidly approached the ground could he see clearly that it was not a single entity at all. It was two.
The blue figure dangling helplessly from the alien's grip was none other than his absolute arch-nemesis, the Blue Commander.
"Hey! Let me down this instant! Unhand me!"
The Blue Commander, currently being carried by the scruff of his uniform by Jetray, kicked his short legs in the air, struggling and shouting incessantly.
However, the Manta Ray alien completely ignored the tiny dictator's tantrums.
With a casual toss, Jetray dropped his cargo.
"This is kidnapping! This is an unprovoked invasion!" The Blue Commander cried out in pain as he hit the dirt, rolling a few times before coming to a halt.
"This is an absolute outrage..."
He immediately scrambled up from the dusty ground, furiously straightening his military hat. He looked up, ready to bark more orders, only to freeze completely as he met Klein's lazy gaze.
The Blue Commander's eyes darted around frantically, taking in the desolate surroundings before locking onto the Another Omnitrix resting securely on Klein's left wrist. The color drained from his face.
Klein feigned complete confusion, tilting his head slightly. "You were saying... 'This is' what, exactly?"
"This is a total misunderstanding!"
The Blue Commander immediately changed his tune, frantically patting the dust off his uniform with a nervous, ingratiating smile.
While the Red Commander stood off to the side, utterly dumbfounded by the display, the Blue Commander proceeded to repeat the exact same groveling excuses his rival had just used moments prior.
After the Blue Commander finished his frantic speech, he noticed that Klein showed absolutely no sign of responding. The silence stretched. The Blue Commander nervously looked around the rocky clearing, his gaze finally landing on the figure standing a few feet away. His eyes widened.
"How are you here?!" the two commanders shouted in perfect unison.
"How dare you copy what I say?!" they yelled again, pointing accusing fingers at one another.
"I will shoot you!"
The two short alien commanders simultaneously reached into their holsters, each pulling out their respective small, high-tech pistols and aiming them directly at the other's face.
A brilliant flash of green light washed over the area, and Jetray transformed back into Ben. He landed lightly on his feet, looking between the two armed leaders. "What are you two doing?"
Both commanders snapped their heads toward Ben, shouting in unison once more, "He is my arch-nemesis!"
They were just about to hurl more insults at each other when they heard the previously silent Klein suddenly speak up. His voice was quiet, yet it instantly commanded the space.
"You two..." Klein drawled, leaning back against the boulder. "Still remember what you just said to me, right?"
Upon hearing this, the two commanders froze. Although they were somewhat confused by the sudden shift in topic, their survival instincts kicked into overdrive. They both felt that preserving their own lives was paramount. They immediately lowered their weapons and flashed apologetic, strained smiles at Klein.
"Of course! This entire situation is just a massive misunderstanding!" they agreed quickly.
"That is right. This is a misunderstanding," Klein said smoothly, his eyes drifting between the two leaders. "But not between me and you."
Klein gestured lazily at the two commanders, who were almost entirely identical in physical appearance save for their contrasting uniform colors. "The misunderstanding is between yourselves."
"How is that even possible!" The Blue Commander shouted, his face flushing with indignation. "What misunderstanding could I possibly have with him? He is the biggest, most aggressive bully on this entire planet!"
"You are full of it!" The Red Commander was instantly furious, his grip tightening on his pistol. "Everything you just said is exactly what I was going to say about you!"
"Shut up."
Klein's voice lost its lazy amusement, dropping an octave. The sheer weight of his tone snapped their mouths shut instantly. He was getting a bit impatient with the bickering. "Before you start arguing again, tell me... why did you actually start this war?"
"He wanted to invade our sovereign country! We were merely defending ourselves." The Red Commander spoke first, puffing out his chest and desperately trying to place himself on the moral high ground.
"You are lying through your teeth!" The Blue Commander was instantly enraged, stomping his foot. "You were clearly mobilizing troops to invade our borders! We were the ones defending ourselves!"
In truth, Klein did not believe a single word either of them said.
However, he did not need to know the real reason behind their petty conflict. He rested his chin on his hand. "You see, just as you both said to me earlier... this is all just a misunderstanding, right?"
The only reason these two arrogant dictators had just told Klein it was a 'misunderstanding' was because their military power was completely insufficient to challenge him. When facing a being capable of wiping out their entire species, they folded immediately.
But when facing enemies no stronger than themselves, they did not care if it was a misunderstanding or not. They just wanted to win.
The reasons for planetary war are never truly that simple. But whether this conflict was due to Paradox's temporal meddling, or simply two greedy factions fighting over territory and resources, Klein was now using their own cowardly words to force an excuse upon them.
As long as they followed his logic, climbed down from their high horses, and ordered their armies to stop the war, then this annoying matter would end right here.
Otherwise...
The two commanders suddenly felt a massive headache coming on. According to how things had just unfolded with Klein, if they accepted his premise, the core reason they started the war between their nations was indeed a 'misunderstanding.'Therefore, it was clearly impossible to continue using'self-defense' as a valid excuse to wage a global war.
As for changing their reasoning now, or directly ordering their troops to continue fighting, they were absolutely certain that they would be violently 'sanctioned' by the teenager sitting on the rock.
If they pushed the issue, they might not even make it off this rocky outcrop alive.
"You are absolutely right!"
"This is a complete misunderstanding!"
The two commanders immediately agreed with Klein, their voices dripping with forced enthusiasm.
"So, you should know exactly what to do now, right?" Klein's lips curved slightly upward, but there was absolutely no trace of a smile reaching his cold eyes.
The two commanders both shivered violently. Under Klein's watchful gaze, they awkwardly stepped toward each other. With stiff, robotic movements, they extended their hands, shaking hands right in front of Klein. They both looked physically ill at the prospect of touching their arch-nemesis, but fear kept their grips firm.
The result of their forced diplomacy was, naturally, that Klein allowed them to leave with their lives intact.
Watching the two commanders' retreating figures scurrying away across the dusty plains, Ben, who had been watching the entire exchange in silent confusion, finally spoke up.
"Cousin, why did you suddenly start reasoning with them?" Ben asked curiously, tilting his head. "You usually just punch the bad guys until they stop."
"Am I an unreasonable person?" Klein asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ben's awkward, silent stare in response made Klein find the situation somewhat amusing. He let out a soft chuckle. "Hehe... I just gave them a chance. They are high-ranking officials, dictators even. People like that have massive egos. They need a viable way to back down without losing face in front of their troops."
"But what if they just go back to their bases and start another war tomorrow?" Ben pressed, crossing his arms.
Klein stood up from the rock, stretching his arms over his head lazily. His eyes tracked the distant dust trails left by the fleeing commanders.
"Then we will just replace them."
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