The circus spotlight centered on the Howl-Ghoul, illuminating its dark, shimmering blue fur. Beneath the pelt, dense, powerful muscles bunched like iron coils. The creature slowly opened its elongated muzzle, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth that gleamed with lethal promise. The Carnitrix variant made its fangs significantly longer and sharper than a standard Loboan.
Ben's eyes went wide as he analyzed the beast from his safe spot in the crowd. "Let's call him..." a grin split his face, "The Howl-Ghoul!"
"Where did this flea-bitten mongrel come from, thinking he can shut down my main event!" Zombozo snarled. He reached into his oversized magician's top hat and pulled out a 200-kilogram circus sledgehammer, swinging it with a murderous speed toward Tyler's head.
Tyler didn't flinch. Instead of dodging, he swung his massive, dark clawed hand, meeting the heavy metal hammer head-on.
PING!
The sound of metal shrieking against bone echoed through the tent. Claws and hammer were locked in a stalemate of raw power.
"What in the hell are those claws made of?" Zombozo gasped, cold sweat breaking out on his chalk-white brow as he saw his hammer failing.
CRACK!!
A spiderweb of fractures spread across the iron hammerhead. Tyler's claws had torn through the reinforced steel, embedding themselves deep within the hammer's structure.
"What are you, some kind of mutant science project?!" Zombozo yelled, trying to jerk the hammer back, but it wouldn't budge.
"First," Tyler's distorted voice rasped, "I'll take your favorite toy."
The Howl-Ghoul grinned, revealing those "mutant" iron teeth. It snapped its jaw shut around the shattered hammerhead, biting down with a force that made the audience cringe.
Crunch, crunch, crrrrsh.
The iron hammerhead was bitten into useless, glowing shards of scrap metal, like a child chewing on scorched rice. Zombozo stared dumbfounded at the wooden stick left in his hand, processing what he had just witnessed.
Was he still fighting a carbon-based life form?! The bite force was impossible.
BANG!
Tyler spat out the scrap metal and lashed out with a vicious claw-swipe. Zombozo barely raised the wooden handle in time, but the stick was instantly pulverized. Desperate, the clown pulled a pair of jagged, spiked brass knuckles from his other pocket.
" grappler is stronger than any beast!" he yelled, lunging for Tyler's throat.
Tyler paused, watching the amateur grapple attempt.
BANG!
The next second, Zombozo was flying, thrown ten feet across the stage by a perfect Counter-CQC throw using his own momentum.
"H-How..." Zombozo hit the ground, a trickle of bright crimson seeping from the corner of his smiling mouth. "A dumb wolf can fight human styles?"
"Oh, Zombozo," Tyler chuckled, retracting his claws and shifting into a low combat stance. "I'm not just a wolf. I'm a Plumber."
Tyler advanced, unleashing a flurry of disciplined, rapid-fire punches. Zombozo couldn't resist; it was his first time experiencing what it meant to be completely outclassed by a superior martial artist.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh my god, the clown is getting wrecked!"
The crowd, still under the lingering, forced laughter enchantment, exploded. They couldn't help it, but now they were laughing at Zombozo's pain.
Tyler's movements paused, and his wolfish face twisted in irritation. Damn it... that forced laughter is so distracting! Zombozo's mental pollution was still fighting for control of his brain.
"Even though I'm getting the people's energy," Zombozo spat, wiping the blood from his mouth and looking resentfully at the mocking crowd, "I'm still very annoyed." He pulled a massive, jagged circus saber from his hat and advanced on Tyler.
Tyler stopped, baring his neck to the saber.
"Haha! Giving me your neck so I can bleed you? So obedient!" Zombozo laughed loudly, but the laugh died as he got closer. He retreated in pure terror.
Only to see...
A massive, pulsating crack had appeared on Tyler's throat. The flesh, the throat bone, and even a glimpse of the pulsing, energy-filled lungs were exposed—a visual of pure biological horror.
"ROOOOOOOOOAR!!"
Tyler's engineered lungs exerted their full force. A terrifying, visible ultrasonic shockwave erupted from his exposed throat, spreading out in a cone of devastation!!
Every forced laugh in Zombozo's Funhouse was instantly drowned out and silenced by this deafening, reality-shattering symphony of destruction!!
"What... What kind of monster is this?" Zombozo stammered, his body beginning to vibrate.
"Not called Howl-Ghoul anymore," Ben whispered as he finally sobered up, looking at the creature on stage. "He's The Sonic Screecher!"
Under the roar, the audience finally snapped out of the forced enchantment. They took one look at the terrifying werewolf-thing on stage and immediately erupted in screams of raw, human panic, trampling each other to get out.
Seeing his source of power (the energy from the forced laughter) fleeing, Zombozo struggled to get up, his rage now overriding his fear. "I... I'm going to murder you..."
"BANG!!"
Tyler lowered his head slightly, focusing the sonic energy. The previous shockwave instantly converged, forming a focused, deep-crimson lance of sound!
A Sonic Lance—the Screecher's ultimate cannon!
BOOM...
The Crimson Sonic Lance erupted, slamming into Zombozo. The blast didn't just knock him back; it pulverized the stage beneath him, sending him plummeting into a bottomless pit (the circus basement).
"Phew~" Tyler touched his smoking, raw throat, letting out a slight sigh of relief as his voice returned to a slightly raspy tone. "Temporarily dealt with that Bozo."
Ben rushed over, eyes wide with excitement. "Sonic Screecher, why not press the advantage? Let's get him!"
"There are three other mutants outside. Acid Breath, Frightwig, and Thumbskull. They're part of his crew, and they're likely targeting the fleeing crowd. If we don't handle them first, they could hurt dozens of people."
To ensure the safety of the crowd (and to make sure his progress gains didn't escape), Tyler, back in human form, immediately led Max and Gwen out of the tent, with Ben trailing close behind.
The outside of Zombozo's House of Miracles was desolate. Tents and facilities were trampled by the panicked crowd. Tyler scanned the distance.
"Ah! My wallet's gone!"
"All my jewelry is stolen! Help!"
Although people were far away, their distant cries were enough.
"They already hit the crowd," Tyler sighed helplessly, crossing his arms. "Well, at least no one's seriously hurt. That's a moral victory."
He sniffed the air, and a small grin curled his lips. He immediately sprinted and jumped onto an outdoor stage. "Come out!"
From behind the curtain, the small, shifty ringmaster walked out guiltily. "I've been hiding here! I don't know anything!"
"Oh?" Tyler said with a smile, his hand drifting to the Carnitrix dial on his chest. "If you've lost your memory, I have a special 'Interrogation' form that is very good at stimulating deep recall."
"No! I'll tell you everything!" The ringmaster's blood ran cold. "Frightwig and the others left through Zombozo's secret back entrance to meet up with him in his Funhouse base in the basement!"
"No wonder I didn't run into them. They went to regroup with their boss." Tyler furrowed his brows in thought.
The ringmaster tried to tiptoe away.
"You stay put and wait for the police," Max walked over sternly, skillfully tying the man's hands behind his back.
Ben looked at the terrifying Zombozo's Funhouse, taking a deep breath. "Tyler, the enemies are all regrouped. The boss is down but not out, and he has his elite trio with him. What now?"
Tyler sat cross-legged on the stage, his dark blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Let's rest up for five minutes. And then we take the initiative!"
"Rest up? Won't that give them time to prepare defenses?" Ben asked, worried.
Tyler wiggled a clawed finger, his expression carrying a hint of absolute dominance. "Once we are back in optimal condition and we breach their base, no matter how much they prepare, it will be useless."
His strength allowed him to say such arrogant things. That seemingly terrifying Funhouse, in his eyes... It was just Zombozo's Not-So-Great House.