Chapter 61 - Ultimate Adapter
The Null Void's crimson atmosphere swirls around us as we materialize in its endless expanse.
Before I can even process our surroundings, the Ultimatrix suddenly pulses with unexpected energy.
"DNA purification complete. Appoplexian genetic template restored. Designation: Rath."
A grin spreads across my face as I realize what this means. Even Vilgax's confident smirk falters slightly at my expression.
"You know," I say, scrolling to the newly restored transformation, "I was worried about being trapped here with you. But now? Now I think you should be worried about being trapped here with me."
I slam down on the Ultimatrix, feeling Rath's form emerge. The rage, the power, the absolute certainty that everything can be solved with the right move - it all flows through me.
Man this form has always been my favorite!
"LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, VILGAX, CONQUEROR OF TEN WORLDS!" My new voice carries that signature Appoplexian fury. "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART? WELL, RATH'S ABOUT TO SHOW YOU WHAT REAL SMART LOOKS LIKE!"
"Another transformation won't save you-" Vilgax starts, but I'm already hitting the Ultimatrix symbol again.
"OH YEAH? THEN HOW ABOUT AN EVOLVED ONE?"
Ultimate Rath's enhanced form surges through me, the dark stripes pulsing with power as murderous instincts merge with pure rage. My claws extend further, sharper, deadlier.
"AND NOW LEMME TELL YOU ANOTHER THING!" I charge forward with speed that catches even Vilgax off guard.
"ULTIMATE RATH THINKS YOUR WHOLE 'TRAP PEOPLE IN THE NULL VOID' PLAN IS PERSONALLY OFFENSIVE TO RATH'S SENSIBILITIES!"
Vilgax activates his shield technology, a barrier of energy forming between us. "Your Appoplexian rage is nothing compared to my-"
"OH, YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RAGE?" My evolved claws tear through his shield like it's made of paper.
"LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT RAGE, VILGAX! ULTIMATE RATH IS ABOUT TO DEMONSTRATE THE MEANING OF RAGE WITH THE COSMIC SUPLEX OF JUSTICE!"
I grab his cybernetic armor, using his own momentum to slam him into a floating asteroid. The impact shatters the rock formation, sending debris scattering through the void.
"WHAT'S WRONG, VILGAX?" I launch us toward another platform, my enhanced abilities letting me control our trajectory perfectly. "RATH THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO FIGHT IN THE NULL VOID! SO WHY AREN'T YOU FIGHTING?"
His beam weapon activates, but Ultimate Rath's evolved reflexes let me dodge while maintaining my grip. "AND ANOTHER THING! RATH IS PERSONALLY OFFENDED BY YOUR CHEAP LASER ATTACKS! A REAL WARRIOR USES WRESTLING MOVES!"
Each strike tears through more of his enhanced defenses. All his underwater preparations, all his tactical planning - none of it prepared him for an evolved Appoplexian's combination of rage and desire to kill.
"COSMIC DROPKICK OF VENGEANCE!" I send him crashing through another asteroid. "FOLLOWED BY THE ULTIMATE NULL VOID PILE DRIVER!"
Finally, I pin him against a large platform, my enhanced claws pressed against his throat. "NOW, VILGAX. TELL RATH ONE REASON, ONE VERY GOOD REASON WHY HE SHOULDN'T RIP YOUR THROAT OUT. WITH HIS TEETH." The alien tiger growled with barely contained fury - itching to kill the tyrant.
"The portal," Vilgax states through gritted teeth, "was designed as a one-way transit. I intended to upgrade it using both Null Void technology and your Ultimatrix. If you want to return home..."
"ARE YOU SUGGESTING RATH IS STUPID ENOUGH TO TRUST YOU?" My claws dig deeper, drawing more green blood. Ultimate Rath's enhanced predatory instincts scream even more for the kill.
"You have intelligence-based transformations," Vilgax manages, his eyes never wavering.
"But you don't know this dimension like I do. Every changed sector, every dangerous region since the disasters - having changed the Void differently than the living universe. You need my knowledge as much as I need your device."
A low, dangerous growl emanates from my throat - nothing like Rath's usual bluster. Ultimate Rath's evolved hunting instincts calculate exactly how many ways to tear him apart.
"Then let Rath give you something to remember our new... arrangement by."
Without warning, I lunge downward. My enhanced jaws clamp down on his right arm where flesh meets cybernetics.
With one savage twist, I tear the entire limb off, spraying green blood across the asteroid's surface.
Vilgax doesn't scream - impressive, but it just makes Ultimate Rath want to hurt him more.
"That's your punishment for bringing us here," I spit out the mechanical parts, my muzzle stained with his blood. "Try anything else, and next time Rath takes your head."
Vilgax pulls himself up with his remaining arm, cybernetic systems already working to stop the bleeding.
His expression shows no pain - just cold calculation as he studies his torn limb lying several feet away.
"Your evolved form is... more savage than Tennyson's transformations," he observes clinically. "More willing to inflict permanent damage."
"RATH WILL SHOW YOU PERMANENT DAMAGE IF YOU KEEP COMPARING HIM TO TENNYSON!" But the murderous rage stays controlled - barely. Ultimate Rath's predatory mind keeps track of every movement, every potential weakness.
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"The nearest technology cache is three sectors away," Vilgax states, already shifting to tactical planning despite his injury. "We'll need to avoid the deeper regions. The dimensional disasters changed them... made them more unstable."
"AND WHY SHOULDN'T RATH JUST TORTURE THE DIRECTIONS OUT OF YOU?"
"Because," Vilgax's cybernetic eyes narrow, "what lurks in those changed sectors would kill us both before you could try. The void is... different now. Your power that caused the disasters warped this dimension in ways even I don't fully understand."
Ultimate Rath's claws flex, still dripping green blood. The evolved Appoplexian instincts catalog every way to finish what we started, but also recognize the tactical advantage of a guide - at least temporarily.
"FINE. BUT LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, VILGAX! THE MOMENT RATH SENSES BETRAYAL, YOUR OTHER ARM IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF WHAT RATH TAKES!"
The Ultimatrix suddenly pulses with warning energy: "Alert: Appoplexian Ultimate Form incompatible with current soul resonance. Genetic lock unstable. Reverting to base form."
"What-" I start, but the device continues.
"Suggestion: Ultimate transformation of base human form available. Designation: Ultimate Human. This form represents humanity's peak evolutionary potential."
Vilgax's eyes narrow with new interest as I feel Ultimate Rath's form destabilize. "Your device evolves your original species?"
The transformation happens almost automatically - my human form emerges briefly before the ultimate evolution takes hold.
My body expands, growing until I match Vilgax's impressive height. Muscles develop to impossible density, while my white hair shifts to a deep, blood red.
My already red eyes become more pronounced, gleaming with enhanced power. Each movement carries weight that even Vilgax seems to recognize - pure physical might rivaling his own cybernetically enhanced strength.
"Interesting," I flex my new form's enhanced muscles, voice deeper but controlled. "Seems humanity had more potential than anyone thought."
Vilgax studies my transformed state with calculated wariness, especially given he's down one arm. "Perhaps," he admits grudgingly, "this arrangement won't be entirely one-sided."
My enhanced vision picks up every detail of Vilgax's form - each cybernetic connection, every structural weakness, even the subtle tells in his movement that betray vulnerable points.
It's like my brain has evolved specifically to analyze and counter any threat.
"Your back," Vilgax notes with uncharacteristic uncertainty, "the musculature has formed into... a face. Like some ancient demon watching."
Wait, what? A demon face made of muscles? Like a... My thoughts freeze as I realize what this ultimate evolution has done to me. 'I look like a damn Hanma!'
The Ultimatrix responds directly to my thoughts (being able to only in certain forms): 'Ultimate Human form represents peak evolutionary adaptations.
Back muscles formed into observational warning pattern - natural deterrent to predators, creating constant sensation of being watched.
Similar to evolutionary patterns in certain Earth species.'
'But why like this?' I question internally, still processing my transformation.
'Human potential for physical development exceeds normal evolutionary constraints,' the Ultimatrix explains.
'Muscle density, bone structure, neural pathways - all evolved for maximum combat efficiency.
The 'face' pattern emerged as optimal intimidation display, combined with practical muscle arrangement for maximum striking power.'
The device continues: 'Form also includes enhanced threat recognition, pattern analysis, and combat instincts. The human brain's capacity for adaptation and warfare reached its ultimate expression.'
Vilgax starts moving toward what he claims is our destination, his remaining arm adjusting his damaged systems.
Every step he takes, every minor adjustment in his posture - my evolved mind catalogs it all, instinctively preparing counters for any possible betrayal.
"The nearest cache," he states, trying to maintain his authoritative tone despite clearly being unnerved by my new form, "is through that sector. The dimensional distortions are minimal there."
I follow, feeling my enhanced body automatically adjust to the Null Void's strange gravity. Each movement carries perfect efficiency, not a single motion wasted.
The Ultimatrix adds one final note: 'This form represents humanity's ultimate potential as apex predators.
All natural limiters removed, all possible physical and neural enhancements maximized.
The intimidation features are simply practical evolution's response to the human drive for dominance.'
'Great,' I think as we head deeper into the void. 'I'm trapped in a hostile dimension with a one-armed conqueror, looking like something out of a manga about demons and martial arts.'
At least the constant sensation of my back muscles forming a demonic face watching Vilgax seems to be keeping him honest.
For now.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the Chapter!
I promised you I would have his Ultimate human form appear eventually, well here it is! Don't say I am not a man of my word.
Many already suggested a Hanma form, which I personally wanted to do as well - had to though think up a logical reason why it would look like that, and this is what I eventually went with.
Hope it makes sense.
So yeah, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)