Chapter 140: Mr. Mann, You Can't Burn Your Bridges
The sudden, unannounced arrival of a galactic warlord was enough to drain the color from anyone's face.
The wedding venue fell into a suffocating silence, broken only by the nervous gulp of a staff member. Sweating profusely, the usher cautiously edged toward Klein.
"Uh, if you would please... everyone, take your seats."
Klein gestured lazily toward the front row. "Those two can stand."
He guided Gwen to a prime seat, leaving himself and the bubbly Lucy to take up their positions as the ring bearer and flower girl. Gwen crossed her arms, her brow twitching in sheer annoyance. She felt utterly sidelined. That flower girl position was supposed to be hers, and now she was relegated to the audience while Lucy giggled with a basket of petals.
Once the guests had nervously shuffled into their seats, every eye in the room darted toward Klein, and the towering, menacing figure of Vilgax standing nearby.
"Start," Klein sighed, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't mind us."
Taking the cue from the teenager who clearly held the reins of this chaotic gathering, the trembling pastor finally cleared his throat.
"Dear friends and family," the pastor began, his voice wavering slightly as he avoided looking at the alien warlord. "Today we gather here to witness the sacred union of Joe and Camille."
Down in the front row, Mr. and Mrs. Mann were having a silent, frantic conversation through panicked glances.
'Should we continue the plan?''How can we possibly continue?! Are you going to step up and fight Vilgax?!'
The Lenopan couple had carefully orchestrated this entire day to end in a massive brawl, intending to humiliate and eliminate those detestable Plumbers once and for all. To ensure maximum chaos, they had even dragged Camille's ex-boyfriend out of the woodwork. The very same ex-boyfriend who had been frozen solid last night had just been thawed out for this exact moment.
Originally, everything had been perfectly set. But now...
The Mann couple glared discreetly at Klein. 'Why didn't anyone warn us this kid was an absolute monster?!'
Having Vilgax acting as his personal enforcer threw a massive wrench into their sabotage. There was no way to call off the ambush now. They could only sit in stiff silence, desperately praying that Camille's ex-boyfriend would have the sense to stay hidden.
Oblivious to the silent crisis in the front row, the pastor continued his script. "This young couple brings a beautiful revelation, proving that true love can overcome all boundaries. If anyone present objects to their union as husband and wife, please state it now. Otherwise, forever hold your..."
"I object!"
A figure burst from the decorative bushes with dramatic flair. Camille's ex-boyfriend struck a heroic pose, pointing an accusing finger at the altar.
"Camille has to come with me! This wedding is a sham, and I—"
His grand speech died in his throat. The ex-boyfriend froze, his triumphant expression crumbling into sheer terror. Standing just a few feet away, arms crossed and eyes glowing with malice, was the Conqueror of Ten Worlds.
'Damn it!'the ex-boyfriend screamed internally.'No one told me snatching the bride meant I had to go through Vilgax!'
He stood completely dumbfounded, his jaw hanging slack as he stared up at the towering alien warlord.
"Vilgax, beat him up," Klein ordered, his tone as casual as if he were asking someone to take out the trash. He casually pointed a finger at the intruder.
A cruel, jagged smile stretched across Vilgax's face. He cracked his massive knuckles, the sound echoing like gunshots in the quiet venue, and began a slow, heavy march toward the ex-boyfriend.
"No! Wait! Don't come over here!"
The ex-boyfriend scrambled backward, his boots slipping on the manicured grass. Seeing the warlord closing the distance without an ounce of mercy, panic completely overrode his loyalty. He threw a desperate, pleading look toward the front row.
"Mr. Mann! Mrs. Mann! This isn't what we agreed on! Help me!"
A collective gasp rippled through the audience.
'What?! This has something to do with the bride's parents?!'
Every eye in the venue instantly snapped toward the Mann couple. From the groom's side, the massive red figure of Four Arms stepped forward, cracking all four of his knuckles with a menacing grin.
The Mann couple sank into their seats. 'Damn it! That idiot sold us out!'
"Dad? Mom? What is going on?!" Camille stared at her parents, her eyes wide with absolute disbelief.
Four Arms rolled his four shoulders, stretching his thick muscles. "Does it even need asking? This whole circus is a rotten trick concocted by your folks to ruin the day."
Realizing their cover was completely blown, the Mann couple decided to pivot. As the bride's parents, surely they wouldn't be executed at their own daughter's wedding, right? As for the ex-boyfriend... well, he was already an ex, so he was entirely expendable.
Mr. Mann stood up, smoothing his suit with forced dignity. "First of all, Camille, you must understand... your ex-boyfriend is the mastermind behind this disruption." He spoke with such conviction that he almost looked like he believed it himself.
"What?!" The ex-boyfriend shrieked from across the lawn, dodging a heavy swipe from Vilgax. 'Damn it, I'm the mastermind now?!'
"I didn't even know you were getting married until they dragged me here! How am I the mastermind?! Mr. Mann! You can't just burn your bridges like this!"
Judging by the sheer panic on the ex-boyfriend's face, everyone present knew he was telling the truth.
Gorden, the groom's father, crossed his arms and shot a triumphant smirk at Joe. "What did I tell you, son? Once a Sludgepuppy, always a Sludgepuppy."
Joe's jaw locked, and he shot his father a furious glare.
Seizing the opportunity, Mrs. Mann turned to her daughter, gesturing dramatically toward the groom's family. "Camille, look at them! Listen to how they speak to us! Earthlings will never truly accept us Lenopans. We can never have peace with the Plumbers. This wedding was a farce from the very beginning!"
"Wait a second, I'm going to have to disagree with that."
Klein stepped forward, resting his hands casually on his hips. He tilted his head, his tone dripping with dry amusement. "Take a good look at the groom's side. They promised they wouldn't bring weapons to the ceremony, and they kept their word. Meanwhile, you two orchestrated an ambush and dragged your daughter's ex-boyfriend out of the freezer to ruin her big day. So, tell me... who exactly is failing to accept whom here?"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Most of the guests, both human and alien, nodded at the teenager's flawless logic.
Seeing that they had completely lost the moral high ground, the Mann couple exchanged a dark, desperate look. They glanced at Vilgax, who was currently treating the ex-boyfriend like a chew toy, and then measured the distance to Four Arms. Their eyes finally settled on Klein.
He was just a human teenager. If they could capture him, they could use him as a hostage to force Vilgax and the Tetramand to back down.
Moving in perfect sync, the Mann couple shed their human disguises. Their bodies melted and expanded, transforming back into their true, towering Lenopan forms, massive, shifting mounds of purple sludge. With a guttural roar, they lunged straight for Klein.
"Trying to touch me?" Klein's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "Interesting choice."
He calmly raised his left wrist and tapped the dial of the Another Omnitrix.
A brilliant, quiet-blue light erupted, washing over the altar. The two massive Lenopans lunged right into the blinding flash, their muddy limbs grasping at empty air. They crashed into the ground, splashing purple sludge across the grass.
"Did you catch him?!" Mr. Mann gurgled, his form shifting wildly.
"No! Did you?!" Mrs. Mann shrieked.
"Me neither! Where did he go?!"
The two sludge monsters whipped their heads around, frantically scanning the venue.
"Want to guess why I'm the one giving the orders around here?"
A hollow, chilling whisper echoed directly behind them, carrying a raspy resonance that made the sludge on their bodies ripple with unnatural cold.
"Where is he?!" The Mann couple spun around, their eyes darting through the empty air.
"Because of this."
Ghostfreak materialized out of thin air, his single purple eye glowing with sinister delight. Before Mr. Mann could even react, the Ectonurite drove a shadowy fist straight through the Lenopan's face. The impact exploded Mr. Mann's head into a shower of purple mud, scattering sludge across the pristine white altar.
"An Ectonurite?!" Mrs. Mann screamed, stumbling backward in horror. Her gaze locked onto the quiet-blue hourglass symbol resting on Ghostfreak's chest. "No... that's the legendary Omnitrix!"
The pieces finally clicked into place. She understood now where the other aliens from the previous night had come from. She had assumed they were just the kid's subordinates, but the truth was far more terrifying. This boy possessed the most powerful device in the universe.
"We can't do anything against an Ectonurite! We've lost! We surrender!" Mr. Mann's voice bubbled up as his muddy head slowly reformed, pulling the scattered sludge back into a solid shape.
He wasn't stupid. Surrendering now was their only chance at survival. He had no idea if the Ectonurite transformation affected the boy's sanity, and an Ectonurite devoid of empathy could easily find a way to permanently eradicate a Lenopan.
Camille rushed forward, her bridal gown trailing behind her. "Please, spare my parents," she pleaded, looking up at the floating phantom.
Ghostfreak tilted his head, his single eye narrowing. "It is your wedding day," he hissed, his voice dripping with eerie static. "I will give you face. However..."
Ghostfreak reached down and tapped the glowing symbol on his chest.
Another flash of quiet-blue light illuminated the altar, and the spectral phantom was instantly replaced by a stout, reptilian creature. Articguana opened his jaws and unleashed a concentrated beam of absolute zero energy. The freezing blast swept over the Mann couple, instantly flash-freezing their muddy bodies into solid, terrified ice sculptures.
"They need to stay out of trouble for the rest of the ceremony," Articguana stated, his voice raspy and cold.
He tapped the dial again, and in a final flash of light, Klein stood in his place, dusting off his suit.
Across the lawn, the ex-boyfriend was currently wishing he had stayed in the freezer. Vilgax was practically torturing the poor Lenopan. The warlord had produced a high-tech electrical device from his arsenal, repeatedly shocking the shifting mud monster. Every desperate punch the ex-boyfriend threw felt like cotton against Vilgax's armored hide, completely painless and utterly futile. The ex-boyfriend could do nothing but endure the agonizing, high-voltage torment.
With the chaotic interruptions finally neutralized, Klein gestured for the trembling pastor to continue.
Seeing that absolutely no one else dared to object, the pastor hastily skipped to the end of his script. "I-I now pronounce you husband and wife!"
In front of the relieved pastor and the cheering crowd, Joe and Camille embraced, sharing a passionate kiss.
The rest of the evening proceeded without a hitch. And, perhaps most, because Klein and Lucy executed their roles perfectly, and enjoyed a rather smooth dance at the reception, there was no need for any memory erasures. The day was saved, and the memories remained intact.
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