Sizzle!
The razor-sharp, searing blade of flame instantly sliced through the four laser beams, shattering them into a sky-filling red light that dissipated helplessly into the air. Without losing momentum, it then decapitated two colossal robots in one fell swoop. Their massive bodies stiffened before crashing down with a thunderous roar, triggering violent explosions that sent flames flying everywhere.
Blackfire stood imposing at the arena's center, radiating a fierce aura as he basked in the blazing light.
At that moment, the overhead screen lit up again, revealing Vilgax's face.
"Impressive, truly impressive. With you here, I'm certain we can reclaim the Omnitrix!"
Appreciation flashed in Vilgax's eyes; he was thoroughly satisfied with Blackfire's performance.
Blackfire gave a slight nod in response.
"All four of you are accepted. Whoever retrieves the Omnitrix first and delivers it to me will claim the bounty." Vilgax narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone shifting. "But if anyone dares to keep it for themselves, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Understood!" The group bowed in unison.
Soon, the Universe spacecraft's hatch opened, launching four metallic spheres directly toward Earth.
...
A desolate silver mine region.
This location lay in the wilderness, utterly uninhabited. Surrounding it were abandoned excavation machinery and numerous dilapidated houses, covered in thick layers of dust and tangled spider webs. The vast expanse was desolate and weathered, rarely visited by humans. Countless mining tunnels crisscrossed the mountains in a chaotic pattern.
At this moment, an old, beat-up car sat parked here.
Grandpa Max held a wrench, bent over and working diligently to fix the Rustbucket's malfunction.
"Grandpa, let me do it! I can fix this Rustbucket right away if I transform into Grey Matter," Lucian said, reaching to grab the wrench from Grandpa Max.
"No need. This minor issue will be fixed in no time." Grandpa paused, then continued, "Lucian... I actually think it's necessary to reduce the frequency of your transformations. With such a powerful weapon, who knows what trouble it might attract..."
Lucian nodded and chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I know my limits."
"Good. By the way, go check on Ben and the others. Don't let them get into trouble." Grandpa Max, his hair streaked with gray, said with a smile.
Lucian nodded and began searching for Ben's figure, only to find him and Gwen walking toward a massive warehouse.
For some reason, Lucian felt an ominous foreboding. He immediately quickened his pace to follow, soon entering the warehouse.
In the dimly lit warehouse, Gwen held her phone, scrolling through information about the location.
"The map shows that this place is called Slaterville Station. After silver was discovered here in 1857, it thrived for a while. Once the mines were depleted, it was abandoned."
Gwen stared intently at her phone.
Ben smirked, teasing, "Why does every sentence out of your mouth sound like you're reading from a textbook?"
"What do you know, moron? This is called diligently studying materials, unlike you who only thinks about playing all day," Gwen snorted lightly.
"Ben, Gwen, we should head back." Lucian caught up from behind, scanning the gloomy surroundings. "It's pitch black in here. Who knows what lurks in the dark."
"Relax~" Ben propped his hands behind his head, grinning. "With you here, Cuz, even the most powerful alien weirdo in the entire universe wouldn't stand a chance."
Lucian shook his head slightly. "No, at least not yet."
His current strength alone wasn't enough to be invincible across the Universe. It wasn't that he wasn't strong—it was that the vast Universe held far too many terrifying monsters. And it wasn't just this universe—there were countless parallel worlds...
At that moment, Ben walked over to a seesaw, sat down directly, and looked utterly content.
"Cuz, come play too!" he teased with a grin.
"Sure." Lucian smiled. It had been ages since he'd played on one.
Suddenly, the sound of a rope snapping echoed from above.
Lucian immediately looked up, his gaze sharpening.
A massive rat had climbed onto one of the ropes. Due to age, the rope was brittle as paper. Under the rat's weight, it snapped cleanly, leaving only half hanging.
Rip...
The next second, the rope snapped clean in two. A massive iron barrel crashed down, hurtling straight toward the seesaw below—and Ben Tennyson sitting on it!
"Ah!" The sudden scene turned Gwen's face ashen, freezing her in place.
Lucian lunged forward in a single stride, simultaneously raising his watch and slamming it down, unleashing a burst of eerie green light.
Boom!
In the next instant, the massive iron barrel was lifted mid-air by four crimson arms. Four Arms roared furiously, flinging it violently against the hard stone wall, sending sparks flying.
Ben stood frozen, staring blankly at the towering figure before him.
"Ben, are you hurt?" Four Arms turned to him.
Just as Ben was about to speak, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to violently tremble.
Boom!
A sand-colored Kraab burst from the earth, its legs spinning rapidly. Massive in size, it bore two razor-sharp claws and golden eyes that radiated a terrifying killing intent.
Lowering its head to examine the radar in its grasp, it spoke coldly, "Found you, Omnitrix!"