"The hero arrives!"
As the burning meteorite crashed to the ground, it kicked up a massive cloud of dust that filled the entire space.
Dr. Dongwu couldn't make out who or what was emerging from the haze, but waves of heat rolled toward him, scorching his cold skin!
From within the dust, the burning warrior took a step forward, his towering frame radiating intense light and heat!
Finally, Dongwu could see his opponent clearly.
His head was engulfed in flames, with burning fire dancing like windswept hair.
Beneath the inferno was a face obscured in shadow, resembling a skull mask.
His entire body seemed constructed of lava, with fire-charred red-hot stone covering him like armor!
Molten magma flowed through the gaps in the armor, spreading across his body like veins!
A Pyronite!
The first alien hero that Xiaobai transformed into in the animation, known as a "classic character."
With DNA originating from the Pyronites, he possessed the ability to control, absorb, and release limitless flame energy.
The Pyronite's temperature had an extremely high upper limit!
And like the Hulk, he could accumulate rage.
When four-year-old Xiaobai first transformed into a Pyronite, his furious temper triggered such extreme temperatures that he literally melted an entire underground cave system into a gaseous state!
At this very moment!
Bain blazed like a burning sun, his entire form wrapped in orange flames!
The Pyronite's body wasn't particularly tall.
Compared to the mutated Dr. Dongwu, he looked as small as a child.
Yet the heat radiating from him was as scorching as a star itself!
"Who are you?" Dr. Dongwu demanded in shock.
Though he now appeared completely demonic, Bain's current form still struck him as utterly incredible.
A burning life form composed of flame and lava.
It had long surpassed his comprehension.
By comparison, perhaps the one standing before him was the true demon from hell!
"Don't you remember me, Dr. Dongwu? We met at Oscorp Tower," Bain replied.
Considering the fierce battle ahead, when he'd cracked the Omnitrix earlier, the first thing he'd addressed was the time limit issue.
However, he hadn't simply removed the thirty-minute restriction. Instead, he'd added a new mode to the watch—Life Lock Mode.
This mode was something Brunch and Blukic had developed. If they could create it, it wasn't particularly difficult for Bain now.
In Life Lock status, the alien heroes Bain transformed into had no time limit.
However, as the trade-off, before this mode was deactivated, the Omnitrix couldn't perform any other operations.
"Oscorp Tower?" Dongwu's mind flashed back to an image of a teenage human boy.
"You were the one with superpowers back then?"
His anger mixed with astonishment: "So you were the one who destroyed my mutant creature? That waste Connors couldn't even eliminate you?"
Originally, after meeting with Connors, Dr. Dongwu had learned about Spider-Man and assumed the person he'd encountered at Oscorp was Spider-Man.
So he and Connors split up, with Connors tasked to deal with Peter.
"You've really surprised me!"
Dongwu extended his arm, his fingertips slowly clenching as if grasping something in his palm.
He didn't mourn Connors' failure for even a moment.
Because the Bain now standing before his eyes, this burning flame warrior, completely shattered his understanding of life itself!
All Earth life was carbon-based. Fire could exterminate most species.
But if he could obtain the genes of this creature before him, then he could create something far greater!
"With you, I could create far more powerful mutants, even break through the limitations of carbon-based life!"
In fact, in the original animation, he'd actually succeeded.
With merely the excess genes from the Omnitrix, Dongwu had created countless alien mutants.
For example: insect armies with both Humungousaur and Upgrade's abilities, massive bats with Pyronite powers... he'd even transformed Mark into a writhing mass of creatures.
"I!" he declared, raising his monstrous arms high into the air.
"Will become a god!"
His enormous body loomed like a devil's statue, carefully carved from stone.
In this vast hall of Stark Tower, the ceiling extended skyward toward the distant top of the building.
Moonlight filtered through the punctured opening, like the gentle touch of a goddess falling into an abyss, illuminating the monstrous form of Dongwu.
It somehow possessed a sacred quality.
But that was merely the moon. Now, Bain was the blazing sun about to illuminate the darkness!
Seeing Dongwu descending into madness again, Bain had no patience for words. His orange palm ignited as he hurled a searing blast of flame at his opponent!
"Come on!"
Dongwu didn't dodge. His arms were thicker than an elephant's legs, covered in scales and bone spikes!
He wanted to test just how hot Bain's flames actually were!
"Boom!!!"
A deafening explosion!
The instant the flame collided with Dongwu, it unleashed tremendous force!
Like dozens of oil drums stacked together and detonated simultaneously, the shockwave made the very ground tremble!
"Fool!" Bain sneered.
A Pyronite's flames weren't simply about burning!
Beyond possessing temperatures that could instantly melt high-heat-resistant metals, Bain could control the flames at will, making them produce explosive effects.
And the destructive power of these explosions far exceeded that of missiles!
This ability was something the other flame hero, Swampfire, didn't possess.
Of course, conversely, Swampfire's abilities were far more versatile, with greater general applicability than the Pyronite.
Dongwu was sent flying backward, tumbling across the ground several times.
His arms were now charred black by the flames, releasing acrid and sour smells.
But in the next second, the charred flesh automatically sloughed off, and new flesh and blood regenerated completely within mere seconds.
Clearly, the regenerative ability Connors possessed, Dongwu had as well, and even more terrifying!
"You actually managed to wound me!"
He stood up again, his gaze toward Bain becoming far more cautious.
His skin was a fusion of multiple prehistoric creature genes, and under the effects of the mutagenic ray, his defensive capabilities were nothing short of extraordinary!
That Bain's flames could hurt him was proof enough of his opponent's danger!
Though he possessed superhuman regeneration, he could still feel pain.
In fact, because his senses were dramatically heightened, his perception of pain was equally amplified, though his pain tolerance had risen proportionally.
But his eyes grew even more excited as he stared at Bain.
"If I could obtain your genes, I can't even imagine how powerful I would become!"
"Unfortunately for you, that's not happening," Bain replied coldly, despite the roaring flames covering his body.
He'd already confirmed that the flame temperature could indeed wound Dongwu.
Given that, there was nothing to worry about.
All he needed to do now was continuously increase the temperature!
He clenched his fist, flames blazing fiercely. The original orange-yellow hue gradually solidified and deepened, transforming into a blood-red inferno!
Now, as he stared at the battle-ready Dongwu, only one thought echoed through his mind:
"Use the Inferno Punch on him!"
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