"It's a Null Guardian!" Grandpa Max's eyes narrowed.
Null Guardians usually lived within the Null Void, tasked with hunting down alien criminals. Anyone foolish enough to attempt escape would be relentlessly pursued by packs of these creatures. If the Null Void was a prison, then the Null Guardians were its guards—an indispensable force.
"Haah!"
This particular Null Guardian had been pursuing a fugitive when a golden light circle suddenly appeared ahead, teleporting it straight to this place.
Scanning the unfamiliar surroundings, the Null Guardian growled lowly, its gaze immediately locking onto Ghostfreak.
An Ectonurite!
The other lifeforms—weak Earthlings—weren't even worth its attention.
With a flap of its wings, the Null Guardian's octopus-like tendrils twisted and waved as it glided through the air, diving straight toward the ghostly figure.
"Oh, this isn't fun at all~" Ghostfreak's body faded into nothingness, vanishing into the air.
Blending perfectly with the darkness, Ghostfreak drifted silently toward Phil in the flowerbed, ready to snatch the Null Void Projector from him.
Just then, another golden light circle flared beside them!
"Haah!"
A second Null Guardian emerged, even larger and more ferocious than the first.
The moment it appeared, the raging beast roared and charged at Phil.
Phil quickly raised his Null Void Projector, firing a golden beam that sucked the frenzied Null Guardian back into the Null Void. Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger again—this time releasing it toward Grandpa Max!
As expected, the savage Null Guardian burst out once more. The instant it spotted a living target, its wings spread wide, and with a furious roar, it lunged to tear everything in its path to pieces.
Now two Null Guardians prowled the courtyard, claws slashing as they attacked Grandpa Max.
Grandpa Max fired bursts of blue laser rounds from his twin pistols, rolling and dodging between shots as he fought desperately to hold them off.
Nearby, Gwen chanted her spell, summoning streams of blue water dragons that repeatedly struck the attacking beasts.
But against the Null Guardians' tough, armored hides, her Water Dragon Soul spells barely caused any harm—only pushing them back for brief moments.
Drained from the effort, Gwen was already nearing her limit.
Without hesitation, Ghostfreak turned and flew toward the Null Guardian at the rear, engaging it head-on.
Phil sneered, retreating to the corner of the courtyard. He watched the ongoing battle with a mocking smile, as though enjoying the show.
At this point, he had given up on Ben ever siding with him. But now that they'd discovered his secret, he couldn't let them walk away alive.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the side.
Phil whipped his head around. Seeing who it was, he exhaled in relief.
"Oh, it's Grandpa Max's grandson. You nearly gave me a heart attack." He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the young man standing before him.
Lucian stood there in a white T-shirt and loose light-blue jeans, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. His deep eyes shimmered faintly as he stared coldly at Phil.
"Hah, what's that look on your face?" Phil sneered, his eyes full of contempt. "Once the Null Guardian finishes off Max and the others, you'll be next!"
To Phil, the biggest threat was Ben Tennyson—because he possessed the Omnitrix. As for the young man standing before him, Phil didn't even see him as a threat, just an insignificant ant.
"Is that so?" Lucian smiled, raising his Omnitrix Calibration Model and pressing it down.
Beep-beep!
The sleek device flared to life, projecting a vibrant green hologram filled with a sense of mystery and high-tech brilliance.
"Wh-what?!" Phil's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open. "An Omnitrix? Another Omnitrix? How is that possible?!"
Though it looked different from Ben's original version, Phil immediately recognized the unmistakable design—and it was clearly a more advanced model.
Heatblast, Buzzshock, Ditto, Humungousaur, Snare-Oh… XLR8!
"You'll do." Lucian switched the dial to XLR8's icon and slammed it down.
Thud!
A flash of emerald light burst forth, and a flaming figure emerged where Lucian had stood.
Its skin glowed crimson, radiating the heat of molten rock. Cracks lined its body, pulsing with fiery light, and a raging blaze danced atop its head.
"Heatblast?" Lucian looked at his own hands, slightly taken aback.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter who I turn into."
Dealing with Phil wouldn't be hard, no matter the form.
Heatblast leapt into the air, fire erupting beneath his feet as he soared forward on a trail of blazing flame, closing in fast.
Phil's expression twisted in alarm. He quickly raised the Null Void Projector, firing a golden beam in an attempt to absorb Heatblast.
But Heatblast had already anticipated the move. With a swift sidestep, he dodged the attack and surged forward.
Just as he was about to reach Phil, a powerful gust slammed toward him from behind, the force pressing down on his head like a hammer.
Heatblast's instincts flared. He twisted midair and darted aside.
BOOM!
A massive iron hammer crashed down where he'd been standing, unleashing a thunderous shockwave that shattered the ground and sent dust billowing into the air.
Heatblast turned, fists tightening.
Not far from Phil, a dazzling golden ring shimmered in the air.
From beyond it loomed a monstrous figure—five meters tall, skin dark green and thick with bulging muscles. Its features were swollen and grotesque, its head huge and ears flared wide, like a pig demon that had taken on human form.
It clutched a colossal hammer, blood-red eyes locking fiercely onto Heatblast.
Heatblast dropped into a fighting stance, ready to engage at any moment.
Although he had dodged Phil's earlier blast, the stray beam had created that golden ring—and from it, this creature had emerged.
Phil froze for a moment, then smirked. "Seems fate favors me after all. Even as a fire alien, you're no match for me."
"Roar!" The green brute raised its hammer, smashing the ground beneath its feet as it charged forward like a rampaging tank.
[Ding~ Alien Hacker Mission Triggered]
[Defeat the Green Giant]
[Mission Success Reward: Random Enhancement Effect]
The system notifications echoed through Heatblast's mind.
"Then I'll deal with you first!"
He thrust his palms downward, unleashing a torrent of scorching flame that condensed beneath him into a fiery cloud.
Whoosh!
The green giant swung its massive hammer with terrifying force, aiming to crush Heatblast into the ground.
But in the next instant, Heatblast blasted upward, flames propelling him out of reach of the devastating strike.
He aimed his palm down and launched several blazing fireballs at the creature below.
"Roar!!"
The green giant bellowed like a beast, its muscles bulging as it swung its hammer in wild arcs, smashing apart each incoming fireball with explosive bursts of flame lighting up the sky.
Strong, huh?
Guess I'll have to get serious.
Heatblast gathered roaring flames in his hands, spiraling them around his arms before unleashing twin waves of burning energy.
The two fiery streams intertwined midair, merging into a colossal fire dragon that bared its fangs and roared as it hurled itself straight at the target.
The green giant raised its hammer, let out a furious roar, and met the dragon head-on...