Just as Vilgax was about to sever Gwen's arm, a thunderclap-like explosion suddenly erupted from outside the spaceship.
Boom!
The towering Rustbucket, its front reinforced with a heavy metal ram, smashed straight through the hull of the ship. Accompanied by a storm of flying metal shards, it burst inside with unstoppable momentum.
Vilgax failed to dodge in time and was sent flying by the enraged Rustbucket, slamming hard into the wall.
"Quick, kill them all!" Vilgax roared furiously, commanding the surrounding robots to attack.
At his order, every robot moved at once. They were emotionless killing machines, incapable of fear or hesitation.
All kinds of robots surged forward, surrounding the Rustbucket in an instant.
Humanoid machines and spider robots packed in densely, sealing it off completely as they began charging energy for an attack.
Lucian was the first to jump out of the vehicle. Laser rifle in hand, he squeezed the trigger nonstop, firing streak after streak of blue laser fire. The beams merged into a violent energy storm, rapidly cutting down the enemies before him.
One robot after another collapsed, shattered into broken parts under Lucian's relentless firepower, bursting into blinding flashes of light.
"Whew, this is pretty intense!" Lucian grinned, his hands never slowing.
This was his first time using Plumber weapons. Not only did they feel natural in his grip, their power was overwhelming. Ordinary robots couldn't withstand even a single shot.
Watching that fearless figure charging through the battlefield, Gwen's eyes sparkled as she murmured softly,
"Cuz is so cool… how did I never notice before?"
In her memory, Lucian had always seemed refined and bookish. After all, he had just returned from studying abroad and carried a subtle scholarly air.
But now, he felt completely different. His appearance hadn't changed, yet his presence had undergone a drastic transformation. He seemed steadier, braver, as if an entirely different soul inhabited his body.
Of course, Gwen had no idea that the Lucian standing before her wasn't the cousin she knew, but a Lucian from another parallel universe.
"How dare you! A mere Earthling, barging into my territory!" Vilgax roared, his tentacles trembling with rage.
He rose to his feet, gripping his massive blade as cold blue light gleamed along its edge, preparing to charge at Lucian.
"Vilgax, your opponent is me!"
Grandpa Max, wearing a targeting scope, braced a heavy laser cannon with both hands and aimed it straight at the enraged Vilgax.
"Tennyson!" Seeing Grandpa Max, Vilgax clenched his fists and immediately rushed forward, the two colliding in a fierce battle.
Ben joined the fight as well, wielding a laser pistol and firing continuous bursts of energy to force back the surrounding robots.
As more and more machines poured in, Lucian let out a cold snort and picked up a steel plate from the ground to use as a shield.
It was debris left behind from a destroyed spider robot.
With the shield in one hand and his weapon in the other, Lucian dodged and weaved through the chaos, counterattacking whenever he saw an opening. Relying on his extensive combat experience, he forced his way through the enemy ranks and finally reached Gwen.
His body was already splattered with robot fragments and engine oil. His handsome face was darkened with scorch marks, yet his deep eyes still burned with unwavering resolve and fierce determination.
"Cuz… you look really cool today…" Gwen said absentmindedly, the words slipping out with a hint of longing.
Lucian paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Do I? I've always been like this. Alright, let me get you out first."
"Okay." Gwen smiled softly, happiness written all over her face.
Suddenly, golden lightning burst from the machine, crackling as it wrapped around Gwen's wrist.
"Ah!" Gwen cried out in pain, squeezing her eyes shut as intense agony surged through her.
Lucian's expression sharpened.
"This is… an energy pulse!"
The last time he had been captured by Vilgax and brought aboard the ship, he had been restrained in the same kind of machine. Back then, a violent energy pulse had also erupted, disrupting his connection with the watch.
While Lucian was still thinking, the machine clamped onto Gwen's arm suddenly exploded. It shattered into fragments of every size, spraying debris in all directions.
Gwen screamed as her body lost balance and dropped rapidly.
Lucian reacted instantly, lunging forward and catching her in his arms, holding her steady.
"Ahhh! I'm gonna die!" Gwen shouted, eyes still tightly shut as she kicked her legs in panic.
"It's okay now, Gwen." Lucian said as he gently set her down.
Gwen froze for a couple of seconds, then her face lit up with joy. She rushed forward and hugged the stunned Lucian.
"That was so awesome! Thank you, Cuz! Good thing you were here, or I'd be totally dead~"
Lucian was just about to reply when a strange noise suddenly came from behind them.
Zzzzt!
A powerful energy pulse erupted from Gwen's wrist, flashing with streaks of golden electricity that were blinding and terrifying.
Immediately afterward, the Omnitrix detached itself from Gwen's hand.
Lucian instinctively reached out to grab the falling watch.
In the next instant, the Omnitrix seemed to come alive. It opened on its own and latched onto Lucian's wrist, clinging tightly as if it refused to let go.
Beep! Beep!
A strange yet familiar sound rang out as the Omnitrix switched to its green interface.
Lucian's eyes were tinged with green, his pupils shrinking sharply as his heart trembled.
The Omnitrix… it had chosen him again!
Boom!
Just then, a violent crash sounded nearby.
Lucian turned his head sharply, anger flashing in his eyes.
Vilgax was brutally smashing Grandpa Max against the wall, each impact echoing heavily. Grandpa Max was already covered in wounds, blood trickling down his forehead.
"Lu… Lucian… take Ben and the others… and run…" Grandpa Max said weakly, barely holding on.
"Grandpa!" Ben shouted, but countless robots blocked his way, leaving him unable to get any closer.
Gwen's face turned deathly pale. Panic-stricken, she was about to rush toward her gravely injured grandfather.
"Let me handle this." Lucian grabbed her arm and immediately pressed the Omnitrix, switching forms.
As a first-generation watch, it only had ten aliens available, but for Lucian, that was more than enough.
Thud!
A burst of eerie green light enveloped Lucian.
Four Arms roared, unleashing terrifying explosive power. In an instant, he sent Vilgax flying, slamming him hard into the control console.
"Omnitrix! You actually stole my Omnitrix!" Vilgax nearly fainted from rage, his tentacles trembling violently.
Four Arms clenched his blood-red fists and pummeled Vilgax's face relentlessly, leaving him dizzy and completely unable to fight back.
After an unknown amount of time, Four Arms finally pulled his fists back.
Vilgax's octopus-like head was deeply embedded in the floor, his condition unknown.
With that done, Four Arms leapt over to Grandpa Max.
Only after confirming that Grandpa Max was safe did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Over the next two minutes, Four Arms unleashed overwhelming combat power, tearing apart every robot aboard the ship. Their shattered remains nearly filled the entire control room.
He then brought the other three back to the Rustbucket.
Looking at the Rustbucket riddled with holes, Four Arms frowned, unsure what to do next.
Suddenly, another energy pulse flashed. Four Arms rapidly shrank, transforming into Wildmutt.
"Roar!" Wildmutt roared angrily. This wasn't what he wanted!
Zzzzt!
Another golden energy pulse flashed, transforming Wildmutt into Upgrade…
...
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