Technorg's golden eyes flared with raging fury. "It seems someone wants to challenge my authority."
"So what if I do?"
As the words left his mouth, Kevin 11 lifted his arm. It morphed into a razor-sharp spike, then shot forward like a roaring cannonball straight at his opponent.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The emerald-green spikes slammed into Technorg's body again and again, only to shatter on impact. They burst into fine crystal fragments that scattered across the filthy floor.
"What?!"
Kevin stared at his broken arm in sheer shock. He hadn't expected his opponent to be this overwhelmingly strong.
With a furious roar, Technorg swung his terrifying meteor hammer and smashed it into Kevin's chest. The blow sent Kevin flying instantly. He tumbled across the conveyor line, his body smeared with purple mud paste.
"That's insane…" Ben muttered in disbelief. Kevin had been defeated effortlessly. The gap in strength was terrifying.
Ding!
The indicator light above the cafeteria lit up green.
"The battle is about to begin. All contestants, prepare yourselves."
A cold mechanical voice echoed throughout the entire cafeteria.
Moments later, dozens of crimson beams rose from beneath the aliens' feet, teleporting several of them away.
Among those taken were Lucian, Ben, and Kevin.
As newcomers, none of them were granted any rest.
Now, Lucian stood at the center of the arena. Solid iron walls surrounded him, sealing this battlefield off from the others.
Standing opposite him was a strange creature.
It was roughly five meters long, its body thick and powerful like a python's, yet it possessed agile limbs. At a glance, it looked somewhat like a massive four-legged lizard.
Whoosh!
Cheers erupted from every direction. The audience screamed wildly, eagerly anticipating the spectacle about to unfold.
Gold, coins, diamonds, and all kinds of minerals rained down like a storm. Among them were even a few pieces of Taydenite, all thrown out by spectators placing their rewards.
Of course, every last bit of it belonged to Slix Vigma. The fighters risked their lives, yet they wouldn't see a single coin.
"Next up, the Earth contestant versus the Orumiron contestant!" A clear announcement rang out from above.
"Orumiron?" Lucian's gaze sharpened. So his opponent was an intelligent species as well.
Though it looked beast-like, its intelligence was likely far from low.
It reminded him of the Vulpimancer species, Wildmutt's kind. Despite their feral appearance, they possessed high intelligence and formidable combat power. This Orumiron was probably the same.
The moment the announcement ended, the stands exploded into chaos. The crowd screamed wildly, the noise deafening.
"Hahaha! This Earthling is doomed. He's up against the Muddragon!"
"What a pity. The Muddragon is the undefeated champion here. Nine wins in a row already. One more and it's a perfect ten!"
"I'm betting one piece of Taydenite on the Muddragon," a one-eyed alien shouted.
"I'll bet a dollar on the Earthling," someone muttered quietly, only to earn a wave of scornful looks.
Odds on Muddragon winning: [1:1]
Odds on Lucian winning: [1:10000]
"Battle, begin!" The cold mechanical voice echoed once more.
"So your name is Muddragon…" A faint glimmer passed through Lucian's deep eyes as if he were considering something.
"Earthling, it's your bad luck to face me," Muddragon said in a booming voice, dripping with contempt.
In his eyes, the opponent before him was insignificant beyond measure. With the slightest effort, he could crush him like an ant.
Lucian snorted coldly, raising the Omnitrix calibration version and preparing to press it.
"Detecting unregistered DNA. Would you like to catalog it?"
The Omnitrix suddenly flashed, issuing a prompt.
Lucian froze for a split second, then his heart surged with wild excitement.
He hadn't expected the Muddragon's genetic data to be missing even from the Omnitrix.
That meant this was an opportunity he absolutely couldn't waste.
He was inside the Interstellar Colosseum, a place where countless aliens gathered, including many powerful ones. It was practically a living genetic treasure vault.
Lucian was certain of one thing: he had to make full use of this so-called arena and harvest as much DNA as possible, unlocking even more Alien Heroes.
That was exactly why he hadn't tried to escape right away.
Just as Lucian was about to scan Muddragon's DNA, the creature lost its patience.
Radiating a ferocious aura, it lunged straight at him.
Lucian's expression tightened. He immediately abandoned the scan, slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix, and activated it.
Boom!
A burst of eerie green light exploded outward, completely engulfing Lucian.
The blinding glow lit up the entire arena, forcing the Muddragon to squint and recoil.
When the light finally faded, the Muddragon saw the scene clearly.
The Earthling was gone.
In his place stood a deep green figure.
Tall and lean, with a crown of flame encircling its head. Red spikes were embedded along both shoulders, and a faint stench of swamp gas drifted from its body.
"Swampfire!"
The Muddragon's eyes went wide. It never expected its opponent to be able to transform. What was going on?
"Your DNA," Swampfire said calmly, "I'm taking it."
Swampfire raised his palm.
From the openings in his hand, scorching flames erupted, crashing straight toward the Muddragon…
...
On the other side of the arena, Kevin stood with an ugly expression.
Facing him was a massive pig-man. The thick layers of fat covering its body were practically as sturdy as a latrine wall, absorbing most incoming damage.
"Go, Piglord! Beat that freak!"
Shouts rang out nonstop from the stands.
Piglord was the pig-man's name.
Most of the audience was rooting for him. He was a veteran champion. While he couldn't compare to Technorg, he was still an undeniably powerful contender.
As for Kevin, the newcomer, his appearance might have been intimidating, but the crowd clearly wasn't convinced. They firmly believed Piglord would take the win.
At that moment, Piglord twisted his face into a vicious snarl, lifted his slaughter knife, and charged straight at Kevin 11.
The fat on his face rippled with every step. Sharp tusks jutted from the corners of his mouth, making him look utterly terrifying.
"Damn it! I refuse to believe I can't beat you!"
Kevin 11 roared in fury, clenching his flaming fist and launching it forward like a cannonball.
What he didn't realize was that Piglord suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His mouth twitched strangely, then he spat out a thick glob of saliva with violent force…
…
Original Author's Note:
(PS: Both Muddragon and Piglord were fan submissions and fall under the original heroes mentioned earlier. Some of their settings were a bit too strong and would have affected combat balance, so I made slight adjustments. After all, this is still the early stage of the story, though their ultimate forms may be strengthened later.)