The height of summer.
About two kilometers away from the desert town.
Everyone stood at the edge of a massive sand pit, looking down at what lay below.
At the center sat a silver steel cone, its surface reflecting blinding light under the scorching sun.
"…That's basically what happened."
Lucian explained everything from start to finish.
Naturally, he left out what had happened with the fox girl last night, just to avoid setting off another war.
"So that's how it is…" Grandpa stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Necrofriggians lay eggs once every eighty years. Looks like the timing lined up perfectly."
"Oh my god, Cuz is going to be a mom!" Ben exclaimed.
"That's so strange… giving birth on your own…" Gwen's expression turned a little awkward.
Asexual reproduction, just like plants on Earth.
Yenji covered her mouth, hooked an arm around Lucian's neck, and giggled.
"Lucian, you're going to be a mommy. Have you prepared any milk yet?"
"Get away from me," Lucian snapped impatiently.
His expression grew complicated as he stared at the airtight silver cone.
According to the original story, once Big Chill's eggs hatched, countless little phantoms would break free from their shells, soar into the sky, and return to their homeland.
"Tonight… it should finish hatching," Lucian murmured.
After that, they would set off once again and continue their long summer journey.
The blazing sun hung high in the sky, pouring down waves of intense heat.
The fine sand around them was scorching hot.
If even a single drop of water fell here, it would evaporate instantly.
Everyone was drenched in sweat.
The fox girl stuck out her tongue, pink and delicate, her face full of misery.
"It's so hot… this weather is drying me out completely."
Ben and Gwen looked equally miserable, their energy completely drained.
Lucian simply transformed into Big Chill.
He rose into the air and exhaled a blast of freezing cold that swept across the surroundings.
In just a few minutes, an ice-and-snow castle took shape, enveloping the nest from above.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Awesome! Cuz, you're seriously amazing!"
"Lucian, nicely done!" Grandpa Max said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Yes! No more standing under the sun!" Gwen cheered excitedly.
"Lucian really knows how to take care of people. All that doting wasn't for nothing," Yenji said with a grin.
Laughing and chatting, the group stepped into the ice castle.
In an instant, a cool breeze swept through, dispelling the heat and stifling air.
Big Chill folded its wings and landed atop the castle.
Arms crossed, its gaze cold and distant, it looked like a lone guardian standing watch at the frontier, sacred and untouchable.
And so it remained, all the way until deep into the night.
...
The silver moon hung high overhead, starlight shifting faintly.
Lucian and the others sat at the very top of the ice castle.
At one point, Ben transformed into XLR8 and ran back to town, returning with plenty of snacks.
Everyone chatted casually, snacked here and there, and passed the time.
"Hey, Cuz, after you finish giving birth and those little Big Chill spirits hatch, are you going to raise them?"
Ben cracked sunflower seeds as he asked, clearly curious.
Gwen and Yenji both turned to look at Lucian at the same time.
Lucian felt a bit awkward.
Giving birth… it was already an extremely sensitive topic, and now it was being discussed right in front of kids.
"No need to worry," Lucian said, forcing a small smile. "Once they hatch, they'll go find their own way home and return to the Necrofriggian homeworld."
"That's good," Gwen said.
"What a pity," the fox girl muttered.
"Oh?" Grandpa Max looked over. "Yenji, what do you think?"
"Well… I was thinking of keeping one," Yenji said hesitantly, not daring to meet Lucian's eyes. "After all, they're our children…"
"What?!" Gwen clenched her teeth in fury. "You fox spirit! Don't spout nonsense here!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
...
Their gazes collided, sparks practically flying between them.
Grandpa Max raised a hand, wanting to mediate, but for a moment he didn't even know where to begin.
"Hahaha, the nerd's mad again," Ben laughed, dragging over a small stool and sitting down to enjoy the show.
Lucian felt both helpless and amused and was just about to say something—
when suddenly, the ground beneath the castle began to shake violently.
Boom!
A massive black shadow burst out of the earth.
It was sixty to seventy meters long, with no eyes or nose, only a razor-sharp maw opening and closing frantically like a horrifying meat grinder, letting out shrill grinding noises.
"Not good, it's a Desert Worm!" Grandpa Max's pupils shrank sharply.
"Grandpa, what's a Desert Worm?" Gwen couldn't help asking.
"It's a supernatural creature native to Earth," Grandpa Max replied seriously. "Its combat strength is extremely high. Even in the Null Void, it would count as mid-tier."
"Doesn't matter what kind of freak it is. They're all just appetizers for this hero," Ben said confidently.
He raised the Omnitrix, switched heroes, and slammed it down hard.
"Roar!"
A blood-red tiger let out a thunderous roar.
Its powerful legs launched it forward like cannon fire, charging straight at the Desert Worm.
The "King" character on Blood Shadow Tiger's forehead radiated dominance, its eyes blazing with killing intent.
It clenched its fist and smashed it into the Desert Worm's body, producing a thunderous impact.
[Blood Shadow Tiger: Resembles a humanoid tiger, its body covered in blood-red fur, with a "King" character on its forehead. Possesses tremendous strength.]
[Ability: The more severely injured it becomes, the stronger its combat power grows. After entering a frenzied state, its perception of pain is greatly reduced.]
This was genetic data recorded after defeating three consecutive champions in the Interstellar Arena.
Lucian had collected it, and Ben was no exception.
However, before defeating those three champions, they had each fought several individual arena matches, which resulted in some differences in the heroes they recorded.
Shadow Death Guard, Blood Shadow Tiger, and Technorg—those three successive champions went without saying.
Both Lucian and Ben had recorded them.
That said, Lucian had also previously recorded the genes of [Bone-Armored Lizard] and [Muddragon].
Ben, on the other hand, had recorded the genes of [Dragon Crocodile] and [Weapon Master].
The battle erupted instantly!
Boom—!
Deafening explosions echoed across the desert, throwing up massive clouds of sand and dust as the ground trembled nonstop.
Blood Shadow Tiger's heavy punches battered the Desert Worm, causing it to shriek in agony.
Sensing the danger, the Desert Worm whipped its tail, smashing Blood Shadow Tiger away and sending him flying to who-knows-where.
"Roar!"
The Desert Worm's attention shifted back to Big Chill's nest.
It could clearly sense the dense life energy contained within the steel nest.
Under the moonlight, the Desert Worm reared up like a cobra ready to strike, preparing to attack the castle below.
"You're courting death!"
A blue afterimage burst forth, carrying piercing cold as it shot straight toward the advancing worm…