Bang!
As the two figures stepped into the inferno, Ben calmly glanced at the massive robot on the left.
"Zack, I'll take the one on the left. The right one's yours!"
"No objections here."
Zack's crystalline spikes extended slightly as he spoke, excitement evident in his voice.
Bang!!
They both stomped the ground and dashed forward toward their respective targets—Zack moved so fast he left afterimages behind.
Seeing this, the robot facing Zack immediately raised its arm and locked on to his path.
Shoooo—Rumble!
A powerful laser beam erupted from its cannon, slamming into Zack mid-charge. Smoke and debris exploded into the air on impact.
"Zack!!"
Ben shouted, worried—but he was already caught up in his own battle, narrowly dodging a barrage of laser blasts from the other robot.
All he could do was pray that Zack was okay.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The massive robot advanced step by step, approaching the cloud of smoke.
It lifted its arm and swept the smoke aside with a heavy wave.
Zack lay motionless on the ground.
"Target neutralized."
The giant robot's sensor light flickered. After scanning Zack's still body, it concluded he was down and confidently reached forward to grab him.
Without hesitation, it lifted Zack's body and held it up in front of itself.
"Heh~~"
Zack's golden pupils suddenly gleamed—bright and sharp. A twisted smile curled across his face.
Of course, that smile wasn't his fault… it was just part of Diamond Devil's terrifying design.
"Warning: Abnormal energy spike detected—"
The robot instantly recognized something was wrong and tried to toss Zack away.
Too late.
RUMBLE!!
A barrage of crystalline spikes exploded outward from Zack's body like an array of unyielding spears!
They pierced straight through the robot's hands!
Through its head!
And even clean through its armored torso!!
With just one move, Zack completely destroyed the giant robot.
Its massive frame staggered—systems failing—before it dropped Zack and collapsed backward.
Zack landed lightly on the ground, his body unscathed. The crystal spikes retracted smoothly, leaving behind a hardened, flawless armor.
He stepped forward calmly, as if strolling through his own backyard, casually approaching the downed machine.
His arms morphed into massive diamond greatswords, and he began slicing the robot apart piece by piece.
The robot, now fully malfunctioning, couldn't even fight back.
It had no choice but to endure the dismantling.
"That robotic monster that was slaughtering us a moment ago…"
"Yeah.. He took it down effortlessly…"
"He's… a hero."
The remaining survivors looked on with wide eyes—relief, awe, and guilt all mixing together.
They'd misunderstood him completely.
Bang!
With one final swing, Zack's twin crystal blades cleaved through the remaining structure.
The giant robot crashed down as a pile of broken parts.
"Done."
Zack quietly retracted the greatswords.
"Zack—no, I mean Sir Diamond!!"
From the distance, Grandpa Max called out in amazement,"You actually tanked a laser with your body!"
"I know."
Zack glanced in Grandpa Max's direction and shouted back, "But there are still people hiding nearby. If I deflect that kind of energy blast, someone could die."
This wasn't an anime.
Every move he made in the real world required caution.
"Zack… so that's what it was," Gwen murmured. "When he phased mid-air against the drones earlier—it wasn't just for style. He was making sure none of the blasts would hit us."
Grandpa Max and Gwen both looked at Zack, moved by the realization. They nodded silently.
That had always been Zack's nature: careful, composed, and quietly protective.
And yet, he was the one who ended up wielding the terrifying Carnitrix.
"I feel awful…"
"We're sorry!!"
The surrounding survivors hung their heads in guilt, filled with regret for the things they'd said and assumed earlier.
A beat passed.
"Uh… hasn't Ben finished his fight yet?"
Zack came to a stop and looked toward Ben, who was locked in a fierce battle with the second giant robot not far away.
At first, Ben had been evenly matched with the machine.
But over time, he began to adapt to his crystal abilities, gradually turning the tide and putting pressure on the robot.
"Since you haven't finished it yet… I'll take the kill!"
A grin tugged at the corner of Zack's mouth. The spikes on his body began to retract inward.
"Ben—move!! Heh~"
"Huh?!"
Ben glanced back, confused—then dove out of the way in alarm.
Bang bang bang!!
Zack thrust out his chest, and dozens of crystal spikes fired forward like Gatling gun rounds, shredding across the surface of the robot.
In an instant, the giant machine was riddled with holes, its entire structure pierced. It collapsed onto the ground, barely holding together.
It stood there, swaying—damaged even worse than the first robot Zack had taken down.
"Zack!! Don't steal my kill!!" Ben shouted, half annoyed, half impressed.
Ben scrambled to his feet and tried to make a move—
But Zack was faster. He rushed forward, his palm morphing into a massive crystal hammer, and with one decisive swing, smashed the robot's head into pieces!
And just like that, both giant robots had been taken down entirely by Zack.
"Waaah! So strong, Sir Diamond!"
"The two Diamond brothers—one's all about style, the other's pure battle mode!"
"Those two damn machines are finally dead!"
The remaining survivors began crawling out of hiding, their cheers rising non-stop as they clapped and shouted in relief and excitement.
Even Ben, who had been slightly irritated at first, ended up smiling amid the applause.
"Done!!"
Zack grinned, clenching his fist. Inside, he silently waited for the System notification.
Ding! Host has defeated one Large Robot, assisted in defeating another, and successfully rescued the survivors — template progress +1!
Template progress: 4 / 100
Unlocked: The Mummy
Unlocked: Blitzwolf
Unlocked: Frankenstrike!
Holy crap…
Zack hadn't expected to unlock three alien DNAs at once!
With Ghostfreak included, Zack had now unlocked the full set of the "Dark Four" ahead of schedule!
He was basically Ben 13 already!
Later that night, after helping rescue the remaining trapped civilians, both Zack and Ben finally left the burning ruins behind.
Even as midnight approached, stories of Zack's heroics were already spreading throughout the local area.
Meanwhile, inside the Rustbucket, the lights were off.
Zack and Gwen were crammed into the top bunk.
Down below, Ben slowly opened his eyes and sat up. "Those two jerks who bullied me earlier… time to get my revenge!"
"Ben."
Zack poked his head down from the top bunk, clearly expecting this. "Need backup?"
"Zack, I think if you helped, they'd die of fright on the spot…" Ben grinned wickedly. "But you gave me an idea—I'll use Ghostfreak to scare those two idiots instead!"
With that, Ben slipped quietly out of the Rustbucket, still smirking.
Zack leaned back against the top bunk, staring up at the ceiling in silence, lost in thought.
He still had many enemies ahead—Mutant freaks, alien tech hunters… and even Vilgax himself.
But as long as he kept unlocking the Carnitrix step by step—Heh~
He'd be ready for all of it.
One day, he would defeat Vilgax.
And maybe even meet Albedo, face the true form of Vilgax, or stand before the legendary Carnitrix itself.
If the Carnitrix Universe actually existed...
That night, Zack dreamed of just that—A vivid battle between himself… and the Carnitrix.
...
Outer space.
Vilgax sat in his warship, replaying the battle footage over and over again. He took a deep breath and growled:
"This monster… not only has superior physical traits, but also terrifying combat instincts. Standard drones can't touch them at all."
"Lord Vilgax, what should we do?"
His mechanical subordinates all turned to him, awaiting orders.
Vilgax let out a sharp breath, eyes burning with fury.
"Spend whatever it takes. I want powerful bounty hunters brought in—every last one of them."
"Hunt those two worms down."