When a radiant emerald flash burst from the Omnitrix device, illuminated the night like a beacon.
Flash~
"____"
"____"
"____"
The sheer intensity of the transformation startled even the royal guards, who instinctively stepped back from the sudden wave of heat radiating from their king's new form.
The mansion's inhabitants turned in shock as Ben's form shifted and twisted, fire erupting from his body.
Crack~ Crack~
When the light faded, Heatblast stood in his place, flames flickering across his molten body.
The momentary silence was shattered as he raised both hands, launching twin torrents of fire at the mansion's entrance.
BOOM.
The heavy wooden doors burst into flames, crumbling under the heat as screams filled the air.
"Enemy attack! Protect the master!"
one of the guards inside the mansion shouted, drawing his grimoire.
Too late.
Ben thrust his hands forward, sending a wave of fire rolling down the grand hallway.
It engulfed a squad of guards stationed before him, their bodies flung backwards by the force of the blast.
Rook charged ahead, his steel boots clanking against the marble floors.
His greatsword gleamed under the flickering flames as he cleaved through the first opponent, sending the man's unconscious body flying into a wall.
Thud~
Another rushed at him, swinging an axe, but Rook side-stepped and delivered a brutal pommel strike to his gut before knocking him out cold.
The Valderic merchant, however, was anything but intimidated.
Instead, his expression twisted into a smirk.
Smirk~
"An intruder dares to break into my home? Do you even know who I am?"
He stood up, pushing the frightened boy away as he faced Heatblast with confidence.
Ben, or rather Heatblast, tilted his head mockingly.
"Oh, I dunno. A guy who's way too full of himself? Maybe a creep with way too much money?"
The merchant's smirk didn't fade.
"I own Centergate's economy. The kingdom itself relies on the trade that I allow to flow. One word from me, and you'll be hunted down as an outlaw. Your life will be hell."
Behind him, his men chuckled, emboldened by their leader's confidence.
Some even grabbed their weapons, thinking they had the upper hand.
Heatblast let out a low, amused laugh.
Haha~
"Oh nooo. Not my life. What will I ever do?"
His flames flared higher, his molten eyes burning with amusement.
"Oh wait—I don't care."
The merchant's face twitched in annoyance.
Tch~
"Tch. Arrogant fool!"
He suddenly raised his hand, and a chilling wave of ice magic burst forth, sending razor-sharp shards shooting straight for Heatblast.
The royal guards tensed. Rook even started to move, ready to intercept—
But it was a wasted effort.
Hiss~
Before the ice could even get close, the sheer heat radiating from Heatblast's body instantly vaporized it into harmless steam.
The shards barely made it halfway before vanishing into mist, their attack completely nullified.
"____"
The merchant blinked, his confidence wavering.
"W-What?"
Heatblast chuckled darkly.
Chuckle~
"Oh man, that's hilarious. You really thought ice was gonna work on me?"
He took a step forward, and with a flick of his wrist, a stream of fire surged toward the merchant.
The man barely managed to roll out of the way as the flames scorched the floor where he had been standing.
BOOM.
His expression twisted from confidence to pure panic.
"How about I return the favour?"
Heatblast taunted.
The other men in the mansion rushed forward, drawing their weapons.
"Get him!"
one of them shouted.
But before they could act, Nebra stepped in.
Her mist magic swirled into the room, clouding their vision.
The guards coughed, their attacks becoming sloppy as the mist threw them into confusion.
Rook and the other royal guards wasted no time.
Using the cover of the mist, they struck swiftly and efficiently.
One guard disarmed a thug in a single strike, while another kicked a chair into a man's legs, sending him sprawling before knocking him out cold.
Meanwhile, Heatblast walked straight through the mist unhindered.
His fiery aura burned too brightly to be concealed, making him an eerie, glowing spectre in the fog.
The merchant tried once more to summon a massive ice barrier between him and Heatblast.
"Pathetic,"
Heatblast muttered.
He casually punched through the wall of ice, shattering it as if it were nothing.
The merchant stumbled backwards.
"N-No! Stay back!"
Heatblast loomed over him.
"Funny, you were just talking big a second ago."
He grabbed the merchant by the collar, lifting him off the ground as his flames burned dangerously close and his collar started to catch fire.
"Where's all that confidence now, huh?"
"N-No, please! I can pay you! I'll give you anything you want!"
Heatblast's grip tightened.
"Oh, you will give us everything. But not as a bribe—"
He smirked, his molten eyes glowing ominously.
"As a confession."
Thud~
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the merchant straight into the floor, leaving him groaning in agony.
The royal guards quickly moved in, binding him with enchanted restraints.
The remaining thugs, seeing their leader subdued, finally surrendered.
Heatblast turned to his guards.
"Take them all. We're gonna make sure everyone knows exactly what happens when you mess with my kingdom."
The guards nodded, dragging the defeated men away.
As the chaos settled, Nebra dismissed her mist, revealing the aftermath.
The once-pristine mansion was in ruins—burn marks on the floor, broken furniture, and unconscious thugs scattered everywhere.
Heatblast stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Whew~
"Whew. That was fun."
He turned back to Nebra and the guards.
"Anyone else hungry? All this fighting's got me craving a midnight snack."
The guards exchanged looks, some shaking their heads with amusement.
Nebra rolled her eyes.
"You really don't act like a king sometimes."
Heatblast smirked.
"That's 'cause right now, I'm a walking inferno."
And with that, he finally deactivated the Omnitrix, returning to his human form.
The tension in the air slowly dissipated as the last of the unconscious thugs were bound and restrained.
The mansion, once filled with arrogance and corruption, was now nothing more than a ruined battlefield, the stench of burnt wood and sweat lingering in the air.
Amidst the wreckage, the young boy who had been at the mercy of the merchant stood frozen, his wide eyes darting between the smouldering remains of the battle and the group before him.
His body still trembled slightly, but it wasn't just from fear anymore—
it was from shock, awe, and confusion.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he swallowed hard and found his voice.
Gulp~
"W-Who... who are you people?"
he stammered, his voice cracking slightly.
His gaze shifted between the tall, imposing royal guards, the mysterious mist-wielding woman, and finally to Ben—who, just moments ago, had been a literal walking inferno.
Ben, who was dusting off the last bits of soot from his jacket, turned toward him with a grin.
Grin~
"Oh, you know. Just your friendly neighborhood... uh…"
He glanced at his guards and smirked.
"Fire-breathing, mist-wielding, bad-guy-punching tax collectors."
Rook, despite being a disciplined warrior, sighed heavily and shook his head.
Sigh~
"Your Majesty, please."
Nebra, arms crossed, gave an amused scoff.
"That is not what we are."
Ben shrugged, clearly enjoying himself.
"Well, I mean, technically, we did collect taxes... in the form of justice."
He gave an exaggerated thumbs-up.
The boy blinked, clearly trying to process this bizarre conversation.
One of the royal guards, seeing the boy's overwhelmed expression, took pity on him and stepped forward.
"You'll know everything by morning,"
he said kindly.
"For now, you should go home."
The boy hesitated.
"B-But… what if that man comes after me again?"
Ben placed a reassuring hand on the kid's shoulder.
"Listen, that guy? He's not going anywhere anytime soon."
He jerked his thumb toward the groaning merchant, now tied up and completely powerless.
"By morning, the only thing he'll be pulling is a confession."
Nebra sighed, shaking her head.
"You're not helping, you know."
Ben grinned.
"What? I am helping. The kid's gotta know that creep's not touching anyone ever again."
The boy stared at them for a moment before finally nodding, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Okay… Thank you. I-I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up."
Ben gave him a lopsided smile.
"Well, lucky for you, we have a habit of showing up right when things get explosive."
The boy, despite everything, let out a small, nervous chuckle.
A royal guard gently nudged him toward the door.
"Go on. It's late."
The boy nodded again, stepping toward the exit before pausing.
"Um… Will I see you again?"
Ben winked.
Wink~
"Probably. But let's just say if you ever hear about a mysterious fireball saving the day, you'll know who it is."
The boy gave one last hesitant smile before hurrying out of the mansion, disappearing into the quiet night.
As soon as he was gone, Nebra shot Ben a look.
"Really? A fireball?"
Ben shrugged.
"What? It's catchy."
Rook sighed again.
"We should return to the orphanage. There's much to do in the morning."
Ben stretched, yawning.
Yawn~
"Yeah, yeah. But first—food. I meant it when I said I was starving."
Nebra shook her head, muttering under her breath as the group gathered their prisoners and prepared to head back.
But before leaving, Ben and his royal guards spread out across the mansion, searching every room for evidence.
Nebra's mist seeped into the corners, revealing hidden compartments and safes.
One of the guards used his magic to pry open locked drawers and cabinets.
"Check everything,"
Rook ordered.
"Documents, ledgers—anything that ties this filth to his crimes."
Ben, still in his human form, kicked open a study door and whistled.
"Wow, would you look at that? A whole room dedicated to being shady."
He grabbed a leather-bound ledger from a desk, flipping through it.
His smirk widened.
"Jackpot. This guy's been laundering money left and right."
Nebra glanced over his shoulder.
"Anything about the orphanage funds?"
Ben's expression darkened.
"Yeah… and more. This scumbag didn't just steal from the kids—he's been rigging trade deals, manipulating prices, and hoarding supplies meant for the village."
He clenched his fist.
"No wonder this place is struggling."
One of the guards pulled a thick envelope from a locked drawer.
"Your Majesty, I found a list of names. Looks like officials in the village who were either bribed or threatened to turn a blind eye."
Ben took the papers and scanned through them.
Tch~
"Tch. No surprise."
He tossed them onto the growing pile of incriminating evidence.
Once they had gathered everything—
ledgers, blackmail lists, financial records, and even secret correspondences with other corrupt merchants—
Ben gave a satisfied nod.
"That should be enough to burn this whole operation down,"
he said, handing the most important documents to Rook.
"Make sure this gets to the right people."
Rook bowed slightly.
"Consider it done."
Ben stretched, cracking his neck.
"Alright, then. Time to head back. I need sleep… and a really big meal."
With their prisoners in tow and enough evidence to dismantle the merchant's entire network, Ben and his group disappeared into the night—
leaving behind a ruined mansion and the end of a corrupt little rat empire.
As Ben and his group stepped out of the ruined mansion, the night air was crisp, contrasting with the lingering heat from his fiery rampage. Just as he was about to stretch, a familiar sound rang in his mind.
[ Ding... ]
[ 🔹 Mission Completed! ]
[ 🔹 Mission Name: Catch the Money Launderer (2/???) ]
[ 🔹 Completion Target: 25/25 ]
[ 🔹 Rewards: 120 FP Points Earned! ]
[ Ding... ]
[ FP Bar: 237/500 ] --> [ New Alien: ??? ]
[ Ding... ]
With a satisfied nod seeing his system status before him, Ben and his team vanished into the night.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review on this Fanfic.
Don't forget to send your power stones!!!