Chapter 234: Wait, Vilgax is Looking for Me?
"Helen!"
Seeing his crush under attack, Manny's temper finally snapped. He let out a furious roar and charged blindly at Vilgax, his four muscular arms swinging wildly.
His reckless bravery amounted to absolutely nothing. The moment Manny launched himself through the air, Vilgax simply raised a massive hand and snatched him right out of mid-air.
It was a humiliating display. The imposing galactic warlord held Manny by the waist with a single hand, hoisting him up as effortlessly as one might lift a newborn chick. Manny thrashed violently, all four of his thick arms prying and hammering against Vilgax's gauntlet, but he couldn't even budge the warlord's iron grip.
"A Tetramand?" Vilgax mused, his crimson eyes narrowing as he inspected the struggling alien. "How nostalgic. The very first time he fought me, he transformed into one of your kind. He was much younger than you back then, but even now, I can still feel a faint ache from his punches."
Despite his desperate struggle for breath, Manny paused his thrashing just enough to wheeze out a question. "Who... exactly are you talking about?"
"You are not worthy of speaking his name!" Vilgax sneered.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he hurled Manny straight out of the battlefield. The four-armed warrior crashed through the tree line, snapping more than a dozen thick trunks like twigs before finally plowing into the dirt. Battered and bruised, Manny groaned in agony. His four eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped into unconsciousness.
Hidden safely in the dense shadows of the brush, Grandpa Max observed the one-sided massacre. Listening to the warlord's bizarre monologue, Max couldn't help but wonder if Vilgax had been beaten completely senseless by his good grandson. Why did nine out of ten sentences coming out of the tyrant's mouth revolve around him? Honestly, if the idea wasn't so utterly ridiculous, Grandpa Max would have thought Vilgax had been tamed into a loyal guard dog by Klein. How else could the Conqueror of Ten Worlds offer such high praise?
At that moment, Alan and Pierce launched a coordinated ambush. Alan unleashed a torrent of scorching fire from the left, while Pierce fired a barrage of razor-sharp spikes from the right. Neither attack managed to leave so much as a scratch on Vilgax's hardened skin.
Vilgax didn't even bother raising his fists. He simply turned toward Alan, inhaled deeply, and blew out a massive gust of wind. The sheer force of his breath acted like a localized typhoon, instantly extinguishing the flames covering Alan's body and sending the Pyronite tumbling tens of meters away into the dirt.
Slowly turning his gaze downward, Vilgax stared blankly at Pierce, who was still tirelessly launching spikes against his armored legs. Vilgax raised his massive foot and stomped heavily onto the ground.
The earth shattered. A violent shockwave ripped through the soil, throwing Pierce off his feet and slamming him hard against the ground.
In mere moments, the entire squad of new generation Plumbers lay defeated in the dirt.
Vilgax surveyed the wreckage, his crimson eyes scanning the dark tree line. "Max Tennyson. Where are you hiding? Get out here!"
"Right in front of you."
Vilgax barely had time to look down before a blinding blue energy projectile slammed directly into his face. Even a warlord of his caliber couldn't completely ignore the stinging pain of a high-tech Plumber energy rifle fired at point-blank range.
However, the minor annoyance only lasted a second. Vilgax swung his massive arm in a casual backhand, swatting Grandpa Max away like a bothersome fly.
The older man hit the ground hard. He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself back up, but the sheer pain radiating through his aging bones made it nearly impossible to stand.
Vilgax didn't bother following up with another strike. He looked down at the veteran Plumber with a hint of pity. "You are simply too old, Max."
Psyphon stepped forward, a cruel smirk on his face as he prepared to torture the defeated old man. Vilgax immediately raised a hand, stopping his sycophantic servant in his tracks.
"Tomorrow, at this exact time," Vilgax declared, his voice echoing through the ruined park. "I will be waiting right here for his arrival."
Max coughed, clutching his bruised ribs. "Klein?"
"Ben Tennyson," Vilgax corrected, his tone deadpan.
Max blinked, his expression twisting into utter confusion. Why on earth would the Conqueror of Ten Worlds specifically ask for Ben when Klein was right there?
Seeing the old man's baffled, almost judgmental stare, Vilgax actually looked a bit defensive. "What? Can't I challenge him first?" he snapped irritably.
Without waiting for a response, the warlord summoned a teleportation beam from his ship and vanished into the night sky.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town.
Inside Klein's spacious home, the atmosphere was considerably more relaxed. Klein stood in the middle of his living room, casually directing a Thep Khufan to move heavy boxes of trophies and shiny medals into neat stacks.
Suddenly, his phone began to ring.
These trophies and medals were tokens of gratitude sent by various alien worlds, all specifically delivered to Earth to thank Klein for single-handedly resolving the Highbreed crisis. The Highbreed invasion had devastated countless planets across the galaxy, and the survivors had shown their appreciation by burying Klein's house in small mountains of gold and silver plaques.
Since none of these awards had specific names engraved on them, Klein had already distributed a large portion of the loot. He gave a bunch to Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Helen. Even Paradox, who had just been standing around watching the final battle, walked away with two shiny medals.
Klein picked up his ringing phone. "Hello? Grandpa?...Hmm, got it. I'll be there right away."
Hanging up the call, Klein looked at the remaining pile of glittering junk on his floor. He sighed, deciding he would figure out how to deal with the rest of this clutter after he returned.
City Park. Inside the Rustbucket.
Pierce and the other young Plumbers were lying on the medical cots, looking thoroughly exhausted and battered from their encounter.
Ben, Gwen, and Kevin had arrived shortly after receiving the distress call. They followed Grandpa Max out of the Rustbucket to discuss the situation in the open air.
Just then, a sleek, red figure descended rapidly from the night sky.
A ghostly blue light flashed across the clearing, and the Jetray transformed back into Klein. He landed smoothly on his feet, brushing a speck of dust from his jacket. "Sorry I'm late, Grandpa. The house was a bit too messy, had to organize some things."
Grandpa Max simply nodded, his expression grave.
Seeing that everyone had finally gathered, Max got straight to the point. "Vilgax has returned to Earth. He has officially issued a Conqueror's Challenge to this planet."
Ben tilted his head, completely lost. "A what now?"
"It is an ancient regulation proposed by the Galvan to reduce the destructive extent of interstellar warfare," Max explained patiently. "To avoid the large-scale destruction of entire worlds, two warring planets can choose one champion to participate in a duel. The winner of that single combat will become the absolute ruler of both planets."
Max paused, letting the weight of the situation sink in. "And this chosen champion, generally speaking, is supposed to be the strongest and greatest warrior on their respective planet."
Ben punched his palm, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh, I get it! He challenged Cousin! Ha! How dare he? Does squid-face have a death wish?"
Max shook his head slowly, his expression deadly serious. "Not him, Ben. It's you."
Ben froze, his grin vanishing. "Me? What does this have to do with me?"
Klein leaned against the side of the Rustbucket, shrugging with absolute indifference. "Well, if the strongest warrior on the planet doesn't really feel like fighting, the second strongest is perfectly allowed to participate in his place."
After all, the champion was selected by the challenger, and Vilgax clearly had his own subjective initiative in avoiding the absolute monster that was Klein.
"The second strongest being on Earth?" Ben rubbed his chin, puffing out his chest. "Well, then it's indeed me." He turned to Max, his confidence returning in full force. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll defeat him."
Seeing Ben's arrogant attitude, both Max and Gwen exchanged worried glances.
Kevin couldn't help but step in, crossing his arms. "Dude, didn't you see the security footage inside the Rustbucket earlier? Vilgax is way stronger now than he was back then!"
"So what? We just dealt with the entire Highbreed army!" Ben scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "There's no need to worry so much about a mere former loser."
Technically speaking, Klein had accounted for over ninety-nine percent of the damage dealt during the Highbreed war, while Ben himself had likely contributed less than a fraction of a percent. However, this minor technicality did absolutely nothing to dampen Ben's soaring confidence from technically 'winning' the war.
Seeing Ben's unyielding arrogance, Max rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache coming on.
Fortunately, Klein finally spoke up. "Ben. You must not underestimate your opponent. Vilgax is very strong right now. If you don't take this duel seriously, you are very likely to lose."
The moment those words left Klein's mouth, Ben's entire demeanor shifted. The cocky grin vanished, replaced by a look of absolute, focused seriousness. "I understand, Cousin."
If Cousin Klein—the guy who casually swatted galactic armadas for fun—believed that Vilgax's current strength was something to be wary of, then Ben knew he really needed to prepare himself properly.
Watching Ben's instant change in attitude, Kevin threw his hands up in the air, completely exasperated. "Unbelievable! You really only listen to the boss!"
"In that case," Ben said, ignoring Kevin's complaint, "I need to find a way to make myself stronger before tomorrow's decisive battle!"
Ben turned to Kevin, lowering his voice. "Are those things I asked you to prepare earlier ready?"
"Don't worry," Kevin replied, matching his hushed tone. "It's all sitting in my garage."
Without another word, the two boys gave a quick wave to the rest of the group and hurriedly jogged off into the night.
"What's with all the secrecy?" Gwen asked, crossing her arms as she watched them leave. She turned to look at Klein. "Cousin, do you have any idea what those two idiots are going to do?"
Klein merely shrugged his shoulders, his expression completely blank, indicating that he had absolutely no clue.
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