"Ding! Congratulations, host — mission complete!"
"Host obtains 5 bonus points!"
Ethen slowly lowered his hands.
The huge parking lot was a complete mess.
There were soldiers who'd been struck by cars, others half-buried under fallen streetlights, and some blasted apart by laser cannons.
In short… chaos.
Only one warrior remained alive — tightly bound by broken laser gun parts, as if trapped inside a mechanical prison.
"Now, answer me."
Ethen's voice was cold as he glared at the soldier. "Where's Ben?! What did you do to him, members of the Forever Knights?!"
Only one organization mixed alien technology and medieval-style weaponry —
the Forever Knights.
"Damn… you know who we are?"
"You—are you one of the Plumbers from Earth?" the soldier snarled. "I'm warning you, this kind of brutality violates the rules of the Heavenly Alliance—"
Bang!!
Ethen's expression didn't change. He twitched a finger slightly.
The magnetic field around him pulsed. The old, battered car revved to life and rolled forward menacingly.
The soldier's eyes widened in panic. "No, no, wait—!"
"Ahhhh!!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the lot before silence returned.
The car stopped inches from the soldier's face.
"My rules are my rules," Ethen said flatly. "Need me to repeat that?"
"I—I'm from the Forever Knights's branch base! We were ordered to capture that kid's Omnitrix! The base coordinates are—"
The warrior stammered out the location.
"Good." Ethen snapped his fingers.
The metal shards tightened around the soldier, sealing over his face.
"Death by suffocation… at least it keeps things neat."
Without another glance, Ethen turned and climbed back into the car.
Inside, the air was thick with tension.
Ethen's voice was calm but heavy. "I got the information. The ones who abducted Ben are from a criminal group called the Forever Knights. Their branch base is in the suburbs."
"They know Ben can transform," Gwen said, her expression dark and worried.
Max looked toward Ethen, their eyes meeting for a brief, charged moment.
Even Max had to avert his gaze from the intensity in Ethen's eyes.
"I'll handle it," Ethen said quietly, though there was a dangerous edge to his tone.
Then, as his transformation timed out, his alien form dissolved, returning him to human.
The old car roared forward toward the suburbs.
Suddenly, another vehicle screeched to a stop, blocking their way.
"I—I know where the Forever Knights's base is!" shouted House, gripping the wheel tightly. "Let me take you there!"
Ethen narrowed his eyes. "It's impossible for them to be hiding in the water park… You leaked Ben's location, didn't you?"
"Yeah! It was me!" House confessed, guilt twisting his face. "But I thought they only wanted the hoverboards! I didn't know they'd take the kid…"
He clenched his fists. "So now, I'm going to make it right. I'll help you find him!"
He slammed the accelerator and sped ahead, leading the way.
Ethen's eyes followed the car ahead — the murderous light in them fading just slightly.
Inside House's car, his heart pounded so hard it hurt.
He'd seen Ethen kill the warrior without hesitation.
Now, he had to prove his usefulness — or he was next.
"I don't care about the Forever Knights anymore," House muttered under his breath. "I'm more afraid of Ethen…"
The Forever Knights's branch base stood like a fortress in the suburbs —
a Western-style citadel surrounded by open fields and dense forest, forming a natural wall.
Ethen stepped out from the shadows of the trees, staring at the fortress and the patrolling guards.
"Ding! Mission issued: Forever Knights Branch Base!"
Mission: You've located a branch base of the Forever Knights. Will you destroy it… or merely defeat it?
Reward: 20 bonus points.
Ethen smirked. "Only one option — total destruction."
"Ethen, I'm ready," Gwen said, wearing a magic robe and a pendant filled with glowing stones. "These weapons—they resonate with me. I can actually use them!"
She'd been studying the alien artifacts all night — and it showed.
She was a natural prodigy.
Max, wearing his old Plumber uniform and carrying a heavy laser rifle, chuckled.
"Well, as a retired Plumber, it's only fair I carry a little firepower for self-defense."
"Reasonable, reasonable…" House muttered weakly, sitting on the ground in despair.
He regretted everything.
Why did I ever tell them about Ben's watch?
"Grandpa, Gwen." Ethen's tone turned serious. "This mission involves Ben's safety. I'll go all out. Please—stay out of the fight. I don't want to risk hurting you."
"Hurt us… accidentally?" Gwen whispered, a chill running down her spine.
Just how strong was Ethen, really?
Even Max swallowed hard.
"Trainee Plumber, huh…? Not exactly."
House shut his eyes in frustration. "Please… don't tell me more. I've heard enough…"
Whoosh! Bang!
Ethen pressed the Omnitrix's faceplate, twisting it until it locked onto a silhouette —
Alien X.
He smirked. "Reverse Watch form… maybe Alien X doesn't need permission to go all out."
It was his second time using this alien.
His first gamble.
Whoosh! Bang!
As he slammed the dial, blinding light burst from the Omnitrix.
Standing before them was a figure that radiated both divinity and chaos —
a godlike being with immense power and unreadable eyes.
Inside his mind, Ethen faced two enormous faces — the alien judges of the Reverse Watch.
They stared at him silently.
"C'mon," Ethen muttered. "Let me through."
"Vote now!"
"We unanimously approve! We unanimously approve!!"
The faces shouted in unison.
Ethen grinned. "Then I vote yes — let me wield the power of the alien x!"
Judgment complete. Access granted.
Awesome.
Fwoosh!
Alien X's eyes snapped open.
He moved — slowly at first, then faster.
"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked, confused.
Before anyone could answer—
Whoosh! Bang!!
Alien X took off like lightning, sprinting straight toward the fortress, every muscle brimming with manic energy.
"Oh my god!!"
A warrior barely turned before he saw it — the insane, grinning alien charging at him full speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alien X's fists flew faster than the eye could see.
Before the first punch even landed, the warrior's body disintegrated into molecules.
Yet Alien X kept punching—hundreds more times, unstoppable.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Damn it! Someone's breached the base!"
"Who is he?! Take him down!"
Dozens of laser cannons opened fire.
Beams of energy streaked through the air as—
Alien X danced among them.
Every movement, every dodge, every punch was graceful — like a ballet performed inside a storm of destruction.
His expression was pure exhilaration.
Every cell in his body screamed with joy.
It turns out…
the Reverse Watch's version of Alien X had inverted more than his power.
The god of judgment… had become a hyperactive force of chaos.
The two consciousnesses approved him so quickly because—
his manic energy couldn't be contained.
"It feels so good…" Alien X shouted, leaping high into the sky.
He crashed down with divine power exploding around him.
He was—
the freest, wildest, most unstoppable being in the entire multiverse.
The freest man alive.