Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

The cave was dimly lit, with only the purple light filtering through the entrance barely outlining the massive silhouette of the stone monster.

Looking at the enormous structure made of jagged, strange rocks in front of him, Xiao Ban blurted out something unconsciously.

"Okay, so what's the situation now?"

To everyone's surprise, the silent stone monster slowly opened its "mouth," which resembled a crack in the rock, revealing not flesh and blood inside, but a deeper shadow.

A deep, slow sound, with the texture of rocks grinding, seemed to come from the depths of the earth and echoed in the narrow cave.

Cover your eyes

Before the words were finished, the stone monster slowly raised its thick left arm, made of irregular boulders, and pointed its huge stone palm toward the cave entrance.

Immediately afterwards, an inconspicuous white crystal in the center of its palm suddenly burst forth with an extremely dazzling light.

The light was so intense that it instantly illuminated the entire cave as if it were daytime, even overshadowing the purple sky outside!

"Close your eyes!" Xiaowen urged.

Everyone reacted very quickly, almost simultaneously closing their eyes tightly and shielding their vision with their arms.

Even so, the intense light that pierced their eyelids still made them feel a burning sensation and dizziness.

All that could be heard outside the cave was a chaotic and sharp "clicking" sound and the whistling of flapping wings. Clearly, the stone bats that had been chasing after them were terrified by this sudden "little sun" and fled in panic.

The bright light lasted for a few seconds before gradually dimming and finally receding completely into the stone monster's palm, leaving only a faint smell of ozone in the air and residual spots of light on the retina.

The stone monster slowly lowered its arm, its voice remaining as calm as ever.

They probably won't be coming back for a while.

Only then did everyone slowly open their eyes, still shaken, as they adjusted to the dim light that had returned.

"Thank you," Xiaowen said sincerely, letting out a sigh of relief.

Xiao Ban patted the Ultimatrix watch face on his chest, a flash of emerald light appeared, and he transformed back into his human form.

She looked at the stone monster with curiosity, her tone full of surprise.

"I had no idea the stone monster could talk!"

They also speak a language we can understand.

Mo Bai followed suit, deactivated her transformation, and returned to human form, looking at the talking rock life form with the same inquisitive gaze.

The stone monster's head, made of stone, turned slightly, and a faint light seemed to flicker in its sunken eye sockets. It answered with its unique, slow, rock-rubbing tone.

I can speak many languages.

"I am Ignatius the Stone Monster"

After it finished speaking, it stopped and slowly turned around with a heavy creak. Its thick legs, made of broken stones, took steady steps toward the deeper darkness of the cave, and the sound came from ahead.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

The four exchanged glances and quickly followed.

After passing through the not-too-long cave passage and exiting from the other side, you are still greeted by the boundless purple sky and the world of suspended giant rocks.

Ignatius walked ahead, like a moving hill, each step making a dull thud that was particularly clear in the silent void.

Xiao Ban, Mo Bai, Xiao Wen, and Kevin followed behind it, like a string of tiny shadows.

As Xiaowen walked, she sorted out her thoughts and asked.

"Your people have always been enslaved by the Aweiks."

The stone monster didn't turn around, and its deep voice carried even further in the empty space.

"Avichai enslaved everyone."

"Everything"

"Only a few of us dared to resist."

Upon hearing this, Xiaowen quickened her pace and walked to a position next to the stone monster (even though she only reached its waist), tilted her head back, and spoke with a firm tone.

"We came to find a friend who is also fighting against Awisha."

The massive body of the Ignatius stone monster came to a stop.

It slowly turned around, lowered its huge rocky head, and looked down at Little Wen.

In the sunken eye sockets, the two faint red lights seemed to have dimmed somewhat, carrying a heavy sense of sorrow.

I'm sorry, but as far as I know...

"I am the only surviving rebel."

"The others were either captured or died in the ensuing chaos."

"A massive free-for-all?" Xiao Ban keenly caught the word and repeated it in confusion.

Ignatius raised a thick stone arm and pointed to a desolate and broken floating stone domain in the distance under the purple sky, his voice filled with a heavy sorrow that he could not bear to look back on.

"Just a few months ago, Avichai suddenly disappeared."

"Everyone freely vied for the throne, and the rebels turned into mobs."

"A battle for control begins"

"I don't want to participate in that bloody melee."

Upon hearing this, Xiaowen's eyes suddenly changed.

The original emerald green pupils were instantly filled with pure, deep purple light, losing their focus and transforming into two purple crystals containing stars.

The aura of celestial energy emanating from her body also fluctuated slightly, and her voice carried a strange resonance.

"But Avichai is still here, he's still alive, and I can still recognize his energy."

A moment later, the intense purple slowly faded, and her pupils returned to their clear green, as if the strange phenomenon just now was only a fleeting illusion.

Ignatius was silent for a moment, the sound of rocks grinding together carrying a deeper solemnity.

"That proves that Avichai has returned, and his magic is even stronger than before."

"If your friend is still alive, then she must be Avichai's slave."

Having set her goal, Xiao Ban's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles cracking, and a confident smile curved her lips.

“Then let’s stick to the original plan: beat up that turtle and rescue the evil witch!” She then pointed her index finger at the tall stone monster and asked, “Can you take us to his castle?”

Ignatius slowly turned its head, casting its gaze into the more distant depths of the purple void.

"Avichai's castle is now in ruins; he must have built a new one."

"As for where it will be built, I'm not sure either."

Xiaowen stepped forward, the purple light of the sky faintly visible at her fingertips, her tone resolute.

“It’s alright, I can sense him with my energy.” She walked up to the stone monster, looked up, and said sincerely, “Ignatius, I can’t ask you to fight alongside us.”

"But we are unfamiliar with this place and really need a guide."

The stone monster's massive rock head nodded slightly, producing a low, grinding sound.

"No problem, I can take you to the outside of Avichai's castle."

"Besides that, there's nothing I can do."

With a guide secured, the group set off again.

Led by the steady and slow Ignatius, they walked along ancient stone paths suspended in the void and through "canyons" made of giant pumice stones.

The surrounding scenery was suffocatingly monotonous: an unchanging purple sky, scattered, floating, and strangely shaped silent boulders, and a bottomless void beneath one's feet.

Time seemed to lose its meaning here, with only heavy footsteps and howling wind as companions.

After an unknown amount of time trekking, they finally reached the top of an exceptionally large, seemingly floating, rocky mountain.

As soon as I stepped onto the mountaintop platform, a series of shrill, painful, and desperate screams clearly reached my ears, breaking the long silence and sending chills down my spine.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and the scene in the center of the mountaintop was astonishing.

A huge, twisted magic disc made of purple energy lines floated in mid-air.

At the center of the disc, a figure was tightly bound—one of their targets, the once arrogant Avichai.

At this moment, he was in a sorry state, his limbs tightly bound by solid purple celestial energy chains, his whole body suspended in the center of the disc in a "T" shape, like a sacrificial offering.

Before him floated a fist-sized crystal that was constantly spinning and emitting an eerie purple light.

The crystal seemed to possess a life of its own, greedily and continuously drawing purple energy from Avichai's twisted and tormented face and body, absorbing it into itself.

Avicha's screams were a result of this torture of having his strength forcibly extracted.

Kevin watched the dramatic scene unfold before him, arms crossed, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm.

"I don't know who's in charge here."

"But it's definitely not this guy."

Little Ben didn't know much about magic and energy. Seeing Avichai struggling in pain, he asked in confusion, "What happened to him?"

Xiaowen walked forward with a solemn expression, her gaze fixed on the floating purple crystal, which was greedily absorbing Aweisha's power, and its light was growing brighter and brighter.

“This crystal is absorbing his celestial energy,” she said, subconsciously reaching out as if to touch the strange crystal and explore its mysteries.

"No!" Ignatius, the stone monster, immediately cried out in urgency, "The crystal is transferring his power to those who imprisoned him!"

"If you interrupt the transmission, our whereabouts will be revealed."

Xiaowen's hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips just inches away from the eerie purple light.

Her brow furrowed, clearly struggling internally: "But we can't just abandon him like this."

Xiao Ban, however, had a different opinion. She stared sharply at the crystal that was constantly drawing power from it.

“If he’s transmitting energy to our enemies, shouldn’t we stop him?” Her thinking was simple and direct: cutting off the energy supply weakened the enemy.

Mo Bai, who was standing to the side, seemed to want to express her opinion, but before she could even open her mouth, Kevin had already impatiently taken action.

“Okay,” he said with a shrug, his tone as casual as if he were throwing away trash.

Before he finished speaking, he darted forward, his movements as swift as lightning, giving Little Wen or the Stone Monster no chance to stop him again.

His hand, covered in absorbent material, completely ignored the energy field that might exist around the crystal and firmly grasped the spinning purple crystal in his hand.

Immediately afterwards, he swung his arm violently, using all his strength to throw the crystal containing enormous energy toward the bottomless purple abyss outside the cliff!

The crystal traced a purple parabola before vanishing into the vast void.

Kevin dusted off his hands, which were not actually dust, shrugged, and looked like he had accomplished a great mission.

The problem is solved.

This extremely simple and brutal method caused the other three people present and the Stone Monster to fall into a brief silence, all casting speechless glances at each other—Ben looked helplessly as if to say "I knew it," Wen looked annoyed that she "couldn't stop it in time," Mo Bai looked astonished that she "could do that?" and the Stone Monster looked heavy-heartedly as if he thought it was "extremely reckless."

However, the crystal was destroyed, and the die was cast.

Xiaowen took a deep breath, suppressing her unease, and quickly formed a complex hand seal in front of her while chanting an ancient and profound incantation.

As she chanted, the purple celestial chains binding Avicha snapped!

"Thump!" Losing his support, Avesha crashed heavily onto the cold rocky ground. Like a fish out of water, he curled up, panting heavily, his face showing extreme pain and the bewilderment of surviving a disaster. Sweat soaked through his clothes, making him look extremely disheveled.

Ignatius, the rock monster, stared at Avicya, who lay limp on the ground, its voice like the grinding of rocks carrying a strong warning.

"We shouldn't let him go; Avichai is still in danger."

"At the very least, we need to place a binding spell on him so he can't use his magic."

Xiaowen nodded in deep agreement.

Without further hesitation, she moved her hands rapidly in the air, and the rich purple celestial energy gathered and flowed at her fingertips as if it were alive.

She clearly uttered three powerful syllables.

“??????? ???? ???”

The instant the incantation was completed, two shackles made of pure purple celestial energy, shimmering with runic light, appeared out of thin air. Like living serpents, they instantly wrapped around Aweisha's wrists and locked them firmly with a "crack".

The shackles were not made of solid metal, but they exuded a powerful binding force, clearly intended to completely seal his ability to manipulate magic.

Avichai looked at the purple shackles on his wrist, a hint of humiliation and resentment flashing in his eyes, but he was too weak to resist.

After doing all this, Xiaowen took a deep breath, then slowly squatted down. Her gaze fell on Aweisha, and she asked.

"Avichai, who is draining your power?"

When Awei Sha heard Xiao Wen's question, his body trembled slightly, but he did not hesitate at all.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes revealing a hint of pain and resentment.

He opened his mouth and answered in a low voice.

"It's that usurper..."

"He not only usurped my magic, but also took my throne and my world!" Avichai's words were filled with anger and resentment.

At this moment, Xiao Ban, who had been listening attentively, stepped forward, stared intently at Awei Shah, and said seriously.

"Avichai, since you know where the thief who stole your power is, then lead us to him. As long as you can help us find him, we will help you deal with him!"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Avicha's eyes after hearing what Xiaoban said.

He immediately stood up and answered without hesitation.

"Of course! I want that thief to receive the punishment he deserves!"

"I want revenge!" Avichai said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tightly, as if he couldn't wait to fight the usurper to the death.

Avichai didn't say anything more. He turned around and ran quickly behind the crowd, his speed making people marvel at his eagerness.

Clearly, his hatred for the usurper had reached its peak, and now he finally had the chance to take revenge.