Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

Upon hearing Triske's words, Ben showed no fear. Instead, a slight smile appeared on his lips, revealing an expression that was a mixture of helplessness and "I had expected this."

She stepped forward, her voice clear and direct, even tinged with impatience, as if stating a fact she didn't have time to mince words with: "Trask, save your breath. I don't have the time or the inclination to play your medieval cosplay war right now." She waved her hand, pointing at Winston, "We have a cosmic crisis brewing here that concerns the entire planet, or even worse, and over here... it seems you've also encountered some significant 'personnel problems'."

"Personnel issues?" Trisk frowned, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. His voice rose eight octaves, filled with offended rage. "What nonsense are you spouting?! The Eternal Warriors' ironclad rules are as solid as a mountain, and their loyalty is beyond question!"

“Well, I knew you’d react like this.” Ben sighed helplessly and shrugged, seemingly already used to Triske’s lack of cooperation.

She turned her head and gestured with her eyes towards the direction of the warehouse entrance.

Following her gaze, Trisk abruptly turned his head with suspicion and authority—only then did he realize that she wasn't the only one who had entered.

Kevin and Mo Bai, one on each side, escorted a man out of the shadows. He was wearing a gray-black uniform with the signature of the Great Steel Cultists, which he loathed, and a hood.

Immediately afterwards, Kevin's actions were rough but effective; he reached out and ripped off the prisoner's hood!

Beneath the hood, Winston's familiar yet bewildered and fearful face was revealed!

Kevin grabbed Winston by the collar, as if displaying evidence, and addressed Triske on the platform with undisguised sarcasm: "Looks like your 'excellent' little follower Winston has been having some weird hobbies lately, huh? Didn't he even bother to report what strange club he joined?"

Xiaowen, standing to the side, immediately added the most crucial information with sharp eyes, her voice calm and certain: "He is under the mental control of 'Dragon' Dagang. This is not his intention, but his consciousness has been invaded."

As if to confirm Wen's words, Winston's face turned deathly pale when he was exposed, overwhelmed by immense shame and fear.

His legs buckled, and with a thud, he knelt directly in the direction of Trisk, bowing his head deeply, his voice trembling with despair:

“Your Highness, please forgive my sins. I…I was too weak…I lacked willpower…and caused the glory of the Eternal Warriors…to suffer an indelible disgrace…” His shoulders trembled violently.

Trask's face instantly turned extremely ugly, his ashen complexion revealing an incredulous rage.

He stared intently at Winston kneeling on the ground, his gaze shifting complexly before finally settling into a cold, resolute expression.

He didn't even glance at Winston again, but abruptly turned around and, facing a Timeless Warrior in the shadows behind him wearing distinctive epaulets and seemingly an enforcer, uttered a chilling command through clenched teeth:

"According to the ancient law...you know what to do, figure it out yourself."

The officer, his face hidden beneath his helmet, nodded silently.

He descended from the platform with heavy, rhythmic steps, the metal soles of his boots striking the ground with a chilling, crisp sound.

He held a gleaming, ancient-looking yet exceptionally sharp ceremonial dagger in his hand, and walked step by step toward Winston, who was kneeling on the ground, seemingly devoid of all life.

The enforcer stopped in front of Winston and slowly raised the dagger that symbolized the cleansing of shame.

The cold blade tip reflected a glint of light in the dim warehouse light, and it looked like it was about to stab Winston in the back!

At this critical moment!

A figure as fast as lightning suddenly darted out!

Like a nimble cat, Xiao Ban instantly darted between the two, tiptoed, and with perfect precision, grabbed the officer's wrist as he was about to strike!

With his other hand, he seized the dangerous dagger and threw it to the ground some distance away with a clang, the sound of metal clashing particularly jarring in the silent warehouse.

Ben stood in front of Winston, looking up at Triske on the platform, his voice firm and unwavering, "Stop playing your medieval laws from hundreds of years ago!"

"Unable to control yourself? Unable to control yourself?" Triske's gaze, like a cold searchlight, fell on Ben, filled with deep doubt and scrutiny. "What do you mean by that?"

Ben took a deep breath, trying to make his explanation clearer: "Remember that cave? The ancient seal you've been trying to break with explosives!" She warned, "What's locked inside that seal has an influence far beyond your imagination! Anyone who has ever approached that seal could unknowingly be mentally corrupted and manipulated by the 'Big Steel' inside! Winston is just one of them!"

The words spoken by the younger student are like stones thrown into a deep pool, attempting to shatter the other person's stubborn perceptions.

However, just as she finished speaking——

"Yes—yes—"

A cold, eerie male voice, completely unlike Xiaowen's own, with a heavy echo, suddenly rang out from the side!

Everyone looked in horror toward the sound! They saw Xiaowen's body tremble violently, as if struck by an invisible electric current!

She suddenly raised her head, and her originally bright eyes now emitted a chilling, viscous, and deep green light!

Her expression became hollow and authoritative, her voice distorted and inhuman: "You... simple-minded, weak-willed inferior beings, are as easily seen through... as easily... manipulated and controlled... as water in a transparent container."

This sudden turn of events sent chills down everyone's spines! All eyes turned to Xiaowen, who was clearly possessed, filled with shock and disbelief!

Mo Bai's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at Xiao Wen. An indescribable, extremely familiar yet strangely distant feeling of excitement swept through his heart, as if he had touched a cold, forgotten mark deep in time. The feeling was fleeting, too fast to grasp.

"Xiao Wen?!" Kevin was filled with pure worry and panic. He rushed forward and urgently placed his hands on Xiao Wen's shoulders, trying to wake her. "Xiao Wen, you scared me a little."

However, the possessed Mina (or rather, Daigang) completely ignored his calls.

Those green eyes swept coldly across Kevin's concerned face, and his hands, enhanced by the power of the Heavenly Energy, pushed him outwards with a sudden shove!

"boom!"

A powerful burst of purple energy erupted, catching Kevin off guard. He was blasted backward by the force and crashed heavily into the iron racks where weapons were piled up behind him, producing a loud thud and a painful groan.

Immediately afterwards, Xiaowen's body was lifted up by a dense, ominous green energy and slowly floated into the air. Her long hair moved without wind, like a descending god or a demon breaking free from its restraints.

Looking down at the horrified crowd, her voice seemed to come from the abyss, carrying a declarative authority: "Listen... mortals! In this world, there is a vile... imposter!"

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Xiao Ban looked up and asked sharply, "You mean... Mojaus?!"

“That’s right!” Xiaowen’s voice boomed from the air, filled with blasphemous anger. “That despicable thief! His vile plan… was to steal… the source of my power—the Dragon Heart!”

Its gaze swept over everyone, as if to imprint this warning into their souls: "Listen carefully, you insignificant beings! If this imposter named Mojas... succeeds in obtaining my dragon heart..." The green light flickered violently, and the voice became even more terrifying and profound, "He will possess... the supreme power to rule and even destroy your entire universe!"

A terrifying announcement echoed through the warehouse. After saying this, Xiao Wen, who was suspended in the air, seemed to have all her strength drained away, and the green light in her eyes suddenly went out.

Her body went limp, and like a puppet with its strings cut, she plummeted straight down from mid-air!

Kevin, who had just gotten up, was furious. He rushed over without thinking and caught her in his arms just as she was about to fall to the ground, holding her steadily in a perfect princess carry.

He looked down at the pale-faced girl in his arms, her eyes closed, and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

He carefully laid Xiaowen flat on the ground, his voice still filled with fear and urgency: "Xiaowen! Xiaowen! Wake up! What just happened?!"

Xiaowen's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze returned to clarity, but it was filled with exhaustion and lingering fear.

She struggled to raise her hand and rub her still throbbing temples, her voice weak but unusually firm: "No... Kevin, that wasn't a monster..." She took a deep breath, as if she could still feel the lingering, cold, and immense will. "That was... Steel. What he said... was all true. If Morgas really obtained the 'Heart of the Dragon'... he would become invincible in the universe."

Upon hearing Wen's confirmation, Ben suddenly turned to Triske, whose expression was equally grave, and asked the most crucial question: "Wait! I'm still a bit confused! How exactly is Mojath going to get the 'Heart of the Dragon'? And if Steel loses the Heart of the Dragon, won't he die? I don't understand."

Upon hearing this, Trisk slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling on Xiao Ban with an unprecedented seriousness, even a certain degree of directness.

He remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, his voice low and deliberate, as if unveiling a long-forgotten, weighty epic:

"It's obvious... with your limited understanding, you simply cannot comprehend the true mission that we Eternal Warriors have shouldered for thousands of years." His gaze swept over the ancient emblems and weapons in the warehouse, with an almost obsessive devotion.

"The 'Heart of the Dragon' Steel is not the kind of biological organ you understand. It is... the essence of Steel's evil nature, the source and core of its infinite magic."

He paused, as if organizing those ancient chapters of his memory:

"Our founder, the first Eternal Knight—the great Sir St. George, in the distant past, once... captured this dragon that ravaged the human world."

“You…you may have heard of the popular legend of ‘Saint George slaying the dragon.’” Trisk’s tone carried a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm. “For hundreds of years, many countries and peoples have claimed this legend as their cultural heritage, and have exaggerated and embellished it in various ways, so it has long been distorted.”

"But what I'm about to tell you... is the only true story that's been hidden!"

His voice carried a solemnity akin to recounting history: "George, he is not a fiction. He was a truly noble and powerful knight, loyal to his king, but his sword was more inclined to protect the weak and the innocent."

"One day, in a remote and fear-ridden region, he heard a terrifying story about a 'monster' wreaking havoc. The terrifying being known as the 'Dragon' appeared without warning, elusive and unpredictable, leaving only death and despair in its wake. Warriors who dared to challenge it either met a tragic end or... had their minds stolen and became its eternal slaves."

Triske's gaze sharpened, as if piercing through time and space to witness the great deeds of his ancestor: "Sir George stepped forward! The dragon tried to control his mind with the most evil magic, but his will was unyielding, like the purest diamond! The Great Steel's magic was like a destructive storm, but George fought to the end. In the final moment, he seized the dragon's only weakness and swung his... 'Divine Sword' with all his might!"

“That sword strike didn’t kill the dragon, but miraculously severed the source of its power—the ‘dragon heart’ that contained all its evil essence!” Trisk’s voice was filled with shock. “The dragon didn’t die as a result, but it lost almost all of its power.”

"Afterwards, the Eternal Warrior captured the weakened dragon, transported it, and imprisoned it in its original home—that deep cave. He then used an ancient secret method to set a seal, completely separating it from its heart, so that it would never be able to regain its world-destroying divine power."

"As long as that divine sword containing the power to restrain it remains pierced in the heart of the dragon, the Great Steel will not be able to regain its full magic power... and the world... will be able to maintain a fragile peace."

His tone turned heavy and helpless: "Our Eternal Warriors' mission, passed down through generations, is to guard this secret and ensure that the Dragon Heart never returns to the Dragon's body. But to protect the Dragon Heart, first... we must find it."

"The biggest problem is... as time goes by, dynasties rise and fall, wars rage, and records are lost... By our generation, even we ourselves have no idea where in the world the Dragon Heart has been lost."

Trask's words revealed a profound sense of powerlessness and frustration.

Just then, Mo Bai, who had been listening silently, suddenly stepped forward.

His eyes were sharp, as if he had caught a hidden clue in the other person's words. He directly interrupted Trisk's narration, which was still immersing him in history, and asked, "I believe that Sir George... he must know where to find the Dragonheart and the divine sword. Why... don't you just ask him directly?"