Ben launched his attack with devastating precision.
Despite Dr. Animo's enhanced physiology and decades of genetic research, there was no defense against what came next. The transformed scientist had initially planned to dodge the incoming strike, but the moment Ben's fist began to move, his plans became irrelevant.
A wave of blood-red flames erupted from Ben's position, expanding outward like a crimson tsunami that engulfed the entire lobby of Stark Tower. The thermal explosion created a literal sea of fire that left Dr. Animo with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
The superheated flames seared Dr. Animo's enhanced flesh, drawing agonized screams from his throat as his body was subjected to temperatures that exceeded the melting point of most metals. His massive pterodactyl wings spread wide as he attempted to escape the inferno, but the delicate wing membranes were immediately incinerated by the intense heat.
Even with his wings partially destroyed, Dr. Animo's sheer willpower drove him upward, bursting through the surface of the flaming sea. For a moment, his charred, blackened body hung in the air above the inferno—then, slowly, his enhanced healing factor activated. Burned flesh peeled away, revealing fresh, regenerated tissue underneath.
Fighting an enemy with supernatural healing abilities is always problematic, Ben thought with frustration as he watched Dr. Animo's rapid recovery.
His attention was momentarily diverted by Captain America, who lay unconscious on the floor nearby. While Ben had been careful to create a protective barrier around Steve when he unleashed his thermal attack, the super-soldier's condition had been poor even before their battle began. Extended exposure to the residual heat could prove fatal if he wasn't evacuated soon.
Fortunately, Tony Stark chose that moment to make his entrance, his red and gold armor gleaming as he descended into the building's interior. Ben's dramatic arrival and immediate elimination of the giant bird that had been giving Iron Man so much trouble made it logical for Tony to return to assess the situation in his own building.
However, the moment Tony entered the superheated environment, he began to experience serious problems.
The intense thermal radiation had transformed the entire interior of Stark Tower into a massive oven, and his armor's environmental systems were being pushed beyond their design specifications.
"Note to self: install comprehensive climate control in the next armor iteration," Tony muttered, feeling sweat beginning to pool inside his helmet. "Actually, scratch that—install a full environmental protection suite."
"Sir," Jarvis interrupted with his characteristic calm, "the ambient temperature of the flames below exceeds the melting point of your current armor configuration."
Tony's Mark armor was constructed primarily from a titanium-gold alloy with a melting point slightly above 1700 degrees Celsius. While this made it remarkably durable under normal combat conditions, Heatblast's thermal output was operating well beyond those parameters.
Fortunately, melting metal required sustained exposure to extreme temperatures. As Tony watched, a vortex began forming in the center of the flame sea below, drawing all the scattered fire back into a central point where it disappeared entirely. When the display ended, only Ben remained standing in the cleared space, his arms raised as he absorbed the last of the thermal energy.
The moment Tony got a clear look at Ben's current form, his reaction was immediate and loud.
"Are you kidding me right now?" he shouted indignantly.
"Sir," Jarvis observed with what might have been subtle amusement, "this entity does not appear to be of terrestrial origin."
"I don't care if he's from Mars!" Tony replied hotly. "Can't you see he's completely ripping off my design?"
The comparison wasn't entirely unfair. Heatblast's red and orange coloration, humanoid proportions, and angular facial features did bear a superficial resemblance to Iron Man's armor design. The similarities were purely coincidental, but Tony's ego was clearly bruised by what he perceived as copyright infringement.
"Stop hovering, Stark, and get him out of here," Ben said, using his thermal manipulation to create a platform beneath Captain America's unconscious form. The construct resembled an inverted pyramid with flames providing both structural support and propulsion.
The floating platform was a standard Pyronite transportation method—stable and reliable, though considerably slower than more advanced flight systems.
"Where exactly did this walking fire hazard come from?" Tony demanded, landing near Ben with his arms crossed in a gesture of obvious displeasure. "First of all, I don't appreciate people giving me orders in my own building. Second, this is Stark Industries property, which means I'm the one in charge here!"
His tone carried all the arrogance and self-importance that had made him famous. "I'm the boss!"
Ben could only shake his head at Tony's predictable ego display. Given the historical relationship between Steve Rogers and Howard Stark, Tony was going to deeply regret this attitude eventually.
"You're going to regret that decision," Ben said quietly.
"I never regret anything... wait." Tony's voice trailed off as he finally noticed the distinctive hourglass symbol prominently displayed on Ben's chest. The emblem triggered immediate recognition and a surge of alarm. "What's your connection with that speedster Dino-Boy?"
"This is the insignia of the Plumbers, an intergalactic law enforcement organization," Ben explained matter-of-factly. "Both XLR8 and I are certified agents."
Tony's expression shifted to one of outrage. "How dare you claim to be some kind of space cop when—"
"Take the soldier out of here now, or he's going to die," Ben interrupted firmly. "He's human, just like you. That should matter more than your wounded pride."
Faced with the prospect of allowing someone to die in front of him, Tony's better nature finally overcame his ego. He moved to collect Steve's unconscious form, muttering complaints under his breath but complying with Ben's request.
Outside Stark Tower, Agent Coulson felt his heart sink as he watched Tony emerge carrying the motionless Captain America. The sight of America's greatest hero rendered unconscious was deeply disturbing for someone who collected vintage trading cards.
Back inside the building, the battlefield had been reduced to its essential elements: Ben and Dr. Animo, two beings who had transcended normal biological limitations, preparing for a final confrontation.
"The real battle starts now, boy!" Dr. Animo snarled, his confidence beginning to return as he assessed the situation.
While he had no effective defense against Ben's extreme thermal output, his regenerative abilities meant that the flames couldn't kill him quickly. But what about his opponent? How much physical punishment could this living inferno actually withstand?
Dr. Animo was supremely confident in his own strength, enhanced as it was by the genetic characteristics of dozens of apex predators. He didn't believe that any creature, no matter how exotic, could withstand the full force of his attacks.
The battle resumed with explosive intensity.
Dr. Animo spread his newly regenerated wings wide and dove toward Ben like a prehistoric terror, his massive form cutting through the air with predatory grace.
Ben's response was immediate and spectacular. Flames erupted from his feet with tremendous force, creating a propulsion system that launched him skyward like a reverse meteor. The visual was reminiscent of Iron Man's most dramatic acceleration scenes, but powered by cosmic fire rather than advanced technology.
BOOM!
The collision between the two combatants generated a shockwave comparable to a planetary impact. The sound was deafening, and the force was sufficient to shatter every remaining piece of glass in Stark Tower. Bulletproof windows that had survived the earlier battle disintegrated into glittering fragments that rained down like a crystal storm.
Ben's momentum carried Dr. Animo backward through the air, and before his opponent could recover, Ben pressed his advantage by forcing a concentrated ball of superheated plasma directly into Dr. Animo's mouth.
The internal explosion was devastating, but Dr. Animo's pain tolerance allowed him to power through the damage and grab Ben's torso with his massive claws. He intended to crush this thermal annoyance like an oversized bug, but to his shock, his enhanced strength couldn't make any impression on Ben's body.
Heatblast's defensive capabilities were truly extraordinary. In the Ben 10's Universe when facing opponents like the transformed Vilgax—a being powerful enough to level entire city blocks—Ben Tennyson had emerged from devastating attacks completely unharmed. Dr. Animo might be formidable, but his strength was nowhere near the level required to injure a Pyronite.
If Dr. Animo wanted to actually hurt Ben, he would need the raw power of beings like Thanos or the Hulk at maximum rage. Anything less was simply inadequate.
"Starting to see the problem with your strategy?" Ben asked with obvious satisfaction.
In response, he allowed his internal temperature to spike dramatically, engulfing his entire body in flames hot enough to melt tungsten. Dr. Animo immediately released his grip, his hands suffering severe burns despite his enhanced physiology.
But Ben wasn't finished.
Before Dr. Animo could retreat, Ben grabbed his opponent and launched both of them straight upward through the compromised roof of Stark Tower. Their trajectory carried them through the lower atmosphere and into the stratosphere, reaching an altitude where the air was thin and flight became extremely difficult even for creatures with functional wings.
Ben had no intention of allowing Dr. Animo to maintain aerial mobility.
Positioning himself above his opponent, Ben brought his palms together and began concentrating his thermal energy into a coherent beam. The flames compressed and focused until they formed a laser of pure heat that could cut through virtually any material.
"Time for you to come down!" Ben shouted, unleashing the concentrated thermal beam directly into Dr. Animo's torso.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~