Unlocking Heatblast!
11: Chapter 11: Dormammu and the Ancient One!
Unlocking Heatblast!
Owen Vance felt as if something was about to burst out from inside his body!
Control over his body was rapidly commandeered, and his consciousness faded at terrifying speed.
His body floated uncontrollably into the air.
Bulging green veins spread from his neck to his forehead, while his eyes and mouth were forced open as wide as possible as howling plumes of black mist surged out from them.
The black mist gathered and filled the ceiling, swallowing what little light remained.
Though his sensation of pain had been stripped away, Owen could still feel his body being torn apart.
Just as his consciousness was about to vanish, his pupils shifted downward.
His other hand desperately tapped the Omnitrix.
The dial popped up; he switched to Wildvine and slammed it down.
Instantly, the Wildvine transformation succeeded.
His self-healing ability took over his body, battling the dark magic like an ant trying to shake a tree.
Owen’s feeling of suffocation grew even more intense.
Even in the hyper-resilient Wildvine form, he felt like his neck was about to be snapped right off!
As the Lord of the Dark Dimension—a being feared even by the Ancient One—Dormammu was no pushover.
Wildvine’s abilities were completely incapable of standing against him!
Even exercising every shred of effort only barely maintained Owen’s vital signs.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that if things proceeded smoothly, Dormammu would rip open Owen’s body and step out from within.
What should he do?
As death approached, while scrambling for a strategy, Owen didn’t forget to talk trash, though his voice was so raspy it sounded as if his vocal cords had been sliced by glass: “If I die, you really will be stuck going vegetarian.” Well…
Wildvine was a plant, so wasn’t he technically a vegetable dish?
Still, dammit!
He hadn’t even been transmigrated for a single day, and he was already about to die?
Just as the crisis reached its peak, the dark magic abruptly vanished without warning.
Wildvine’s body collapsed back onto the bed, and the basement instantly returned to normal, as though nothing had ever happened.
Quickly repairing his body, Owen shifted back into his human form, clutching his neck with one hand while gasping for air.
He knew, of course, that it wasn’t his trash-talking that had stopped Dormammu.
Clearing his throat with a couple of dry coughs, Owen looked up at the ceiling.
“It’s probably because of the Ancient One, right?
The Sanctum Sanctorum is still protecting Earth.” In the night sky, a golden magic array flashed and vanished in an instant.
Looking down, Owen saw the black pentagram on his wrist was still there, thoroughly frustrated: “Comes and goes whenever he pleases.
Does he think this place is a public restroom?” Covering the mark with his sleeve, Owen sat on the bed staring blankly: “Still, what do I do next?” Looking for the Ancient One wasn’t reliable—she was going to die in a while anyway.
After thinking it over, Owen felt he still had to rely on himself to get stronger.
Otherwise, by the time Doctor Strange came back with news of a successful bargain with Dormammu, Owen would only be able to give him a thumbs-up as a pile of meat paste.
“Alien X is probably too hard.
Right now I can’t think of anyone who could unlock that big guy…” Owen scratched his head: “Whatever, even tiny flies are meat.
Guess I’ll just unlock whatever I can.” *I’ll quietly get stronger and scare the daylights out of everyone!* No time like the present.
So what did he need most right now?
Information!
“I wonder if that noise woke them up just now.” In Wildvine form, Owen slithered through the shadows toward the stairs.
Seeing that it was 2:00 AM, Owen crept from the living room toward the bedrooms, searching room by room until he found a computer in the study.
Secret weapon, launch!
Using a two-finger hunt-and-peck typing style, Owen typed in keywords: astronaut, racecar driver, fire.
He found the name Johnny Storm and searched his recent situation.
Having obtained the necessary information, sprawling vines pushed open a window.
Shutting down the computer, Wildvine oozed out like sludge.
Johnny Storm: former astronaut and racecar driver.
Exposed to cosmic rays during a space mission, his body structure mutated, granting him the power to control fire.
Later, he formed the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four with his mutated mission companions, dubbed “Human Torch”.
If he couldn’t trigger the unlock condition for Heatblast, nobody could.
*** At the campsite outside the circus.
Like playing Whack-A-Mole, Wildvine kept popping his head out of the ground to check his bearings.
Seeing a poster of Johnny, he confirmed he had found the right place.
“Should be here.” Retracting his head, Wildvine continued moving underground.
Inside a warehouse, Johnny leaned against the wall, drinking beer while admiring his motorcycle.
Taking a chug, Johnny chuckled: “Can’t find a better job than this.” Now without his astronaut job, he made a living riding his motorcycle through rings of fire.
Of course, occasionally he’d still suit up as the Human Torch to fight crime.
He was fairly satisfied with his current life.
Exciting job, plus the occasional female fan coming right to his door—how great was that?
Just then, a strange noise outside the warehouse caught Johnny’s attention.
*Rustle, rustle…* Looking toward the sound, Johnny was puzzled: “At this hour, the tourists should all be gone.” “A hallucination?
Or the wind?” Glancing around and seeing no one, Johnny shook his head, dismissed the thought, and took another gulp of beer.
Two seconds later, the sound came again, closer this time.
*Rustle, rustle…* Johnny set down his beer and turned toward the door.
This time he was sure it wasn’t a hallucination, nor was there any wind.
An intruder!
His narrowed eyes scanned the dark night outside, but he still saw no figure.
His ears strained for clues.
In the dead quiet of the night, every sound was exaggerated.
*Rustle, rustle…* The sound came again.
Johnny instinctively took a step back and looked down.
Realizing the sound was coming from underground, a chill ran down his spine.
What the hell?!
Did someone dig a…
tunnel all the way here?
Sneaking within ten meters before being noticed—that was enough to put Johnny on high alert, the hairs on his arms standing on end from tension.
Facing the patch of ground where the sound faded, Johnny barked softly, “Who’s there?!” After a few seconds, an almost imperceptible voice drifted up from beneath the dirt.
The voice was gentle, as if produced by air currents rather than vocal cords.
“Keep it down…
don’t let anyone notice…” “I’m just a random passerby…” “…” Johnny’s eye twitched.
*A random passerby?* Johnny quickly composed himself: “What are you here for?” Seeing that Johnny was still speaking at full volume, the underground voice got anxious, though it kept its volume hushed: “I said, keep it down!” “Don’t let anyone notice~” “…” Johnny’s chest heaved violently.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
Why the hell did this feel like someone sneaking over for an affair?!
Fine!
Johnny cleared his throat, bent over, and mimicked the whispered tone.
The sheer absurdity of it made him feel utterly embarrassed!
So pathetic!
“Then what are you here for~” “…” “What~” “Speak up, I can’t hear you~” Johnny stood up straight in a flash of rage, his aura shifting completely: “Dammit!
I asked you what you’re here for!” Disappearing for a few seconds to scan and ensure no outsiders were around, Wildvine finally popped his head back up: “Oh~ I’m here to fight you~” “You know, sharpen my combat skills and stuff.” To get a clear look at the plant head sticking out of the ground three meters away, Johnny had to bend over again.
Staring at Wildvine’s peculiar appearance, Johnny felt creeped out, his facial features twisting together.
Is this a mutant too?
Why…
is he so ugly?
Still, Johnny agreed decisively to the request.
Looking this ugly, the guy was bound to suffer from low self-esteem.
Naturally, he’d want to train his combat skills to protect himself from bullies.
As a fellow powered individual, Johnny could empathize with that.
Wildvine happily dug his way out of the ground, revealing his full form.
By now, Owen was certain that the Human Torch in front of him could definitely unlock Heatblast!
Looking at Johnny’s face, Wildvine asked caringly, “Do you want to get a shield?” Johnny put his hands on his hips and burst out laughing: “Worry about yourself.
Don’t you know plants are afraid of fire?” Wildvine blinked his single eye: “I know.” Seeing this aggrieved look, coupled with the fact that he completely countered his opponent, Johnny felt he couldn’t bring himself to hit too hard.
He smiled confidently: “How about this: I’ll let you hit me with a punch first so you understand the strength gap between us.” Owen was delighted: “Really?” Johnny nodded and closed his eyes with a smile: “Really.” Fire against plant—he didn’t even know how he could lose!
The next second.
*Pfft!* Johnny was punched directly by Four Arms, spitting blood, flying backward, and rolling his eyes back!
???
*Holy shit, fuck you!*