Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

"Wow—! Waaaaaah, Sister Qixia, someone's bleeding so much! Oh no, someone's going to die! Waaaaah... Quick, call an ambulance! Ahhh, should we find some bandages? Where are the bandages, Sister Qixia?! Where are the bandages?!"

Her voice carried from the second floor all the way to the main hall as she ran. Bao Lücao's hand slipped while doing the accounting and his face turned green. Qi Xia, who was holding a ruler and gesturing for something, turned around when she heard the sound and hugged the "ball" that had been launched into the air.

Both Jun Himeya and Jinzo Negoro were so disturbed by the commotion that they stopped selecting photos and typing.

"No, no, that's a ghost, waaaaah... Can ghosts use bandages?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried them in her older sister's embrace.

"A ghost?" Qi Xia and Runping looked at each other in bewilderment.

"A ghost! Semi-transparent! Bloodstained! Could it be the ghost from the haunted house... coming to find us!" Karin spoke rapidly, "Uncle Gen, do you know any priestesses or nuns? Are they performing a ritual to help the dead pass on, or exorcising a ghost? Wow..."

Leaving aside the bewildered crowd in the hall, on the second floor, Aiba Yu was stunned into standing there, completely taken aback by Karin's incoherent shouting.

For some reason, he felt extremely uneasy, like he'd been caught red-handed doing something wrong. But he'd only gone to gather information; he hadn't done anything bad, had he?

The Dark Giant was also driven away. Although no more information about the "Lord" was gathered, it was presumed that he seemed to be using Mephisto and the alien beasts to strengthen his power. Perhaps, like what happened to Vitamori, he was preparing for the descent of a higher-level "evil god".

The young man in the rescue team uniform was puzzled by the sudden drop in temperature.

I just went out for a stroll, how come the world has changed?

Jun Sakuma said expressionlessly, "You scared the child."

He pointed to the small blanket nestled in the nest: "It's good that you're back. We've been looking for you for a long time—go and rest first, we'll talk when you wake up. If you need power, I'll go find Baolucao. He has all kinds of headlights, and he'll be at your service 24/7."

"I don't need a light bulb..." Aiba Yu wanted to reply, but a sense of danger made her stop herself from speaking.

"In short, let's heal our injuries first..." The human form gritted his teeth as he finished the sentence: "Confess and you'll be punished severely, resist and you'll be punished severely."

Chapter Ninety-One: Different Stances

TLT's third base, Freedom Fortress.

“...very similar to the Dark Domain, but undoubtedly more powerful. We will name it Dark Domain G.” Kira Ze Yu stood with his hands behind his back, not giving off a sense of urgency, and spoke slowly and deliberately: “The specific parameters have been sent to your Beregg. Please check them yourself after the meeting.”

"Is the user Mizoroki Makoto?" Komon Kazuki asked.

Kira nodded in agreement: "That's right, his energy level has suddenly increased by almost twice compared to the last time it appeared. We are analyzing the reason."

“It’s because they ate a lot of people,” Saijo Nagi said, her face ashen. “The Fourth Base, the suburban factories…”

"No." Kira Sawa denied her speculation, which finally made the latter change her expression and look up at him.

The desktop console lit up at the right moment, and an image of a model of an alien beast with bony horns on its back appeared before our eyes.

Kazuki Komon recognized it as the "demon" he had seen before.

“It’s called Beelzebub. Although our surveillance only captured a moment, we were able to reconstruct it using technology…” As he spoke, Beelzebub’s original appearance gradually changed until it was fixed as a monster with human faces on both sides and fleshy wings on its back.

The footage monitored by the technical department was very short, consisting of only two frames, but everyone present could clearly see that it was the moment the dark domain was breached.

The first image shows a monster being swept away by a torrent; its body is covered in cracks, and an open wound can be vaguely seen on its chest.

Like its body, the Dark Realm was riddled with countless cracks resembling a spiderweb. It was precisely because of this that TLT detected the alien beast's vibrational waves, and several satellites in geosynchronous orbit simultaneously shifted their focus, capturing images of it.

The photo here.

In the second image, the monster disappears, the torrent dims, the dark realm vanishes like bubbles, and the giant extends its silver arm.

"Is this also Beelzebub?"

“Beelzebub, after feeding on humans,” Kirasawa Yu answered Hiraki Shiori’s question, “like other alien beasts, possesses a strong ‘learning’ ability, especially if it eats crows…”

He focused his gaze on the webbed hands and wings behind Beelzebub: "Maybe they'll turn into real wings."

"So Beelzebub ate the victims, then where did Mizoreki Makoto's power come from?" Ishibori Mitsuhiko rubbed his chin, seemingly very puzzled by the matter.

“Hmm… our initial guess is that Dark Mephisto seized Beelzebub’s power when Beelzebub was defeated, and thus grew stronger,” Kira Ze Yu answered ambiguously. Clearly, due to a lack of information, CIC was also unable to reach a conclusion: “But he did not show any signs of assimilation with Beelzebub, so we cannot be sure whether it is because the Dark Giant and the Alien Beast are different.”

“They’re all ‘monsters’,” Saijo Nagi’s voice was like a honed and tempered blade, sharp and piercing: “Just eliminate them.”

If she had any expectations before, now she only believed that Goroki Makoto, the vice-captain of the Night Raid Team, was also dead, and that the one who now walked in the name of Dark Mephisto was nothing but a monster.

Monsters like Pedron, Arakunai, and Beelzebub are merely similar in appearance to humans. Saijo Nagi wouldn't change her opinion based on the enemy's appearance; she considered it a "clumsy illusion."

“No, we must prioritize capturing them,” Kira Sawa once again rejected Saijo Nagi’s statement. Ignoring the other’s gaze, which suddenly swept towards him and could probably pierce his head if it were materialized, he continued, “This is also the latest mission I want to inform you of.”

"Cease all active searches for Ultra Warrior candidates. The primary target is the candidate for Dark Giant, Shinya Mizoroki."

Stop actively searching for Ultra Warriors? Kazuki Komon looked at the CIC leader who issued the order in astonishment. Had the higher-ups at TLT changed their minds?

……

"We don't have to actively seek them out, but if they show up in front of us... why should we give up this opportunity?"

[An internal consultation meeting was held by TLT-J a few days ago.]

The official in the middle said in a deep voice, "You have also imitated Ultraman to create similar machines. Visitors can use them, but Earthlings cannot?"

"The alien beasts are yours. Earth is just suffering an undeserved disaster. Now that you only have one spaceship left, you need to rely on the power of Earthlings to defeat the alien beasts. Otherwise, you won't even have the last inheritance left. Don't talk about providing technology like charity."

When it comes to his stance, TLT is equally unwavering. He holds up three fingers: "Three concessions. First, I will not actively hunt down the Ultra Warriors' suitors, if they are indeed as you say, and will not rely on force to threaten humanity after obtaining the so-called power of light."

“The Ultra Warriors saved our planet,” the Overseer affirmed. “They possess absolute power and the most passionate hearts.”

"Ah, I hope so." The official remained noncommittal. The Ultra Warriors chose human candidates, and as fellow humans, they naturally understood the darker aspects of human nature. Rather than saying he didn't trust the Ultra Warriors, it was more accurate to say that he had witnessed too much ugliness in TLT.

He believed that perhaps some people would burn themselves for others, but he couldn't gamble on the lives of countless people to find that the suitable person was such a person.

He continued, "Secondly, we need to cooperate with the surveillance. That's fine. Everything we do is for progress. You can investigate openly and honestly. The data from TLT's Japanese branch is open to you. You don't need to beat around the bush."

"Those inhuman experiments?" Shintaro Hirata looked into his eyes, hoping to see any trace of remorse or guilt.

But the latter remained calm: "Without sacrifice, there is no progress. The experimental permit was signed by me, and it was also a decision made by the entire Japanese branch. You only see that the experiment is inhumane, but the alien beasts will not talk to us about humanity."

"Without doing this, we cannot achieve a breakthrough in technological application in a very short time. The 'visitors' can only stand on the shore and open their mouths. It is we who are racing against the alien beasts for survival."

The person in charge of the white-clad sanitation workers nodded, clearly showing strong support for his decision.

Faced with monsters beyond imagination, only a heart as hard as iron can shoulder the responsibility of protection.

In his view, TLT's approach was indeed harsh, and if it were to be exposed to the outside world, it would certainly cause a huge uproar. There might be daily protests demanding its dissolution and the establishment of a new organization with a more lenient approach.

But can gentle methods really fight man-eating monsters? A naive idea. Humanity needs to assimilate the visitors' technology and unravel the secret of the alien beasts infecting humans in a very short time. Every research department under TLT is working tirelessly day and night, the unknown darkness suffocating everyone.

Those opponents are nothing but two-faced cowards, short-sighted, and incompetent, like bored extreme animal rights activists. Who will test drugs on you if you don't use monkeys? Why go straight to human experiments?

Indeed, in the mind of this white-clad sanitation worker, infected alien beasts and humans are two completely different species, just like monkeys and humans.

The experiments conducted by the research institute were not "human experiments" at all; they were "alien beast experiments."

“The third concession,” the official said again.

Finally, the final word was: "I remember the visitor had another condition for requesting technical support, which was to establish their own reservation on Earth."

"Headquarters rejected the proposal and compromised by helping to establish the corresponding facilities on other planets. The proposed plan is Mars. However, humanity does not currently have the energy and manpower to research the technological development of extraterrestrial colonization, which means you will have to wait a long time."

“I can submit a handwritten letter to headquarters supporting the establishment of a visitor reserve on Earth. You should know how important the support of the branch manager is.”

Shintaro Hirata felt his heart rate was much faster than usual. He knew it was because he was excited about the "reservation" the other party had mentioned, which was the visitor's new home.

But he didn't agree immediately: "Three concessions, what do you want in exchange?"

“Of course, Your Excellency the Inspector should submit a ‘truthful’ report to headquarters,” the other party said with a smile, “and not hinder our search for Dark Giant compatibles.”

“I won’t study the candidates for Ultra Warriors,” he said, surprisingly agreeable. “But the candidates for Dark Giants… you’re not going to stop me from doing that too, are you?”

"Having acquired a human body, you seem to have also acquired 'humanity.'" His calm voice suddenly turned cold, and the aura of someone who had long held a high position was now clearly revealed. He sat in a simple chair, holding a pen as if he were holding power.

"But don't forget your true nature; these are internal human affairs, visitors."

Chapter Ninety-Two is codenamed "Xun".

For TLT, the race for survival against unknown terrors is an insurmountable mountain.

In another universe, in a place also called Earth, there once existed a reality that caused some people there endless struggle.

"The enemy is still 30 kilometers away, and it seems they are setting up something. Your next shift, the shift after that, and the shift after that have all been blown to bits by bombers. The body recovery team plans to go back and see if they can scoop the bodies away, but they should be fertilizer by then."

"Hey, if you're still alive, tap your throat microphone."

The person huddled in the dark, narrow hiding place extended a finger and tapped as instructed.

His fingers were thinner than an adult's, as if they hadn't fully grown, but the pads of his fingers and the area between his thumb and forefinger were calloused, not to mention his hands, which had been used for a long time.

"Oh, you're still alive, that's great. How many more shifts will you be on?" The person on the other end of the communication was used to casualties and assigned tasks in a casual manner: "A major defeat on the main battlefield, that's terrible. The higher-ups have ordered a retreat. The flank where you are will probably become a good place for the dogs to make dumplings. If you die, I'll remember to put up a monument for you."

"Ah, if the monument is also blown up, then there's nothing we can do. Your voice and image will live on forever."

"Shut up." The owner of the voice seemed to be in pretty good condition, not at all like the hoarse, half-dead person the contact had imagined.

“Time,” he asked.

The contact person, who had been his partner for many years, naturally understood what he was asking. Over the radio, the contact person replied carelessly, "Haha, I don't know how long I'll have to hold out either. Anyway, remember to call me when you're about to die. I'm retreating with the main force. Maybe if I hear you calling for help, I'll turn back halfway and descend from heaven on auspicious clouds to save you. Do you prefer seven-colored auspicious clouds or five-colored auspicious clouds?"

"roll."

The man inside the outpost picked up a pebble, lifted the waterproof felt, and drew a line on the rammed earth wall, intersecting it with the previously carved mark to form a cross.

There are two more such markings around, and the finished product is two intersecting crosses, like stars in a child's simple drawing.

He leaned against the earthen wall, holding his gun in the pitch-black cave, as if a sky full of stars were above him.

In his vision, the two finished stars were Vega and Jupiter. The reason they weren't the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl was, of course, because those were usually the brightest stars you could see when you looked up. He disliked the Cowherd star, the one that stole other people's clothes and forced them to marry him… well, it wasn't bright enough anyway, so he didn't carve it.

He hoped to live long enough to finish carving Mars.

He has been stationed here for a long time, just like countless other sentries deployed along the entire front. He was originally scheduled to withdraw in four days, but the time has been stretched out and now no one knows when he can go back.