Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

Location: Pirated Meta domain.

Victim: Kinoshita Kei.

"Can you feel it now?" Aiba Yu squatted down beside him, not immediately bringing him treatment as before. While Kinoshita Kei opened his mouth and closed his eyes, his soul flew to the Sanzu River, he also carefully sensed the energy flow of Uranus.

"Fellow villager...cough cough..." Kinoshita Kei spat out sour saliva: "My stomach...ugh..."

After vomiting up all the stomach acid, Kinoshita Kei said with a green face, "Fine, I've already confessed everything. I feel really bad now."

"An ordinary person would not just vomit after taking that punch."

"Fellow villager, are you going to kill me?!"

"Just a moment ago, the light of Uranus protected you, so your internal organs are fine."

Kinoshita Kei had many beautiful words he wanted to say, but ultimately condensed them into a simple radical: "艹".

"I'll heal you even if something happens," Aiba Yu said earnestly. "You still don't feel anything?"

“I can feel it,” Kinoshita Kei nodded just as seriously: “My stomach hurts.”

……

Ariel Base.

"A massive heat source has been detected in outer space!" Atsuko Sasaki reported to Akio Ishimuro amidst the alarm, "It's approaching Earth at an extremely high speed!"

"Issue Def Con3 command to the entire ship."

"understand!"

At the commander's command, instructions were broadcast to every corner of the base.

【Calling to all aircraft.Condition Def Con3 ordered.】

While chatting with Team Seagull, Takayama Gamu hurried to the hangar. Team Seagull captain Kamiyama Atsushi looked at his team members and said, "Team Seagull stand by!"

The staff in orange uniforms immediately went into a state of high alert.

"They just stopped yesterday, and they're back again today?" A man in an orange shirt, clutching a toolbox, also ran towards the hangar. The box was hastily closed, and the tools hadn't been organized yet. By the time he got to his position and opened the box, it would probably be a complete mess inside.

"The crash site is estimated to be in Tokyo (182, E7)... What? Tokyo again?! The rubble there hasn't even been cleared yet, has it?" The shorter man in the orange shirt followed behind him. He had short legs but a high stride, so he didn't fall behind. "Are they being targeted by monsters?"

"Who knows?" The man in orange, clutching his toolbox, felt sorry for his precious tool but dared not be negligent. He forced a smile and said, "The intelligence department's analysis suggests that the monsters might be heading for the giants. The giants first appeared in Tokyo, so they're all heading towards Tokyo."

"That's really unlucky... Oh well, at least they're not coming for our base."

"If you say that out loud, you'll be punished by having to copy the rules."

"Dinner is on me, please be lenient."

"Omelette rice with chicken leg."

"make a deal."

The main body of the unknown heat source is a meteorite-shaped object, and its fall trajectory is very clear, exactly as predicted by the Ariel base.

The background music for the Peace Diva suddenly stopped, and Kinoshita Kei immediately transformed from a howling wolf into a lifeless dog, collapsing to the ground like a noodle that had been crushed.

"Something fell down," Pito said to Aiba Yu, who immediately withdrew his domain. The massive heat source felt to him like a searchlight blindly sweeping across the night.

The heat source was far away, and police cars were slowly driving by, broadcasting evacuation notices, waking residents from their beds.

Kinoshita Kei was in pain all over and didn't want to move at all. The roar of fighter jet engines came from above his head, and the glass seemed to be shaking. He struggled for a moment, then decided to continue lying there: "Anyway, it's just a few blocks away. You guys can go. Please give me some treatment before you leave. I'm afraid I'll die from internal bleeding here."

Aiba Yu threw a ball of light at him, and Kinoshita Kei felt a bit better where he had been hit. He scrambled to his feet, ran to the living room, turned on the TV, turned off the sound, and watched the news channel's scrolling information while simultaneously opening the communicator at the Geo base.

XIG's team is in position. The object falling from the sky destroyed a low-rise factory building, which was fortunately untouched by the fact that no one was working at night. It hasn't moved yet, giving residents time to evacuate.

"Such intense heat!" The first Lightning Squad fighters to arrive scanned the temperature of the "meteorite." In fact, without instruments, the external condition of the "meteorite" could be visually assessed with the naked eye.

The main structure of the factory is reinforced concrete, which is now melting under the "meteorite". Nearby trees are spontaneously combusting under the high temperature, with flames shooting up to the height of two stories. The windows of houses that are relatively close by have softened and are showing signs of melting.

"Another meteorite falling from the sky, where did it come from?" Kinoshita Kei received a text message from Team Leader Fukui, telling him to relax on his vacation and be careful. He replied with a smiley face.

When she looked up, Aiba Yu had already stepped out of the room, facing the sky outside the window, his pupils tinged with silver, seemingly "looking" at something.

"Why are you still here? Based on my extensive experience watching countless films, that meteorite could crack open at any time and a monster could crawl out," Kinoshita Kei turned off the communicator, the television silently playing live footage: "It might come out any minute now."

“It’s getting heavier, but Gaia can handle this,” Aiba Yuu said, still staring at the sky. “I’m looking for its source. The ‘meteorite’ has energy from the same source as Gob’s. Maybe that’s the source of the Root Destruction, but this energy is disappearing too quickly, I…”

"Why not ask the professionals when we're looking for the origin of the meteorite?" Kinoshita Kei turned on his computer back in his room and called to him, "When metaphysics doesn't work, we should trust science!"

When it came to his major, Kinoshita Kei was bursting with confidence. He took out a calculator and some scratch paper, then pulled out the key from under his pillow, connected it to the computer, and the webpage that was originally showing as unable to connect instantly refreshed, displaying the words "GUARD".

He logged into his account and pulled up the current observation data from the astronomical research group: "Sure enough, the trajectory is being monitored! With this, we can calculate the region of the sky from which it originated! Monster meteorites don't necessarily have to fall from asteroids or anything like that; they could have traveled a long distance across the galaxy. You'll have to find it yourself. I'll draw a route for you; you just need to fly along it!"

“But this is, after all, a meteorite that could potentially contain monsters,” he said, changing the subject. “If it could turn on its own, I wouldn’t be able to calculate it.”

Aiba Yu didn't care about his last sentence. Having something to refer to was better than trying to find that tiny bit of energy by relying on your own eyes and senses, like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He and Pitot huddled behind Kinoshita Kei, curiously looking at the meteorite observation data reported by the astronomical research group to GUARD. Kinoshita Kei quickly wrote down a string of unfamiliar formulas using the light from the screen.

To be precise, Pito could understand it, nodding occasionally in approval, while Aiba Yu, a complete novice, looked utterly bewildered. His exceptional eyesight allowed him to see the extremely fine gaps in every stroke of ink, almost like a microscope, but he simply couldn't decipher the meaning of the symbols.

Kinoshita Kei displayed his top-notch test-taking speed and brainpower from his nearly twenty years of rebirth. Unlike his lifeless state in the world of pirated Meta, he now seemed to be shining brightly.

Aiba Yu watched as he quickly filled the entire sheet of paper, and not much time had passed. The evacuation in the distance was not even over yet. Those who were slow to evacuate were being dragged and shoved into police cars by the police officers, enjoying the rare chauffeured service.

"Whoosh—" Kinoshita Kei blew the ink off, picked up the paper, gave it a triumphant shake, and handed it to Aiba Yu: "It flew over along the ecliptic plane. Even if you don't understand the celestial coordinate system, it should be easy to find. I've drawn the trajectory and the current reference positions of the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter. You probably wouldn't understand the coordinates even if I told you, so just look at the reference points."

"However, since they are all moving along their own orbits, you shouldn't rely entirely on your current perspective as a reference point, or you'll be like trying to find a sword by marking the boat where it fell into the water. Expand your scope a bit... There is a fixed reference point in the distance, the one I marked on the outermost edge, Delta Cepheus, also known as Cepheus I, which is very close to Polaris. It's far enough away that it can serve as a fixed reference point without much trouble."

His drawing was easy to understand. Aiba Yu nodded, and took the draft paper with him, transforming it into a stream of light and flying out the window.

The midnight starry sky resembled a celestial marketplace. Suddenly, a silver giant appeared above the city. He looked down at the seagulls rescuing people from dangerous buildings, then raised his hand and flew out of the atmosphere.

Chapter Sixty: Gazing at Your Figure

As Samuel departed, Kinoshita Kei also closed [his account/website/etc.].

I grabbed a coat, put it on, and tiptoed out the door.

The muscular man, carrying a knife behind him, asked, "Why are you out here too?"

“I guess, no, based on my extensive experience watching countless movies, Ultra Warriors like to deal with people who risk their lives to save others, and they always look for good young men who protect others at the feet of monsters…” Kinoshita Kei tiptoed downstairs. The old cat was lazily lying on the railing. Kinoshita Kei made a “shh” gesture, and the old cat half-opened its eyelids to look at where Pito was, its tail swaying back and forth.

"A meteorite has fallen. Don't be fooled by how quiet it is now, just burrowing underground as if it came to Earth only to dig holes. I bet in a little while, the rock will grow legs and turn into a monster!" Kinoshita Kei pushed open the side door of the cafe and carefully locked it. "I'll go check it out. Maybe I can help. Maybe Uranus will approve of me and give me the transformation device?"

Pito frowned as he put the keys back in his pocket, the clanging of metal ringing out clearly in the night: "Let's not even talk about whether you can help there, the way you're doing this... there's no right answer to this kind of thing. Uranus has already accepted you; it's just that you don't accept yourself."

“I’m taking this kind of ‘opportunistic’ approach,” Kinoshita Kei said, walking forward without looking back. He rode out his electric scooter, the battery humming as it started. “It’s okay if you say that word, as for me not agreeing with myself…maybe. I know there’s an answer that’s definitely right, so why not do it? Small-town test-takers are best at coming up with standard answers.”

“And you know what, Pito?” Kinoshita Kei was much shorter than the muscular man, and from Pito’s perspective, he looked like an underdeveloped kid. The kid said, “That guy with the burns is out of danger. He doesn’t have a girlfriend who ran off with his sister-in-law. Yesterday, only his colleagues and boss came to see him. He has no family in this city.”

"He's disfigured; he needs skin grafts on his legs, hands, and stomach, and he might lose his job. But on the other end of the phone, his father was crying—that stubborn old man he called, who beats him at the slightest disagreement. He was crying on the phone as if he were dead. The old man thanked me and said he'd leave that night and should be at the hospital by now."

Despite the evacuation being carried out in the distant streets, the city seemed to remain asleep due to the monster's silence. A silver meteor streaked into the sky, and Kinoshita Kei looked up into the distance. Little did he know that the way he gazed at that "meteor" was exactly the same way Mu Xiajing looked at his classmate shining on stage.

Like dust in the mud, knowing it's forever out of reach, yet still yearning to touch the stars.

“I think I’m still somewhat useful, right?” Kinoshita Kei said, “I dare not tell my fellow villager what I’m about to say, I think I’ll get beaten up, he probably can’t stand someone like me.”

Pito followed silently behind. The electric scooter was not slow, but he was able to keep up with it as if he were strolling leisurely. When he heard this, he replied, "He won't beat you up. He's not the kind of person who can't tolerate any wrongdoing."

Kinoshita Kei remained noncommittal, only stating, "When I saw that guy come out of the emergency room, I was happy, not because he was alive, but because he 'lived thanks to my efforts.' I was startled when I realized that. I don't know if it's because I've been the Invisible Man for so long that in a situation like this, what makes me happiest is 'the role I played'... Sigh, is Uranus incredibly good-tempered?"

"He is the all-encompassing sky."

"No wonder. Such a utilitarian mindset would cause trouble in the TV shows I've watched. If it's a supporting character, they'd be obsessed with showing off and then go astray, getting used by aliens. If it's the main character, the Ultra Warriors wouldn't respond at all, and there wouldn't be any sound effects even if they held up an official toy. When I realized my own thoughts, I was afraid Uranus would be disappointed in me, but he protected me today, under the fists of my fellow countryman."

Pito quickly walked around to him. If anyone could see him, they would probably think it was a ghost haunting a living person. He turned to look sincerely into Kinoshita Kei's eyes: "It is only natural for you to have such thoughts. I assure you with my experience on a successful planet with billions of years of history, you have already done better than many people."

"But that's not enough! Far from enough! How can an Ultra Warrior be like this!" Kinoshita Kei dared not let his voice out. He could only roar in the dim light, like a caged beast that had escaped its cage, which could have stretched its claws but still kept itself locked up inside.

His shadow kept passing through the shadows of the streetlights, one after another, stretching on and on as if it had no end.

"He may be weak, but he always grows; he may be lost, but he always gets back up! He is hope, he is the sun; when people see him, they see the light! Of course, it's normal for me to have such dark thoughts about ordinary people, but he's an Ultraman! A hero I've liked and admired! How could he be someone like me?!"

“A person like you…a person like you,” Pito had observed many people, but he rarely communicated with them. After all, few people could hear or understand him. He knew that Kinoshita Kei’s thoughts were wrong, but he couldn’t explain why. In the end, he could only manage a weak consolation: “But Uranus has approved of you, and Samuel has not said he wants to replace you.”

“That’s because you’ve said it many times: ‘Only I have the highest compatibility.’” Kinoshita Kei became calm again, as if the trapped beast that had been wandering around just moments before had finally settled down and was gracefully grooming its fur.

Pito's current face is what he likes.

The protagonist of "The Swordsman" has a weathered and tough face, with scars that add just the right amount of fierceness. If this face came to life and spoke to him at close range, he should be extremely excited.

"In short, since Uranus still needs me, I will do my best," he said, turning his gaze away as his electric scooter steadily rode along the road, following the designated non-motorized vehicle lane. "The human hosts are all good guys. They are passionate about saving people, so I will save them too. They are selfless in fighting monsters, so I will do the same, as long as Uranus is willing to lend me his power."

The silver meteor disappeared into the sky, and Kinoshita Kei gripped the handlebars tightly: "Uranus is respected by many people... Not holding them back is what I do best."

"Do you know you're holding us back right now?! Because of your thoughts of 'I'm always terrible,' 'I don't deserve recognition,' and 'I'm dark and mediocre'!" The muscular man tucked his long sword into his waistband, freeing one hand as if to bang Kinoshita Kei's head like a wooden fish: "You think Uranus isn't responding to you, but actually, you've never responded to Uranus!"

“I don’t know what Mu Xiajing has been through. I admit that I’ve never experienced such a feeling as a planet. Others can’t see me, and I always get passed through when I greet them. But I know that I am the father of everyone. Your Earth Father’s words are golden and his word is law.”

He held his sword in one hand and tucked the other into his wide kimono, lounging lazily but with his back ramrod straight. His swordsman eyes shone with a piercing light: "You are the human form of Uranus. I acknowledge you, I recognize you. I said before that you didn't believe in yourself, so I will believe in you."

Kinoshita Kei was silent for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly: "You know, if you say something like that, according to the normal course of events, the protagonist should be moved to tears, touched by your approval, and decide to live up to your expectations and embark on the path of light."

“I was really touched when you said ‘I believe in you’ before. I also find it strange myself. Why shouldn’t I believe in myself? I’m so awesome. I’m a top student at Chengnan University, second only to the cheat-like Alchemy Star! I believe I can crush a lot of people in my major! But… when I encounter a field I’ve never been involved in, I’m back to square one.”

The electric scooter drove through the last quiet street, and a busy crowd began to appear in front of it. The headlights illuminated the person coming from the wrong direction. A policeman walked over and thought he was a pedestrian who had wandered into a dangerous area without being notified.

“I’m sorry, Pito,” Kinoshita Kei said as he watched him approach step by step. Behind him was the mission he had to face: “I will do what everyone has to do seriously. If one thing is not enough, I will do two. If two things are not enough, I will do three. Geniuses can do it all in one go, but a clumsy bird like me can only resort to the sea of ​​questions strategy.”

"Perhaps it is true, as you say, that I have not responded to Uranus—I don't know what constitutes a response, I can only resort to the standard answers I know. If after all this I still haven't awakened your Uranus, I really don't know what to do."

He started his electric scooter, pretending to turn back, but actually went around into a narrow alley, finding another way to get inside. The alley was dark, but with Uranus's enhanced vision, the darkness was nothing to him.