Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

"Expansion is always accompanied by war, whether it's during expansion or after it stops..." The old man tightened the screws securing the radiation shielding shell on the base, and tapped the newcomer's spacesuit helmet with his free hand: "Didn't you study the history of the Earth era properly?"

“Once the war starts, when it ends will not be up to our plans,” the old man sighed. “When I was young, I enjoyed a few days of peace, but your generation is going to suffer.”

"I just want to ask why I've been able to play for so many years..." The newcomer cautiously peeked out from behind the wall.

Countless pieces of ship debris flew in from afar, like walking through a forest where leaves were falling in the wind.

They silently tumbled and rolled, alternating between light and shadow, each leaf stained with blood, cruel yet alluring.

Chapter 111 Distortion

"I'd also like to know why you can keep hitting me from when I was learning addition and subtraction until my child went to college," the old man at the base said, handing the wrench back. Seeing the newcomer take it without understanding and remain motionless, he scolded softly, "Are you really scared by a little spaceship wreckage? Do I have to remind you what to do after the outer shell is secured?"

"Ah! Yes," the new recruit quickly opened his toolkit and unfolded the terminal secured by the retractable strap: "Now, let's begin the testing!"

The old man didn't do the work himself this time; he preferred to spend more time letting the newcomer operate the whole process on his own.

“We’re on the Saturn front, a place known as the ‘meat grinder,’” the old man whispered. “If we don’t get into action soon, you’ll be the first to die.”

"Don't scare me like that, I've only been here a few days..." The newcomer didn't have a real concept of the word "death," but still felt a chill run down his spine: "We're in logistics, the logistics base, one of the twelve supply transfer stations."

"Are you saying the enemy won't reach this area?"

"I didn't say it was that absolute," the newcomer said, shrinking back.

"Hmph, I had the same thought when I first started working at the base. I always felt that the front line was still there, so I didn't have to worry about anything. The fact that it was named with the word 'front line' at least means that we have a complete and well-organized fleet there." The old man said this, and it was unclear whether he was laughing or mocking. The newcomer couldn't see clearly through his spacesuit, but he could hear the suppressed emotions in his mentor's voice, as if there was a dormant volcano lying next to him.

"Later, I saw with my own eyes that aliens disguised themselves as humans and had been lurking in our base for many years. He was my teacher and my guide. He comforted me when I missed my homeland. When I first saw the space fleets fighting and was as terrified as you, he told me, 'Focus on your work and don't be distracted. Everything we do is to end this war.'"

The newlyweds opened their mouths slightly, waiting for him to continue.

The old man glanced at him and said, "Then the base was attacked. He was providing guidance to the aliens. He had a chance to escape, but he died before everyone else."

……

"Teacher?" The young man, who had only recently joined the company, could not believe his eyes. Following the training requirements, he drew his sidearm, which he had hardly ever fired, and pointed it tremblingly at his respected mentor. His eyes darted between the man's expression and the device in his hand that clearly did not belong to Earth's technology.

"Why are you here?" The other person was only slightly surprised for a moment before realizing the reason: "Ah, you're always so forgetful, so you went back to get something you forgot? I should remind you a few things before letting you out."

"Teacher, what exactly are you doing?"

"Didn't you hear everything?"

"How, how is it possible..."

The teacher—no, the alien—shrugged.

"You need to be more confident sometimes and not doubt yourself. Young people can't get anything done if they're timid and hesitant."

……

"What exactly is this war? A struggle for resources? Blood for blood? I know clearly that we opened Pandora's box, and it's spiraling out of control. The wounds on both sides are being torn deeper and deeper, if... he's not an alien," the old man said. "He loves telling corny jokes and hates compressed biscuits, preferring long-lasting baked goods."

The newcomer was caught off guard by his sudden change of topic and swallowed his own words. He had wanted to chime in with a few words, such as "I won't offend others unless they offend me" or "Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back."

But as the old man got to the second half of his story, his train of thought suddenly stalled: "Storeable baking, biscuits, I think energy bars would be good too? The chocolate flavored kind."

"Hahaha, in a while, energy bars might become a scarce commodity," the old man laughed heartily, then calmly replied, "Aside from the difference in status, he's really no different from us, but he guided the alien fleet to raid the base..."

"I killed him."

The newlyweds' expressions froze.

“He could have escaped. I was just a support staff member. My marksmanship was so bad that I fired four shots before the fifth hit his vitals. I don’t even know if he just offered his vitals up to the gun himself, because I was shaking so badly I could barely hold the gun.”

"When I found him, he was still talking to the aliens about the base. After I hit him, he smiled at me again."

The old man still remembers what the spy alien said. He even remembers every expression on the other man's face and every twitch of his facial muscles: "He said, 'I want to kill all the humans on Earth, I wish I could grind them to dust, but I also want you to live. You just graduated and you're still young... Young people should have the beautiful scenery of the Diamond Star and the Golden Sea on their shoulders.' 'You should go to the Magellanic Clouds if you have the chance. It's small, but it has my home planet, the colony planet you developed, HX71215.'"

"That was the first time I came into close contact with an alien. It was amazing. He wanted to take revenge on the Earthlings, but he didn't want me to die. I fired according to the rules, but I didn't want him to die either."

If we're talking about the hatred between the two sides in a war, either side could cite a long list of battles, too numerous to recount. But when the old man first encountered the alien in his youth, his perception was overturned. He felt that he and the alien were both separated by an endless sea of ​​blood, yet so close that he could reach out and grasp the other's hand.

"Later, as I witnessed more scenes, I gradually developed my own understanding," the old man said solemnly. "I am material, and that alien is also material. We are all stuffed into the machine until we are squeezed into waste. As long as the fundamental driving force of the machine is still there, materials will be continuously fed in. There are soldiers on the front lines, as well as spies, traitors, and all kinds of secret activities."

“If you ever encounter something like what I did,” the old man paused deliberately, “do you think I’m going to say something like ‘try to understand the other person’?”

The young man's train of thought was dealt another blow: "Isn't that right?"

"No, I want to tell you, don't hesitate, you must shoot."

The old man uttered words that were both tender and chilling: "If you shoot, you will only grieve for the death of one person; if you don't shoot, perhaps thousands of your compatriots will lose their loved ones and friends."

The conclusion returns to the original point: aliens will show no mercy to Earthlings, and Earthlings must not be lenient towards aliens. The newcomer's train of thought, which had been stuck in a rut, finally circled back to the beginning. He should have stated this simplest and most straightforward conclusion, but as the words reached his lips, he felt something entangled, hovering and uncertain.

“It’s not about ‘trying to understand each other’ at all,” the newcomer said cautiously after a moment’s thought, glancing at the old man’s expression every now and then, afraid of offending him. “Actually, you and he can understand each other, but both of you resorted to violence, and that’s why…”

"Even if I approve of you and understand you, I will still kill you."

"We have long been burdened with a blood feud, which can only be repaid with blood, until one side falls first."

The real monster machine has been activated, and once it starts operating, it will not give up easily.

At Titan base, the newcomers once again looked at the shipwrecks fluttering like falling leaves. They came from Earth's "planetary-level" warships, as well as from the expeditionary force of aliens.

The wreckage was numerous, silent and desolate, only revealing its vibrant colors when it crashed into Saturn.

As they were ignited by the atmosphere, enveloped in a dense storm, the newlyweds seemed to hear a banshee-like hiss—from the twisted souls attached to them.

Chapter 112 Ocean Snow

"I was born from a wish."

The shipwreck drifted forlornly, an ostensible coffin larger than the entire universe. The owner of the wish was gone without a trace, and his enemies, too, turned to dust—a truly magnificent funeral.

"Resentment is my foundation, death is my nourishment."

There will be many more funerals to come, until the blood is completely drained, until there is no strength left to pull the trigger, until a glorious yet ugly final battle, where valiant warriors have exhausted all means.

"You can restrain me for a while, but how much more can you hold, 'container'?"

There are many things in the world that cannot be quantified: happiness, joy, and love; suffering, sorrow, and hate.

The silver giant, clutching the blue giant, plunged into the sea. The tide, reflecting the firelight, glowed a vibrant red, and black smoke drifted wildly, like...

Flowers that stretch out gracefully.

Flowers bloom to their fullest and then quickly wither, as if drawn by something, like weary birds returning to their nests, rivers flowing into the sea, tired travelers rushing towards their lovers, and an old man nearing the end of his life brushing over a photograph with skin as gray as his own.

“Only those of the same kind can attract each other. The rich ‘hatred’ and sweet ‘anger’ can restrain us, but cannot completely destroy us, because we are all vengeful ghosts. I happen to know the person you are chasing. I know where he is—we become one. I complete my revenge, and you fulfill your long-cherished wish.”

The silver giant finally spoke in response. He passed through the debris of the flooded galaxy, his hoarse throat and the scorched earth, and heard a faint, ethereal voice from reality.

"dream."

“Hey, aren’t we alike? Right now, your great enemy isn’t in front of you, so you’re indifferent. But you must know that if your long-time foe were right in front of you, living comfortably and laughing freely… nothing could stop you then. Only by drinking the enemy’s blood could you find a moment of peace.”

“This is my peace,” Samuel replied, his palms cupping something.

Agul's figure had collapsed and disappeared, and now lying in his palm was the pale-faced Fujimiya Hiroya—just as he expected, Agul's human form had long been overwhelmed. He was influenced by the power of "resentment" and became more extreme, forcibly driving himself to travel to various places. In the end, when the power of "resentment" left, he could no longer maintain the form of a giant.

A silver light formed a protective shield around him as they plunged into the seabed nearly a thousand meters deep. While the human body wouldn't instantly die from internal bleeding due to the crushing pressure, it would inevitably drown in the darkness where the sun never shines.

Samuel released his grip, and the silver orb slowly rose toward the sea.

“Kanto... Disaster Relief Team, Hasegawa, Team, Aiba, Yu…” He chuckled softly, and light particles began to disintegrate layer by layer from his fingertips.

“Rescue mission complete, now…” He looked up, and his milky white eyes transformed into human eyes.

It's so dark here. The shallow sea, illuminated by sunlight, has a magnificence that no oil painting can capture, but in the deep sea, all that remains is a dark, inky expanse. Life here seems to be slowed down, with only occasional animals swimming by, their soft, slippery skins appearing indistinctly.

A sea fish with bioluminescent organs stopped far away, lingered for a while, and then swam away.

It's like taking away the last remaining light.

“Now… execute the next…” He coughed up blood, his gaze piercing through the constantly interfering illusions, finally breaking through the water curtain to see the sky ablaze with fiery red clouds.

Seawater rushed in, filling his respiratory tract, and he felt a bit cold as he coughed repeatedly.

Light particles fell like silver sand, and a snowfall took place on the seabed.

“Giant of Light… what is that?” The dark thing scratched itself uncomfortably with the pseudo-human hand that had just clapped: “Just an emotional human.”

……

"Huh! We're finally here!"

With one hand, he tore apart a steel plate that was measured in meters thick. Metal that could flatten a person was transformed into clay that could be rolled and kneaded at will in his palm. The sound of the wind blade cutting was sharp and piercing, but neither of the two people present frowned.

There's no other reason than that habit becomes second nature.

The elevator shaft, resembling a mine shaft, was the only way they climbed up, accompanied by the same sounds. Now it had stopped, but the harsh scraping sound still lingered in their ears; their minds were probably still processing it.

They talked despite their tinnitus, appearing completely at ease.

"Holy crap, this is a microwave oven?!"

Kinoshita Kei was stunned by the sight before him.

He thought there might be a division of tough guys waiting at the door when he came out, and that when the two of them popped out, they would bombard him with grenades, rockets, and thermobaric bombs. But to his surprise, there was no one at the door except for a young gatekeeper with his jaw dropped to the ground. The scorching red sky shone through the window, and the hot air felt like it could give a free perm.

"Who goes there!" The young gatekeeper was quite alert; he assumed a defensive stance and reached for his gun...

"Go to sleep!" The seasoned con artist didn't even bother with his iron head. He spread his arms like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. Storm judged that the young man had made the first move and pushed him out, gun and all. The young man crashed into a pile of cardboard boxes and lost consciousness.

He dragged Hitomi Onodera out the door, and the outside world had changed drastically.

The burning sky reflected the blood-red earth. An unknown dragon turned around and lashed the gray monster with its tail. It roared to the sky, and a semi-transparent dome lit up the air, with sticky, seemingly tangible flames swirling outside.