Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

Beelzebub opened its mouth but made no sound. Its attack had been delivered with all its might, so much so that the excessively violent and scorching energy had burned through its throat. Of course, it wouldn't die from this minor injury; the pain would only fuel its rage.

"Hey, what's that?!" The people at Delta Space Station were the first to spot the beam of light.

"What?! We've figured out the defensive firepower patterns of the Mechanical Island... What's that?!"

A rocket launch wouldn't leave such a dazzling and sharply defined trail; the beam of light sliced ​​through the stratosphere, only fading slightly near the top of the exosphere. The crew of Delta Space Station were startled and quickly checked with ground control: "Your... Miss Tomoko didn't leave early, did she?"

“Miss Tomoko has just picked out a handbag,” the ground base replied. “She prefers quiet places, so she’s still at home.”

……

Vladivostok.

The beam of light didn't have the ability to cross the Pacific Ocean and be seen by this Far Eastern port; it just caused the leisurely resting seabirds to suddenly startle.

The wool coat-wearing man and the rolled-brim hat finished work as dusk approached; they had no interest in spending the entire night drinking in the wind and watching the sea, especially since the nights in Vladivostok were still quite chilly at this time of year. So, the wool coat-wearing man returned to the safe house and watched the screens that covered an entire wall by the dim light.

"Want to make a bet with me?" the wool coat said on the phone.

On the other end of the phone was the man in the rolled-brimmed hat he'd sent out to do chores: "I'm busy right now and don't have time to deal with your personal hobbies. If you want me to keep you company, then hand over this annoying communication work to someone else!"

"Okay, I was originally going to bet with you on who would win..."

"What difference does it make who wins?" the man in the rolled-brimmed hat said irritably. "The lamb is a sacrifice for Satan. No matter who becomes Satan, the prophecy of the god Kirieloid will be fulfilled—isn't that why you're having me contact church branches in various places? Don't treat me like a fool. I'm just unfamiliar with Earthling customs, and you've kept too many things from me!"

The man in the wool coat laughed heartily: "This is my good partner. You're not confused when it comes to our own affairs. You're more reliable than that guy who's turned to ashes. You're still angry that I kept things from you, aren't you? Actually, I didn't have a better way. Only by deceiving everyone can I ensure that everything goes according to plan."

"Alright, you wouldn't dare raise something like that without the approval of the god Kirieloid... You should have seen the pillar of light over the Atlantic Ocean, right? I'm here, separated by a screen and the entire ocean, and I'm getting goosebumps all over."

"It is a creature that feeds on fear. If it can't even do this much, how can it be worthy of all the good materials we've fed it?" The man in the wool coat paused, then suddenly said, "The protests in Tokyo haven't ended yet. Have your men create more momentum in other places to echo the call for global security, which is a matter for all mankind. How can we only let the people near the Far East headquarters be at the forefront? I will have the mouthpieces cooperate more. It's time to throw money at it."

"Do we still have extra... Earthling money?" The man in the rolled hat remembered that the largest sum of money they received was the inheritance from Kamimura, but that mainly consisted of companies, and they didn't have that much cash on hand.

"Stocks, funds, futures, have you ever heard of 'leverage'?" The man in the wool coat listed a few terms the other person didn't understand: "If I were talking about a world war, it would be like casting pearls before swine, or... do you remember the Lightning Men? When they were scared into leaving their nests, I shorted some airline stocks."

“You scared them.” The man in the rolled-up hat keenly grasped the only word he understood.

“Yes, this is just one tiny part of the countless jobs I’ve done! Information is money, and we have the only information source in the world, no, the entire universe,” the wool coat said. “If it weren’t for the commotion in the South Pacific, in another ten or twenty years, we might have become the largest investor in TPC. We can control whatever they need. Just think about it! Earthlings are prepared for a fight to the death, while we only need to lift a finger to cut off their raw materials, factories, and water and electricity, making poor TPC completely self-sufficient. That’s much more comfortable than fighting with real swords!”

"I think eliminating the enemy physically is the most satisfying," said the man in the rolled-up hat. "I hope your mouthpiece will cooperate well. This operation will expose our key figures and strongholds. If we don't achieve our goals, we'll have to find a way to minimize our losses. Then you might not even be able to stay here."

An unknown... Kirieloid, the god, dislikes losers.

The man in the wool coat wasn't just all talk; he told his partner he would take action, so the matter must already be underway.

Paradia, the twelfth, is an important figure who was protected after revealing all the information she knew to the TPC. Now she is about to play her true role. If it weren't for some unforeseen events that led to Paradia's early death, she would have become Solka's human host like her father. The race that came from the ancient times knows the importance of each human host: the power of the Giants of Light has always been very kind to them.

Number Twelve knew she was being protected, so she didn't pry into TPC's plans and stayed in her room. "Father" knew them too well; Number Twelve felt that whatever she did, "Father" had already anticipated it, and perhaps the more assertive she was, the more counterproductive it would be. In that case, she might as well just tell TPC everything she knew, and help analyze any moves the Kirieloids made.

Fortunately, Captain Sato thought the same way. He neither rushed to destroy the base after obtaining the intelligence nor continued to exploit Number Twelve's memories in an attempt to extract more information. He came out of the information department's command center, walked downstairs, and knocked on Number Twelve's door: "Didn't you see the news outside?"

Number Twelve glanced at the long-off television and shook his head blankly.

"It's better not to know. Anyway... the current situation is that a very powerful monster has appeared, and all the infected alien beasts have gone mad." Sato Takuma's words were concise and to the point.

"All of them, you mean!" Number Twelve's eyes widened. "How is Sosuke?"

“Your ‘father’ may be waiting for this moment,” Sato sneered. “I don’t know what kind of chemical reaction will occur when a high concentration of ancient genes is mixed into that monster’s body, but you’d better stay away from him for now.”

Number Twelve nodded vigorously: "Yes, I'll stay here and not go anywhere!"

“But he’s heading in this direction trying to crash into our isolation chamber. The Kirieloids really know the location of this warehouse. Maybe they disguised themselves as humans and participated in the early construction of the base… The ‘physically excellent’ talents selected by TPC are a huge food source for the alien beasts, and you are the best one, a clone of the ancient humans. Maybe I should shoot you here and throw your bones into the furnace to be completely incinerated,” Sato said. “Can you still run? We need to move.”

Number Twelve lowered his head and thought for a moment. Despite his doubts, he replied, "I'll listen to you. Do we have other safe havens?"

“No,” Sato’s words stunned Number Twelve. “No matter how efficient TPC is, it doesn’t have the extra resources to build a second base of this size. Really, looking back now… you were all deliberately released, knowing we wouldn’t leave you alone. The people in the monitoring office cleaned up the bugs that had infiltrated, and then he sent us a bomb we couldn’t refuse!”

Number Twelve's question was on the tip of his tongue when he looked up and found that the person in front of him was looking at him with an expression he had never seen before—the captain of the ground guard, the old fox in the interrogation room, would never show such a sad expression.

He stood at the doorway, gazing intently inside, like a traveler revisiting a familiar place, finding no old friends, only the familiar old trees and his shadow.

“Many years ago, I made a wrong decision, Paradia,” he said to Number Twelve, yet it didn’t seem like he was speaking to her. Number Twelve had a strange feeling that this person was probably talking to the real Paradia.

“Aiba doesn’t completely trust me. Even Yuzare’s words couldn’t change his mind. He even hid Tiga’s human form from me… But it’s okay, I figured it out. And I don’t completely trust him either,” Sato paused for a moment, then continued, “Yes, I don’t trust him. He likes Earthlings so much these days. Hmph, the people these days.”

Sato's words were vague and unclear, and Number Twelve couldn't figure out the connection: if it was really as he said, that the two were wary of each other, then why would Captain Aiba entrust him with the task of looking after Sosuke? And why would Sato take on such a strenuous and dangerous job?

“Let’s go,” Sato said, seemingly having no intention of explaining further. “The Kirieloids have been watching this place. Right now, only his side is truly safe. My subordinates are still with that out-of-control idiot. We desperately need you, this delicious little cake, to roll as far away as possible… at least until he comes back.”

Chapter 193 Shall we watch the sunrise together?

"Hey, have you figured out what's going on? Why did this weirdo in the cell suddenly jump out of bed and try to smash through our wall?!"

Amidst the deafening roar, the cell guards were in a state of panic. They had no idea that the "monster" locked inside was their former colleague, nor could they understand why he had suddenly changed his nature, acting like a savage, vegan monster, and now he was even digging into the stone walls with his terrifying claws and teeth.

"Before figuring out why it's so hungry, shouldn't we shift our focus and at least find something usable to block the door?"

Theoretically, the building could withstand a nuclear explosion, yet it was now strangely precarious, as if the tests conducted during its construction and the annual inspections thereafter were simply arbitrary, blindly submitted results by the testing officers—but the officers hadn't neglected their duties, and Samuel hadn't misjudged it; the only possible cause was the security detail they were guarding.

This guy exceeded everyone's expectations.

This should not happen.

At least that's what Takuma Sato thinks.

He certainly wasn't foolish enough to completely trust "Paradia," nor did he think that separating the two hot potatoes would solve everything. After confirming that Fujisawa Sousuke had encountered a Kirieloid, he dragged this seemingly harmless "former colleague" into the most dangerous category.

Based on his understanding of the Kirielod, Paradia was bound to be key to some event. Therefore, all he needed to do was render Paradia inactive or completely immobile. So he ensured Paradia was well-fed and cared for, and that her room had a television, but only filtered and restricted programming. Guards were on standby outside, but they also bore the responsibility of being the first line of defense: if Paradia was a beast in human skin, then they would be the first line of defense.

He had considered the option of executing her on the spot and scattering her ashes, but who knew if the Kirieloids had left any other "switches"? For example, this "Paradia" might actually be acting as a remote control. If he really blew up the remote control, the machine might go into hibernation, or it might go out of control.

And naturally, he had to personally oversee the transfer of such a dangerous individual. The strange thing is, why is it that even though "Paladia" is in isolation and hasn't even met Sousuke yet, the worst has still happened?

Sato became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it.

“Para… Number Twelve, how much do you know about your ‘father’?” He led “Paradia” into the elevator leading to the ground. Soon they would be able to enjoy the sunshine and rain outside, which was much more reliable than that crazy alien beast burying its head in the concrete slab.

Number Twelve looked at him strangely: "I've told you everything I know. Nobody knows how long 'Father' stayed on Earth. What we do know is that he once told us about a long journey with an Austrian knight... Later, that knight wrote a book, ah... no, I think it was called, an epic."

"epic?"

Number Twelve nodded: "That's what Earthlings call that book, the epic poem, 'The Song of the Nibelungs'."

After a moment of silence, Sato slowly said, "That's probably the difference between him and me. Maybe I've been here longer, but I've only heard of this epic, and I have no idea that it was written by an Austrian knight. My knowledge of it is limited to the name sounding familiar."

“Father…” Number Twelve carefully observed the other’s expression: “He is very interested in studying Earth’s civilization. In fact, he spends most of his time away from the base. He travels all year round and only recently has he been able to meet with us regularly.”

After he finished speaking, the elevator suddenly gave a violent jolt. Number Twelve looked up nervously, thinking he had bumped into something. Sato said, "We're on the ground. It does this when it's running at maximum speed; it's not like the elevator is hitting the top."

The elevator rushing to the top is more terrifying than falling, but how could Number Twelve understand these things? The gap between her understanding of human society and Sato's is like the gap between Sato and her "father," separated by an unknown chasm.

Although Sato has integrated well and can even make a living thanks to his skills, the information from Number Twelve suggests that "Father's" research into Earth's civilization is likely genuinely out of interest. The most terrifying thing is when the enemy is genuinely interested in studying you, not out of official business or fleeting curiosity, but with a long-term interest that could last for centuries.

This forced Sato to speculate in the worst-case scenario: the "father" had probably learned about his modus operandi from their limited contact or from the intelligence network previously hidden within TPC. "Paradia" was merely a tool to distract them; the experiments they conducted on Sosuke couldn't possibly have escaped the ancient genes—having obtained so many samples, how could they possibly let them go so easily, focusing only on one crooked tree—the alien beast?

But is it possible that "Paladia" actually does serve as a "switch"? Like a double insurance, it's the same without her, but better with her. Given the results-oriented nature of the Kyrielods, this possibility is more likely.

In short... this little cake that's too delicious for the alien beasts should be rolled as far away as possible, Sato thought viciously. If this "Paradia" wasn't a living person, but really just a tool, he would have liked to stuff it into a tin can, fill it with tons of cement, and throw it all into the sea, or have the Space Development Center try to knock the cement lump out of the solar system and never let it come back.

“But you’re a human being,” Sato sighed. “A person who has already sacrificed themselves once cannot do it a second time. I’m not a giant who can’t take a beating.”

This sounded nonsensical to Number Twelve, and she squinted in confusion—to adjust to the outside light.

She first inhaled the gunpowder smoke, and then was horrified by the sight that came into view.

"This is a base?!" Is this TPC's Far East headquarters?

It was pitch black and foggy because it was nighttime, so poor visibility was normal. But the base was always brightly lit, and by following the area cleared by the searchlights, they could observe schools of fish surfacing hundreds of meters away.

But the current "lights" are too bright... Number Twelve closed his eyes, and the tracer bullets still lingered on his retina.

"Earthquakes and tsunamis, attacks by mechanical soldiers, and monsters demolishing walls inside... It's good enough that you can tell it's a base."

"Okay." Sato led her towards the aircraft's takeoff and landing deck. Number Twelve noticed a large crater in the distance, dark and deep, which even tracer rounds couldn't illuminate. Its edges were straight, clearly not formed by damage; it was trapezoidal, very regular, as if it was meant to be that way.

Sato glanced in the direction she was looking and explained, "You'll see it soon enough. It's the new thing that Dr. Yao and his team have come up with... We need to stay away from it. If it explodes, it'll probably lift half the base to the height of Delta Force and let it soar with them. Then we won't have to worry about Sosuke's problem anymore—nor about the problems of 'humanity' and 'the future'."

Sato told a lame joke, but Number Twelve didn't find it very funny. There were piercing alarms everywhere, and even the sea breeze seemed extremely tense, cutting like a blade across the face.

Soon, Number Twelve discovered that it wasn't a sea breeze at all! It was clearly the residual force of the air currents from the exploding shells! These were probably the "mechanical soldiers" that Sato had mentioned. They kept rushing out of the sea like ants that had found a piece of candy. The defensive artillery of the TPC headquarters was fully activated, and the mechanical soldiers kept exploding in the air. But they also kept emerging from the sea, as if there was an infinitely resource-rich mine and arsenal below.

The base is in danger, Twelve thought. Where is the giant? Isn't that giant named Tiga from TPC? And Samuel, some aliens tried to harm key figures in TPC, like the national treasure-level scientist, and then they became real "aliens"—the dust hasn't even left the solar system yet.

Based on their behavior, shouldn't they be able to fall from the sky and hammer the thing in the sea into the earth's crust right now?

As if in response to her idea, the ground suddenly trembled several times, forcing the two of them to crouch down to steady themselves. The solid ground beneath their feet felt like a waterlogged, substandard rubber track, shaking so violently that it could give an engineering designer a stroke on the spot.

Something enormous has appeared.

The pressure from the air told her this—it was a subtle feeling, but Number Twelve definitely felt it.

“You…” Suddenly, Number Twelve turned his body to the side, facing out of the deck swallowed by darkness.

Is there something there, "him"?

Sato grabbed her arm, trying to pull up the important little "cake" that had slumped down without him noticing.

Number Twelve clung to him, staggering, as he supported her, saying, "Hey, are you scared out of your wits by this? What kind of cowardly goldfish have the Kirieloids raised? We need to run fast, get to land first, and then use the vast terrain to wage guerrilla warfare... Guerrilla warfare, you know? We can fly from Tokyo to Antarctica, and then from Antarctica to Africa, a completely random route! The fastest combat transport plane ever! Even I don't know where you're flying to next, I guarantee 'Father' will be completely lost with us, even the strongest mad monster will be worn out, and the Titans will be chasing after us. Unless they want you to self-destruct, we can't lose! There's a ship I've arranged at Exit Three, our transport vehicle at Exit Four, and Exit Five... Hey! You're not really going to self-destruct, are you?! Did the Kirieloids learn from their homeland terrorist organizations? Hey, wake up!"

Number Twelve looked dejected and clearly wasn't listening. Sato hated partners who were inattentive when he was giving instructions. Seeing that his barrage of words hadn't brought him to his senses, he shook the other person's shoulder forcefully. Suddenly, he heard Number Twelve lower his head and softly begin to speak:

"You're here... Shall we watch the sunrise together?"

Chapter 194 The Reviving Soul

"Sunrise? The sun has only just set." Sato felt that something was wrong.

Sometimes people can sense danger, and Sato felt a chill run down his spine—"Paradia" steadied herself by holding his arm and looked at him with the curious, innocent eyes of a newborn animal, as if she were meeting him for the first time.