The portable grandfathers that appear are all problematic.

"If all else fails, escape back. I will destroy this world along with it," the world consciousness transmitted.

Xue Dinglu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw the girl who was hugging him tightly. Her body was deteriorating rapidly again, and she was aging quickly.

As a collective of human consciousness, her death may mark the extinction of humanity in this world.

"Do you have any other means? The only attack capable of harming it is that sword, but that sword is completely unusable right now. Even if it were activated, a single attack wouldn't be enough to kill it. It's like a plant rooted in the ground; you've only killed its surface, the roots remain alive," the World Consciousness said.

"Unless you can make that strange sword unleash an even greater level of attack power, or even gather the prayers of more than half of the people in this world right now, but that's impossible, because the other side has already fused with the souls of 52 billion people."

“I will allow you to take the other people away from this parallel world, and I will give them new identities.”

The concept of world consciousness has been discussed repeatedly.

"Yes, Mom, yes." Xue Dinglu smiled. In his hand, the blade of the "Salvation Holy Sword" kept shrinking. The next moment, the entire blade disappeared, leaving behind a "Y"-shaped prop with only a hilt and guard, like a toy.

"The final setup still needs to be activated... Old man, do you want to become light?" Xue Luding smiled, holding Hermin in his arms, and spoke to the old undead within him.

“This is…” The old ghost was stunned.

The toy in his hand glowed as he detached from the Skybreaker, transformed into light, and arrived at the shore, stepping into the ritual.

“It’s just as you think.” Xue Luding smiled, radiating a soft glow. Hermin froze, looking at Xue Luding in her arms. At that moment, her age seemed to shrink: 30… 20… 15…

"Imagine materialization, by this order, there is only one way to deal with the 'monster'!"

Turn me into light!

This was their last resort, the final method they had prepared on this beach, in this ritual: to shatter the darkness with the concept of "light."

Even if it's just a figment of imagination, a false light.

Chapter 197 Childhood Hero

Inside the giant tree, Brinton couldn't help but hum softly.

To him, humanity was nothing more than "surplus value".

He was an old aristocrat whose family had prospered since the Hundred Years' War. They then diversified their investments, helping Washington defeat Great Britain, helping Lincoln defeat the Southern slave owners, and investing in World War I and World War II.

To this day, they remain on the winning side.

For them, the world was reduced to two options: "surplus value" and "competitors." After eliminating their competitors through the Salem incident, the world was left with only surplus value.

After all, aren't those students who study like crazy, those office workers who are living in a daze, and those ordinary people who are heavily in debt and are already doing their best just to survive, just tools living in a cage?

Wouldn't it be just right to liberate them and thus turn their value into a stepping stone for these great pioneers?

Moreover, they themselves are merely stepping stones: children who develop depression from studying for more than 12 hours a day, corporate slaves who work overtime and only get 4 hours of sleep a day, and homeless people who are heavily in debt and can only sleep by numbing themselves with alcohol and drugs...

Isn't that all the value they have?

"The world is just a damned cage. Whether it's childhood, school, work, or debt, ordinary people can never truly escape the shackles of the world."

"So, I've come to help you, to help you break free from the shackles of this world."

Inside the giant tree, Brinton smiled and spoke to the old man who loved crafts.

"Since this world is a damned cage, then I will take all of you away from this world and fly to the vast universe, where there is no studying, no working, no debt, and everyone is only focused on one goal!"

"To roam the starry sky!"

After saying that, he felt the feedback from 52 billion souls emanating from Zijra.

Numbness, exhaustion, negativity, and apathy...

This is the feeling that was collectively transmitted back by those 52 billion souls.

"To the world, there's no difference between them being alive and dead. Countless mountains and shackles weigh them down: obedience, learning, work, earning money... but no one treats them like human beings." Seemingly seeking the old man's approval, he continued, sharing his thoughts.

"The expenses of supporting their elders, the expenses of their spouse, the cost of raising their children, and the burden of living and studying have turned them into tools. They are already giving their all just to stay alive."

“Only I, only I, treat them as human beings,” he said. “I treat them all the same. After all, whether they are rich or poor, mystics or ordinary people, the weight of their souls is the same to me.”

“I treated them as human beings, and I gave them a new life.”

Love Crafts: "..."

These outrageous remarks left even the evil spirit dumbfounded, and he almost blurted out, "Aren't you going a bit too far?"

For him, the so-called equal treatment simply means that everyone can be put on the table; whether they are put on the table to eat or to be eaten is another matter entirely.

"So, they're not dead yet?" the old man who loves crafts said.

"Yes, they will not die. After I achieve immortality, they will also achieve immortality and witness all my great deeds in the starry sea," he said, announcing the fate of these people like a tyrant.

They were liberated; no one needed to struggle and fight in this world anymore. They gained eternal life and extraordinary power.

But what about their own feelings?

No one cares about their feelings. They are the most important cogs in the machine, the foundation of this makeshift world, but no one really cares about the feelings of these foundational figures.

If living is painful, then there's no need to live this way.

After realizing that the old man who loved craftsmanship did not ask any more questions, Brinton couldn't help but smile with pleasure. He had already convinced the evil spirit, and now all he needed to do was take the next step to gain its complete and loyal submission.

The sense of accomplishment from having your former idol become your subordinate is a million times greater than any other thrill!

Now, he can completely leave this planet, because this ruined planet has no use for him whatsoever; he would even despise it if it were left here.

But is this really that simple?

At that very moment, light appeared!

Endless light rose from the opposite shore, right beside the mechs they had ignored. Under the night sky, the endless light transformed into a giant shining with light.

That light, that appearance, how could it be!

Even Brinton, an elite member of the old aristocracy, knew about famous tokusatsu dramas, but why would products from tokusatsu dramas appear in this world?

……

"According to our reporter, a large number of strange tree roots have appeared around the world at the same time. These roots first destroyed all institutions, military bases, and transportation routes. At the same time, it is estimated that more than 50 billion people have been infected and turned into monsters..."

"These monsters are like zombies, instinctively biting and infecting the nearest uninfected people. The number of zombies is increasing rapidly, and the military base and all important units have been destroyed... We are completely unable to organize an effective resistance..."

"This is a TV reporter. This might be my last report. Wish me luck..."

The signal infrastructure was still intact. At this moment, countless survivors hiding in their houses watched in horror the scene reported by the reporter on television.

It is even quite possible that during the reporting process, some reporters will be killed on the spot by those plant-like monsters, and new buds will sprout from their corpses, making them one of those "zombies".

Despair gripped people all over the world.

A real biohazard has broken out, a real apocalypse has begun, but now, who will save them?

"No, Boston radio reports that a monster over a thousand meters tall has appeared here, suspected to be the real body of a zombie. And there's also a mecha, an incredibly huge mecha!" The reporters' words were a beacon of hope, a single spark of light in the darkness, for people watching TV, picking up their phones in the shelter, or listening to the radio in the fire-ravaged basement.

"No, the mech failed. We don't know which country's secret weapon it was, but it failed... Did our last counterattack also fail...?" The female reporter on the Boston coast cried out at that moment.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how much longer I have to live, or how much longer you all have to live. The world might end today, but I will be hosting one last news broadcast..." The female reporter's voice trembled with fear...

But no one would blame her, because she was so close to the battlefield that they could feel the fear of the towering plants on the peninsula across the sea.

Is it already too late to win? Is humanity doomed?

Everyone covered their faces and wept; women sobbed, children cried—this moment was playing out all over the world.

The sudden disaster shattered their peaceful lives; no one could have imagined that the end of the world would come in this form.

But at that moment, a questioning voice suddenly came from the news, and the cameraman turned his lens. They zoomed out and saw a boy standing on the beach, radiating a faint light, holding a little girl who looked to be only about 12 years old in his arms.

In that shot, the boy held a sword hilt that looked like it had lost its blade, and the Y-shaped hilt emitted a pulsating light.

"That's... light? Impossible... What's going on?" the female reporter exclaimed in surprise.

At that moment, people all over the world who were still struggling to maintain basic communication and order connected their signals to this place. In front of billions of people, they saw a boy on the beach, holding a girl in one arm and a glowing object that looked like a toy in the other.

The scene seemed incredibly familiar, and most people were stunned.

The sea breeze tousled the boy's hair, and in the distance, a monster over a thousand meters tall roared to the heavens. It seemed to have broken free of its roots, standing upright on the ground despite being a plant.

In front of billions of people, the boy raised the transformation device in his hand and made a move that was familiar to countless people!

Light, unparalleled radiance!

The light shot into the sky, and then a giant hand emerged from the ground and grabbed the boy holding the transformation device.

"Boom!"

The earth trembled, and the camera suddenly shook and jumped, but at that moment, everyone was excited as they saw the giant, shining with dazzling light, fall to the earth.

The ground erupted with towering dust and debris, as if the earth itself was cheering for the giant's resurrection. Endless light shone upon Him, obscuring His patterns and form, but at this moment, everyone—whether watching on television, using their phones, or simply listening to the broadcast or retelling—was in a frenzy!

"Light...light...the Giant of Light? The Giant of Light has really appeared!"

Ultraman, who was originally only a tokusatsu hero appearing on the screen and was a part of their childhood dreams and memories, now stood on the earth and ruthlessly tore apart all despair, descending upon them.

Like sunlight piercing through the darkness.

In this most desperate, helpless, and fearful moment, their childhood hero appeared right before them!

The light, the clouds, shone with unparalleled realism, shining brightly.

At this moment, no one doubted His motives, no one doubted His purpose. As they gazed across the sea at the monster that stretched for thousands of meters, the unparalleled cheers seemed to pierce the sky.

They were children, all of them were children once again. It was as if they had returned to that summer when cicadas sang in their childhood, to the television and the DVDs they saw, to their childhood heroes!

Chapter 198 False Heroes, the Radiance of Counterfeits

The ability to materialize fantasy is one that relies heavily on imagination.

The bad thing is that Xue's Law is already an adult who has lost his imagination.

However, this time, he had met with the old mystic before coming to this world to discuss the plan to finally unleash his imagination.

Born from the savior sword that absorbs the prayers of the world, and fueled by the materialization of fantasy, a false light, a counterfeit hero.

"What's the use of this? Even on Earth, you can only maintain this false form for 24 seconds," the world's consciousness advised.

"Sorry, Mom, forgive my rebelliousness. For me, 24 seconds is enough." Xue Dinglu smiled, and in the light, he and the old ghost both laughed.

Because they saw that, at this moment, Alaye Hermin looked like a 12-year-old child, and even her eyes shone with an unparalleled light called hope.

She is the epitome of everyone in this world, the collective subconscious of everyone.

Because we are children, we were all children once.

"Mom, do you think we need to get the wishes of more than 43 billion people to have any chance of defeating Zijra?" Xue Luding laughed as he carried Hermin in his arms, while Hermin smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Zijera carries the souls of 52 billion people. Even if you reach your limit, even if you become the childhood hero that everyone in the world unconditionally trusts, you can only reach the prayers of 34 billion people. That's not enough!"

"Really?" Xue Dinglu smiled.

……

Meanwhile, inside Zijella's body...

Upon seeing the tokusatsu hero appear on the other side, Brinton's face even contorted in pain.

How could that be? How could those boring superhero shows, which are clearly for kids, actually exist in this world?

Then, Brinton's lips curled up. He seemed to have realized that the light opposite him was fake, a counterfeit hero. He was not the real hero who appeared in children's tokusatsu hero shows, the omnipotent hero who symbolized that light would surely defeat darkness.

It's just a fake!

“Four evil spirits, come out!” Brinton said.

The next moment, countless tree roots shot into the sky. Under the twisting and convergence of the tree roots, Wendigo, Brain Demon, Slender Man, and Bone Prison Man all transformed into "monsters" that were hundreds of meters tall, surrounding the false hero from four directions.

“Mr. Lovecraft, although there’s a small problem, don’t worry, I can easily fix this fake,” Brinton said.

Now, looking at the giant shining brightly during the ceremony, the old man who loves crafts finally smiled.

His smile was so kind and warm, unlike that of a pessimistic horror novelist, but rather like that of a normal old man.

"I'm sorry, but your methods were indeed quite effective. You lured the US military into bombing Zijera, but the real purpose was to break it down into smaller units and spread the spores throughout the world. Then, through the evil spirits associated with the four concepts of suffering, learning, work, and debt, you almost distorted and infected everyone in the world..."

"But there's only one reason you failed!"

The old man, who loved crafts, crushed the test tube in his hand. Brinton's pupils contracted because he saw that the area around the liquid splattered from the test tube melted in an instant, as if it were butter being cut by a hot knife.

On the melting ground, countless human souls were released. They broke free from Zigela's control, dazed and confused, but some regained consciousness and, as if stressed, desperately attacked their surroundings.

"Mr. Lovecraft, you!" Brinton roared in terror. He sensed what it was—the ultimate bacteriophage that had contaminated Zigela from underground!