What does it mean that the group members have given me back the light?

Lipia turned his gaze to Gu Nuo: "He has returned, using the body of Dark Zagi."

Gu Nuo: "..."

In an instant, he recalled the 'endless darkness' mentioned by the Kirieloid and the angel Zog.

This darkness refers to the being called Dark Lucifer?

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Chapter 84 Noah: Hakino is dead, I have no heart to explain right and wrong.

"What do you mean you've already done your best?!"

Joseph's questioning voice echoed in the empty corridor, filled with unbelievable anger.

"I'm so sorry, the patient's organs have been severely damaged by some unknown energy. We tried every possible rescue plan, but..."

The doctor's face was somewhat pale. Facing this robust old man who was nearly two meters tall, his voice grew softer and softer, each word sounding incredibly heavy.

"...Aren't you doctors?! Try a little harder..."

"...I'm sorry..."

The somewhat hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The dark clouds hanging low outside the hospital window, the leaden-gray sky pressing down on people, making it hard to breathe.

The automatic door at the end of the corridor opened and closed silently, locking the smell of disinfectant and the silence into the space. The emergency lights on the wall cast a pale light, making everyone's shadows long and swaying like ghosts on the wall. The bustling sounds of the busy hospital at this time sounded particularly jarring.

"it's all my fault……"

Kiana's whisper broke the silence.

She clearly remembered that when the monster's attack caused the shockwave to sweep in, Nono stood in front of her without hesitation. The scorching shockwave tore his body apart, and blood gushed from countless wounds, staining her vision red.

But he remained standing there, his arms completely protecting her without trembling. She could only watch in horror as blood continued to spill from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the ground.

There was nothing she could do.

"Girl, don't do this..."

Joseph's voice was dry and painful. He reached out his prosthetic hand to pat Kiana's shoulder, but stopped mid-air.

The scene before him instantly transported Joseph back to Rome many years ago.

In that dilapidated, abandoned hotel, he stood helplessly in the corridor, staring at the blood-soaked, cross-shaped boulder.

That always spirited blond boy, that always-wearing-a-headband-wearing Antonio Zeppeli, ultimately didn't even get to see him one last time.

Now, a similar scene is playing out again.

Joseph opened his mouth, but found that words of comfort suddenly seemed particularly pale and powerless at this moment.

Hana saw Anzu quietly lower her head, standing in the corner, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

Blood dripped from between her fingers onto the cold ground, but she felt no pain whatsoever.

She bit her lower lip hard, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth, and sorrow overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

But within that unfathomable sorrow, something is awakening from the depths of our genes—a furious rage that wants to tear everything apart, an impulse to simply destroy the entire world.

Her fists clenched tighter and tighter, and blood stained her cuffs.

In the midst of this deathly silence, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Everyone looked up and saw four figures with different expressions walking quickly towards them: a man in a long trench coat with a serious expression, a high school boy with a spiky hairstyle, and a woman with dragon horns on her head.

"...Is it true?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked bluntly.

Joseph met his gaze and nodded wearily.

“…What a pity…” Kiritsugu Emiya said softly.

His impression of the boy had never been bad.

Putting aside the past, the fact that the other party still chose to risk everything to save a group of ordinary strangers after losing the power of light—this almost foolish persistence—was enough to remind him of himself many years ago.

in case……

If he had arrived a little earlier, he might have been able to try to mobilize the power of Avalon within him, and perhaps even give the boy a chance to survive.

A deathly silence enveloped the corridor once more, with only the faint beeping of medical equipment in the distance sounding particularly jarring in the empty space.

Just then, another hurried footstep came from around the corner of the corridor.

Hanami Anna's eyes widened slightly, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible:

"Karen...chan?"

The girl with long pink hair walked at the back. Her face, which was usually full of smiles, was now filled with anxiety and unease. Her hair looked a little messy, and her breathing was slightly rapid, obviously because she had run all the way.

"Apricot!!!"

Her gaze swept quickly across the expressions of everyone in the corridor, and when she saw Banami's bloodstained fist, her voice trembled slightly:

"What... happened? Nono...?"

Her question came to an abrupt halt when she touched the already extinguished light in front of the operating room door.

……

……

Inside a distant refuge.

"Damn it! Damn it!!!"

The young man wearing glasses slammed his fist into the concrete wall. His knuckles were instantly torn open, and blood slowly flowed down the wall. However, he felt no pain at all and just stared intently at the black sky in the distance.

Those eyes, peering through the lenses, held a mixture of helpless anger and unfathomable sorrow.

The shelter lights flickered, casting his shadow long and short on the wall.

In the distance came the suppressed sobs of children, mingling with the heavy sighs of adults. The ventilation system hummed dully, but it couldn't dispel the despair that permeated the air.

Kirino Makio had thought that the boy's ability to pass on the light at the last moment was already the greatest blessing from fate. He was even more grateful for the first time—grateful that his prophecy might finally be broken.

But now...

"Why didn't you listen to my advice? Why make this choice when you're no longer a Warrior of Light? What's wrong with living a good life?"

He lowered his head helplessly, blood seeping from his clenched teeth, the salty, metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.

Anyway... this planet will eventually...

Are you still upset about that boy?

A gentle voice sounded in my ear.

"..."

Kirino Makio raised his head. The man named Hayata had appeared beside him at some point, a gentle smile on his refined face.

He gently patted the young man's trembling shoulder, but his gaze was also fixed on the dark sky in the distance.

"Assessing the situation and acting accordingly is a proverb I personally like very much. Unfortunately, in the end, that person still did nothing."

"The Earth is beyond saving now, and I admire your personal abilities."

Hayata's gentle smile held a deeper meaning.

"So, would you like to leave with me?"

"Yes, that's right. Just like before, you can bring your family members."

……

……

Inside the joint command center.

"You're finally back, Director."

Megumi stepped forward quickly, her voice carrying a hint of relief.

During those few hours, she was constantly worried.

Although they realized the director was missing immediately, with the world in chaos, the number of people they could send out to carry out search and rescue missions was extremely limited, and the news that those people brought back was more and more worrying.

She had even prepared for the worst, thinking that TPC would lose this indispensable leader forever.

"..."

Director Sawai opened his mouth, but in the end he just nodded silently.

He knew better than anyone what a terrible price someone had paid to bring him back safely.

"What's going on now?"

But Sawai quickly straightened his back, and his gaze became resolute again.

Now that things have come to this, he absolutely cannot let down the opportunity that the boy gave his life for.

"The situation is very bad."

With a solemn expression, Megumi gestured for Sawai to proceed, leading him toward the main screen that was flashing a blinding red light.

"Currently, large-scale alien beast tides have occurred all over the world. Although the emergence of another Ultraman has solved the urgent needs of some areas, the overall situation is still not optimistic. We can only barely hold the last line of defense."

"Moreover, these are not the most important things right now."

When Megumi Kijima finished speaking, her voice paused slightly.

She turned her gaze to Nozue Hachisuke, who was not far away, and the two exchanged a solemn look.

"The most crucial thing right now is the battle taking place near the pyramid ruins—we haven't been able to intervene in that battle yet."

As she finished speaking, the image on the main screen switched accordingly.

This is a real-time image taken by a satellite with the most advanced TPC technology, but even with such top-notch equipment, the transmitted image is still constantly distorted and filled with interference waves.

"……This is?!"

Sawai's expression suddenly changed.

What was displayed on the screen was a stunning image.

The once lush forests have vanished, replaced by a shocking scene of hell.

The scorched earth was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, the melted rocks looked like solidified tear stains, and dark red lava flowed slowly in the ravines.

Thick black smoke obscured the sky, shrouding the entire area in a suffocating haze. As far as the eye could see, this devastated land stretched for at least tens of kilometers.

Such power far exceeds the scope of the strongest nuclear weapons controlled by mankind. If it weren't for the fact that the area was an undeveloped, uninhabited region, Sawai simply couldn't imagine what the number of casualties would be.

The image continues to zoom in; this is clearly not pre-recorded footage, but live video.

In the scene, two enormous figures with wings on their backs are engaged in a fierce battle on this scorched earth, and each collision of theirs causes the earth to shake violently.

"I think this is probably not the limit of what the two giants can do at full strength."

Nozue Hachimitsu's voice rang out in the command room, his tone trembling slightly.

"According to our observations, the silver giant—that is, Ultraman—has repeatedly launched interruptive attacks when the dark giant's energy has surged. This fighting style is clearly intended to prevent the opponent from unleashing even greater power."

The keyboard clattered rapidly under his hands, and the cold sweat on the forehead of this genius boy, who had just turned eighteen this year, was clearly visible under the cold light of the screen.

Ye Rui quickly pulled up the energy comparison chart, his voice trembling:

"Currently, the largest yield of a human-made nuclear bomb is about 5000 megatons of TNT, while the energy released by that Dark Giant in a single explosion is equivalent to 200 such nuclear bombs exploding simultaneously. What's even more terrifying is that this value is increasing at a rate of 17% per second. At this rate, the energy produced in 30 minutes will exceed the total energy released by the sun in a year. We..."

"Calm down, Ye Rui."

Sawai's voice was calm. He walked up to the boy and gently pressed his hand on the boy's trembling shoulder: "Take a deep breath and explain the situation clearly."

“…I’m sorry, Director.”

Nozue Hachimi took a deep breath, trying to calm her trembling fingertips.

"Based on the current energy growth curve, the Dark Giant's energy will break through a critical threshold in thirty minutes."

He brought up the holographic projection, and a red energy bar was climbing upwards at an astonishing speed.