Bighorn Bull is in charge of leading, and I, Beria, am in charge of raising it.

"Where do you want to go, old friend?"

"...!!!!"

Seeing that Belial was pursuing so closely, Mold didn't dare waste time responding. He quickly changed direction and rushed into the rugged rocks of the planet, using both hands and feet.

He then wandered aimlessly for a while, not even knowing where he was going, and thought he had shaken off Belial. Then, Belial's voice, like a demon's whisper, rang in Mold's ears once more.

When Mold stiffened and slowly looked up, he saw Belial lying on his side, as if he were on a sofa, watching Mold fleeing in a disheveled manner with a pleasant expression.

Finally, meeting Mold's horrified gaze, Belial, who was intentionally recreating a certain quirky fan-made meme, raised the corners of his mouth, deliberately added a whiny slur, and continued speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Pry it open yourself?"

Chapter 78 Mold: Just now it was a joke

"Damn it, this is outrageous... Don't think I'm really afraid of you!!!"

Although Mold couldn't understand the meaning behind Beria's words, that calm and unhurried rhythm sent chills down Mold's spine more than any ferocious sprint!

Seeing that even with all his might, he still couldn't shake off Belial's pursuit, a desperate, frantic glint flashed in Mold's already terrified eyes.

With a fierce roar, which served as a way to bolster his courage, Mold raised his battle axe high, dark energy surging wildly around him as he made a final stand.

But before he could swing his axe, Beria had already closed in. His right hand, fingers curled into a claw, precisely gripped Mold's head, lifting him off the ground.

In an instant, the muscles on Belial's right arm visibly bulged and swelled. The silver-red muscle lines, like refined iron forged through countless hammer blows, exuded a powerful and beautiful aura.

In Belial's hands, Mold's body was like a helpless toy. He could only watch helplessly as he was slammed heavily to the ground amidst the weightlessness that was enough to stop his heart.

With just that one impact, the ground shattered into pieces from the impact of Mold's back, and the shattered rocks flew in all directions, piercing through the surrounding rock pillars, which fell one after another like dominoes.

Even so, Belial did not let go. Maintaining his forward-flying posture, he held onto Mold's head, dragging Mold's massive body along the cracked ground! He forcefully carved a deep furrow into the rough rock! The ear-piercing shriek of armor rubbing against the rocks echoed continuously across this wasteland.

This caused the Ultra Brothers, who were ganging up to beat up... cough cough cough, the group of righteous warriors not far away, to swallow hard when they heard the commotion and looked up.

Even Zero, who initially felt somewhat guilty seeing his father get beaten so badly, took a step back and belatedly realized...

Don't be fooled by how fierce Belial looks when he's beating people up.

But in the end, he still loved these little brats and couldn't bring himself to hit them hard!

"Heh, you actually dare to fight back... Well then, let me show you the power of a finishing move!"

Of course, Mold struggled desperately as he was being dragged. He even tried to swing his battle axe at Belial's hand to force him to release him.

But Belial, realizing his intentions, pulled him up from the ground before his attack could hit and threw him into the air.

Before Molder could even rejoice at his newfound freedom, the attacker gripped the Giga Combat Device tightly and swung it with all his might at Molder's head. The impact sent Molder flying backward like a baseball, resulting in a spectacular home run!

"The muscles are gleaming! Full power... Full power—!!!"

The next second, accompanied by passionate shouts of unclear meaning.

Belial, having retracted the Giga Battle Device and freeing his hands, leaped forward, his speed even faster than Mold's backward flight! Before Mold could regain his footing, he had already caught up with him!

Then he wrapped his arms tightly around Mold's body, holding her firmly in his arms in a head-down, feet-up position!

"Wait...you madman, what do you think you're doing...Let go! Let go of me now—!!!"

The moment Mold was locked in place, the ever-increasing feeling of weightlessness gave him a clear premonition of what was about to happen.

The fighting spirit that had been hard-won in his eyes was instantly replaced by pure fear. Locked down by Belial, this terrifying numerical monster, with absolutely no room for struggle or resistance, Mold finally broke down completely. Facing the ever-growing ground before him, he began to beg Belial for mercy.

"I know! I really know I was wrong! It was my fault, I shouldn't have provoked your daughter! As long as you let me go, I promise I'll stay far away from you from now on... no, I'll even follow you and let you do whatever you want with me—!!!"

Unfortunately, mentioning Lyme only brought back vivid images of the tormented child he had rescued, a victim himself who had taken all the blame upon her, believing she shouldn't have lived. Even now, the image of Lyme haunts Belial's mind, causing him unbearable pain and resentment.

As a result, Belial, who was originally playing a cat-and-mouse game due to the difference in strength, suddenly had his muscles swell even more after being stimulated by Mold's clumsy words!

Finally, amidst Mold's piercing screams and cries, he crashed to the ground like a rapidly falling meteorite, kicking up clouds of dust hundreds of meters high!

The next second, with a clearly audible slap, Mold's figure was violently sent flying backward from the dust. Accompanied by a muffled groan filled with pain, he crashed through more than ten rock pillars before finally managing to regain his footing, rolling on the ground like a gourd!

"This is outrageous... This is absolutely outrageous! I am the Great Sovereign of the Gua Empire! How dare you humiliate me like this—!!!"

Perhaps it was the extreme fear that fueled Mold's boundless rage. Or perhaps it was the realization, gleaned from Belial's earlier reaction, that no matter how much she struggled or begged, Belial would not let her go.

When Mold slowly crawled up from the pile of shattered rock pillars, his body was still trembling uncontrollably, but he roared through gritted teeth as if he had given up all hope!

The moment he finished speaking, Mold began frantically mobilizing the energy within his body!

Besides the dark purple energy surging from the gaps in his armor, forming a violent vortex around him and giving him an imposing aura reminiscent of a boss entering its second phase, a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared at the very center of that dark purple vortex!

That was a portion of the kingdom's energy that Tartarus gave them after saving them, in order to make them willingly work for the kingdom. However, the two brothers, out of their pride and fear that using this power would make them completely slaves to Tartarus, had always avoided using it.

But now, facing Belial, who is so strong that he is unreasonable and even more cunning than his own siblings, Mold is completely helpless and obviously can no longer care about anything else!

Regardless of the cost of using this power...

As long as he can kill this madman, even if it means serving that damned kingdom and completely selling his soul, Mold will accept it!

In an instant, as Mold completely abandoned his resistance and suppression of this external force, and actively accepted it, merging it with his own dark energy, his body began to absorb all the surrounding free energy at a visible rate to strengthen himself!

As the fusion progressed, the golden light belonging to the kingdom's energy also dyed his entire body gold!

Meanwhile, Mold's armor, which had been smashed to pieces by Belial, was quickly repaired with the help of the kingdom's power. Even Mold's body had noticeably grown stronger, and he was now slightly taller than Belial!

Then, they felt the pain subside and the power surging within their bodies.

Suddenly, Mold felt the wind stop, the rain stop, and he seemed to be able to move again. He put one hand on his hip, raised his battle axe in the other, pointed it at Belial's face, and began to mock him.

"Hahahaha! What wonderful power... Ha, you fool, regret your previous offense! After I kill you, the first thing I'll do is slaughter your daughter too! I'll send you two, father and daughter, to reunite in another world! Hahahahaha!"

"Heh, finally showing your true skills? That's more like it, that's how a great monarch of the Gua Empire should act. Much more pleasing to the eye than when you were just running for your life... But if this is the confidence you have to challenge me, then you're probably going to be disappointed."

Looking at Mold, who seemed to have activated a dazzling form, his entire body shimmering with golden light, and who had a smug, petty expression, Mold stood before him.

As Belial's figure slowly emerged from the dust, although he smiled even more broadly on the surface, his eyes had completely transformed into the same scarlet and ferocious look as Belial's!

He then planted the Giga Battle Device in the ground, freeing his hands to clench into fists. He raised his right hand overhead and placed his left hand bent at his side. Embodying the classic close-up pose of Ultraman's transformation, his entire body began to radiate the same dazzling golden light as Mold!

It was even more dazzling than the golden light emanating from Mold! In comparison, it was like the difference between a candle and the sun!

As this power surged forth, Belial's body also began to expand and grow rapidly.

In just a few breaths, it went from its original ultimate form of sixty meters to a full one hundred meters!

Finally, Belial, having determined that this size was about right and there was no need to waste any more energy showing off, slowly lowered his head. Looking at Mold, whose eyes had become completely clear after witnessing Belial's transformation, and whose battle axe had unconsciously slipped from his palm, he asked, word by word, "kindly."

"You just said something... Could you repeat it to me?"

"...Hey...hehe, look at you, so impatient. I was just joking with you, how could I dare to provoke that little tyrant...Can you stop slapping me? It hurts."

Upon hearing this, Mold fell into a long silence.

Then, as if possessed by a blue kitten that had won a mouse-catching championship, it pointed at Belial and burst into maniacal laughter.

But as he laughed, Mold's smile turned into a bitter expression of despair. Even his laughter transformed into a mournful wail, a cry of utter despair as he knew his death was imminent.

Finally, watching Belial clench his fist with his five fingers together, ready to unleash a rapid, powerful punch.

With a large, bold "danger" written all over his head, Mold silently gave up all struggle and added in a flat tone.

"...Oh no, that's going to hurt a lot."

Chapter 79 A Powerful Enemy Attacks

[Bonus chapter for gifts x2!]

[Thanks to "Caramel" and "Cyanka" for the inspiration capsules!]

[Thanks to "Arechino's Mushroom Eyes", "Whispering Fish", "Cyankai", and "Budaoshi" for the update reminder tokens!]

[Thanks to "Red-Eyed Carp" for the bubble tea!]

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When Belial's punch landed, it was as if the whole world had been paused.

The surging air currents within a radius of dozens of miles seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, coming to a complete stop. Along with the flying dust, the shattered rocks, and even the fine particles floating in the air, everything froze in that brief moment.

Immediately following, as the violent force of the punch spread and expanded, at the point where the iron fist made contact with Mold's chest, the golden kingdom energy and the sun-like blazing light power, like two rivers forcibly torn together, frantically intertwined, tore, and collided at this moment!

It was a battle between two completely opposite forces within Mold!

The kingdom's energy, which should have been violent and easily out of control, was frantically repairing his body at this moment.

Instead, the power of light, which should have been warm and gentle, displayed a ferocious destructive force far exceeding the speed of repair! It crushed Mold's body inch by inch!

And so, one side repairs it, and the other side immediately destroys it again...

In this endless cycle, each alternation forces Mold to endure extreme pain amidst the clash between annihilation and rebirth!

Even so, Mold did not utter a sound from beginning to end!

It's not that he finally showed some backbone on his deathbed...

Instead, it was Mold's fragile vocal cords that were destroyed by that terrifying force when the earth-shattering punch came. Whether it was Belial's deliberate targeting or unintentional, it was the first thing to be destroyed!

As a result, in his final moments, Mold experienced a bullet-time perspective, forcing him to watch helplessly as his body was crushed and annihilated bit by bit, enduring unbearable pain, yet he was not even allowed to utter a cry of agony!

Finally, Mold's body completely disintegrated under Belial's enraged attack, turning into a cloud of dark red blood mist that drifted in all directions.

But then, the blood mist was completely washed away by the following fist wind, and not even the last trace of its existence could linger in the air!

Thus, the great monarch of the Gua Empire, a terrifying being who once ruled over countless star fields, became one of the dust particles of the universe.

The root cause of all this was that he invaded the Land of Light and, ignoring his sister's advice, insisted on personally leading troops in a surprise attack, while bullying an "experimental subject" who was originally insignificant in his eyes!

Even more terrifying is that even though Mold has completely perished, Belial's punch, unleashing his full power and showcasing the charm of numerical values, has not yet stopped!

After piercing through Mold's body and crushing the blood mist, it continued to penetrate deeper. Like a scorching giant sword piercing the earth, the force of the punch deeply penetrated the planet's surface crust, spreading downwards along the texture of the rocks and mineral veins, reaching the core of that long-dead planet!

It was from this moment that the planet Gergda, a dead star destroyed by the Gua Empire tens of thousands of years ago, once again let out a mournful cry originating from the planet itself!

At first, only the ground began to tremble slightly, like a sleeping giant turning over in its dream.

But after only a few breaths, the slight tremor began to intensify rapidly. The entire wasteland began to undulate wildly, and the shattered tectonic plates, as they squeezed, pushed, and piled up against each other, emitted a deafening roar!

The jagged rocks that had stood quietly on this planet for many years began to collapse in large swathes!

Immediately afterwards, one mountain after another rose from the collapsed ruins.

Those rock layers, sealed away by ancient tectonic movements for hundreds of millions of years, became active again under the stimulation of Beria's punches, rising, stacking, and shaping upwards at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Dark red magma surged upwards along the newly formed fissures, mixing with the broken rocks, and spewed out from those suddenly appearing craters!

Thick volcanic ash, carrying scorching heat waves, rose into the sky, turning the sky, which had been dormant for many years and whose atmosphere had long since disappeared, back into a dark, blood-red color!

At the same time, Juda, who had regained consciousness and instinctively chose to fight back against the Ultra Brothers who rushed to attack him, lost all fighting spirit after seeing this scene!

Especially when Belial slowly withdrew his fist, stood up straight again, and subconsciously glanced back.

Belial simply wanted to see if the little brats could defeat Juda alone by teaming up, and whether they needed his help.

But to Juda, who was already feeling guilty, this was tantamount to sending him the message, "Mold is dead, and it's your turn next!"

This caused Juda to squeeze out a dry, almost inaudible syllable. The longsword, brimming with dark energy, slipped silently from his hand and clattered to the ground. The aura emanating from his entire being collapsed rapidly, like a punctured balloon.

The terrifying pressure that had once overwhelmed the six Ultra Brothers, forcing them to combine into Super Taro, when the Ultra Brothers were not yet fully resurrected and only used the combined monster Grand King, vanished completely at this moment.

The next second, almost the instant Belial lifted his foot, Juda, as if electrocuted, sprang up and did something that caught everyone completely off guard.

Like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair, he let out desperate howls and lunged toward the nearest Ultraman!

At that moment, an eight-pointed light wheel had just materialized in the hand of the original Ultraman. As it spun rapidly with a buzzing sound, its edges gleamed with a sharp luster capable of easily cutting through cosmic alloys.

But just as he was about to unleash his power and hurl the light wheel at Juda's chest, Juda had already rushed in front of him. A pair of hands, trembling slightly with fear, precisely seized the wrist of the first generation who held the eight-part light wheel.

"Chop it down—!!!"

But just as the first generation was startled and was about to detonate the eight-point light wheel in his hand, shouting for his brothers to stay away from him to avoid being accidentally injured.

Juda roared with all his might, grabbed the First Generation's wrist, and desperately pulled it toward his neck!

Without hesitation, he aimed the edge of the rapidly spinning light wheel at his carotid artery!

The metal armor that had covered his neck had been mostly shattered by Belial's blow and the combined attack from the Ultra Brothers. Now, only a few scattered pieces of armor remained, offering absolutely no protection.

At this rate, if the First Generation exerted just a little force, the light wheel could easily slit his throat and completely separate his head from his body.

"Are you crazy?!"