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

Even the strange, faint sound that should have been impossible to pinpoint its source was now clearly directed to the depths of the castle.

"In short, in my opinion, rather than the castle being strong enough to withstand the monsters' attacks... it's more accurate to say that the monsters harbored a strong aversion to the castle. So even though the city had been almost completely demolished, they dared not damage the castle in the slightest."

“There’s even a worst-case scenario…”

"They not only modified the monsters, but this crisis was also caused by them deliberately releasing the monsters!"

"..."

Jian remained silent for a long while.

Starlight fell on his young face, casting a flickering glow on his originally innocent, kind, and energetic features.

He wanted to speak up for those people, believing that Beria's imagination was too rich and that he was groundlessly slandering the victims.

However, as the future captain of the Space Garrison, Ken is simply too naive and kind-hearted, and easily trusts others...

But this absolutely does not mean that he is a brainless sanctimonious hypocrite who cannot distinguish right from wrong and will not listen to the advice of his companions!

Therefore, in his mind, following Belial's account, he connected all the clues, pointing to that obvious yet cruel truth that Ken had subconsciously chosen to avoid from the beginning, unwilling to confront. Ken's tone became a little dry as he asked, word by word.

"...So, that's why you took me away and didn't let me go to that castle, because you were worried..."

"Will they take this opportunity to attack us?"

"Just like they modified those monsters, they've modified us too?"

……

Beria's Diary

Ten thousand years, ten thousand years! This stubborn, weak little bull has finally become intelligent! It's grown a brain!

My son has grown up, and I am very happy as a father!

However, it's also clear that using brains and scheming isn't really suitable for this guy, Ken.

And I happen to like slacking off; I'll avoid doing anything if I can avoid it, and I'll lie down if I can rather lie down than stand up...

Okay, it's decided. From now on, I'll handle the brain work. Jian just needs to focus on charging forward!

At that time, the enemy will have to face the father of Ultraman! Hahahaha!

Chapter 11 Ken's "Nightmare"

"If they have any sense at all, after witnessing our power, they shouldn't do something so foolish anytime soon... unless, in that castle, there's a way to deal with us, or perhaps...!"

Upon hearing this, Beria shook his head and followed up with his analysis.

But, as he was speaking, Beria abruptly stopped.

It was because he suddenly recalled the teacher's special instructions before his departure, which mentioned that there had been cases of young Ori going missing recently. Using this as a negative example, the teacher repeatedly told Ken to be careful and asked Belial to take extra care of this troublesome fellow.

At first, Belial naturally assumed that the reason those young passersby had gone missing was because they were too weak and had perished somewhere in the universe.

But now, upon closer reflection, Belial vaguely sensed a hint of conspiracy.

Before the Ultra Guard was established, according to regulations, young Ultras who could leave the Land of Light, regardless of how amazing their strength was, at least possessed the power to destroy a planet on their own, enough to face most crises in the universe.

Furthermore, there were strict orders from above prohibiting the Ultra race from interfering in the fate of other planets without authorization, and there were no mandatory requirements for personnel going out to fight monsters...

This means they will not voluntarily step into dangerous battlefields, nor will they put themselves in danger in order to save some unfamiliar civilization.

Even if you're incredibly unlucky and encounter a powerful enemy you can't defeat.

If someone is determined to leave, and there is no enmity between them, the other party should not risk mutual destruction, and most likely, the loss of the younger members and the arrival of the older ones to back them up, by fighting to the death with the Ultra race.

Therefore, Belial found it difficult to imagine what kind of being could completely kill them before the young Ultraman Oren even had time to issue his signature.

unless……

Those young Ao who lost contact were ambushed without any warning!

Just like...

When the transformation state is deactivated, the physical body is almost no different from that of an ordinary human!

When do Ultra Warriors typically undo their transformation and appear in their human form?

That is when they, with their overly simple minds, after saving an intelligent life form from danger like Jian, couldn't resist the other party's enthusiastic invitation and agreed to stay as guests!

Therefore, Beria's conjecture was wrong from the very beginning...

That group of people didn't need to hide any powerful weapons at all...

All you need to do is get Belial and Ken to agree to stay as guests, then take them to the castle and trick them into reverting to their transformations by saying that their size difference is too great to accommodate them!

By then, Belial and Ken, having lost most of their power, could easily take their lives with just an ordinary blade backstab or a cup of inconspicuous poison!

After all, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark...

Having grown up in the Land of Light and never having been exposed to the dark side of the universe, young Ultra could never have imagined that these people, who were crying and expressing their gratitude one moment, would betray their savior without any mercy the next!

"No wonder that old man was so anxious when I declined his invitation and said I was leaving... Ha, I thought he was just being kind and honest and felt really bad about it. Turns out he was jumping up and down because the duck that was about to be eaten was about to fly away."

Thinking of this, Belial muttered to himself with a self-deprecating tone, a deep killing intent quietly appearing in his eyes.

Although this conclusion, like the previous analysis, is merely Beria's personal speculation and lacks direct evidence.

Moreover, regardless of right or wrong, as long as Belial leaves with Ken, everything that happens on this planet—the secrets hidden behind the castle walls, the names recorded on the missing persons list, the truths of those deaths that no one knows to this day—will have nothing to do with Belial.

No one forced Beria to find out the truth. Nor did he have the obligation to seek justice for those strangers he had never met.

However, after spending ten thousand years in the Land of Light, it would be self-deception to say that Belial was not influenced by the friendly atmosphere of the Land of Light and did not develop the slightest sense of belonging.

The thought that his compatriots might die unjustly at the hands of these filthy and despicable people ignited a nameless fire within Beria.

Flames licked at his chest, scorching his reason. Belial instinctively clenched his fists. He wished he could immediately unleash a full-powered Descium Ray and blast this filthy planet, along with those hypocritical smiles, into cosmic dust!

However, as mentioned before, Beria was unwilling to be swayed by personal emotions and thus do something foolish that he might regret for the rest of his life out of momentary impulse.

This could destroy life on an entire planet!

In this vast universe, how precious is a planet that can give birth to life? As a top student, Belial knew all too well!

Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, Beria would still inevitably hope that all of this was just paranoia and that he was simply overthinking things.

So, after a brief silence, he gradually loosened his fist, suppressing the surging killing intent little by little back into the deepest part of his chest.

Then he raised his head, meeting Ken's bright eyes, which still held a hint of doubt. Belial, having already made his decision, abandoned his usual nonchalant tone. He spoke solemnly, each word deliberate, as if giving his final instructions.

"Ken, do you believe me?"

"Of course, Belial!"

“Very well, then you stay here for now. I have some suspicions that I need to infiltrate the castle to verify personally.”

"What? No! Absolutely not! That's too dangerous!"

Seeing his good brother's serious expression, Jian's heart skipped a beat. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded repeatedly in response.

However, the worst outcome Jian could imagine was that Belial would decide to return to this planet and destroy the entire civilization.

So when Ken realized what was happening, although he was filled with resistance, he was also mentally prepared and decided that if the higher-ups blamed him when he returned to the Land of Light, he would take the blame as the "main culprit" before Belial could.

After all, if he hadn't acted impulsively and insisted on intervening despite Belial's advice, there wouldn't be so much trouble now.

Ke Jian never imagined that Beria would actually abandon him and venture alone deep into the enemy camp!

This inexplicably brought to mind a nightmare that Jian had had in the past.

Chapter 12 Taking a Risk Alone

In his dream, his good brother Belial—the guy who was the tallest and strongest among the younger generation in the Land of Light, and who attracted a lot of attention wherever he went, yet he was completely oblivious to it—was standing in front of the core of the Plasma Spark Tower.

Then, it was clearly seen that Belial raised his hand and, using the energy emanating from the Plasma Spark Core, condensed a miniature version of the Plasma Spark by hand.

That dazzling light spun steadily in Belial's palm, gentle and warm, almost exactly the same as the true core of the Tower.

Judging from the energy condensed within, this small ball of light, casually rubbed out, is enough to allow the three Ultra Warriors to regain their transformation ability.

Then, Belial stared at the spark in his hand for a few seconds, seemingly setting up some kind of mechanism in advance.

Immediately afterward, Belial casually tossed it aside, merging it into the Plasma Spark Core before him. He then reached out and touched the Plasma Spark Core, which was right in front of him.

Yes, even though he already had the ability to create plasma sparks with his own hands, Belial still touched the lifeline of the Land of Light and committed the Land of Light's only forbidden crime!

This startled Jian, who instinctively shouted out, trying to stop his good brother.

Unfortunately, Ken was merely an observer in this dream, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't utter a sound. Even when he tried to intercept him, he would simply pass right through Belial, unable to touch him at all!

The scene suddenly changed the next second.

When Jian finally realized what was happening, he found another version of himself, leading a few young Ultras, flying leisurely behind Belial at a distance.

Despite the lack of verbal communication, Jian immediately realized, based on his self-awareness, that this was a public display of remorse to give everyone an explanation after discovering his best friend's crime.

After all, the nominal punishment inflicted on Belial was to exile him to the ends of the universe, which at first glance seemed exceptionally cruel...

However, it is important to note that...

The Land of Light is located at the "end of the universe"!

Then, taking along the few people who had witnessed Belial touching the core of the Plasma Spark, he pretended to chase after him, performing a series of seemingly legitimate actions. Then, under the guise of "exile," another person escorted the disgruntled Belial to an asteroid not far from his home, where he could see the Land of Light and even enjoy the energy of the Plasma Spark Tower.

He planned to bring his good brother, who had suddenly fallen ill, back after Belial calmed down, and ask him why he did this and whether he was forced by some bastard.

I can also take this time to check on the status of the Plasma Spark Core and help my brother clean up the mess he made.

Unexpectedly, during the brief moment when another version of herself turned back to the Land of Light and temporarily left...

His best friend was taken advantage of by a blue, pincer-like alien who forcibly entered his body! Turning him from a handsome top male model into a dark, ugly, and hunchbacked giant bullfrog!

This caused the string of "reason" in Jian's mind to snap on the spot!

The entire body of the man turned visibly red, and he lunged forward like a madman, trying to pull that damned blue pliers out of his good brother's body!

No! What the hell are you trying to do?! Did I say I wasn't going to raise it anymore?!

Where's my brother? I'm asking you, where's my brother?!

Why are there vendors selling counterfeit goods near my house?! Does this make sense?!

Amidst the intense emotional turmoil, Jian jolted awake from his nightmare and abruptly stood up in class!

Then, after looking around, his gaze was fixed on Belial, who looked bewildered. Ignoring the teacher's disapproving yet helpless gaze, and the curious or puzzled looks from the other classmates around him, he hugged his good brother tightly and refused to let go!

For nearly a thousand years after that, whenever Belial wanted to go out, Ken would frantically breathe on him to stop him, as if his hair had been blown out of his body!

It wasn't until nearly two thousand years later, when he witnessed Beriad's all-round development in intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor, that he gradually came to believe that it was just an absurd dream and was freed from that heavy psychological shadow.

Even so, when he learned that Belial wanted to go out for training, Ken still didn't care and was determined to go with Belial!

I'm afraid that if Belial goes out alone, this terrible nightmare will come true!

Now, upon hearing Beria say he wanted to act alone, Ken reacted as if his inner code had been triggered, immediately becoming agitated and refusing to agree under any circumstances!

"No, Ken, listen to me..."

"No means no! Absolutely no—!!! You always said before that going alone would be fine, but what happened? Four thousand years ago, you went alone to investigate the abnormal energy fluctuations in a nearby nebula, and when you came back, half of your training armor's left arm was broken, and the timer was flashing so frequently it was practically a permanent red light! And before that, three thousand two hundred years ago, you said you were going to the asteroid belt to practice light techniques, promising to be back in a day at most. I waited for you for three whole days, three whole days! Do you know how I spent those three days?!"

Jian became more and more agitated as he spoke, raising his hand and repeatedly poking at Belial's breastplate with force, his tone carrying an unyielding and unassailable force.

"Ahem, those times were all accidents, really... Calm down and let me finish what I have to say."

Belial was so overwhelmed by the barrage of accusations that he took a half-step back. But as he listened to the details of Ken's "crimes," a subtle change appeared in his eyes.

But he didn't make any excuses for his past of breaking his word. Instead, he patiently comforted his good brother. After Jian caught his breath, he began to explain in a cautious tone, as if he were defusing a bomb.

“This time it’s really different. I’m not stupid enough to start a direct battle with them in their own base. I just want to sneak into the castle and see if there are any clues.”

"Then I can also...!"

"No, you can't. Jian, if things are really as I suspect, then this infiltration operation might very well witness some scenes that would instantly enrage you. And knowing your personality, once you get carried away, you'll definitely rush out without thinking, just like before when you ignored my advice and insisted on going to rescue someone. So, if the two of us act together, it will increase the risk of exposure."

"This...but, I..."

"Moreover, your image has already been presented to those people, and once you are discovered, you will be recognized immediately."

Belial spoke logically and persuasively, gently smoothing her hair as he reached out and touched the mechanism of her training armor, quickly removing it and placing it into her four-dimensional storage device. After ten thousand years, she revealed her true appearance and continued speaking, word by word.

“But I’m different. You see, all I need to do is take off this training armor, and no one will be able to connect me with the steel giant that appeared before. That way, I can simply shrink my size and sneak into the castle without reverting to my original form. My stealth and security will be further guaranteed, won’t they?”

"Hmm...that sounds reasonable, but something feels off...wait a minute, let me sort this out..."