"ROAR—!"
With a furious bellow, Baraba was struck squarely in the left eye by Yuzhou's punch.
The impact sent it staggering backward.
Its eyeball bulged grotesquely outward—
—and then, just as quickly, retracted back into its socket.
At the same time, the short sword it had fired earlier was forcibly recalled to the top of its head.
"…Did it just feel pain?"
Yuzhou paused, momentarily stunned.
That reaction—
there was no mistaking it.
Baraba could feel pain.
Before Yuzhou could think any further, the Terror-Beast launched another attack. The short sword on its head shot forward once more, screaming through the air.
Yuzhou prepared to evade—
—but at that very moment, a blade of light sliced through the sky.
Clang!
The short sword was knocked violently off course.
"That light blade is—"
Yuzhou's eyes narrowed.
"—the Circular Guillotine?"
Realization struck immediately.
"…No way. Ace actually showed up?"
Every head turned toward the direction from which the blade had come.
A massive, multi-coloured sphere of light descended from the heavens and slammed into the ground.
Light exploded outward. Dust followed.
When both cleared, a silver-and-red giant stood revealed.
"That's the Ultraman from the medals—Ace-niisan!"
Z gripped the Z Riser, his voice brimming with excitement.
After using Ace's medal for so long, this was the first time he had seen the real thing.
"Ultraman… Ace."
Juggler murmured the name quietly, lips barely moving.
"A new Ultraman appeared!"
"So he really has companions?"
"He's here to fight the monster too!"
"..."
Whispers and discussions rippled through the crowd as Ace's arrival stirred the battlefield.
"Tiga, I didn't expect you to be the one dealing with a Terror-Beast."
Ace stepped beside Yuzhou and spoke calmly.
"Just fighting monsters for leisure. Keeps the mind sharp."
Their familiarity was… moderate at best. They had exchanged words in the Land of Light before, but never much.
"This isn't a small monster," Ace replied, raising his stance toward Baraba.
"It's a Terror-Beast—something beyond monsters."
"To me," Yuzhou said indifferently, "they're all the same."
Ace shook his head.
"No. They're different."
"Any living being, when attacked, feels pain. Fear. Hesitation. Weakness."
"But Terror-Beasts—"
"They feel none of that."
Yuzhou: "???"
"But I just hit it," Yuzhou said, pointing at Baraba, which was still screaming Ace's name.
"It clearly reacted to pain."
"Did you hear it cry out in pain?" Ace asked calmly.
Yuzhou fell silent.
"..."
Super beasts don't feel pain.
At least, that's what Ace thinks.
Whether they feel pain or not has nothing to do with me.
They don't understand the pain of losing a wife anyway.
"Ace—! Ace—! Ace—!"
At this point, Baraba had finally identified its true nemesis.
The lingering consciousness of Yapool granted it rudimentary thought.
Faced with Ace—and Ace's words—its fury erupted.
Resentment. Rage. Humiliation.
"Laser Beam!"
Ace showed no mercy.
A blue beam fired directly from the jewel on his forehead—
—but it was effortlessly blocked by Baraba's scythe.
"See?" Ace gestured slightly toward Yuzhou.
"Super beasts don't feel pain."
Yuzhou stood to the side, dumbfounded, watching Ace commandeer what was supposed to be his fight.
"Lies."
Suddenly, Yapool's voice echoed from within Baraba's body.
"Super beasts do feel pain!"
"Any being that attacks will hesitate—will feel sympathy, pity, or restraint."
"But Ace—"
"Ace feels none of that!"
Yapool knew Ace too well.
Too many Terror-Beasts had been annihilated by Ace's merciless methods. Too many brutal executions.
Its hatred was deeply informed.
"Vertical Guillotine!"
Ace pulled his arms apart, launching a blazing light blade toward Baraba, intent on silencing it completely.
But this Baraba was different.
After prolonged concentration of Yapool's resentment, its strength far surpassed all others of its kind.
With a single swing of its scythe—
—the Vertical Guillotine shattered like glass, scattering into light fragments before vanishing entirely.
Baraba counterattacked immediately.
Flames erupted from its mouth.
Then, from its massive nostrils, missiles poured forth in a relentless barrage toward Ace.
"Ultra Barrier!"
Ace spread his arms, forming a luminous shield.
With one hand maintaining the barrier, he attacked continuously with the other.
"Cutting Ray!"
Baraba's assault was interrupted.
Seizing the advantage, Ace advanced step by step—
shield forward, rays firing—
pressing the Terror-Beast back.
When he reached optimal range, Ace flung the barrier aside.
His arms crossed into an L-shape.
"Metallium Ray!"
Baraba's eyes crackled with electricity.
Yellow arcs surged outward, colliding head-on with Ace's finisher.
Beam versus beam.
Ace prevailed.
The yellow lightning was dispersed, and the Metallium Ray struck Baraba squarely.
Yet—
The Terror-Beast did not fall.
Its armour held.
Its presence remained overwhelming.
It looked almost… energized.
"Ace, this thing isn't like the Terror-Beasts you fought back then."
Yuzhou commented casually, practically spectating.
Ace nodded once.
"Then let's fight together."
The invitation caught Yuzhou off guard.
"…Alright."
There was no reason to refuse. This Terror-Beast had been meant as his training opponent anyway.
Ace likely noticed how awkward it was to leave Yuzhou watching from the sidelines.
As Yuzhou prepared to join, Ace nodded again.
A silver longsword materialized in Ace's hand.
Close combat.
"Beam attacks aren't effective," Ace said seriously.
"We'll fight it head-on."
"No problem."
Seeing Ace this focused, Yuzhou decided against ending the battle instantly.
Fighting properly—weapon to weapon—was more appropriate.
As for weapons…
Yuzhou had plenty.
After a brief pause, he chose one.
Dark-blue light gathered in his hand.
The glow condensed.
A black staff formed.
When Ace saw it—
His eyes widened.
"…That's—"
"The Giga Battlenizer?!"
(End of Chapter)