Light Curtain Barrage—
With the successive appearances of Seven and the others, the audience outside the light curtain erupted with excitement.
Ultraman, Ultraman Seven, Ultraman Jack—these were the first three Ultramen to appear on Earth.
They were also some of the most famous members of the Ultra Brothers, having saved countless lives in their past battles.
Hikigaya Hachiman: "What a nostalgic sight. With the three of them here, Mebius and the Phoenix Nest are saved."
Oreki Houtarou: "They are heroes of our childhood, after all... But given the current situation, the Ultraman side is still severely outnumbered. I can only hope they achieve final victory."
Ultraman Zero: "Seven... that guy, he really knows how to show off. Sooner or later, I'll make him taste the suffering I've endured here with Leo!"
Uchiha Madara: "So this is Ultraman? I have to say, although they are not as large as a Susanoo, their power is quite astonishing."
Absolutian Tartarus: "The Ultra Brothers have arrived? Excellent. This is a good opportunity to test their combat capabilities. For the future of my race, let me witness the power of the Space Garrison's elite..."
---o---
Light Curtain Video—
"Hyaaah—!"
The moment the three Ultra Warriors appeared, they threw off their red capes and assumed combat stances.
The several-hundred-meter-long enemy was imposing just by standing there, forcing them to treat it with caution.
With this, the battle had reached its most critical juncture. Whether Ultraman would be victorious or the Swarm would continue its consumption would be decided by this fight.
"Mebius, can you still stand?"
Seven casually destroyed the insects next to Mebius and helped him up.
The Color Timer on Mebius's chest was flashing rapidly, a clear sign that his energy was depleted.
Compared to his older brothers, Mebius had less energy storage and was slightly lacking in combat experience, not yet knowing how to achieve the greatest results with the least amount of energy.
His defeat was only natural.
"Brother Seven, you have to be careful! The wing dust from these insects can cause hallucinations and even interfere with one's mind."
Mebius wasn't concerned with his own injuries; instead, he chose to inform Seven of the Swarm's main characteristic.
The sky-filling wing dust was a potent weapon for these otherwise weak insects. Any living being that entered it would be involuntarily affected.
"Understood. Leave this to us. Mebius, go protect your comrades."
With those words, Seven flew to Jack and Ultraman's side, directly confronting the Swarm's invasion.
The endless Swarm launched an attack on the trio, but this time they were not facing the young Mebius, but three of the most experienced veterans among the Ultramen.
First was Ultraman. The insect tide rained down on him, but he remained calm and threw out his Ultra Slash.
Two rings of light circled his body like race cars drifting through the air. Any insect they touched was instantly sliced in half, quickly clearing the swarm around him.
The brilliant light wheels left the onlooking GUYS members dumbfounded. The masterful use of a basic skill was the best demonstration of Ultraman's vast combat experience.
On the other side, Jack was completely swarmed by insects. The Sting-Wings were trying to pierce his skin with their stingers.
Since the insects were already on his body, using a beam attack would harm himself, and using his hands was impractical.
Seeing this, Jack clapped his hands together and released a Body Spark, emitting an intense flash of light from his palms that spread across his entire body.
The violent vibration caused heavy casualties among the insects on his skin, forcing them to fall off.
As for Seven, he was even more direct, perfectly utilizing the advantage of his Eye Slugger.
He controlled the blade with his psychic powers, preventing the Swarm from getting close. Before the sharp Eye Slugger, the insect tide was dying at a visible rate.
In a short amount of time, the swarm of millions suffered devastating losses, leaving only the giant purple insect standing in place.
This giant insect seemed to be stunned, staring motionless at the three Ultras.
It didn't even try to stop them from slaughtering its swarm, just silently watching its kin die before its eyes.
Seeing this, the three Ultras all assumed fighting stances, guarding against a sudden attack.
After a brief standoff, energy surged from the giant insect's two pairs of antennae, and purple lightning emerged, striking towards the three Ultras like a divine thunderbolt.
A sound of tearing air emerged. Even in the vacuum of space where sound couldn't travel, the frequency of this lightning was extremely high.
However, in the eyes of the three Ultras, this was not a difficult attack to block. Ultraman moved directly in front of the other two, placed his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest.
"Zzzzzzz—!"
The swift lightning bolt struck his Color Timer, making a crackling sound, but Ultraman simply waved his hand and shattered the bolt.
"Besides being big, this guy is only at this level. Brothers, let's use the Combination Beam," Jack, the youngest of the three, suggested. Although the purple insect before them looked intimidating, its body structure was too deformed.
From an aesthetic point of view, it was hideous. Even the most common Sting-Wing was far more beautiful than it.
It was precisely because of this deformed development that the purple insect had no close-range attacks and could only fire skills from a distance.
"Alright. We'll defeat it with the Combination Beam."
Ultraman nodded. The three of them channeled their energy, all forming an "L" shape with their hands.
The Spacium Beam, the Cinerama Shot, and the Wide Shot all fired from their hands, converging in mid-air into a single, circular beam that shot towards the purple insect.
Naturally, the enemy wouldn't just watch. It also fired a breath attack from its mouth, a purple wave of energy that rushed towards the three Ultras.
The two forces clashed, creating a massive shockwave. Nearby meteorites couldn't withstand the aftershock and were pulverized into dust.
However, as the old saying goes, in a beam struggle, the one on the left loses. When the light curtain showed the three Ultra Brothers on the right, the audience probably guessed the outcome.
Indeed, although it had gained a long-range skill that ordinary insects did not possess at the cost of its close-combat ability, it was still no match for the Ultra Brothers' Combination Beam.
Soon, the Combination Beam overpowered the purple insect. The next moment, the beam shot straight into the giant insect's stomach.
Intense pain made the giant insect writhe and roar in space, but it soon stopped struggling.
Its internal organs were destroyed by the beam attack. From head to tail, not a single part was left intact.
With that, the Swarm's vanguard was completely annihilated...
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
It had to be said, watching the Ultra Brothers fight was a pleasure.
Ultraman's creative use of basic skills, Jack's wide, sweeping attacks, Seven's Eye Slugger, and so on.
Each Ultra Brother had his own unique area of expertise and distinct characteristics.
Eren Yeager: "So this is how the giants over there fight? It's a good thing giants like them aren't humanity's enemy. Otherwise... humanity would truly have no chance of survival."
Qingque: "Holy moly, the Ancestor of the Gnawing Locusts has met his match this time. Just from these three alone, that Land of Light is no simple place—"
Ruan Mei: "Such powerful strength, able to contend with the children of the Swarm King. Ordinary swarms are no longer their match. I estimate that soon, those 'tentacles' of the Swarm King that once terrified the universe will descend..."
The Overseer: "A disaster that terrified the universe, made the world tremble, and changed the face of the cosmos... it is a catastrophe that rivals, if not surpasses, the Honkai."
---o---
Light Curtain Video—
The death of the giant purple insect brought a sigh of relief to the Ultras present, as well as the crew of the Phoenix Nest.
But even so, the crisis was not over. A few million insects were just a small loss for a swarm that spanned the entire star system.
The Swarm, having plundered half the galaxy, had already multiplied to a terrifying number.
Not only that, but the Swarm itself was gradually increasing in variety and species due to its expansion.
The Ultras looked towards the distant galaxy. The crimson river they had seen before had already changed during the course of the battle.
A sky full of insects of all colors exchanged pheromones. A rainbow of light shimmered, both beautiful and spectacular, adding a brilliant splash of color to the monotonous universe, like a dream.
How much time had passed? By Earth's standards, not even a day.
Insects truly were the fastest-growing and most rapidly evolving race in nature.
The three Ultras had just annihilated millions of them, but while they were doing so, had the Swarm not bred millions more?
To be able to dye the entire galaxy with its own colors—it was hard to imagine the sheer number of insects required.
"Brother Man, what should we do next? Should we temporarily return to Earth?" Mebius flew before the three Ultras and asked Ultraman, the most senior among them.
Ultraman fell silent for a moment, then looked at his younger brothers. "The situation here is beyond our imagination. The Swarm's spread has far exceeded our expectations."
"We few alone cannot solve a swarm that has spread across half the galaxy. The most urgent task is to send an Ultra Sign to the Land of Light."
"Only by having the Captain lead the Ultra Warriors to face the enemy together do we have a hope of completely finishing them before they can spread further!"
The situation was no longer just about Earth. The Swarm had become this terrifying in just a few days. If this continued, the entire universe would be affected.
This was something the Land of Light did not want to see. For the peace of the universe, the Land of Light had to annihilate the Swarm before it could break out of the galaxy!
"I understand. I'll send an Ultra Sign to the Land of Light now."
Jack nodded in agreement and clasped his hands together. A golden light appeared and shot into the vast universe.
However, the next moment... a phantom flashed by, and Jack's Ultra Sign vanished in the starry sky, as if struck by some attack.
"Hm?" Before they could wonder, Ultraman, the quickest to react among the four, shoved the others away.
The next moment, a giant scythe, like that of the Grim Reaper, slashed across Ultraman's body.
"Screeech—"
His chest, which could block a beam attack, was now carved with a deep gash several meters long by this terrifying blow.
Countless light particles sprayed out from the wound—the blood of an Ultraman.
"Brother Man!!"
As Mebius cried out in alarm, the Color Timer on Ultraman's chest instantly turned from its original blue to a flashing, urgent red.
The frequency of the flashing was extremely fast, as if it would go out at any second.
"Who's there!"
Seven held his Eye Slugger, assuming a fighting stance, and looked at the figure that was gradually revealing itself...
Upon a carpet of insect corpses, a giant locust blotted out the stars. From the fallen husks, new insects hatched, bowing in fealty to the newcomer.
IT had arrived. An astonishing existence even among the many children of the Swarm King Tayzzyronth—the Star-Shattering Swarm King: Skaracabaz!
An existence that once made the endless universe tremble in fear, a giant locust that had devastated countless lives and made the cosmos pale at its name.
Its giant scythe could reap stars, and its maw could birth a death ray that could tear celestial bodies asunder. It was, without a doubt... an Emanator of Propagation!!
To bring the legendary Ultraman to the brink of death with a single blow—very few in the entire universe could accomplish such a feat.
An immense pressure washed over them. Seven and Jack knew just how terrifying the being before them was.
Even in the Land of Light, perhaps only the Father of Ultra could contend with it.
"Mebius, take the Phoenix Nest and leave this place! Then, find a way to contact the Land of Light! This is not a battle you can participate in."
With a grave expression, Seven clenched his fists and assumed a fighting stance. He knew just how perilous this battle would be.
"No, Brother Seven! How could I abandon you and escape alone?" Mebius shook his head, rejecting Seven's proposal.
Just then, Jack pulled Mebius's hand aside. "Even if not for yourself, you have to think about your comrades on that Phoenix Nest."
"Leave this place, Mebius! Your mission is to protect Earth!"
Jack's tone was heavy, almost like a command—an emotional tone he had never used with Mebius before.
"But..." Mebius hesitated.
On one side were his friends on Earth, on the other were his brothers. Anyone would be indecisive.
Seeing Mebius's weakness and hesitation, Jack went straight up to him and slapped him hard across the face with his right hand.
"Idiot! If this keeps up, all four of us will die here!"
"It doesn't matter what happens to us three old-timers, but Mebius, you're still too young. You cannot die."
"Go, Mebius! Earth needs you!"
As Jack's voice fell, he and Seven charged forward to battle the Swarm King and buy time.
Mebius stared deeply at their retreating backs, his fists clenched tightly. Then he turned, grabbed the Phoenix Nest with both hands, and sped towards Earth...