With the help of "that Lord" she mentioned, the mysterious sphere successfully took over the body of Yapool, an entity that was itself a materialized aggregate of grudges.
Who was she, and who was the Lord she spoke of?
To be able to possess Yapool's body, this peculiar sphere was no ordinary being, no matter how you looked at it.
Within the Ultraman universe, those capable of such a feat could be counted on one hand.
Occupying Yapool's body was equivalent to defeating him in the very field he excelled in.
Even with the assistance of a powerful figure, it was by no means an easy accomplishment.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
I'm Not Scared At All: "A sphere… it glows… it talks… it travels through space… Mr. Tail, that thing… could it be?"
A Polite Tail: "Alright, alright, shut up, you coward. Why do you have so little confidence? It's exactly what you think. That thing is a Suiyang."
Herta: "Hmph, a Lord Reaver of Destruction. I wondered who it was, putting on all that mystery. It crossed the universe using Nanook's power? How did it manage that? A feat that even Aha the Elation would find difficult was accomplished by a mere [Emanator]?"
Screwllum: "The Gray Mist obstructs the travel of Aeons, but it does not obstruct [Emanators]. Conclusion: The Gray Mist only contains properties that hinder Aeons."
Ruan Mei: "But… [Propagation] successfully crossed the chasm, did it not? It seems that unraveling that mist holds more value than researching the [Aeons] themselves…"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Um, by the way, do you all know what that ball of light is? A Lord Reaver of Destruction? I've never heard of it…"
Jing Yuan of the Luofu: "Lord Reaver Phantylia, a follower of Nanook, the Aeon of [Destruction]. She carries out the Aeon's will, causing the fall of countless planets. In short… she's not a good person."
Alien Mephilas: "No matter who she is, if she offends the Emperor's majesty, she must die, even if the entire universe stands behind her!"
---o---
Light Curtain
After Phantylia successfully occupied Yapool's body, the scene shifted back to Zero and the Star-Shattering Swarm King.
The battlefield had been forcefully moved from Earth to the edge of the solar system, a move Zero had deliberately orchestrated.
The Swarm King's intelligence was questionable; it didn't understand that fighting Zero near Earth was the optimal strategy.
"Hyaaah—"
Another beam shot from Zero's hands, its immense power clearing away the surrounding meteorites.
The Star-Shattering Swarm King, Skaracabaz, saw this and quickly retreated, but it was too late.
The scorching beam technique struck its body, causing significant damage.
The Swarm King vibrated its wings, and from a distance, countless powder-like particles fell from its body.
"What are those?" Zero stopped his beam output and stared at the falling particles.
In an instant, those countless granular lifeforms rapidly blossomed and flourished. In less than a second, they completed their entire life cycle from birth to maturity.
Sting-Wings appeared, and alongside them, a mutated subspecies born from the propagation: the Eroding Sting-Wing.
Naturally, it was impossible for these newly born species from the Swarm King to be powerful.
However, they chose another method to launch a fierce assault on Zero.
That is… self-destruction!
Like a vanguard of death, they fearlessly crashed into Zero's body, a red energy enveloping them.
The sky-filling swarm attacked the unsuspecting Zero, self-destructing just a short distance from him.
For a moment, countless sparks bloomed in the starry sky, like a magnificent firework display.
Zero was overwhelmed, taking the full brunt of the explosions from millions of lesser Sting-Wings.
Even for him, who boasted the strongest physique in the universe, this sudden attack caught him off guard.
The explosions lasted for several dozen minutes, finally breaking through the defenses of the body that could even withstand the Leo Kick.
Blink… Blink…
The indicator on his chest began to flash. The prolonged battle, combined with the Swarm King's attacks and the endless tide of insects, had finally pushed Ultraman Zero into a desperate situation.
No matter how powerful Zero was, he was still a normal Ultraman. His stamina, energy, and power were all finite.
To have lasted this long against a swarm, war of attrition, and suicide attacks was already a full demonstration of his years of training.
"However…" Zero looked at the timer on his chest, his already fierce gaze becoming even more ferocious.
His limits were far beyond this. Even if he had to die today, he would take the Star-Shattering Swarm King with him.
He once again joined his two head crests to the timer on his chest, transferring their power into it.
Immense light energy gathered in his chest before being violently unleashed, tearing the Swarm before him to shreds.
Seeing this, the Swarm King's mandibles began to brew an even greater power. A blue energy mass started to condense in its mouth.
It gradually formed a polyhedral sphere, a sphere whose size was comparable to a dwarf planet.
From its appearance alone, it looked even larger than Zero's Twin Shoot.
It spat out the massive energy body, and an attack the size of a dwarf planet flew toward Zero's beam.
In an instant, the two energy bodies collided, creating a violent shockwave that sent everything in the vicinity flying.
Then, the expected massive explosion did not occur. Instead, the collision of the two forces caused space itself to collapse, forming something akin to a wormhole.
A white light flashed, its brilliant energy seeming to illuminate the entire universe as if it were day, threatening to engulf and annihilate everything around it.
The weaker Swarm members were turned to dust under the influence of this power, while Zero and the Swarm King, due to their own immense strength, were sucked into it.
"Zero!!"
In the distance, the hastily arriving Space Garrison witnessed this exact scene. Many wanted to rush forward and pull Zero out.
But just then, the Father of Ultra suddenly stopped them, shouting sternly, "Wait! Do not approach that wormhole!"
"Grand Commander?" The surrounding Ultramen were baffled.
For the Ultramen, a race with an absurdly high collective moral code, they could never stand by and watch someone die, even if it wasn't their kinsman Zero in that wormhole.
"That wormhole contains an extremely immense power. Approaching it carelessly will lead to complete annihilation of body and soul. Even I would not be able to escape from within it."
The Father of Ultra's expression was grave; he had clearly sensed the threat.
Zero's growth brought him great relief. He was confident that Zero himself could survive inside the wormhole.
But the same could not be said for the other Ultramen. The moment they got close, the immense power would instantly tear their bodies apart. At that point, it was likely that not even the Silver Cross Aid could revive them.
"Grand Commander!" In the distance, Ace and Taro, who had just fought their way out of the depths of the Swarm, called out excitedly. "We've sensed the location of the first Ultraman and the others!"
"They are not dead, but… the power within their bodies is nearly depleted. If we don't go to their rescue soon, I'm afraid they will…"
Ace didn't finish, but everyone present understood his meaning.
"Alright. The mission to rescue them is yours," Father of Ultra nodded, then turned to the other Space Garrison warriors. "The Swarm crisis on Earth has not yet been resolved. The humans there still need our help."
With that, he hurried toward Earth. The other Ultramen, seeing this, followed in his footsteps.
Among them, however, there was one exception.
"The Grand Commander and the others are prioritizing saving Earth and the lives of other good-willed aliens, but they are ignoring the Swarm that continues to propagate. As long as the mastermind behind the Swarm exists, the Swarm will not stop breeding."
Among the many Red Tribe Ultramen, this Ultra Warrior stood out. Though he wore armor, one could see from his exposed hands and feet that he was a Blue Tribe Ultra Warrior!
If Mebius were here, he would surely recognize his good friend, Hunter Knight Tsurugi, or rather… Ultraman Hikari.
An Ultraman of the Blue Tribe, a scientist active in the "Space Science and Technology Bureau," he was a warrior who had followed the Father of Ultra here out of concern for his friend Mebius's safety.
He glanced in the direction Father of Ultra had left, then looked at the sky full of insects, and made his decision…
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
Yukino Yukinoshita: "The outcome between Zero and the Swarm King is still undecided. No wonder this is a catastrophe that can affect the entire universe!"
Ruan Mei: "An Ultraman of the Blue Tribe. Is he a special individual? It seems he wants to uncover the true face of the Aeon of [Propagation]. Hehe, for a researcher, this is truly… an honor."
Overseer of Schicksal: "More and more characters are appearing. Compared to the mindless Swarm, the clash between intelligent life forms is far more meaningful…"
---o---
Light Curtain
While the Ultramen of the Space Garrison launched their rescue plan, Phantylia, relying on Yapool's memories, arrived at a certain location in the universe.
It was a region that the Swarm had not yet reached, a place filled with an aura of peace and hope.
"So this is the Land of Light?"
An elegant female voice emerged from Yapool's monstrous body, sounding exceptionally strange and incongruous.
Before Phantylia's eyes, a massive green planet floated.
This planet was saturated with the energy of light, to the point of light pollution. The concept of night did not exist here, and countless Ultramen lived on its surface.
"Truly beyond imagination. But what a pity that such a beautiful planet will soon be reduced to a dead silence."
This peaceful and beautiful scene brought a smile to Phantylia's face. Her favorite thing to do was to watch the fall of such harmonious and beautiful planets.
Without a second glance, she flew toward a black, cube-shaped structure hanging in space just outside the Land of Light's atmosphere.
"That place! Could it be…?"
Outside the light curtain, countless Ultramen revealed looks of shock when they saw Phantylia's destination.
That was the Space Prison. Ultraman King himself had once sealed that dark Ultraman there. Could it be that now…
Before the Ultramen could react, Phantylia quickly arrived at the prison entrance, following Yapool's memories.
The two Ultra warriors on guard duty saw Phantylia's monstrous form and immediately summoned their weapons, preparing for battle.
However, using only her psychic power, Phantylia sent the two flying into the cosmos, where they vanished without a trace.
"I've finally found you. The Land of Light's strongest and darkest warrior, the legendary Belial."
"My efforts were not in vain. If I were to release you, the entire universe would surely be plunged into panic."
Inside the Space Prison, Phantylia looked closely at the dark Ultraman before her. His body was black and red, his eyes were upturned and forked, his mouth was jagged, his face was vicious, and he possessed sharp claws and an alien-like posture.
The current Belial was sealed by the power of Ultraman King. This mighty power had not weakened in the slightest, even after thousands of years.
"Hmph, no wonder the guards are so weak. The creator of this prison is himself the most difficult guard to overcome."
Even using all the power Yapool could muster, the entire Space Prison remained as solid as a wall, not moving an inch.
And Phantylia, whose true form was a Suiyang, possessed little offensive power herself, let alone enough to break this prison.
"In the end, must I borrow Lord Nanook's power?"
Phantylia muttered, her tone filled with reverence for Nanook, the Aeon of [Destruction]. Even for a twisted, evil, and immortal being like her, her words were filled with respect and loyalty when speaking of the Aeon she followed.
A golden-white power surged from Yapool's body, its immense force nearly crushing the body to dust.
Fortunately, Phantylia controlled it in time, preventing this 'fragile' vessel from being annihilated.
"BOOM—!!!"
The energy, imbued with Nanook's will, shattered the Space Prison—which Phantylia had been unable to destroy despite her best efforts—with a single blow, blasting a hole in it.
"Guaaah—!!"
Then, a black and red figure slowly walked out of the prison. The Land of Light's darkest and most powerful warrior… Belial, had arrived.
Although his familiar weapon was not at his side, this legendary dark warrior still radiated an astonishing dark power.
This made Phantylia, who was watching from the side, unable to help but curl her lips into a smirk. It was clear… with its top combatants absent, the entire security system of the Land of Light was practically paralyzed.
What kind of expressions would the Father of Ultra and the others have when they returned to find the Land of Light had become a dead star? Phantylia could no longer restrain herself; she wanted to see that scene right now.
The end of the Land of Light… was coming.
---o---
Author's Note:
ps: Ruan Mei! Why, why did you have to come on the hard pity? Black Swan and Sparkle are coming next, uwaaah.