---o---
Victory!
The Ultra Warriors of today could not be stopped, not even by the strongest of the Swarm Kings.
With the fall of the final Swarm King, there was now... only one problem left to solve: the Swarm Emperor.
As long as they defeated the Swarm Emperor, this battle would be a victory for the Ultramen!
Across the infinite dimensional cosmos, countless viewers watching this scene took a deep breath.
To be honest, the Swarm Emperor had made only a handful of appearances, and it had never even taken a direct action.
Merely by relying on its own concept, it had plunged the entire Ultra universe into crisis and had even come close to destroying the entire cosmos, accomplishing a legendary feat that not even Alien Empera or Alien Rayblood could achieve.
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "[Propagation]... the Aeon. Although it has never acted directly, judging by how it can massively boost the power of a Swarm King with just a wisp of its concept and plunge the entire universe into crisis, its power is absolutely no weaker than Grandpa Ultraman King. In fact, under certain conditions, it might even be able to defeat Ultraman King!"]
Clenching her fists, Yukino Yukinoshita forced herself to calm down. Where did the difference between Ultraman King and a normal Ultimate Ultra lie?
One thing was for certain: even Shining Zero, who could manipulate time, would find it nearly impossible to sustain the lives of the 18 billion Ultras of the Land of Light with his power alone.
His energy reserves were simply insufficient. Perhaps he could use time reversal to turn back the Land of Light to before the Plasma Spark Tower's core was stolen, but... given the size of the Land of Light, the time Shining Zero could reverse would probably only be a few days at most before his energy was depleted and he collapsed.
Ultraman King, on the other hand, maintained the King-Star form for dozens of days. If his true body had been present, he might have even had the spare energy to deal with Belial and retrieve the Sacred Light.
From this, one could see that the true power of Ultraman King was absolutely beyond imagination.
So what about the Aeon of [Propagation]? Among all the Aeons, its strength was certainly ranked quite highly. It might not be a perfect match for Ultraman King, but trading a few hundred blows would be no problem at all.
To defeat such an enemy, for the Ultra Warriors, was like an unarmed human trying to defeat a terrifying monster!
[Great Emperor of the Dark Universe: "Has it finally begun? The final battle. Let me see just how far you warriors of light can go, now that you have lost Noa and Ultraman King."]
Within the Dark Empire, Alien Empera's deep pupils glowed with a scarlet light. He stared intently at the screen, awaiting the descent of the Swarm Emperor.
[The Uchiha Dancer: "To continue fighting like moths to a flame despite such a massive disparity in power... Very well... Let me, Uchiha Madara, bear witness. Bear witness to the birth of a miracle!"]
[Detective Conan: "Based on previous experiences, the Ultra Warriors will not lose. They absolutely will not."]
In the Mouri Detective Agency, Conan appeared nonchalant, but his eyes were practically glued to the light curtain. To be honest... the growth of the Ultra Warriors was already astonishing.
In the first two viewings, Elysia had fought with her own inherent power, and while Jotaro and Joseph had grown, it was still within a relatively reasonable range.
The third viewing of the Ultra Warriors was different. The almost unconscionable nature of their power-ups had strengthened them by more than just a little.
There was no need to even mention Zero. Even Mebius now possessed two Ultimate forms: Mebius Infinity and Phoenix Brave.
But even so, the oppressive feeling emanating from the Swarm Emperor was still shocking, making one involuntarily suck in a cold breath, a shiver running down their spine...
---o---
[In the video, with the death of the Swarm King, all the Ultras let out a sigh of relief.]
Now, they just had to defeat the Swarm Emperor, and this crisis that had engulfed the entire universe would officially come to an end.
"Tayzzyronth! The Emperor of Myriad Insects, the strongest and final enemy. Zero... you must make good use of the power that Noa has granted you."
Gazing at the corpse of the Swarm King, Joneus looked towards Zero with a solemn expression.
None of them had ever truly seen what the Swarm Emperor looked like, nor had they ever truly faced it.
For a being that could annihilate the universe without even needing to move, it was safe to say that the current Land of Light could not afford to underestimate it in the slightest!
"Zero..."
Just as Joneus was about to continue, in the distant starry sky, an Ultra Sign unique to Father of Ultra began to shine.
"Max has discovered the trail of the Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth. It has revealed itself."
"What!!" The Ultras stared at Father of Ultra's sign, their expressions shocked. The Swarm King had only just been dealt with, and the Swarm Emperor had appeared right after. They hadn't expected it to be so soon!
It seemed the Swarm Emperor already knew that all the Swarm Kings under its command had been defeated. Otherwise, it wouldn't have appeared so quickly.
"Hurry, Zero... if Ultraman Noa's revelation is correct, then... you are the only warrior capable of defeating the Swarm Emperor!!"
Joneus came to Zero's side, staring into his eyes with a grave expression.
Looking at Joneus's solemn face, Zero nodded heavily, then activated the power of time and space, heading in the direction indicated by Father of Ultra.
At this moment, over by Ultraman Max's location, Tayzzyronth was situated at the very boundary of spacetime.
This was a dimensional rift between universes. In this region, a crimson planet floated in solitude.
It was a planet tens of times larger than the Land of Light, and it was also the Swarm Emperor's breeding ground. The resources on this planet were astonishingly rich, but they had long since been withered by the Swarm Emperor's power.
"There's no mistaking it... this terrifying power, this aura of despair... it is he... the instigator of this disaster, the Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth!"
Before Ultraman Max, in the center of the crimson planet, the Swarm Emperor's colossal form stood tall. It wasn't excessively large; compared to its own offspring, the Swarm Emperor's size was rather small.
But even so, the Swarm Emperor's magnificent body was still over a hundred meters tall, far exceeding that of an ordinary Ultra Warrior.
As the camera zoomed in, countless viewers across the infinite multi-dimensional cosmos wanted to glimpse the true form of the Swarm Emperor. Even though it had nearly exterminated all life in the cosmos and was by no means a benevolent god, this still couldn't stop their curiosity.
Amidst the swirling cloud of pheromones, the Swarm Emperor's hazy figure gradually became clear.
It had no head. Two vermilion feelers extended from its neck. The sheer sight of its shell-like folds and the sound of its divine voice instilled a deep-seated fear in both Ultraman Max, who was approaching it, and the viewers watching this scene from outside the video.
The sky was filled with shimmering wing powder that blanketed the planet. Even Ultraman Max, who was known as the fastest and strongest in the Land of Light, couldn't help but experience some hallucinations. As the Swarm Emperor's form became clear within the wing powder, one could see it being surrounded by countless swaying yellow butterflies, ants, and Sting-Wings of various sizes. Surrounded by this phantasmagoria, it continuously ascended into the sky, arriving before Ultraman Max.
"The Swarm Emperor... Tayzzyronth..."
Ultraman Max reached out his hand, speaking slowly. He felt a mysterious power drawing him in, establishing a connection between him and the Swarm Emperor.
"This is insectification... just seeing it, just getting close to it, is enough to cause this?!"
Relying on his own powerful will, Ultraman Max resisted the pheromones surrounding the Swarm Emperor, but... behind him, countless ordinary Ultra Warriors were, at this moment, affected by the pheromones, gradually losing themselves!
"This won't do! We must retreat immediately!"
Alarms blared in Ultraman Max's mind. With one last deep look at the Swarm Emperor, he led the many Ultra Warriors back beyond the dimensional rift.
---o---
In the infinite dimensional cosmos, when the Swarm Emperor's figure appeared before everyone, countless viewers outside the light curtain erupted into a frenzy.
An Aeon, a god in the truest sense, a being of concept. For many, this was the first time they had ever laid eyes on a true god.
Mysterious, powerful, and... bizarre!
This was the impression the Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth, gave to the masses. Its strange appearance sent a chill through everyone in the infinite multi-dimensional cosmos.
Despite having done nothing, just by standing there, it made countless viewers across the infinite dimensions feel unsettled, as if they were turning into insects.
[The Uchiha Dancer: "Is this the full appearance of the Swarm Emperor? I can't imagine what must be done to defeat an opponent of this level."]
In the netherworld of the Naruto universe, Uchiha Madara sighed deeply. The difference in the level of the worlds was too vast. Perhaps in the ninja world, he was an Asura, one of the strongest shinobi, but in the Honkai: Star Rail and Ultra universes, even the Sage of Six Paths was probably nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
[Ace Pilot of the Death Squad: "Human technology... before a true god, perhaps it really counts for nothing. Even as an Ultra Warrior, I can't think of any way to defeat it!"]
Despair... the appearance of the Swarm Emperor brought with it absolute, endless despair. Even Shinjo, who had always believed in the Ultra Warriors, couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
The gap between god and man was infinite. Even Shining Zero had not yet crossed that threshold. Perhaps only those two legendary Ultra Warriors could truly defeat the Swarm Emperor.
[Masked Fool, Sparkle: "Oh my, is this the true form of an Aeon? The might of Propagation... this is the first time I've seen it. How truly detestable... In the face of such power, even seeking out fun... has become a luxury."]
[Ruan Mei: "An Aeon... so this is what it looks like. Difficult to analyze, impossible to observe. All data seems to be useless before an Aeon. Perhaps only Nous can analyze the current Swarm Emperor..."]
Gazing at the Swarm Emperor in the video, Ruan Mei shook her head in slight disappointment. She, who hadn't even finished studying an Emanator, wanted to touch upon the might of an Aeon? Perhaps she was overestimating herself.
---o---
[In the video, within the deep starry sky, Tayzzyronth was carrying out the concept of Propagation.]
On the planet beneath it, the trees withered, the rivers ran dry, and the ground was teeming with insect eggs. Every single insect had the potential to become a Swarm King. Every single insect was a child of Tayzzyronth.
The arrival of the Ultra Warriors did not stop Tayzzyronth's propagation. On the contrary, because of loneliness and fear, it accelerated the breeding of its insects.
The earth was cracking, the planet was collapsing. Countless members of the Swarm flocked around Tayzzyronth, surrounding their emperor.
When Ultraman Zero and the others arrived, all they saw... was an endless void. The crimson planet was gone, leaving only an endless swarm of insects!
"So this is... the Aeon of [Propagation], the Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth!"
Seeing the form of the Swarm Emperor, the several Ultra Warriors couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Perhaps it was surprise at the Swarm Emperor's appearance, or perhaps it was disbelief that they had found the Swarm Emperor so easily.
"What is it doing? Is it breeding more of those difficult Swarm?" Ultraman Dyna gazed into the distance, asking Zero beside him—or rather, asking Stelle within Zero's body.
After all, among them, the one who understood the Swarm Emperor the best was undoubtedly Stelle, who hailed from the same universe.
Stelle, however, indicated that she only knew some related information about the Swarm Emperor and had never seen it in the truest sense. Naturally, she couldn't know what it was doing right now.
"Look, the Swarm Emperor... it seems to hold no hostility towards us. It's completely ignoring us."
Ultraman Cosmos frowned. As a warrior of compassion, he could faintly sense the emotions coming from the Swarm Emperor, though he wasn't certain if those emotions were real.
"What are we waiting for? As long as we take this guy out, we can all get a good night's sleep. Zero... let's go! Didn't that legendary warrior say we three are needed to defeat the Swarm Emperor!"
Dyna said, pumping his fists, his eyes eager for a fight. He wanted to know why he, Cosmos, and Zero, all warriors from different universes, had been chosen by Noa and sent here.
Hearing Dyna's words, Ultraman Zero remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Swarm Emperor's body. Its strange appearance quickly captured everyone's attention.
"What's wrong, Zero?"
Stelle looked at Zero's face, her eyes filled with confusion.
Zero clenched his fists, staring intently at the Swarm Emperor's sheathed wings. "That insect... even from this far away, I can feel it. On its body, there's an aura almost identical to the old man's."
["It... is just like the old man, just like the legendary warrior... it's stronger than any enemy we have faced so far..."]