---o---
Zero's words further validated the speculations of the viewers across the infinite dimensional cosmos.
"So it's true? The Aeons, Ultraman King, Noa... they are all existences of the same tier. While there might be slight differences in their power, they are fundamentally no different..."
At the Schicksal headquarters, Otto gazed at the Swarm Emperor in the video, lost in thought.
He had suspected this for a long time but had never dared to voice it, perhaps because he lacked the key evidence to confirm his theory.
To be frank... if the Honkai: Star Rail universe had no connection to their own world, he would never have believed it.
Never mind the few familiar faces in the comments; the very way the Aeons drove their energy was enough to make Otto think of the Tree of Imaginary.
But that wasn't the important part. What was important was...
"The power of an Aeon... can it resurrect Kallen?"
It was worth a try. If Shining Zero could use the power of time to revive the dead, then an Aeon, who was even stronger than Shining Zero, must surely possess the ability to restore life.
"The Thousand-Realmed Ichthus... perhaps it holds the power to travel to the Honkai: Star Rail universe. As long as I have the coordinates, then I too can... glimpse the mysteries of the Aeons."
---o---
[In the video, Zero stared at the distant Swarm Emperor, his body unconsciously tensing up.]
An existence on the same level as Ultraman King—how were they supposed to defeat that?
Even Shining Zero, with his control over time, wouldn't last many rounds against Ultraman King.
"Ze... Zero, are you sure you're not mistaken? The Swarm Emperor possesses power on the same level as Ultraman King?"
Hearing Zero's words, Cosmos's expression instantly turned grave.
He took a deep breath and entered his Space Corona Mode. Staring into the depths of the starry sky at the Swarm Emperor, he said, "If it's truly like that, then for us to win with our power alone... I'm afraid..."
Even a compassionate warrior like Cosmos couldn't help but inhale sharply, clenching his fists.
He might not know how strong Ultraman King was, but he knew how strong Ultraman Legend was.
Although he had only briefly fused with Justice a few times, the immense power that came with Legend was absolutely capable of annihilating all the enemies they had encountered so far without breaking a sweat.
Be it Phantylia, who had come from another universe, or Tartarus, who claimed to be an Ultimate Lifeform, both were the same.
"We've already come this far, we can't just turn back with our tails between our legs! Who cares how strong it is? It's just for show. For all we know, it might just be a paper tiger!"
Seeing his two companions grow so solemn, Dyna spoke in an encouraging tone.
The existence of the Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth, was a threat to the safety of the entire universe with every passing moment.
Although the efforts of the Land of Light had drastically reduced the Swarm's activity, in many distant star systems, the starving Swarm would still descend like grim reapers from hell, bringing endless darkness and despair.
The current universe was, to a certain extent, already riddled with holes because of the Swarm. This was a catastrophe more terrifying than any other in the history of the Land of Light.
Therefore... for the Ultra Warriors of this era, eliminating the Swarm Emperor was a necessity, a mission that absolutely had to be completed.
"Hold on, Dyna, don't be reckless! A reckless charge will only make the current situation worse!"
Cosmos stopped Dyna, who was about to charge headfirst into a decisive battle with the Swarm Emperor, and turned to look at Zero.
"Zero, the best solution right now is to wait for the other reinforcements from the Land of Light. The Ultra Brothers, the Galaxy Rescue Force, and the countless powerful warriors gathered from across the various universes. Faced with such a powerful existence, it's worth it for the Land of Light to use all of its hidden strength to fight."
No one knew the Land of Light's rallying power better than Cosmos. As an Ultra Warrior from another universe, even he had heard of the Land of Light's deeds, to say nothing of others.
When the Land of Light's main forces truly assembled, there would be dozens, perhaps even close to a hundred, Ultimate Ultra-level warriors. When they united, even a Swarm Emperor on the same level as Ultraman King would not be invincible.
"Mm, that's the only way." Zero nodded. Although he was an Ultra Warrior who had grown up being beaten by Leo on Planet K76, he was also well aware of the terrifying power the Land of Light could unleash when it devoted all its resources to fighting an enemy.
Seeing that even Zero agreed, Dyna also calmed down, preparing to return to the Land of Light with Zero and Cosmos to discuss what to do next.
However... before the three Ultras could act, the Emperor's deep and intoxicating drone echoed in their ears.
That drone was unlike that of the common Swarm, nor was it like the astonishingly powerful Swarm Kings. It was both placid and bizarre, both ethereal and fierce!
It was like a mixture of millions of different insect voices, yet it was also like the chirping of a single, ordinary insect.
Such a complex yet simple sound instantly seized the souls of the three Ultras, leaving them unable to move, immersed in it, unable to break free.
A voice... just the sound of the Swarm Emperor's humming was enough to pierce through the resolute spirit of any warrior, enough to defeat those who prided themselves on their strength.
After a few brief seconds, Zero regained his senses. "Not good, the Swarm Emperor has found us! It's... attacking..."
Before his words could fall, the armor on Zero's body instantly appeared, and he entered his Ultimate form.
He got up and looked around, preparing to defend against the Swarm Emperor, but was stunned the moment he looked up!
"Swarm... Emperor..."
These two simple words seemed to drain all his strength, leaving Zero's body stiff and numb, his hands trembling slightly.
Trembling... how could this be? That once-defiant youth, now the strongest warrior of the Land of Light, was actually feeling... fear in the face of the might of the Aeon of [Propagation]?
"Hmph... talk about unexpected!"
Zero clenched his trembling fists again, staring at the Swarm Emperor's body with a defiant expression.
This wasn't fear of the heart, but fear on a fundamental level of life, like a rabbit encountering a lion, or a flock of sheep encountering a wolf!
Unlike the usually benevolent old man, the Swarm Emperor made no effort to conceal its power. Just like how Alien Empera symbolized darkness, its very presence, without doing anything, could influence everything around it.
"..."
The Swarm Emperor, Tayzzyronth, stared intently at Zero's eyes. In its short life since becoming an Aeon, no non-insectoid lifeform had ever been able to get close to it.
Those lifeforms that attempted to approach it would often fall to the Path of [Propagation], becoming insects, becoming its... offspring.
It could be said that Zero, along with Cosmos and Dyna, were the first batch of non-insectoid lifeforms to get this close to the Swarm Emperor. And of course... one also had to count Stelle, who was inside Zero's body.
Speaking of which, it was also a stroke of luck. If it were just the Stellaron, even staying inside Zero's body, Stelle would have been affected by the Swarm Emperor's concept. She might have even been more affected because she and the Swarm Emperor came from the same universe, and might have turned directly into an insect.
But the current Stelle, with the blessings of Noa's light and the Amber King, could be said to be... the most resistant person in this universe. No matter what kind of abstract conceptual attack or physical attack, it would be difficult to have any significant effect on her.
But even with all these buffs, Stelle's current state was still not great. Like Zero, the moment her eyes locked onto the Swarm Emperor's body, she felt a burning sensation, as if looking at the sun through a microscope without any protection.
"Zero..." Inside Zero's body, Stelle gulped and couldn't help but say, "How about we run for it? As long as there's life, there's hope. This thing... doesn't seem easy to deal with."
The instinct for survival was urging Stelle to flee immediately, as far as she could. From this, one could imagine just how terrifying the Swarm Emperor's might and oppressive aura were.
[Zero heard Stelle's words but didn't answer. Or rather, he was currently unable to answer. After getting this close to the Swarm Emperor, he felt that even maintaining consciousness had become a luxury.]
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
The first exchange with the Swarm Emperor was this heart-pounding.
It had to be said, the moment Zero raised his head and came face-to-face with the Swarm Emperor, a large number of viewers across the infinite dimensional cosmos were scared stiff.
Many timid children even burst into tears.
Though it was a god, and not an ugly one at that, the Swarm Emperor did give off a bizarre and frightening feeling.
[Ruan Mei: "A chance to observe the Swarm Emperor up close? If I had the chance, I'd like to experience it too. But I'd have to be fully prepared, otherwise... even I would be affected and become one of the myriad maggots."]
Gazing at the Swarm Emperor in the video, even the indifferent Ruan Mei couldn't help but want to study it, even though she knew that the final result would be fruitless.
[Detective Conan: "Didn't the Swarm Emperor not see them as a threat? Why did it suddenly attack Zero and the others?"]
The Swarm Emperor had no intelligence, or rather, its intelligence was only enough for simple, basic logical thinking, not even on par with an ordinary human. In most cases, it acted on instinct.
Under this premise, the Swarm Emperor had no reason to attack Zero. It couldn't care less about its offspring dying at someone's hands, nor could it care less who Zero was.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "How should I put this... it was laying its eggs, and Zero and the others were watching from the side. Not only watching, but also commenting. Any normal creature would have some reaction..."]
[Galaxy Baseballer: "...So the Swarm Emperor can feel embarrassed too! I've learned something new!!"]
[March 7th: "What kind of weird knowledge is this!!!"]
---o---
[In the video, Cosmos and Dyna had now gradually regained their senses.]
After seeing the Aeon of Propagation, like Zero, they couldn't control their trembling bodies.
"Zero!"
The two exchanged a glance, and both began to mobilize the light within their bodies. Zero, without a word, began to fuse his two forms.
This was the strongest form Zero could currently use. Although he couldn't maintain it for long, there was no time to consider that now!
"Haaaa—!!"
With a low roar, Zero's body began to release a dazzling light. It was the shining light of Shining Zero, the light that could control time.
At the same time, the Ultimate Aegis formed from the Aegis of Palagye also grew stronger under the envelopment of the shining light, its original silver color turning crystal clear.
Ultimate Shining Ultraman Zero!!
This miraculous form, which fused Ultimate Zero and Shining Zero, was equivalent to the fusion of two Ultimate Ultras. Furthermore, he was an Ultra Warrior who could control both time and space.
"Right here, right now, let's fight to the death!!" Zero roared, the light on his body shining to its extreme.
This fleeting aura actually made Tayzzyronth take a few steps back, not daring to face its brilliance directly.
And right at that moment, Zero's sword slashed down towards the red feelers on Tayzzyronth's head, attempting to resolve this demon that was dragging the cosmos to hell in a single blow.
However... faced with Ultimate Shining Zero's attack, Tayzzyronth, for some unknown reason, stood there motionless, as if fated, quietly watching the light sword approach.
"CLANG!!"
A massive force came from the back of Zero's hand. If the light sword hadn't been connected to the Ultimate Aegis, Zero probably would have been shaken so hard he couldn't even hold his sword.
"This... how is this possible!"
A full-power strike, his own full-power strike, had been effortlessly blocked by the Swarm Emperor, who hadn't even bothered to dodge.
What a joke! The Ultimate Shining form was the most powerful form Zero could use to date, at least several tens of times stronger than all his previous forms. But even so, he couldn't break the Swarm Emperor's defense.
This huge disparity left Zero with a sense of helplessness, but he quickly snapped out of it, swiftly pulling Dyna and Cosmos back with him as he retreated.
Only the Swarm Emperor remained stunned in place, as if processing Zero's earlier attack.
[If one were to observe its interior carefully, they would discover that the Swarm Emperor was not completely unharmed. On the contrary... Zero's attack just now had caused trauma to the nerves in its feelers. However, its astonishing recovery power and inability to feel pain allowed it to regenerate them instantly...]