Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Massura's army of mushroom monsters roams the city streets and neighborhoods, their appearance truly terrifying. These mushroom monsters are twisted, their original human faces replaced by enormous, bizarre mushroom caps, their surfaces pitted and oozing a pungent, slimy substance. Their bodies are entangled in mycelium, leaving behind wet, eerily colored trails with every step they take.

Of course, if we're really looking into how much of a threat Matthew's army of monsters actually poses, that's another matter entirely. Aside from infecting others with his own venom, he doesn't seem to have any particularly remarkable abilities. Even more absurdly, these monsters rely on Matthew himself for control; if Matthew is careless, they become like puppets without strings, moving sluggishly and chaotically.

Soon, the appearance of the mushroom monsters was reported to the Seth Squad by the public. Upon receiving the news, the Seth Squad members quickly mobilized and entered a state of emergency preparedness. In the command center, various instruments flashed, and intelligence was constantly being gathered. Looking at the image of the mushroom monsters on the screen, Aragaki frowned and muttered to himself, "Mushroom monsters, and they don't even have much combat power. The only thing we need to watch out for is their venom. Hiss! Are these things really that easy to deal with?" He was really incredulous, his mind filled with doubt. "Wait, what are you thinking, mushroom monster? How dare you come here to die? Although our Seth Squad usually seems pretty cheerful, it doesn't mean we're weak in combat!" But doubts aside, the order to fight could not be delayed.

"Captain, shall we move out?" Aragaki looked up at Cui Ming, awaiting the final order. Seeing Aragaki's question, Cui Ming nodded firmly without hesitation and said in a deep voice, "Move out." "Yes, sir!" The team members responded in unison, their voices filled with fighting spirit. In an instant, alarms blared throughout the base, and the team members rushed to their respective fighter jets and vehicles, the roar of engines instantly echoing throughout the entire base. The Ulf tank started up, its tracks screeching against the ground, and it was the first to rush out of the base; the Sky Whale and the Yukikaze also slowly rose, their huge wings unfolding, gleaming metallic in the sunlight, and then flew like arrows towards the area where the mushroom monsters had appeared.

The Seto team's Ulf tank was the first to charge into the street with the highest concentration of mushroom monsters, its tracks crushing the wriggling mycelium on the ground. Saeko Busujima and Lindis had already leaped out of the hatch, standing back to back, their katana and rapier drawing silver arcs in the sunlight.

These two have been wanting to be killed for a long time!!!
"Watch out for their caps!" Saeko Busujima shouted, her blade precisely severing the oncoming mycelium. Though her wooden sword was unsharpened, she skillfully shattered the slimy sacs on the caps, sending yellowish-green sap splattering onto the pavement with a sizzling sound. Lindis dodged the lunging monster, her longsword, Manicarti, spinning as it sliced ​​through the tangled mycelium, a pale blue glow emanating from its blade—this weapon possessed a special suppressive effect on plant-based organisms; the severed mycelium even curled up and emitted wisps of blue smoke.

"Too slow! Experience the whirlwind of the grasslands!" Lindis suddenly spun around, her skirt billowing as her sword blade sliced ​​through crescent-shaped waves of air. The mycelium bundles around the three monsters snapped instantly, their bodies collapsing to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Saeko Busujima seized the opportunity to lunge forward, her sword hilt striking the monsters' joints repeatedly, precisely disrupting the connection between the mycelium and the host's nervous system.

At the same time, Miyuki's Tekkaman armor descended from the sky. Pale purple flames erupted from the thrusters on the armor's shoulders as she grabbed the caps of two monsters and hurled them like shot puts towards a fire hydrant on a street corner. With a metallic clang, the mycelial bundles on the monsters' backs shattered, and they collapsed to the ground, convulsing. "Sorry, please calm down first," Miyuki said jokingly through the armor's communicator, her foot stomping heavily on the spreading mycelial network on the ground.

Meanwhile, Cui Ming's side
"Actually, I've wanted to do this for a long time. Transform!"

With a roar from Cui Ming, the light of transformation exploded on the rooftop, and the figure of Kamen Rider Skull, accompanied by the afterimage of a red scarf, leaped down.

Asuka stood atop the command vehicle, hands on her hips, beaming with pride: "See this? This is the red cotton scarf I gave to Choi when I was little!" The ordinary cotton scarf billowed in the wind, and Choi's Knight Kick remained unstoppable, the sole of his boot striking precisely the group of monsters gathered at the street corner. The scarf swung in a clean arc with the movement, sweeping across the monsters' caps and kicking up a few drops of slime, but this did not diminish the kick's power in the slightest—the monsters' caps cracked under the impact, and mycelium flowed down like melting candle wax.

"This is the power of craftsmanship!" Asuka flashed a victory sign at the stunned EDF members, completely ignoring the small amount of slime stuck to the edge of her scarf. The EDF soldiers snapped out of their daze and swiftly fired infrasound waves from their sonic guns at the fallen monster, completely neutralizing the mycelium's activity. On the street, the Seth team and the EDF formed an encirclement, the flashes of non-lethal weapons and the sounds of exploding mycelium weaving together into a unique battle anthem.

Massura let out a sharp screech from the shadows, controlling the last wave of monsters to charge at Cui Ming. Asuka suddenly raised a portable megaphone: "Cui Ming! You look even cooler swinging your scarf around!" The red scarf drew a larger arc in the air with Cui Ming's movements. Although it had no special abilities, it appeared exceptionally sharp due to its owner's fighting rhythm.

"I know, I know, Asuka, you and Misato prepare for the giant battle!" Cui Ming said, but his boots accurately kicked the monster's joints, knocking it to the ground.

Matthew was terrified to see so many of his mushroom monster armies defeated.
So it began to grow enormous!
"Humans! You deserve to die!!!!"

Massura begins to grow gigantic!

Just as Cui Ming's Knight Kick knocked the last batch of monsters to the ground, the guy who was starting to grow to a gigantic size wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he made a hand gesture!
The next moment, the distinctive roar of a warship's main gun suddenly echoed from the distant horizon. Two crimson bullets pierced the clouds, striking Matthew, who was attempting to grow to its enormous size, with pinpoint accuracy. The monster's body, which had just expanded to the height of a three-story building, was instantly ripped away, flames erupting from its cap—Frederick the Great's 420mm main gun and Musashi's 460mm cannon fired simultaneously, incendiary bombs exploding into brilliant sparks on its mycelium.

"Hmm, these mushrooms are even more delicious grilled than the takoyaki from the port cafeteria~" Frederick the Great's ship rigging hovered in mid-air, his black hair swaying in the firelight. "Musashi, remember to concentrate the fire on the roots of its mycelium, or they won't taste good if they're burnt~"

The Musashi-class frigate, Yamato-class, was steadily moored atop a distant building. The mechanical whirring of its turrets turning sounded like a beast's growl: "Main guns loaded. But more than the barbecue, I'm interested in tonight's 'tactical meeting.' I heard that Kanar-chan and the Commander have combined into Ultraman. Hehehe, how audacious." Her voice carried a unique magnetism, yet the cannons precisely fired incendiary shells into Massura's healing wound.

If Choi Myung were here, he would definitely understand what was about to happen!
These two are up to no good again!
"Indeed, it's quite frustrating. Although we can't have deeper conversations with the Commander like we do, I'd still like to try it out. But Musashi, you're starting to get naughty too~" Friedrich's main gun suddenly switched to high-explosive shell mode, and a barrage of bullets rained down on Matthew's curled-up body. "But since it's 'paying the dues,' of course we need to prepare a special reward. My newly learned massage technique will definitely make the Commander beg for mercy~"

Musashi continued firing from her ship's rigging, but couldn't resist a joke: "The Commander's room has soundproof armor. But if it's just the two of us, we might be able to break through our limits~ It'd be good to tease Kanar too." Her carrier-based aircraft dropped napalm bombs, turning the giant mushroom monster's body into a human torch. "Then, let's cooperate!" "Good idea!" Friedrich's main gun suddenly emitted a golden light. "But we need to check the Commander's stamina first. If we provoke too much, we might need a whole day to rest~" Her ship's rigging suddenly accelerated, deploying an energy field above Matthew's head. "Musashi, get ready!"

Musashi's main cannon slowly rose, its muzzle condensing purple energy: "Ready to go, Frederick. But you'll have to take care of the commander's 'post-war repairs' afterwards~ Begin to burn!" As two beams of light intertwined into a spiral, Mashura's body began to burn wildly, burning mycelium fragments falling like cherry blossoms.

In the distance, Cui Ming looked at the two ship girls standing side by side in the sky and suddenly felt a chill—the eyes of these two were a hundred times more dangerous than Mashura's venom.

"Ah! The Commander is watching us~" Friedrich suddenly waved at Cui Ming, his ship rigging transforming into a streak of light as he flew towards the ground. "Remember to wear the black uniform I gave you last time for tonight's 'tactical meeting'~"

Musashi landed right behind Cui Ming, her ship rigging removed to reveal a modified Yamato Nadeshiko kimono: "Commander, is setting your room temperature to 26 degrees Celsius appropriate? Should I go adjust the hot spring first?" Her hand gently rested on Cui Ming's shoulder, her nails leaving suggestive marks on her tactical uniform.

Cui Ming swallowed hard, suddenly feeling that the battle just now was actually easier.

"Tell me tonight, I'll definitely be there."

Massura writhed wildly in the flames, but the flames only fueled its struggle, making it more ferocious. Like a giant fireball, trailing a long tail of fire, it rampaged toward the edge of the city. Streetlights and bus stops were easily knocked away, bricks and rubble flew everywhere, and passersby scattered in terror.

"Why won't this guy stop!" Inside the command vehicle, Aragaki stared intently at the monitor, his brows furrowed and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "At this rate, the entire city will be destroyed!" He furiously typed on his keyboard, trying to mobilize the surrounding defenses to stop Massura's madness, but the situation still looked precarious.

Meanwhile, in the secret laboratory of the Set team, Hikari and Tregear were leaning over a holographic screen, which displayed Matthew's complex genetic map and energy fluctuation data. Hikari tapped the electronic pen in his hand, and a series of codes scrolled rapidly. He was focused, his eyes locked on the screen, and suddenly spoke: "This monster's cellular structure is extremely special. Ordinary fire attacks can only stimulate its regeneration mechanism. No wonder it can't be burned to death."

Torregia crossed his arms, a playful smile on his face, his eyes narrowed into slits as if deep in thought. "Hmm, but since its true form is a mushroom, then moisture is its lifeblood. As long as we cut off its moisture..." Before he could finish, Hikari interrupted, "That's right, dry it, completely evaporate the moisture from its body. That's the only way." The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly; their years of research and tacit agreement were on full display at this moment.

Soon, an order came through the Seth team's communication channel: "All units, pay attention, switch to drying weapons, prepare to dehydrate Mashura!" Instantly, the EDF troops on the street changed their equipment. The fire trucks that were originally spraying flames quickly adjusted their equipment, and huge ventilation pipes extended out, beginning to blow hot air towards Mashura; the military helicopters also dropped specially made drying bombs. After the bombs landed, they instantly released a large amount of heat, and the temperature of the entire area rose sharply, as if the air was being distorted.

Massura sensed a deadly threat. It twisted its body desperately, trying to escape the dry, scorching heat. It opened its massive maw and spewed out a large amount of slime mixed with mycelium, attempting to use it to resist the high temperature. However, the slime was instantly evaporated by the hot wind, turning into wisps of white vapor. Fear and resentment flashed in its eyes as it roared madly at the sky, its voice seemingly piercing through the clouds.

As the dehydration attack continued, Massura's movements gradually slowed. Its once-swollen cap began to shrink, and the slime on its surface completely dried, leaving behind cracks. Its body swayed precariously, and finally, after a violent tremor, it collapsed to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, what people saw was the completely dehydrated and dried remains of a giant mushroom.

"Hmm, what a terrifying monster." Cui Ming stared at the dried remains of Mashura, his brows furrowed beneath his mask, a hint of lingering fear in his voice. He knew all too well that if you didn't understand its mechanics, you could really be killed. After all, conventional attacks had been completely ineffective against it, only making it more frenzied. If Hikari and Tregear hadn't discovered its weakness in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Uh..." Ruya stood to the side, her lips twitching slightly. She thought to herself, "This person who wants to cook everyone she sees, is actually afraid of monsters?" However, she also understood that this time, Mashura was indeed troublesome, and it was fortunate that she had managed to resolve it smoothly. Just then, she suddenly spoke: "All personnel have recovered." Those citizens who had been infected and turned into mushroom monsters were gradually returning to normal.

"Okay, dry all the mushrooms around here!" Cui Ming's eyes sharpened as he turned to give the order to his teammates. He didn't want to leave any hidden dangers; if any remaining mycelium regenerated, it would be another problem.

"Yes, sir!!!" the team members responded in unison, their voices strong and clear. They then scattered and began operating various drying equipment, thoroughly treating the surrounding area. Hot air whistled through the air, and the remaining mushroom tissue rapidly dehydrated under the high temperature, turning into powder.

"Great! Let's go back and eat after we finish this work! It's so damn annoying!" Cui Ming ripped off his red scarf, vigorously shook off the dust, and couldn't help but complain, remembering how the battle had ruined his planned meal. (End of Chapter)