Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

Sitting in her office at TPC headquarters, Megumi's fingertips unconsciously traced the monster defense plan on her desk, her thoughts drifting involuntarily to Choi Myung. She couldn't quite describe her feelings at that moment, only vaguely sensing that Choi Myung was a very special person.

From their first collaboration against the cosmic monster, Choi Myung had left a deep impression on her. Unlike other powerful figures who carried an arrogant air of superiority, he patiently guided the TPC members in tactical skills during lulls in the battle, and always provided the safest solutions in the event of unexpected situations. Therefore, in Megumi's mind, Choi Myung was a trustworthy senior; with him around, it seemed that even the most intractable crisis could be dealt with.

Occasionally, she would hear rumors about Choi Myung from her teammates—for example, that this senior seemed to have more than one wife. Kijima had never met those people, nor would she readily judge others' lives; she simply thought to herself, "There must be a reason." She always felt that someone as composed and responsible as Choi Myung must have considered his choices. Perhaps it was a difference in how people interacted in different universes, or perhaps some other unknown reason; there was no need to measure it by worldly standards.

What truly caught Megumi's attention was the way Choi fought. It was an almost obsessive fanaticism, with a flame burning in his eyes that seemed capable of devouring everything. He was ruthless and decisive in his attacks, showing no hesitation even when facing monsters several times stronger than himself. He even revealed an excited "enjoyment of battle"—a state that was not something an ordinary person could possess. It was more like being driven by some kind of power, with a chilling "inhuman" obsession.

Every time she saw Cui Ming on the battlefield, a sense of curiosity and worry would rise in her heart.

She couldn't help but wonder what this senior had gone through. Had he experienced a devastating disaster, or was he bound by some obsession, which led him to become like this? Why did his battles, besides his determination to protect, also conceal such a deep fervor? These questions, like pebbles thrown into a lake, rippled through her heart, yet she could never find the answers.

"Sigh." Megumi gently shook her head, suppressing her chaotic thoughts, and picked up the contingency plan on the table again. Now is not the time to dwell on other people's past. TPC has a lot of things waiting to be dealt with: next week's monster defense exercise, technical docking with EDF, the monitoring plan for the interdimensional portal... She needs to personally follow up on each and every one of them.

"I should think about my own things first," she muttered to herself, picking up a pen and carefully marking the plan. As for the mystery surrounding Cui Ming, perhaps she could learn about it later when the opportunity arose. After all, although this senior seemed mysterious, he had never disappointed her, and that was enough.

As night deepened, Megumi, who had been busy all day, lay on her bed in the dormitory and quickly fell asleep. But this sleep did not bring peace; on the contrary, a bizarre and fantastical dream was quietly unfolding in her consciousness.

In her dream, there was no familiar TPC headquarters, nor peaceful city streets, only a sky stained crimson with blood, and beneath her feet, broken rocks and barren land. In the distance, a series of deafening roars echoed, and Megumi instinctively looked towards the source of the sound, instantly stunned by the sight before her—it was a massive war, fought between giants of various shapes.

On one side are giants of light, radiating a warm glow. Their bodies are imposing, surrounded by dazzling particles of light. Every punch, every beam of light, carries the power to dispel darkness; where their light reaches, even the air trembles slightly. On the other side are dark giants shrouded in dense darkness. Their silhouettes are indistinct in the shadows, their movements swift and fierce. Dark energy coils around them like vines, each attack carrying an aura of destruction, as if to drag the entire world into an abyss.

The war between the giants of light and the giants of darkness raged, plunging the heavens and earth into chaos. Light and dark energy collided in the air, erupting in blinding light and deafening roars. The earth beneath their feet trembled violently, and shattered rocks rained down like raindrops. Megumi stood at a distance, only able to see the giants' figures weaving and colliding in the light and shadow. Feeling the immense power far beyond human comprehension, she instinctively clenched her fists, her heart pounding wildly.

Just when she thought the war would end with one side victorious and the other routed, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure at the edge of the battlefield. It was an extraordinary dark giant; the dark energy around him was far more concentrated than that of the other dark giants, yet it carried an indescribable sense of oppression, as if even the surrounding light was being swallowed up by his power. He stood there quietly, neither joining the dark giants in attacking the giants of light, nor showing the slightest interest in the war, but simply observing everything before him with indifference, like a bystander.

“That is…” Megumi thought silently to herself. For some reason, a name suddenly popped into her mind—Nexus. She had never seen this giant in any records, yet she inexplicably felt that he was the “strongest dark giant” in this war who had never made a move. Even just looking at him from afar, she could feel the unfathomable power emanating from him, as if he could easily turn the tide of the entire war if he so desired.

Just then, the Giant of Light and the Giant of Darkness in the center of the battlefield roared simultaneously. The strongest light and the most concentrated dark energy collided once more, and the resulting shockwave swept towards Megumi. She instinctively closed her eyes, trying to dodge, but the next second, she suddenly sat up in bed.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, and the dormitory was quiet except for her own rapid breathing. Megumi subconsciously raised her hand to touch her head, her fingertips instantly feeling a dampness—sweat. Her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and even the back of her clothes was soaked.

She sat on the bed, her eyes still somewhat dazed, the scenes from her dream replaying in her mind: the clash of light and darkness, the roar of giants, and the mysterious Nexus standing on the edge of the battlefield... These images were so real, as if she had experienced them herself, that her heart was still pounding.

"Um... what kind of dream am I having..." Megumi murmured, her face full of confusion. She had never come across any records about the "War of Titans," nor did she know who "Nexus" was. Why would she have such a strange dream? Could it be because she had been in contact with Cui Ming recently and had heard too much about space monsters and giants that these images appeared in her dream?

She reached for the water glass on the bedside table, took a sip, and tried to calm herself down. But the overwhelming power of her dream and Nexus's indifferent figure lingered in her mind, making her wonder: was this dream merely a coincidence, or was it hinting at something? (End of Chapter)