Ultraman: I am really just a human.

Chapter 499 Boss Stryus

"What are you thinking, Stryus?"

Z'Os, the ruler of the creatures Megiddo, surveyed the empty temple in a frenzy, his arms bare and his hair disheveled, like a rebellious street urchin.

"Aren't we enemies of the Sword of Truth?"

"That was before," Stryus leaned back on the throne, casually fiddling with his drooping headband. "Now we are the best of allies."

"Hmph, I don't care about allies," Zios said, pulling out his control manual from his chest, eager to undergo the forbidden ritual. "Quickly push my power to its limit! That demonic sword must be under our control!"

"You'd better think this through," Stryus said with a laugh, adding fuel to the fire. "Once you gain power, there's no turning back, just like Raziel."

"I'm not Raziel, I won't be a fool to throw my life away," Zios said confidently. "Hurry up! Are you scared?"

"Of course not."

Stryus smiled and raised his hand to draw a black and red magic circle in the air.

"Once completed, the Northern Base will be yours. The Sword of Truth will accompany you. Your first priority will be to find the fragments of the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence..."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!"

Zios grabbed the Book of Control that had been used to complete the ritual, roared, and shoved it back into his body.

"My power!"

"Awaken! Legendary Megiddo, ruler of all living beings!"

"Ugh—!"

A massive surge of energy erupted from Zios's body, like an uncontrollable volcano, instantly transforming him amidst the destructive energy.

A blue-white body of Megiddo, hands and claws engulfed in flames...

"call!"

As the energy continued to rise, and the body was pushed to its limit, Zios unleashed its wildness without reservation. The blue and white turned into red and black, and suddenly, like a beast, it turned around and attacked Stryus with its claws.

"Bang--!"

Stryus seemed completely unsurprised, effortlessly catching the claw attack with one hand, but causing great suffering to the surrounding temples.

The once magnificent and solemn temple was as if it had been blown up by a missile, with flames spreading mercilessly between the charred and broken walls.

"hehe."

Zios turned and walked out of the temple as if nothing had happened.

"My target is Sudo Mei; that woman has also connected to the fantasy world!"

"Oh? That's a good idea."

Stryus expressed surprise and curiously observed the back of the beast, Zyos.

It's astonishing that a beast driven solely by destructive desires would have such thoughts.

"Controlling Sudo Mei is equivalent to controlling the Demon Sword, but how can we bypass the Demon Sword? The opponent never lets go of the sword."

"You don't need to worry about that!"

Zios violently smashed through the temple gates.

"Send me to Utopia Literature Society! I'm going to catch that editor-in-chief! That way..."

"Da da!"

Footsteps suddenly echoed through the quiet base passage, then stopped abruptly before Zios could investigate.

"Um?"

The wildness in Zios's eyes subsided briefly, and he stared stiffly at the brightly lit yet strangely dark and terrifying passageway.

As the lights flickered, a white holy sword suddenly appeared at the edge of the field of vision.

"The Demon Sword..."

"Clang!"

As the sword light magnified, Zios forcibly broke free from fear in the face of life-or-death crisis, instinctively reaching out to block, unleashing the full power of the Book within his body.

"Hehe... Haha!"

Coming to his senses, Zios saw the white sword blocked by his arms and couldn't help but burst into laughter as he breathed heavily.

"See? My power..."

"call!"

Inside the temple, Stryus looked out the door in confusion, wondering what was going on, when suddenly he saw Zios's laughter stop and the figure in the beast armor be swallowed up by orange and black flames and turned into nothingness.

The power of the Nameless Sword!

Stryus stopped fiddling with his headband and stared intently at the glowing white sword that came into view through the doorway.

Zios's defeat was within his expectations, yet he felt no joy at the moment.

Zios can die, but he shouldn't die here.

He himself was also caught up in the crisis.

Damn it, did the Holy Lord of Truth know all along that the Demon Sword would come?

"Strius?"

Xia Chuan materialized like a phantom and entered the temple. After a brief glance around, he passed Stryus and sat on the throne.

"I've been watching you for a long time. I know what you're planning to do, and I know your future fate. Everything you've done is meaningless."

"Um?"

Stryus, who was quietly preparing to retreat, paused and looked at Xia Chuan, who was sitting on the throne with a mysterious aura, with a puzzled expression.

Is this a sword?

"What are you trying to say?"

Having prepared his escape route, Stryus raised his head again, playfully lifting a large black book.

"You think this will stop me? Heh, your power is indeed formidable, but before the Omniscient and Omnipotent Book, it's nothing but child's play..."

"Do you think everything that's happening right now has anything to do with the omniscient and omnipotent book?" Xia Chuan interrupted.

"What?"

"From the moment Kamiyama Touma obtained the Flame Sword, you should have noticed that this year of the world's knot being untied is different from the past. Whether it's swordsmen or you Megiddo, you've all become part of the story."

Xia Chuan's gaze fell on the large black book.

"That's why you want to completely restore the omniscient and omnipotent book and regain access to its contents."

"Heh," Stryus said with a grim expression, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I restored the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence to rebuild this world, destroy humanity, and then draw inexhaustible power from fear and despair..."

"That's just something you can fool your two companions with."

Xia Chuan rose and stepped down from the throne.

"There's no need to restore the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence. I'll tell you the answer directly: the moment you first obtained the power of the fragment, you were already part of the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence. Your current actions, and even your future actions, are all part of a pre-set storyline."

Stryus sneered, cracking his knuckles. "You think I'd believe that?"

"That depends on you. Perhaps you already have the answer in your heart, but you're just clinging to a sliver of hope."

As Xia Chuan's senses spread throughout the entire southern base to investigate the exact location of the Thunder Sword, he unexpectedly discovered that the protagonist group of swordsmen had also broken into the barrier.

The person in charge of receiving them was actually Reika Kamishiro.

"Who do you think you are?"

Stryus's face gradually contorted, his heart filled with both shock and anger, as if he had no secrets from Xia Chuan.

"How could a mere holy sword possibly know the contents of the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence? Aren't you yourself trying to restore the Book of Omniscience and Omnipotence? In the end, you're just trying to stop me..."

"I won't stop you, I just want to tell you that only I can change this world, and only I can help you escape this story."

Xia Chuan didn't intend to change Stryus all at once. After planting a seed, he turned around and locked onto the location of the Thunder Sword.

"Whether you choose to follow the story to its conclusion or embrace a new future, think it over and give me your answer."

"The story's ending? A new future?"

Stryus stared painfully as Xia Chuan left, his refined demeanor vanishing, prematurely revealing the aura of a neurotic boss.

"How dare a mere holy sword boast so arrogantly... My future is in my own hands!"

Xia Chuan paused slightly, ignoring the sinister laughter emanating from the temple behind him.

(End of this chapter)