Great, we're doomed now!

But just as one problem was about to be solved, another arose, and now another Melba has emerged!

Fortunately, Commander Yoshioka of the Earth Defense Force maintained an emergency force and temporarily transferred Keiji Iruma and Munakata to command, filling the gap.

Soon, the fighter jet formation detected the signal over the Pacific Ocean and launched a swarm of hypersonic missiles... sure enough, it had no effect.

"Completely useless... These monsters are terrifying; they're actually made of flesh and blood..."

Before long, they were able to see the enormous figure directly without relying on radar.

"To be able to see it with the naked eye from such a distance..."

"Don't get too close, switch to maneuver mode, activate the anti-gravity engine!"

"Target locked! Begin attack!"

"Let's see if the laser treatment works!"

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Beams of laser light shot toward Melba, sparking as they struck his dark silver armor.

However, the dragon paid no attention, displaying amazing agility by easily dodging most of the attacks with a slight turn or flap of its wings, while also increasing its speed, seemingly unwilling to waste its energy on these small insects.

Occasionally, a few beams of light would hit the surface, which was strong enough to withstand even lava, but they left no mark whatsoever.

"Damn it, it's too fast! It's impossible to hit a vital spot!" a driver shouted anxiously over the communication channel.

"Let me handle this!" Another fighter jet happened to be slightly off-center from Melba's path. The female pilot, known as an ace, mustered her courage, seized the opportunity, and risked cutting closer. Just as Melba swept past from a hundred meters away, the electromagnetic cannon under her fuselage was fully charged—

boom!

The specially designed alloy armor-piercing projectile was fired at extremely high speed, and this time it hit Melba squarely at the base of its wing!

"I won!"

"Sigh!"

However, Melba only let out an angry screech. The hit part only had a few pieces of lava and armor peel off, unable to damage the internal joints, and naturally could not stop Melba from continuing to fly.

The dragon didn't even glance at the fighter jet, merely flapping its massive wings casually.

call--!

A violent airflow was instantly generated, like an invisible hammer swirling in the atmosphere, sucking in the fighter jet that had gotten too close. The nimble and agile aircraft lost control and began to tumble violently in the air.

The alarm blared shrilly as it plummeted toward the sea, trailing black smoke.

"Aircraft number three! Lina, parachute out!"

"hateful!"

The cockpit detached from the fuselage and ejected in a flash of light, while the fighter jet itself crashed into the sea.

"team leader?"

"We can't catch up, it's too fast!"

The communication channel was in complete chaos, clearly indicating that the human side had fallen into a significant disadvantage in the first encounter.

Inside the base, the computer had completed the route analysis, and everyone, including Yoshioka, wore a solemn expression.

There are three pyramids, one of which is located deep underground, and the other two are located in a mountainous area of ​​Japan and a sea area of ​​the Arctic Ocean, respectively. Melba is heading towards the pyramids in Japan!

"It seems we can't stop it from landing... Fortunately, the pyramids are located deep in the mountains, otherwise the casualties would be difficult to control..."

Yoshioka was solemnly directing the troops, while Iruma Kei and Munakata could only act as his subordinates—the two were currently too inexperienced to stand on their own.

Just then, an MS that had just completed a mission in Siberia and was preparing to return to its base received a call-up order from TPC. The airspace it was passing through was not too far from the combat site.

Inside the cockpit, Daigo Madoka frowned deeply as he ended his call with Shinjo:

Shinjo's fighter jet was damaged, and he had to wait in Siberia for the maintenance crew to come and repair it. Only Daigo was able to return.

His mobile suit wasn't in particularly good condition either, and he could have gone straight back to base, but Daigo didn't hesitate for long. When he saw that it was a monster attacking, he immediately made up his mind.

"This is Daigo Madoka, change course..."

hum~

The MS's thrusters increased to 70% success rate, and the machine traced an arc as it rushed towards the location of the second pyramid—the Land of Tiga.

...Melba's speed far exceeded the limits of human fighter jets. Like a black lightning bolt, it streaked across the sky and arrived at its destination first—a quiet, secluded mountain forest rarely visited by humans.

Its sharp gaze instantly locked onto the luminous structure that had a strong presence among the mountains. The enormous pyramid, radiating intense energy fluctuations, awakened ancient memories, causing the dragon to roar angrily.

It was so impatient that Melba opened its sharp beak and fired several energy bullets wrapped in high-temperature flames, which slammed into the smooth energy wall of the pyramid!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flames exploded on the surface of the pyramid, and the energy walls flickered and fluctuated violently, clearly indicating that they were under tremendous pressure.

The attack did not stop. Melba let out a triumphant cry, folded its huge wings as it approached, and swooped down like a predator!

The wuliu's sharp claws, capable of tearing rocks like mud, mercilessly gripped the top of the pyramid, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

The energy barrier twisted violently, and countless points of light burst out!

Just then!

call out!call out!call out!

Several blazing laser beams streaked through the air, striking precisely the prominent crown-like protrusion on Melba's head, causing the dragon to turn its head as if electrocuted.

"Flying Swallow Zero - Daigo Machine, arrive at the battlefield!"

Chapter 281: The Glowing Ultraman Tiga (Bonus Chapter)

The sun was gradually setting in the west, casting a pale golden veil on the dusky clouds, but no one appreciated this beautiful scene, for a terrifying shadow had already swept across the land.

call!

Daigo yanked the control stick, and the MS, aided by the thrusters, slid sideways, narrowly avoiding the wind pressure from Melba's dive. Just "brushing past" him almost swept him off his feet.

But surprisingly, Daigo wasn't afraid, or rather, he was quite apprehensive at first. Once they started fighting, he quickly focused and cleared his mind, which led to a qualitative leap in his skills.

The cockpit alarm blared shrilly, but it had no effect on Daigo, who was already completely submerged. His radar remained firmly locked on the massive black shadow in the sky. Because both sides possessed extremely high maneuverability, the moment of decision was fleeting—

"bring it on!"

The beam rifle fired in bursts, several blazing white beams shooting towards Melba's lower abdomen.

Daigo, based on common sense about living things, thought that should be the weak point. However, Melba was hit and only cried out twice, without feeling any harm at all, before rushing back in a huge spin.

It hadn't taken this little steel toy seriously before, but since it dared to bother it, it might as well take it down.

call out!

The beam of light grazed its neck without leaving a trace, and a hint of disdain flashed in its sharp eyes.

If Golza relies on Zijera's characteristics to reduce damage, then Melba is purely characterized by its strong defense!

This armor, cast in lava, is even harder than the bones of an ordinary monster, so a mere beam rifle could not possibly harm it in the slightest.

call--

With a flap of its wings, flowing red energy gathered from the gaps in its armor, shooting out jets of high-temperature flames that spiraled toward the MS!

Daigo's pupils contracted, and he thrust downwards with all his might, the MS performing an extreme upward maneuver in the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The blast still slammed into the MS's body, making Daigo dizzy, and the body's frame was twisted amidst terrifying cracking sounds.

"not good!"

Daigo frantically pulled the joystick, but the MS had completely lost control.

Immediately following, a massive shadow loomed over the steel body, and a huge grappling hook lightly "sliced" across it.

Sizzle—!

A piercing metallic tearing sound rang out as the MS's entire left arm, along with its shoulder armor, was ripped off at the root, with electrical sparks and hydraulic fluid spurting out like blood.

The machine instantly transformed into a swift with broken wings, spinning as it plummeted towards the golden pyramid below.

"Ugh!"

Daigo was pinned to his seat by the immense G-force, his vision spinning.

boom!

The impact came, but there was no explosion as expected. Daigo, who thought he was going to die, was shocked to find that the MS seemed to have penetrated a layer of warm water film, and the dazzling golden light from all around seeped into the cabin, enveloping him like a mother's embrace.

This feeling is like entering outer space, where the inertia is greatly reduced, and the body that was originally doomed actually "floated" and landed safely!

Having survived the ordeal, Daigo gasped for breath and looked up, immediately stunned by the sight of the cracked cockpit screen:

This is inside the pyramid, where the towering golden dome is so magnificent that it makes you feel as small as an ant.

Before him stood four towering stone statues, their ancient grandeur striking Daigo's heart and leaving him speechless with awe.

The statues all stand in a majestic posture, with their hands clenched into fists at their sides, as if they are always ready to fight, even when they are asleep.

“…Giants,” he murmured, “the Giant of Light that the time machine spoke of…”

This is indeed a great being with immense power, enough to fight monsters and protect humanity—Daigo understood this inexplicably the moment he saw the statue.

But reality didn't give him much time to reflect. A few seconds later, Melba's sharp screech came from outside, followed by the entire pyramid shaking and the outer walls flickering. The force field protecting the area seemed to be weakening rapidly.

"Oh no!" Daigo exclaimed anxiously. "We have to protect the statue!"

But he's all alone now... what should he do?

Rumble!

Golden light streams scattered like broken glass, tearing the dome apart with a brute force. A howling wind rushed in, making Daigo's heart sink.

Melba destroyed the pyramids!

Daigo snapped back to reality, unsure what to do. Fortunately, the brief moment he had bought him allowed numerous heat sources to appear on the radar.

call out!call out!call out!

One after another, solid projectiles struck Melba, causing the ancient dragon to turn around in anger and unleash a barrage of scattered light projectiles from its maw.

Meanwhile, the attackers—the Earth Defense Force's fighter jets—also dodged to the side.

Melba impatiently looked inside the pyramid again, poked his entire head in, and swept it over, knocking down all the statues.