Great, we're doomed now!

More and more "watch" gathered around him, and the cold pressure became tangible, constantly increasing Kazuma Asuka's mental burden. He felt as if he were immersed in the deep sea, and every breath was incredibly difficult.

Look...they're coming...if we don't merge...we'll be eaten...not even our souls will be left...

The mysterious light seized the opportunity to intensify its impact, and the chaotic whispers amplified in his mind.

"Uh……!"

Kazuma Asuka felt his consciousness begin to fade, his "strength" in fighting the mysterious light was rapidly dissipating, and the images of his family before him began to shake and distort...

For the first time, a chill of despair truly crept up his spine.

Is it... really not going to work?

But...no...I can't sleep...

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely crushed—

boom!!!

A golden radiance, indescribably brilliant and intense, swept in without warning, like the primordial fire that cleaved through chaos!

It was as if countless screams could be heard coming from the void!

The light carried an undeniable, domineering will, burning away all the vibrant malice it touched, melting away as easily as ice and snow under the blazing sun. They only had time to let out a silent, mournful "shriek" before instantly evaporating and vanishing!

The negative emotions that permeated the prototype and the mental pollution that lingered in Kazuma Asuka's mind were instantly washed away by the golden light, just like morning mist meeting the rising sun!

The bizarre and fantastical otherworldly scene actually calmed down within the golden light-covered area, returning to its relatively stable, original state where only the paths of flowing light intersected.

The positive emotions that had been rejected slowly flowed back, and under the golden light, it was like stars returning to their original positions after streaking across the sky, with the entire void filled with dazzling and beautiful star trails.

Immediately afterwards, a pair of huge, warm, silver hands covered with golden patterns emerged from the fiery golden light and, with incredibly gentle force, "lifted" the badly damaged and almost disintegrated Magus prototype from the path of light, carefully closing it in their palms.

All the tremors, the tearing, and the sense of crisis vanished suddenly, replaced by an unparalleled sense of reliability and peace of mind.

"What... what is this?"

In a daze, Kazuma Asuka saw through the cracked cockpit window a huge silhouette radiating divine light, and eyes as bright as stars, yet incredibly gentle.

Is that the De... no, another giant recorded in TPC?

“You are…” Asuka Kazuma subconsciously reached out his hand. The moment this thought crossed his mind, the radiant figure automatically transmitted the “information” into his mind.

"Ultraman... [Bayeli]... Who are you?! Could it be..."

"Thank you for your hard work, Asuka." A calm yet powerful voice rang directly in Asuka Kazuma's ear.

At the same time, a huge golden light surged into the cockpit, enveloping Asuka like amniotic fluid... The mysterious light that had merged into his body immediately became docile.

"go home?"

How should I reply?

Before Kazuma Asuka could even ask, the Giant of Light had already raised his right wrist and summoned the golden longsword.

Actually, Ye Shou didn't know what to do either.

But in short, just keep cutting!

— Clang! !!!

The golden ripples of energy were so concentrated that they solidified, burning fiercely like flames. With a single swing of the longsword, they stirred up enormous waves in the void—

Ka!

Chapter 287: The Great Kyrielords Have Returned (4.5K)

Beep~ Beep~ Beep~ Beep~

Upon returning to the material universe, Ye Shou's chest timer emitted a rapid alarm, while he held the Magus prototype in his hand. After looking around, he confirmed that he had not left the solar system, but had instead reached the vicinity of Jupiter.

Using the remaining energy, Ye Shou flew normally until he reached Mars orbit and stopped, choosing to land on the surface to rest for a while.

Taking this opportunity, he placed his hand on Asuka Kazuma's forehead, trying to use his mental power to communicate with the mysterious light inside... but the other party was very afraid of him and was now completely curled up. If he forced a connection, it might hurt Asuka Kazuma.

He did receive many fragments of memories, and roughly knew what Kazuma Asuka had experienced before.

The original Ultraman Dyna series did not actually explain the origin of this Ultraman in detail, but only hinted that it was related to Kazuma Asuka's father. However, the truth has always been a mystery.

—This time, it actually cleared up one of Ye Shou's doubts.

Dyna was not a giant of light born through conventional means; the process was full of chance. It was Kazuma Asuka's will to protect the Earth that overcame his instinct to escape, which led him to evolve in the direction of "Ultraman" and ultimately pass it on to his son, Shin Asuka.

If one chooses to escape, or even submits to [Granspia], one may become like a Spia chimera, serving as the vanguard of the dark planet to sweep away the resistance forces on each planet.

"I wonder how long it will take to stabilize... Judging from the scale of energy, it is far inferior to a real giant. Does it really need to grow for a while?"

Ye Shou carefully examined Asuka Kazuma's physical condition, his brows furrowing at times.

Yima's own life force and the energy of the mysterious light merged together, but the two wills were not unified and were still in the process of fighting and wearing each other down.

The composition of this mysterious light is also very complex. In Ye Shou's view, it should have a deep connection with the ancient Orion light, or even originate from the same source. However, it was later devoured by [Gransphia] and has actually been "contaminated".

Multiple forces coexisting within one body have subtly achieved a balance... giving Asuka Kazuma the opportunity to persevere.

Logically, Kazuma Asuka should have eventually tamed the mysterious light, but his self-awareness had been severely weakened, leaving him only able to entrust his power to others to protect the Earth. However, this time, he was rescued by Ye Shou, which will naturally drastically change his future trajectory.

There's no way around it, Asuka Shin is probably only in junior high school now... Ye Shou won't use "child labor".

As for the appearance of [Gransphia], Ye Shou didn't show much emotion:

As the saying goes, the more debt you have, the less you have to worry.

This thing is designed to devour planets and destroy civilizations in seconds, but there are quite a few enemies in the Arcane universe with exaggerated abilities.

In the eyes of ordinary civilizations, it is naturally unmatched. From the perspective of those "echoes," the oppressive feeling of the dark planet is unparalleled, making it the most terrifying existence in the entire universe!

However, from Ye Shou's perspective as an observer, [Gransphia] is less threatening than [Gatanothor], because this guy has a "core" and a mechanism to expose his true form under certain circumstances. For Ye Shou, who had prior knowledge of this information, it was as clear as a strategy manual.

But the conch shell is different. It has no weaknesses or loopholes to exploit. If you can't beat it, you can't beat it, and that's the end of it!

However, we cannot be careless, after all, it is an enemy with the potential to grow, and who knows what kind of monster it might evolve into in the future.

Having rested enough, Ye Shou straightened up. The thought of having to send people back to Earth made him examine the Magus prototype machine.

The "crash" was just an accident. The experiment proved to be extremely successful. If the Yawei team is given a little more time, they should be able to reach sub-light speed. This also means that humanity has officially stepped onto the interstellar stage and will no longer be trapped in the small solar system. However, if we want to move towards the Milky Way, we must develop towards faster-than-light speed and space travel.

"I doubt this thing can be fixed."

Ye Shou's gaze swept over the tattered hull, then he glanced at Asuka Kazuma lying in the cockpit, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

It seems that to become Ultraman, one needs to sacrifice their vehicle.

In the original story, the Zero-type Propulsion Machine was intact, but the pilot was nowhere to be found. Now, Kazuma Asuka is safe and sound, and even has the potential to evolve into a Titan, while the Megase prototype is on the verge of disintegration.

Upon closer reflection, Daigo goes without saying; he, along with Bayeri, Masaki, and the subterranean shark… all seem to have evolved after their vehicles were damaged.

...Wait, doesn't that prove that the new city is very "qualified"?

六崎

Kazuma Asuka lay in a private room at the medical center, sunlight filtering through the blinds and casting long, thin patches of light on his pale face.

Three weeks have passed since he was rescued from another dimension by Ultraman Bayeri. His physical examination results have gradually returned to normal, but he still appears mentally exhausted. He often wakes up in the middle of the night, and in his daze, he can still see those distorted colors and destructive scenes, just like the mentally corrupted characters in some novels.

TPC's medical team is highly professional, with top-notch psychologists to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the mental health field is notoriously mysterious, and conventional treatments are not very effective. Kazuma Asuka can only rely on the passage of time to gradually forget everything...

However, he has been spending more time with his family these days. The company of his wife and son makes him feel at ease. Just thinking of them gives him the courage to fight against any nightmare!

Besides that, one thing kept lingering in his mind: the true identity of [Bayeli]...

As an elite member of TPC, Kazuma Asuka possessed access to information unavailable to the general public, and by combining these factors, he could piece together the "truth." And if he wasn't mistaken, it should be that person, but... this was simply unbelievable!

-

Inside the hangar, the Magus prototype "00" has been completely restored. The engineers in the logistics team demonstrated exceptional professionalism, giving the nearly scrapped machine a brand-new look.

To ensure safety, the technical department decided to conduct another driving test, but without setting a target; the test was simply to check whether there were any unknown hidden dangers in the system.

At this time, the project was undoubtedly full of risks in the eyes of others, and there were not many qualified drivers. Most of them had to concentrate on performing various tasks, so it was really hard to find a good candidate for the time being.

Until an application is submitted to GUTS—

"I'll do it."

During the team meeting, Tetsuo Shinjo raised his hand with his usual slightly reckless smile on his face.

“We can’t always let the older generation take risks; the younger generation should share more of the burden… Besides, I also want to personally experience just how powerful ‘Magnus Power’ really is.”

Dr. Yaoyu stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded:

Shinjo's skills are impeccable. Although he failed many missions, it had nothing to do with his personal skills. The fact that he could still exchange blows for several rounds while fighting monsters proves that he has excellent professional skills!

"Maintain the regular route and do not make any additional maneuvers. If the system indicates an anomaly, return to base immediately," Yawei added. "This is just to check for any potential problems; there is no need to test the upper limit of the Magus's power."

"Understood!" Shinjo rubbed his hands together eagerly, while Daigo behind him looked on with envy.

That's the fastest aircraft ever built by humankind!

...The test went exceptionally smoothly. Xincheng piloted the refurbished No. 00 out of the atmosphere, circled twice in near-Earth orbit, and the Magus engine ran smoothly with all data within the normal range.

"I'm orbiting the moon, everything's normal... Hmm?"

However, just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He paused, as if he couldn't believe his eyes, rubbed them, and then looked at them carefully:

Near the satellite's orbit, there was a huge, structurally simple steel shadow—a floating island made up of countless metal plates supporting rock layers!

Its bottom seemed to be flashing red... but it appeared suddenly and disappeared even faster. Almost the instant the new city blinked, the floating island vanished, leaving only the pitch-black background of space in the airspace.

"Hallucination?"

Xincheng paused for a moment, while having the auxiliary AI check whether he was conscious, and quickly brought up the radar and optical sensor records... Everything was normal, and no abnormal mass or energy reaction was detected.

"Really nothing at all?"

He frowned and looked at the airspace through the porthole again: "Never mind, let's go back and report first."

-

Meanwhile, Ye Shou leaned back on the sofa in his living room, holding a can of soda, while Lucy sat cross-legged on a cushion, and the maid was making tea beside them—they were all surprisingly free today.

A virtual projection is broadcasting a live interview program called "Dialogue with the Future," with a simple and bright studio as the background and hundreds of audience members sitting in the audience.

Ye Shou has never been interested in similar variety shows, but today he unusually tuned in to this channel, mainly because the topic of discussion is related to TPC.

Today's invited guest is Megumi Iruma. She wasn't wearing the uniform of female employees of GUTS, and she looked intellectual and gentle.

The host, a kind-looking man in his forties, was smiling as he asked her questions.