Great, we're doomed now!

"You cannot refuse my invitation."

Returning to the present, Ye Shou looked at the Winged Lion and smiled slightly: "This is the confidence of a chef, and as a friend, I know your taste very well. I'm sure this will definitely impress you."

The pterosaur tilted its head, not understanding.

Ye Shou's lips curved slightly: "Because I am the chef," he said, "and you are the diner."

He gestured with his lip, and the winged lion's attention was once again drawn to the only dish on the table.

The petals are transparent, crystal clear like glass, each one so thin it's almost invisible, refracting a rainbow of colors in the candlelight. The center of the flower is a pale gold, with edges tinged with a light orange-red, like clouds dyed by the setting sun.

"..."

A sweet fragrance wafted from the petals, neither too strong nor too weak, filling the entire restaurant in just the right way.

The winged lion's pupils dilated slightly, its nostrils twitched gently, and it emitted a low, almost inaudible sound from its throat.

As a demon, it lacks the superficial appetite of humans and has no need to obtain any nourishment from matter. Human food is meaningless to it, just as stone is to humans.

But this flower was different… It couldn't quite describe the feeling, only a strong, irresistible urge to get close to it, to touch it, and then—

The winged lion closed its eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

“It’s amazing,” it said, its tone filled with genuine admiration. “In all my years, this is the first time I’ve encountered something that has made me ‘desire’.”

Ye Shou remained silent.

“But you won’t really let me eat it, right?” The winged lion tilted its head, a knowing smile playing on its lips. “It’s a trap.”

Ye Shou calmly returned the gaze: "That's right."

The winged lion was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t ask.” It lay down again, resting its chin on its crossed front paws, its posture much more relaxed than before. “Then let’s just sit here and catch up.”

"Heh~"

The restaurant fell silent, with only the candlelight flickering slightly... After a long while, the winged lion suddenly spoke.

"Since you're a chef, could you tell me how to make this dish?"

"This? Zigela is a flower unique to my hometown, and its pollen has the effect of making people dream."

"Is it like a 'nightmare' from the monster genre?"

"There's no comparison at all. The experience that Zigela gives people is supreme. Even if I didn't resist, I would have fallen into the beautiful dream."

Ye Shou chuckled softly: "Of course, these are just the raw materials; the real test is in the preparation."

"Oh?" The winged lion leaned forward. "How can one create such an alluring fragrance?"

"It's very simple, just use the desires and dreams of billions of people as spices."

"..."

Ye Shou revealed a mysterious and gentle smile, quietly watching the winged lion with its eyes wide open in shock.

"Oh, right, the productivity of this world can't support that many people, not even one percent, so you probably haven't seen such a large quantity from ancient times to now... My homeland is a world where information and desires spread very quickly."

On the day the Cigela bloomed across the entire planet, all primates were intoxicated by it, a fleeting yet undeniably supreme enjoyment of their lives… At the moment the Cigela withered, I specially collected the 'essence of desire' and concentrated it on one plant, reserving it especially for you.”

Ye Shou stared straight at the Winged Lion with unwavering eyes, while the Winged Lion inexplicably became happy.

"So you've always been thinking of me, Ye Shou?"

"Yes."

I am overjoyed by this!

—This plan has been around for a long time.

When Ye Shou first entered the world of "Delicious in the Labyrinth", he paid special attention to the Winged Lion, because it was the highest-ranking being he could come into contact with at the time. He also connected its characteristics to Gijera and thought that he could use the two of them to do something.

But strategy always requires the support of power, and Ye Shou at that time did not have the power to influence either of them, so it was at best just a beautiful idea.

But now that he's become Ultraman, everything is different!

He has been waiting for the second opening of Zijella since the ancient times... This "dish" was also specially prepared for the Winged Lion.

"If I were slightly weaker, or if I were more afraid of the future, then our position would change from enemies to friends, and the meaning of this dish would be completely reversed."

If humanity's spirit cannot overcome the trials of Qijera, then let the Winged Lion devour all of humanity's desires, and then let Dark Radiance absorb them—this is one of the alternative plans that Ye Shou has always kept hidden in his heart and has never told anyone.

From the perspective of the Ultraman universe, this approach would inevitably create unprecedented monsters, allowing Ye Shou to gain the power to defeat the evil god.

It's not terrible for humans on Earth to lose their desires. They are a short-lived race. We can simply use cloning technology or artificial wombs to cultivate the next generation, spend decades, and wait for the generations to automatically replace each other.

...The only problem is that at the end of this road, Ye Shou will probably become an even more terrifying being than Gatanothor.

The reason why the grimoire was not destroyed immediately after being retrieved, but instead kept under tight control until now, is precisely to deal with the worst-case scenario.

If TPC's influence wasn't so strong, or if Daigo, Masaki, and others hadn't become Ultraman, or if Yagami himself hadn't grown to his current level... in short, if he had no hope of ultimate victory, he would have chosen that dark future.

But now that humanity has defeated Qijera, it's time for Ye Shou to send the Winged Lion on its way.

"If that's the case, how can I refuse?"

The winged lion stared intently at the crystal petals, mesmerized: "This contains not only desire, but also your 'longing' for me~"

Even in a trap, the winged lion would have a hard time controlling itself!

This tiny flower contains billions of desires, making it an unparalleled delicacy for a demon in the warp!

Compared to the essence of Chijera, which embodies billions of desires, the desires that the Winged Lion has accumulated and devoured throughout its long history are utterly laughable and insignificant...

This is like giving a demon a pool of wine and a forest of meat; who can resist it?

Moreover, demons act solely in accordance with their "appetite," and the concept of restraint has never existed in their minds.

The winged lion slowly approached with its paws out. Just as it touched the petals, the six eyes hidden beneath the lines on its forehead suddenly opened, and its wings spread out, filling the entire space with a sharp wind pressure!

In the firelight, the shadows on the wall shifted constantly, resembling humans and beasts, indescribable and beyond description. This being, called the Demon, could not control its own form; swimming in a sea of ​​desires, it too transformed into various bizarre and abstract shapes.

Thousands of changes occur in a single second, hundreds of faces flash by in the blink of an eye, and its muffled groans of enjoyment echo in layers, as if tens of thousands of mouths are speaking simultaneously—

Finally, the "demon" managed to grow a pair of wings adorned with eyeballs, and its main body was surrounded by a huge eyeball with a star ring, resembling an "angel" described in the ancient Bible.

"—!"

In a flash, thousands of eyes that had been spinning around suddenly turned to Ye Shou, and the shadows on the wall transformed into countless thin lines that intertwined into tentacles, attacking him from the ceiling and the floor.

"Having already devoured so much, yet still unable to let go of its obsession with me? The so-called insatiable greed... I understand now."

Ye Shou smiled slightly, not surprised at all.

For the winged lion, even if there are 10,000 or 100 million people, he is still the most special one. Conquering him is the greatest challenge for this demon.

Unfortunately, what can't be done simply can't be done.

Just before the shadow touched Ye Shou's body, a dazzling golden light emanated from him, melting away all evil like ice and snow, while a hymn-like melody drowned out the whispers of countless desires.

In a daze, a magnificent and majestic figure appeared behind him, and the luxurious gates of heaven slowly opened...

hum!

A rift leading to nothingness also appeared behind the winged lion, and a massive amount of chaotic spiritual energy surged out!

Without any painful groans or struggles, countless blurry figures flew out of the winged lion (angel) body, connected to each other, and were sucked into the gate that connected to the [Prosperous Kingdom]. It seemed that it had expected this all along, and did not resist at all.

"So the target really is my physical body... or rather, the entire subspace?"

"Knowing this, why walk into the trap?"

"You're so mean, knowing full well I can't refuse... Besides, you made this for me yourself."

The winged lion gazed at the golden doors: "What will become of me?"

"Who knows, but one thing is for sure, you definitely won't be as thirsty in there as you used to be."

"That's good... Hey, Ye Shou, can I ask you one last question?"

The angel-like monster was enveloped in golden light and its body was completely absorbed, leaving behind a hazy golden incarnation that appeared before Ye Shou in the form of a "winged lion".

"What am I to you, really?"

"...Once, I thought I wanted to become one with you."

Ye Shou replied seriously, "It was to use you... but now that you have lost your value to me, I must eliminate you."

Upon hearing this, the winged lion's pupils slowly dilated, revealing a childlike, happy smile, before it was completely sucked into the doorway.

"Indeed, the most selfless and sage is also the most insatiable... Human desires are truly terrifying!"

Thank you... Ye Shou, I'm very satisfied with this final dessert.

I'm stuffed!"

hum!

The winged lion's figure disappeared, the golden gate vanished into the void, and the [Prosperous Kingdom] floated in front of Ye Shou and stretched out its hand, a round seal the size of a casino chip lying quietly in its palm.

Ye Shou picked it up and examined it repeatedly. The front was printed with a winged lion, while the back was an eye that seemed to be peering into the world.

"Actually... I don't hate or despise you, and... I might even surprisingly like you, you devil."

Ye Shou smiled slightly. If he were to devour it entirely through the form of Dark Radiance or even Tyrant, the power boost he would receive would be unimaginable. But Ye Shou no longer needs to take such extreme measures.

He didn't know if he could defeat Gatanjah head-on now, but everything he had accumulated on his long journey had changed his mindset.

By eliminating the Winged Lion today, we have cut off the remaining escape route and abandoned our own weakness.

"All ready!"

Ye Shou clenched his fist: "There's nothing left to hesitate about!"

Volume 11: To the Day of Destiny: Chapter 510: Prelude to Destruction (4K)

In the dimly lit room, Carmilla suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.

Her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her pupils trembled slightly. It took her a while to recover.

……sweat?

She looked down at her hands and paused for a few seconds.

"Did I... have a nightmare?"

Those images still churned in her mind: the outlines of cities melting into the shadows, countless tiny points of light disappearing into nothingness, as if being extinguished one by one by an invisible giant hand.