What does it mean that the group members have given me back the light?

"It's okay, it's okay~~"

The real person squatted in front of the TV without turning around and said, "Your mom probably thinks you're going to school today, and it's normal for you to leave so early in the morning."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Yoshino Junpei's head. He stood there stiffly, his fingers trembling involuntarily.

"……go to school?"

Yoshino Junpei forced an awkward smile: "Mr. Masato, I've been out of school for a long time."

"Oh right, it's because of those people who bullied you, right?"

The real person didn't even turn their head; the blue light from the television cast strange shadows on their face: "But Shunpei, you're so useless~ You've been bullied to the point that you're too scared to go to school~~"

These words were like a blunt knife stabbing into Yoshino Junpei's chest. His pupils contracted violently, and his fingers unconsciously dug into his palms.

"I...I have to go back." Yoshino Junpei's voice trembled as he turned to walk towards the light at the exit.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest. No, none of this was right—the real man who had reached out to him in his most desperate moment would never speak in this tone.

but……

Just as Yoshino Junpei was about to step into the light, a tremendous force suddenly grabbed him by the back of his collar, and Makoto's terrifying face loomed from behind, almost touching his earlobe:

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean anything by what I said~" Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "But yesterday's experiment was just so amazing, I'm really excited, Shunpei~~"

Yoshino Junpei struggled violently, only to find his body gradually going numb to the point of horror. A real person's fingers gently traced his cheek, the stitches twisting with his smile.

"You know what? When your 'negative energy' was poured into that disc, the moment Ultraman appeared, that pure anger and surge of power... Ah, just thinking about it makes me so excited!"

"Although it looks like Ultraman Seven, it's completely different in essence. Should we give it a new name?"

"How about we call him... Delusional Seven?"

Yoshino Junpei's eyes widened, but he felt his body growing heavier and heavier, his vision blurring, and the voice of the real person in his ear seemed to come from near and far:

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon... For my experiment, let me see that captivating pose one more time..."

……

……

“I refuse. Unrelated people shouldn’t get involved in this mess.”

Nanami Kento adjusted his sunglasses, his eyes behind them calmly fixed on the boy next to Itadori Yuujin, a boy who didn't exist in any records:

"Besides, you're still a child, so there's even less reason to agree to your request. This isn't a game; missions that could cost you your life at any moment shouldn't be involving minors."

Yuuji Itadori hurriedly stepped forward: "But Nanami, without Nono..."

"I have already practiced the five insights."

Nanami Kento interrupted Itadori Hisahito, turned his back, and strode away.

"The most urgent task now is to find Yoshino Junpei's whereabouts before Gojo Satoru arrives here... I appreciate your kindness, but please leave."

The last sentence was clearly addressed to someone other than Hisahito Itadori.

"...I'm sorry, Nono."

As Nanami Kento's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Itadori Hisahito lowered his head dejectedly.

“I didn’t expect Nanami to disagree with you coming with us, but he really said that because he’s worried about you. You shouldn’t…”

"It's okay, I can tell."

Gu Nuo shook his head indifferently. The uncle with the strong class atmosphere was obviously a person of principle. Although his way of speaking was a bit serious, he could still distinguish between good and bad words.

Moreover, he never intended to act together with Gao Zhuanfang.

"But you, are you really alright?"

Gu Nuo looked at Itadori Yuuji, whose expression was still somewhat dejected, and said bluntly, "In your current condition, if you were to encounter a cursed spirit of that strength again, you would die."

"...Haha, speaking of which, you saved me last time, and I haven't had a chance to properly thank you yet."

Yuuji Itadori scratched his head and gave a somewhat forced smile: "If this problem can be solved, I'll treat you to barbecue."

Gu Nuo didn't reply, but just quietly watched Itadori Yuuhito's flickering eyes. Silence spread between the two of them, and was finally broken by a sigh.

"If you really have doubts about this matter, I will try my best to create opportunities for you to communicate with the other party."

Yuji Itadori suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

……

……

But even so, finding that boy named Yoshino Junpei in this huge city seems no different from finding a needle in a haystack.

When Yuji Itadori followed Kento Nanami to Yoshino Junpei's house to search for what could be called a non-existent clue, Gu Nuo thought of this problem.

Walking on two legs is obviously not feasible; transforming into Nexus and relying on its Mach-speed flight to search is too conspicuous.

But Gu Nuo quickly came up with a solution.

He privately messaged Kiana in the chat group, borrowed the Snake Talisman, held it in his hand, and then went to the rooftop of a tall building.

Soon after……

Rumble…

A deafening roar ripped through the sky, like a thunderbolt rolling through the clouds.

People in the city looked up and gazed around, only to see a clean, azure sky.

Was that... an airplane?

"Where could you find one? And surely no plane would fly that low?"

Passersby whispered among themselves.

Gu Nuo... or rather, Nexus.

He swept across the city at an astonishing speed while remaining invisible. His eyes scanned every street and every building like a scanner. The power of the incantation allowed him to move through the city like a ghost, yet he did not attract anyone's attention.

"found it…"

As Gu Nuo passed through the western part of the city for the third time, his gaze locked onto an abandoned sewer entrance.

-----------------

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Chapter Twenty-Four: Why not ask the magical chat group?

Having dispelled the invisibility power granted by the snake talisman, Gu Nuo arrived at the entrance to the sewer and watched the red figure emerge from it.

Frowning, Gu Nuo quickly noticed the abnormality in the other person's body, which resembled 'Ultraman'.

body shape.

This 'Ultraman Seven' is obviously not the right size. It is neither a giant like in normal circumstances nor a miniaturized version of a normal human. Instead, it is neither tall nor short, only about ten meters high.

Compared to the forty-meter-tall Nexus, the 'Seven' in front of him was like a primary school student standing in front of an adult.

Is there a deeper meaning behind compressing the body to this size?

Since he still didn't know the other party's background, Gu Nuo simply sent a message to them using his mind—

"Were you the one who attacked humans last night?"

"..."

'Ultraman Seven' didn't answer Gu Nuo's question. It simply looked up at Gu Nuo, tilted its head, and then...

The crimson figure suddenly leaped up! The silver headdress slashed down with a piercing whoosh! It was so fast that it left only afterimages in the air!

"clang--!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing exploded between heaven and earth. Gu Nuo didn't even move his feet. He simply raised his right hand, and the Nexus Armor on his wrist precisely blocked the incoming head dart. The sharp blade could no longer advance even an inch.

'Ultraman Seven' was clearly stunned, and his hexagonal eyes flickered rapidly a few times.

As expected, this wasn't the real Ultraman Seven.

Gu Nuo thought to himself, and then he heard a "crackling" sound. Under the violent impact, the silver headdress actually developed some cracks.

This situation further confirmed his suspicions: the other party was not only not the real Ultraman Seven, but was actually closer in essence to the monsters he had seen in "Ultraman 80".

—Delusional Seven, a type of negative energy monster.

The story originates from a group of kids on a youth soccer team who were bullied and injured by a biker gang, leaving them unconscious in the hospital. That night, the Seven doll the kid was holding was transformed into a monster by the kid's resentment.

Why would Seven be imagined to appear in Hisahito Itadori's world?

The moment of pause for thought passed quickly. Gu Nuo swung his arm, and the Nexus Armor burst forth with dazzling light. The massive body of the fantasist Seven was slammed to the ground like a kite with a broken string!

"boom--!"

The cement ground cracked instantly, and the crimson body convulsed violently in the ruins.

Gu Nuo landed slowly on the edge of the crater without causing any damage, and asked, "Where is your original body located?"

The delusional Seven struggled to its feet, letting out an unintelligible roar as it gathered energy once more, its forehead beam emitting a chaotic red light—

Gu Nuo sidestepped the crooked pseudo-Emerim Ray, and with a backhand palm strike, accurately hit the opponent's chest. Seven staggered back a few steps, clutching his chest, and then, unwilling to give up, flew up again, raising all the energy in his hands, and then combined his hands into an L-shape, shooting out a long beam of light from the fingertips of his right palm to his right elbow.

Pseudo-Cluster Ray!

Zi——————! ! !

The attack hit its mark, the beam striking the silver giant's chest with deafening explosions. This time, Gu Nuo didn't even try to dodge.

After the attack ended, Nexus, standing in front of it, simply looked down at the spot where it had been hit, and then casually wiped it clean.

A little itchy.

This is Gu Nuo's evaluation.

Compared to the delusional Seven that fought Ultraman Ace for three hundred rounds without losing, this one in front of him was weaker than weak. If this delusional Seven were any of the alien beasts he used to fight casually, he could easily knock it to the ground.

"This is the last chance," Gu Nuo said, his hand gleaming with light. "Where is your true form located?"

But there was still no answer.

Seven silently took a few steps back, and then the emerald green gem lamp above its head suddenly began to flash violently.

Its crimson body began to expand unnaturally, with countless cracks spreading from its surface, emanating terrifying energy fluctuations—even if it seemed weak in Gu Nuo's eyes, the energy contained within was enough to raze the entire street to the ground!

Gu Nuo's eyes sharpened, instantly assessing the power of the explosion. The Nexus Armor burst forth with dazzling light, and he transformed into a silver lightning bolt, rushing straight forward!

Just as Seven was about to completely explode, Gu Nuo pressed his palms against the opponent's violently pounding chest. The surging torrent of energy was forcibly restrained within the energy field constructed by Nexus Armor, producing a teeth-grinding squeezing sound.

“Sizzle——!!!”

The explosion, compressed to its limit, resounded muffledly in Gu Nuo's palm, struggling like a wild beast being choked. The silver light and crimson energy collided violently, and the shockwaves caused the surrounding buildings to sway slightly, but overall, they were steadily contained within a few meters.

As the last trace of energy dissipated, Gu Nuo slowly released his hands, leaving only a few charred dust particles floating in his palms, not even a single fragment remaining.

"...They actually went to such lengths."

Gu Nuo felt somewhat helpless, wondering if Seven's self-destructive behavior would have a negative impact on the boy named Yoshino Junpei.

He thought for a moment, then shrunk his size and crawled into the sewer outlet where he had just imagined Seven had appeared, but still couldn't find a trace of Yoshino Junpei.

But Gu Nuo discovered something else.

There was a striking graffiti on the wall, a grotesque face hastily drawn in scarlet paint, with a twisted mouth stretched to the ears and two crooked hexagons drawn around the eyes—clearly a clumsy imitation of Ultraman Seven's beam eyes.

Even more disturbingly, a line of small text was written below the graffiti in the same paint:

"Come find me, Giant of Light!"

Each character was dripping red liquid, as if it had just been painted. Gu Nuo reached out and dipped his finger in it, feeling a familiar sensation on his fingertips—the paint wasn't real paint, but blood.

"...This is a bit troublesome..." Gu Nuo frowned.

……

……

[The strongest elbow master: ...Is that so? I haven't found any clues yet.]

Yuji Itadori glanced at the young woman sitting on the sofa next to him, being questioned by Mr. Ijichi. She looked worried, but she was trying her best to answer and provide clues.