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

Just then, Tetsuo Shinjo's urgent shout, almost cracking, came through his communicator:

"Stay away from that person! Stay away from that person!! Something's wrong with him!!"

Almost at the same time that New City issued its warning, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Yizu Mairu suddenly raised his right hand, releasing a thick red smoke that instantly obscured the vision of the Flying Swallow II, piloted by Xincheng.

Immediately afterwards, one of its four heads opened its blood-red maw, and a blazing orange-red beam of destructive light shot out precisely!

"boom!"

The light grazed the tail of the Flying Swallow II, causing the fighter jet to spin out of control and plummet to the ground, trailing a thick plume of black smoke.

"Shinjo! Horii! Jump! Jump now!" The commander's shouts rang out in the channel.

"I'm already jumping!!" Shinjo's voice was mixed with the sound of strong winds and alarms.

"New City!"

Inside the pyramid, Daigo watched his teammates in danger and was extremely anxious. He instinctively wanted to rush out.

However, Mitsuhiko Ishibori reached out and stopped him.

"Hurry up and become light, Daigo! Otherwise, it will be too late!"

Mitsuhiko Ishibori looked at him intently, his increasingly urgent voice echoing in his ears. His tone sounded genuinely like he was worried about Daigo and everyone else.

“Although we haven’t worked together in the Night Raid for long, you’ve had a good time with everyone, haven’t you? Look, whether it’s your new teammates in the Night Raid or your old friends in the Victory Team, they’re all about to be killed by Izumiru! Can you really just stand by and do nothing?”

Of course I wasn't indifferent!

Yuan Dagu opened his mouth, his gaze once again turning to the horrific battlefield outside the window. Looking at the teetering fighter jets and his comrades struggling to hold on, the crisis facing his comrades burned in his heart like a fire.

Light! If I could become light, I could save everyone!

Daigo Madoka's gaze was fixed on the Ultraman Tiga statue. The majestic statue seemed to have come to life, radiating an indescribable attraction that beckoned him closer.

"I need...your power..."

Daigo faced the stone statue and made a heartfelt prayer:

"My companion is in danger... Please, lend me the power of light..."

Then, he firmly reached out his hand towards the stone statue.

As if in response to his call, a warm and dazzling golden band of light slowly extended from the position of the colored timer on the chest of the Ultraman Tiga statue, gently connecting to Daigo's body like a bridge.

His body began to glow, gradually becoming light and transparent, turning into specks of golden light that flew along the ribbon toward the diamond-shaped crystal on the statue's forehead.

However, at this moment——

A cold hand, like an iron clamp, suddenly gripped Daigo Madoka's neck, abruptly interrupting his fusion with the light!

Mitsuhiko Ishibori had somehow found himself standing on the golden ribbon of light, smiling at Daigo Madoka with a twisted and excited look in his eyes.

Even more terrifying, the light emanating from Daigo, which should have flowed towards the Ultraman Tiga statue, was forcibly reversed and surged wildly from Daigo towards Mitsuhiko Ishibori like a flood bursting its banks!

"Finally...finally...my plan has succeeded!!" Mitsuhiko Ishibori said with a smile, a terrifying red light flashing in his eyes.

"?!!!"

Daigo Madoka's eyes widened in shock. A strong feeling of suffocation and the pain of being stripped of his strength instantly swept over his body. He subconsciously grabbed the hand that Mitsuhiko Ishibori was using to choke him, and his legs kicked and struggled helplessly in the air.

He could clearly feel that something essential and important within him—the connection with the light that had just been awakened—was being brutally and rapidly pulled away.

"Who...are you?!"

Daigo Madoka managed to squeeze out the question from his almost choked throat. He stared intently at the familiar yet utterly unfamiliar face before him. Those once gentle eyes now held only chilling coldness and greed.

"Darkness...Zaki."

Mitsuhiko Ishibori—or rather, the being that possessed this body—proclaimed in a tone that was a mixture of mockery and satisfaction, a voice that seemed to come from the abyss and carried endless chill.

"From approaching you, guiding you, to now stealing your light... all of this was just a scheme set up to completely resurrect me."

As he spoke, Daigo Madoka felt the light within him dissipate even more rapidly, and his consciousness began to blur due to lack of oxygen and loss of power.

However, at this moment——

"Boom!!!"

A heavy, thunderous roar, like a meteorite striking the earth, came from outside the pyramids, as if something had collided violently with an astonishing speed that broke the sound barrier.

The pyramid space, now reduced to just a base, swayed, even causing ripples to spread across its dazzling golden light.

Just as Mitsuhiko Ishibori was about to deliver the final blow to Daigo, he suddenly stopped and turned his head sharply to look at the outside world through the increasingly thin light barrier.

On the battlefield, smoke and dust slowly descended like a curtain.

Amidst the billowing smoke, a giant, silver-black figure stood tall, its streamlined form gleaming in the sunlight.

On the ground far from the Titan, there was a mess of impact craters and billowing dust—that was Izumiru, who had been kicked away hard when the Titan first appeared.

However, the giant did not press his advantage. He turned his head slightly, and his pure, milky-white eyes, as clear as the moon, pierced through the distance of space, looking towards the pyramids without a trace of emotion.

"Finally, it's here?"

With a cold laugh, he tossed aside Daigo Madoka, who was nearly exhausted and had almost passed out. Mitsuhiko Ishibori stared fearlessly at the giant, his eyes burning with an immense amount of hatred and rage.

"But it was too late!"

He spread his arms wide: "Behold! This absolute darkness that has returned to the world!"

Before he finished speaking, an energy far deeper than the abyss and darker than darkness erupted from Mitsuhiko Ishibori's body like a volcanic eruption!

The viscous, almost tangible dark red and black light instantly engulfed his figure and rapidly expanded!

Amidst the tooth-grinding roar of energy and the distortion of space, the silhouette of a colossal, ferocious, savage, and destructive giant rapidly coalesced.

Its body is covered with a red and black striped surface that looks like muscle fibers, and its chest has a ferocious Y-shaped core. Its eyes are emitting a blood-red light!

Dark Zagi has been officially resurrected!

"I have now surpassed you! Noah!!!"

It clenched its massive fists, powerful enough to tear planets apart, and roared like a wild beast at the distant, silver-black giant:

"Come! Fight!"

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Chapter 71 Zaki: What do you have to fight me with? Noah! (Refresh the top right corner to read the full chapter)

The blinding red alarm lights spun wildly in the joint command center, and the piercing alarm bells tolled continuously like a death knell, striking the hearts of everyone present.

In this room, which brought together the top decision-makers of TPC and TLT, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost suffocating. All the senior personnel had ashen faces and were staring intently at the live images transmitted from satellites around the world on the main screen—which showed the disasters that were breaking out simultaneously in various parts of the globe.

"A call from North American headquarters confirms a significant activation of the alien beast factor in the western United States!"

"The Australian branch is demanding that we explain what exactly happened to the potential defensive barrier!"

"The European branch! The African branch has also sent the same report!"

"Over 85% of cities around the world have completed their evacuation efforts! However, there are still some..."

Bad news came in waves, one after another, without stopping, while good news was few and far between.

Megumi bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, her gaze fixed on the dark giant on the split screen, roaring at the sky amidst the ruins, radiating pure, beast-like madness.

"...Zaki's energy has affected the entire world..."

Matsunaga Yoichiro's voice trembled uncontrollably, and he could barely stand by holding onto the control panel:

"According to the information left by the visitors, Dark Zagi was originally an artificial ultimate weapon created by them to eliminate the alien beasts, but their civilization was ultimately destroyed due to the weapon's rampage and loss of control. Even with the visitors' sacrifice of their home planet, they were unable to completely eliminate this darkness."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with despair: "When Dark Zagi descends and is fully resurrected, the planet he sets foot on... will only perish!"

Megumi's heart sank into an ice cellar.

Are all the sudden disasters happening around the world now... an effect of Zaki's recovery?

Is this the... anomaly on Earth that Yuzare was talking about?

She had thought that with the combined efforts of the GUTS team and the Night Raid team, they would soon be able to find the Land of Ultra, awaken the Giant of Light, and then join forces with the still-unknown host to deal with the more than three hundred monsters on Earth.

But now, not only has the Giant of Light not revived, but with the appearance of the Dark Zagi, the alien beasts that had been dormant for almost a month have made a comeback.

Is this... the inescapable fate of Earth?

"Massive fires have broken out throughout Siberia!"

"Red Alert for North America! Large-scale volcanic activity confirmed in New York, Washington, San Francisco, and other areas!"

Megumi Kijima listened to these devastating news with a numbness, and a tremendous sense of powerlessness almost swallowed her up.

But just then——

"Oh no!!!"

A young female communications officer turned around abruptly, her face filled with fear and anxiety:

"Just one minute ago, Director Sawai's private plane lost contact over Tokyo Bay! The last known coordinates showed a high-energy alien beast reaction in the area, suggesting... a possible attack!"

"……What did you say?!!!"

……

……

A municipal gymnasium in Tokyo.

The once spacious area, filled with the shouts of sports, was now crowded with thousands of citizens huddled among simple mats and blankets laid on the floor, the air thick with the scent of disinfectant, sweat, and a faint sense of fear.

TPC officials had clearly made thorough preparations. Although it was daytime, the stadium was still brightly lit, and huge screens on the walls were not playing any news footage, but instead looping soothing natural scenery videos and cute animal videos. In the corners, staff and volunteers in uniform were quietly reassuring the anxious crowd, distributing drinking water and compressed biscuits. Soft classical music played over the loudspeaker, and a gentle female voice repeated every now and then:

"Please remain calm and stay in the designated area. The shelter is absolutely safe. Rescue teams are working hard to respond to the situation. Again, please remain calm..."

A mother held her young daughter tightly, whispering a story she had made up on the spot, but her eyes kept glancing at the reinforced dome of the stadium. Whenever a dull thud came from afar, her body would tremble slightly.

Beside him, an elderly man with white hair sat cross-legged, eyes closed, seemingly calm, but his slightly trembling hands on his knees betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

Several young people wore headphones, trying to isolate themselves from the outside world with music, but the sweat on their faces and their constantly shaking legs revealed their anxiety.

Fear, like a colorless and odorless poison, still silently permeates and ferments among people despite being suppressed by reason and discipline.

However, the official organization has done its best. Alien Beasts are creatures that feed on human fear, and everything in this place is designed to make the people feel safe.

Near the basketball hoop, Karen Himegami, along with her parents, grandmother, and cousin, was anxiously dialing the phone again and again. However, all she heard from the receiver was a long, unsettling ringtone, which eventually turned into a busy signal.

"Or not……"

Himegami Karen pursed her lips slightly, her eyes almost overflowing with worry.

She turned to her friend beside her: "Xingcai, how's it going on your end? Has Nono still not replied to your message?"

"Ah...no, no..."

Banami managed a forced smile and put down her phone with a similar sense of disappointment.

"...Where did he go in such a critical moment?"

Himegami Karen's voice carried an undisguised anxiety and a hint of resentment.

Is Nono fighting right now?

As Hanami Anzu stared at the unread message in the group chat, her thoughts were in turmoil.

Everything happened so fast today that she hadn't even had time to fully wake up before her parents dragged her out of bed and hurriedly shoved her into the shelter. She was in a daze throughout the whole process.

Something must have happened... I need to hurry out and help Nono...

Seeing that Anja subconsciously bit her lip, Bana messaged Kiana and learned that the two talismans in her possession had been borrowed again, which made her even more certain that this incident was no small matter.

Perhaps it was the subtle effect of the Reiblood gene enhancement within her that made her senses unusually sharp. Under the deliberately maintained calm atmosphere of the stadium, she could faintly catch extremely subtle yet chilling sounds coming from the outside world—the roars of monsters, the panicked screams of humans, and the booming of gunfire and explosions…

What made her feel somewhat unfamiliar was that, normally, hearing these sounds would have terrified her, but now, for some reason, the emotions surging within her were not fear, but rather a feeling of anxiety and an urge to rush out immediately.

But the most pressing issue now is, where exactly is Nono? She's not replying to messages or answering calls. Is the battle so intense that she has no time for anything else? Should we call Mr. Joseph over right now and ask him to help locate Nono?

Just as Anna was staring at the exit, feeling helpless about the practical problem of wanting to team up but not being able to find teammates, a clear and deep male voice suddenly rang in her mind without warning:

"Go to the northeastern part of Japan and you'll find him."