Bighorn Bull is in charge of leading, and I, Beria, am in charge of raising it.

"Hey, what are you waiting for? Time waits for no one, Jian. Here's what we'll do: I promise this mission will only take an hour, and I'll leave you a tracking device. If I'm not back in an hour, activate this device to come find me. You can do whatever you want then, I won't stop you."

"Huh? Okay...okay...?"

After a somewhat forceful explanation, Belial managed to temporarily calm the bull's emotions. As if afraid the bull might suddenly change its mind, he shoved the device into its hand, then transformed into a beam of light and flew back into the city, giving Ken no chance to stop it.

Of course, the claim that acting alone offers greater concealment is entirely nonsense from Beria.

After all, according to Belial's suggestion, Ken could simply shrink his size and move along with him.

Even if you're unlucky and someone actually sees you?

With their strength, they could easily shut that guy up before he could even tip them off.

Thus, in a sense, just like in Assassin's Creed, it achieves the unparalleled stealth of "as long as I kill them all, no one will know I was here!"

The reason why Beria coaxed and tricked Ken into not participating in this operation was not only because of Ken's apparent impulsiveness, but also because he was too cautious.

Without further intelligence and with the infiltration process completely undetected, the possibility of losing one's life here is not out of the question.

Therefore, in Belial's view, it didn't matter whether he, the future main villain, lived or died.

But as the future captain of the Ultra Guard and the core figure in the fight against Alien Empera, Ken cannot afford to have any accidents happen to him!

The device given to Ken wasn't even used to locate Belial...

Rather, it was a voice message left by Beria after he took a break from seriously trying to fool Ken, during which he made some adjustments.

The content is very simple.

If Belial hasn't returned within an hour, it means he's been killed. This, in a way, proves that there's definitely something wrong with this planet!

At that time, Ken, overwhelmed by the devastating news of his brother's sacrifice, will surely be able to wash away all pity and hesitation with a heart full of self-blame and regret. He will then use his strongest beam technique to directly blast this planet to smithereens!

Then, following Belial's last advice, he returned to the Land of Light with his conjectures and conclusions, and reported everything that had happened there, serving as a warning to the foolish boys who would later go out to train!

Chapter 13 The Two-Faced King

Infiltrating an undefended fortress was easier than Belial had anticipated.

The outer walls of this red fortress are strong enough to withstand the monster's fury for a short period of time.

But its internal defenses—at least in the outer areas—are perplexingly weak.

The patrol personnel in the corridor were sparse, and there were no surveillance devices or hidden sentries.

Several side doors that should have been locked were only slightly ajar and could be opened with a gentle push.

Clearly, the owner of this castle never imagined that someone would fly in from the air and easily break through the physical blockade of the outer city wall.

Or rather, he had a certain confidence that was enough to deter even the commoners living outside the castle from actually barging in, even if some of them were capable of doing so.

So much so that it hovered silently close to the ceiling, looking down at the guards in twos and threes, chatting and laughing as they fished.

Belial figured that even if he were to appear openly and walk right past them, they probably wouldn't even give him a second glance. He then thought of the security measures in the Land of Light, tens of thousands of years later, which had become a laughing stock, and couldn't help but compare the two, his feelings suddenly becoming extremely complicated.

However, Beria was not there to help them fill in the gaps and strengthen security.

The weak defenses actually made it easier for him to find evidence.

Of course, even if the guards did their duty and guarded every point where roads converged, they still couldn't stop Belial.

Putting aside the life-size Ultraman, although his power is indeed severely limited, amounting to only one-tenth of his former strength, he is still not someone these ordinary mortals can easily rival...

Don't forget that Zero 09, who was at his peak from the moment he appeared, only wore the training armor for a few hundred years at most, maybe a thousand years at most.

But Belial wore it obediently for ten thousand years!

This allowed Belial to move at an unimaginable speed even without consciously mobilizing his internal energy after removing his training armor!

Not only did he easily pass through the guards' defenses, but he also freely moved between rooms right under their noses, searching for clues everywhere.

Belial even had the leisure to casually tear off a piece of coarse linen from an unattended storage room, drape it over himself, and cover his body and face almost entirely.

As the investigation deepened, Beria still couldn't find any substantial evidence, but he became increasingly inclined to believe that there was something wrong with the people on this planet.

The castle's internal structure was far more complex than he had imagined.

Rather than a residence for high-ranking officials and nobles, it was more like a large labyrinth.

Every passageway was designed to be winding and intertwined haphazardly, clearly intended to keep invited visitors from figuring out the exact location of the castle's interior. They could only obediently follow the guidance of their entourage, step by step, into the trap.

Unfortunately, this trick only works on ordinary people.

To the Ultra race, who could see through invisibility if not outright, they could at least see through walls. These intricately designed mazes were completely useless to Belial.

This allowed Belial to not only find the only correct path to the depths of the castle in the shortest possible time, but also, during the journey, to use the Ultra race's powerful hearing to carefully distinguish every sound that drifted into his ears.

Most of these conversations were meaningless everyday dialogues—servants complaining about having too much work to do, lower-ranking guards discussing shift changes, and a steward scolding his men for not cleaning the dust at the end of the corridor in time—but there were a few words that caught Belial's attention.

"Did you see those two giants who came today? I caught a glimpse of them from afar on the city wall. They were as bright as two suns... and incredibly powerful. They wiped out all those damned monsters without His Majesty even having to unleash his trump card to suppress them!"

"I saw it, I saw it. His Majesty personally invited them to be guests, but they turned around and left."

"You didn't see it, His Majesty's face turned black the moment he came back, and his face was long and drawn!"

His Majesty?

The old man who invited him and Jianjin Castle, claiming that the king was waiting to host a banquet for them, turned out to be the king who ruled the city.

That would be interesting...

If he didn't have something to hide, why wouldn't he dare to reveal his true identity?

Furthermore, the fact that these people discussed this matter as if it were commonplace suggests that His Majesty the King had done this more than once.

This convinced Beria that the source of all his suspicions must be related to that old man!

Even if he wasn't the real culprit, he must have some connection to the killer!

Realizing that staying any longer might not yield any more explosive information, Belial, who had already set a return time, decided not to linger any longer and continued exploring deeper into the castle.

As Belial ventured deeper into the castle, the interior architectural style gradually shifted from the simple and practical exterior to a more luxurious one.

The floor beneath their feet was entirely covered with velvet trimmed with gold. The light illuminating this area had also changed from flickering oil lamps to warm yellow crystal chandeliers.

These changes are all silently hinting at something for Beria...

He had entered the core area of ​​the castle.

Just then, Belial heard a familiar voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps, gradually approaching him.

Belial immediately turned around, shrinking into the shadow of a half-open archway and peering out through the crack.

A short while later, a large door at the end of the corridor was pushed open, and three people came out.

Leading the way was the elderly man who had invited him and Jian to visit during the day. Behind him were two sword-wielding guards responsible for their safety.

At this moment, he was dressed in a magnificent, blood-red robe and wore a jeweled crown, confirming that what the guards had said earlier was true; he was indeed the king of this city.

However, the expression on the king's face at this moment was completely different from when he invited Belial and the others to his home not long ago!

At that time, the king smiled broadly before the two giants of light, his tone so humble it was almost fawning, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude for the "divine beings".

But now, on that wrinkled old face, his expression was gloomy and ugly, his lips were downturned, and his eyes revealed a cold, impatient light.

"Those two guys are really ungrateful! I showed them so much sincerity in inviting them in, and they didn't even give me the time of day, just turned around and left! Do they really think they're some kind of great god?"

The king muttered curses as he walked.

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried clearly enough in the empty corridor.

However, after he finished cursing, a hint of anxiety appeared on the king's face.

"...Could it be that we've arrested too many people lately, making those idiots in the Land of Light suspicious? Or have they already discovered something?"

As he muttered to himself, the king slowed his pace, his lips pressed tightly together, and his fingers rubbed back and forth on the dark red gem at the top of his scepter.

If he remembered correctly, the giant of light that appeared this time did not recklessly destroy all the monsters like his brethren, but instead stored them in some kind of special device.

If we let them take these monsters back to the Land of Light, then all the results of our hard work will be exposed!

There's even a possibility that deeper secrets could be uncovered, leading to a furious retaliation from the Land of Light!

No, I'm only one step away from becoming a god, I absolutely can't make any mistakes at this time!

Those two damned giants of light... whether they live or die, they must remain in this nebula!

Thinking this, the king waved to the two guards behind him and gave the order in a cold voice that left no room for doubt.

"Alright, you two go on patrol. I need to be alone."

The king gave the order himself, and the two guards naturally withdrew.

Once the two guards had disappeared from sight, the king walked forward alone, pushed open the heavy iron door at the end of the corridor, and stepped inside.

The iron gate behind him made a dull thud as it closed, gradually isolating the space inside from the outside world.

However, just as the iron gate was about to close completely, a silver streak of light silently slipped inside and followed closely behind the king.

Although all of this seemed far too "coincidental" to Beria...

As soon as they entered the core area, the king himself appeared, accompanied by only two guards.

Every word he uttered, seemingly a soliloquy, was actually a bait thrown out to Belial and his group, specifically targeting them!

As if afraid that Beria wouldn't fall for it, he even sent away the only two guards he had, and walked alone behind the iron gate.

However, Beria still followed decisively.

Because, in some mysterious way, Belial could sense that the voice that had been desperately trying to warn him earlier was coming from behind this iron door!

In other words, what lies hidden behind the iron gate is very likely the truth that Belial has been searching for!

Chapter 14 Beria is Red-Hot

Behind the iron gate is a spiral staircase leading downwards.

The stone steps were worn smooth and concave from being trodden on, indicating that they were used frequently.

On the walls on both sides of the staircase, there is a dim light every few meters.

The light was dim, barely enough to illuminate the path beneath our feet, but we couldn't see what lay below.

Combined with the damp, musty smell permeating the air, which had been fermenting for years due to isolation from light, the area exuded a dark and eerie atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the fear stemmed from insufficient firepower.

For Belial, who had now transmigrated into Ultraman, this level of atmosphere didn't even warrant a second glance. His mind remained perfectly still, yet he could simultaneously see through the King who had gone ahead, adjusting his own speed accordingly. Maintaining a constant elevation difference, he silently followed downwards in a hovering flight.

Before long, as the spiral staircase reached its end, and following the king through a maze-like underground passage, a tightly closed metal door appeared before Belial as his view suddenly opened up.

Clearly, the king's destination was hidden behind the large metal gate, and he had already gone inside.

The good news is that although the gate is closed, Belial's X-ray vision can still penetrate the thick metal gate and clearly see the scene on the other side.

The bad news is that after Belial saw what was inside, he was first slightly stunned, then suddenly clenched his fists, almost losing control of his emotions and going berserk like Ken!

This is because, from Belial's perspective, he can see an extremely large underground space on the other side of the metal gate.

In addition to a dense array of high-tech devices that are completely out of place with the castle's style, there are also rows of identical transparent containment pods.

The strange, pale golden liquid circulated quietly in the conduit connecting the containment chamber, occasionally releasing a string of tiny bubbles.

The containment chamber closest to the metal gate contained a badly wounded monster.

It is not very big, only about six or seven meters tall, which is probably its juvenile stage.

Its limbs were secured to a frame with metal straps, and its back was covered with a dense network of tubes. The pale golden liquid that had been seen earlier would be injected into its body from time to time through these tubes.

Each injection would cause the young monster to convulse as if it had been electrocuted, looking as if it were enduring immense pain.

Not only were its limbs bound, rendering it unable to resist or struggle, but a gash had also been cut open in the monster's chest cavity. All its internal organs had been removed, replaced by various metal parts.

Just like the monsters Belial had encountered before.

At this point, Beria's conjecture can be basically confirmed, making the trip worthwhile.

But when Belial shifted his perspective, thinking he would just take a quick look and then leave, his gaze was fixed on another containment pod.

Unlike the containment pods that house all sorts of monsters...

There was only one human girl in this containment pod.

Moreover, Beria had met her not long ago.