Volume One, Chapter 10: Incurring the Wrath of Disrem

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years had passed.

At the entrance of the Ultra Arena, Taro nodded slightly, gazing out into the profound starry expanse of the universe.

“Toregia… where on earth have you gone?” he murmured softly, sorrow clouding the depths of his eyes.

Back then, he had heeded his mother’s advice. But ever since, Toregia had vanished completely. No news of him had surfaced anywhere in the universe. As for Taro himself, he had turned that lingering attachment into a secret wish, buried deep within his heart.

He no longer hoped for Toregia to return—he wished only for Toregia’s safety, wherever he was.

“Still thinking about him?” A voice rose from behind, followed by the sound of several approaching footsteps.

Suppressing the sadness in his eyes, Taro forced a gentle smile and turned around. “No, I was thinking about Mebius. His body can barely endure the strain of battle, yet he stubbornly refuses to come back.”

Ultraman Mebius was the rising star of the new generation in the Land of Light. In a sense, he was also Taro’s younger brother. Not long ago, Mebius had been assigned to Earth as an emissary of light. But as the monsters grew ever more powerful, and with the Four Heavenly Kings now moving behind the scenes, his strength was no longer sufficient for the battles on Earth. Still, the boy’s obstinacy was legendary—no matter how many times they called, he would not return.

As his elder brother, Taro could not help but worry.

“Hahaha, don't worry,” Seven said heartily as he strode over, his laughter bright. “That kid’s as spirited as ever—nothing will happen to him.”

“That’s right,” Jack nodded in agreement. “Besides, we’re always keeping an eye on things over there. If anything happens, we can rush to support him at a moment’s notice.”

“That’s good to hear. Thank you, brothers, for your concern,” Taro smiled, then asked, “By the way, how is Ultraman Hikari doing? My father mentioned he hasn’t been himself since he returned…”

At the mention of “Hikari,” the smiles on everyone’s faces froze, slowly fading away.

“Ah—” Zoffy sighed. “What happened to Planet Abo was beyond anything we could have foreseen. Although Hikari has emerged from his hatred, it will take time for him to find peace.”

Taro nodded, falling silent as well.

Planet Abo was so close to the Land of Light.

Yet they, the warriors of light, had failed to uncover Boganru’s plot in time. Not only were all lifeforms on Abo wiped out in tragedy, but their chief scientist, Hikari, had been blinded by vengeance. Fortunately, Hikari had found his way out of the darkness. As long as he could do that, time would heal all wounds.

Sighing deeply, Taro could not help but lament, “If only Toregia could find his way back like Hikari did… At least then, he wouldn’t have disappeared without a trace.”

At the mention of Toregia, the usually silent Father of Ultra suddenly spoke. “Some time ago, while I was on a mission, I heard a rumor about Toregia. Would you like to hear it?”

Seeing his eagerness, Zoffy and the others could only smile wryly.

Their younger brother was fine in every respect, except when it came to Toregia—then he would lose all composure.

“Look how anxious you are,” Father of Ultra chuckled helplessly, and began recounting the tale.

“In truth, I can’t be certain it was Toregia. Last month, while I was heading toward a neighboring star, I happened to rescue a couple fleeing from another region of space. They told me that the Dark Galaxy had gained a new Heavenly King, known as the Evil God. This Evil God killed everyone he met, his methods incredibly ruthless. He even seemed stronger than the original Four Heavenly Kings. According to the couple’s description, he wore a mask that hid his features, but his physique was very much like ours—like an Ultra. Most crucially, he had a timer on his chest as well, only it was purple.”

…

—

In the dark reaches of the cosmos.

The five Heavenly Kings had assembled, though their positions clearly formed a tense triangular standoff. The atmosphere was heavy with a strange, unspoken tension.

At last, Mephilas could not contain himself any longer. With a mocking tone, he said, “Yapool, your so-called assassin wasn’t much at all—Mebius defeated him with ease. Pathetic.”

Yapool was instantly enraged and shot back, “Don’t get cocky! You’ve never succeeded either!”

“Hmph!” Mephilas snorted, stubborn as ever. “So what? At least we nearly defeated Mebius. If it weren’t for those bastards from the Land of Light, we would have already succeeded.”

“Exactly!” Desrem chimed in, “We managed to push Mebius to the brink more than once!”

Then, Grozam taunted in a sly, mocking voice, “Enough about failure. At least we were trying, unlike some people who use ‘missions’ as an excuse to wander the universe at their leisure.”

Immediately, every gaze turned toward Toregia.

“Yeah, you, the new kid,” Desrem barked, his temper flaring. “His Majesty ordered us to attack Earth, and you just ran off to play on your own! Are you just bored out of your mind?”

Ever since Toregia had become the fifth Heavenly King, the others had not dared to criticize him openly, but behind the scenes, they had spared no venom. Now that the chance had arrived, they were determined to let him have it.

All three of the other Kings wore looks of open provocation.

The four traditional Heavenly Kings had earned their titles through hard-won battles at the Emperor’s side. Even the addition of Yapool had irked them, though they tolerated it for the sake of the Emperor. But ever since Toregia’s arrival, everything had changed.

For twenty-five painstaking years, they had plotted their conquest of Earth, only for this damned Ultra to do nothing but wander around under the pretense of carrying out the Emperor’s orders. To make matters worse, the Emperor turned a blind eye to it all. The injustice was almost unbearable.

“Is there a problem?” Toregia opened his blue eyes, regarding Desrem with perfect calm.

That gaze was as if he were looking at an utter fool.

The tension in the room thickened.

Desrem froze, the muscles in his face twitching violently.

Is there a problem?

Such arrogance!

He was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and yet this newcomer dared speak to him like that!

“I’ll show you a problem, damn it!” Desrem roared, exploding with fury as he leaped forward.

Even if the Emperor himself arrived today, he would teach this upstart a lesson.

Facing Desrem’s rage, Toregia only let out a contemptuous chuckle. “Truly, a creature of brute strength and tiny mind. Very well, I’ll play along.”

Ever since he had gained the power of the Anpera Seijin, all his opponents had been of a level far below planetary class. Desrem, however, was a master of the fifth stellar tier.

Such an opponent was exactly what Toregia had been waiting for.