Volume One, Chapter 11: Target—Earth!

"Stop—!"

At that tense moment, a voice echoed from the depths of darkness—it was the Emperor from Ampera. Instantly, Desrem, who had been leaping into the air, crashed heavily to the ground, as if a mountain had suddenly been placed upon his back, rendering him immobile.

"All hail, Your Majesty!"

Toregia and the other three Heavenly Kings hurriedly greeted him with utmost respect.

The figure of the Amperan Emperor slowly emerged, still exuding the aura of a sovereign who looked down on all creation.

"Spare me, Your Majesty! Please spare me!" The once arrogant Desrem immediately cowered, begging for mercy.

The moment the pressure on his body vanished, he groveled and kowtowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!"

"Rise." The Emperor gave him a cold glance, then continued, "Earth must fall to me. This time, the five of you will attack together."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor nodded slightly, his voice suddenly sharp as a blade. "If you fail again, then you will no longer have the right to live."

At these words, the four Heavenly Kings trembled and hastily responded, "We will not betray Your Majesty's trust!"

"Toregia, that includes you as well!"

—

Earth, situated in the Solar System—a beautiful planet inhabited by humans.

Though it was not his first visit, Toregia still felt a trace of nostalgia upon arrival.

He transformed into a human form and walked up to a food stall in a park. After rummaging through his pockets for a long, long time, he finally produced a single coin.

The sight made the young woman running the ice cream stand feel embarrassed for him.

In the end, she simply gave it to him for free!

"Thank you," Mist Qie said with a gentle smile as he accepted the ice cream, the enchanting curve of his lips nearly causing the young woman to lose herself.

When she regained her senses, all that remained was the receding black-and-white silhouette of his back.

Although this mission was meant to involve all five Heavenly Kings, the other four, in their arrogance, clearly disdained working alongside Toregia.

In their eyes, the Emperor was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Mebius—just a fledgling Ultraman of planetary rank—any one of them could easily destroy him.

Why send all five?

That was their thinking, and Yapool felt the same.

Eager for action, he too had taken human form and was lurking in the park.

Mist Qie sat half-reclined on a bench, watching the crowds of humans passing by, his thoughts wandering back to his previous life.

Scenes of peace and harmony were things he, too, yearned for.

Yet everything has its balance—light and darkness, for instance...

"How is Takuto doing?"

A young couple appeared in Mist Qie's line of sight, descending the steps with smiles brimming on their faces.

But Mist Qie's attention lingered on them only a moment before fixing on a small vendor at the bottom of the stairs.

The man was dressed in black, clutching a bunch of balloons in his hand.

He looked like a magician, but there was a deep gloominess about him.

In short, he did not look like a good person.

"So, Yapool, is it?" Mist Qie chuckled, leaning his arm on the bench's armrest as he watched with interest.

Yapool saw him too and shot him a look of pure disdain.

To think someone would eat human junk food while on a mission—utter trash!

Ignoring Mist Qie, Yapool focused his attention on Mebius.

Indeed, the young man in the couple was Mebius's human form—Mirai Hibino.

He seemed very young, barely twenty by human standards, and his bright smile was infectious.

As Mist Qie observed, his brow furrowed.

He rose and turned his gaze toward the men's side.

There was no mistake—there, a gateway to a parallel world had appeared!

(The time-space signal source from Mebius's "Great Battle of 8 Brothers" movie.)

Perhaps at this moment, no one in the universe understood the existence of parallel universes.

But Mist Qie knew perfectly well.

He silently noted the location of the anomaly, then left.

Just then, the azure sky shattered like a broken mirror, splitting open with a jagged rift.

Within the chasm, a red figure could be glimpsed.

Seeing his secret weapon transported over, Yapool tore off his disguise and pointed at Mirai, his voice sinister with glee: "Mebius, your end has come!"

As one of the Heavenly Kings, he scorned the idea of personally laying hands on a mere fledgling, so he had specially brought forth the mechanical killer he had developed himself.

Even using this weapon against Mebius felt beneath him.

Nevertheless, the Emperor had spoken in no uncertain terms—failure was not an option, or the consequences would be dire.

Crack!

The space shattered completely, and the mechanical killer leapt out.

Mirai dared not hesitate. Right before his girlfriend, he produced the Mebium Brace and transformed.

A flash of light, and Mebius stood before the mechanical killer.

Atop a nearby building, Yapool still clutched his balloons, a look of mockery on his face.

As long as he could bring back Mebius's head, it would be a great feat—even if the Emperor gave him nothing, the chance to show off before the others was reward enough.

"Ahahaha... ahahaha!"

Yapool could not restrain his laughter; shrill and eerie, it sounded almost like a eunuch's cackle.

"Your laugh is truly unpleasant," Mist Qie said, approaching to stand beside him.

Yapool glanced at him, snorting coldly. "So it's you. What, here to steal my glory?"

He had suspected as much from the start—the other three Heavenly Kings had all stayed hidden, and only Toregia and himself appeared in the park. If not to take advantage, what else could it be?

But Mist Qie just smiled and shook his head. "I've no need to stoop so low as to fight you for credit. I came only to witness how you would lose to Mebius."

"What did you say?!" Yapool exploded in anger.

To say he would lose to Mebius—what an insult! This was contempt, pure and simple.

Did Mist Qie really think he was so easy to take advantage of?

Mist Qie said nothing more, instead quietly observing Mebius.

He had once known this Ultraman, but only in passing.

If not for Taro, he and Mebius might never have exchanged a word.

But it no longer mattered.

Now, he stood in open enmity with the Land of Light.

As for Taro, there was no connection left between them at all.