Volume One, Chapter Fourteen: Mefilas, the Master of Timing

"What do we do? Fight or run?" Disrem murmured under his breath.

Though their strength was on par with Seven and the others, if the Father of Ultra really came, it would mean certain death. As the Grand Captain of the Land of Light, his power was not much less than the Emperor’s. That scene from years ago was still seared into their memories—the might of that sword strike was enough for a lifetime’s remembrance!

Mephilas said nothing, but instead spread his mental powers outward, sensing the flows of energy across the cosmos. If Seven spoke the truth, then surely other Ultras lay in ambush beyond Earth. Should they attempt escape, they would be attacked. If they chose to fight, once the Ultras closed in, they would be left with no path of retreat.

Damn it, it seemed like a deathtrap!

Mephilas’s face took on a livid hue. He hadn’t properly surveyed the surroundings before entering Earth, and now he’d fallen into the Land of Light’s snare.

"What now, Mephilas..." Disrem and Grozam, sensing the powers of light arrayed beyond Earth, began to panic as well. They’d thought dispatching Mebius would be easy, but instead had leapt into a den of wolves.

Mephilas hesitated a moment, then spoke in a low voice, "We’re leaving!"

Given the current situation, remaining on Earth would yield no benefit. Seven’s strength was not inferior to theirs, but the Ultras outside Earth must be weaklings. As long as they could break through the encirclement, they would be safe for the most part. Later, when they reported back to His Majesty, all these Ultras would be doomed!

Without a shred of hesitation, the three flared with energy, shooting skyward at breakneck speed.

"Don’t even think about it!"

Seven, the Original, and Jack sprang into action no slower than their foes, raising their hands as they launched after them like rockets.

Watching their departure, Misty laughed softly, murmuring, "Even the Father of Ultra is coming. It seems this battle will be the end for the Ampera Starmen."

Which meant he could leave at last—free from Ampera’s constraints, he could once more set out on the path to Borges! Yet to leave now would be a shame. After all, a grand battle was about to unfold.

Who could resist watching dogs tear at each other like this?

He chuckled quietly.

—

Just as Mephilas had surmised, a great number of Ultras were already encircling Earth. As soon as they ascended, they stumbled upon the aftermath of the Yapool's brutal demise.

"Mephilas." Ace, having dealt with the Yapool, turned slowly. "Today, none of you will escape."

Mephilas’s face was dark as he spoke in a low voice, "Grozam, Disrem, at this point we have only one choice..."

"I know, fight to the death, right? No problem!" Grozam immediately unleashed his own aura. Having followed the Emperor through countless battles over millennia, he had weathered storms far greater than a mere encirclement. Even if all the Ultra Brothers were present, so what?

"Then let’s fight!" Disrem let out a wild laugh. "It’s been tens of thousands of years since I last tasted Ultra blood!"

Mephilas, for his part, fell silent—so much for his plan to split up and run. Since these two fools wanted a fight, so be it... he would take the chance to escape.

"Let’s attack!"

Disrem roared, vanishing in an instant. Grozam followed close behind, releasing a wave of cold that seemed to freeze even Earth’s atmosphere into crystalline ice.

"Everyone, fall back!" Ace shouted urgently, not daring to be careless.

"Die, Ace!" Grozam bellowed, a burst of dark energy exploding in his grasp as he unleashed a frigid blast.

Ace hastily raised his Ultra Barrier, but it lasted less than a second before Disrem, arriving in a flash, shattered it with a single punch.

"Go to hell!" Disrem’s fist followed through, slamming brutally into Ace’s chest.

Boom!

Ace’s light dimmed sharply as he was violently flung away. At that moment, Grozam’s icy torrent surged forth.

Crack... crack... crack...

The Ultras at the vanguard were instantly frozen solid, plummeting downward as icy statues.

"This is bad!" Ace’s expression changed. He stabilized himself and dove after them. Losing control in space meant falling into the deepest abyss; if he didn’t save them in time, the consequences would be dire.

"Don’t think you can run!" Disrem was about to give chase when a jade-green ray barred his path—the very beam unleashed by the pursuing Seven.

Disrem’s face twisted in rage as he swung a fist straight back. A blast of terrifying dark energy formed into a shadowy fist, hurtling toward Seven and the others.

"I’ll handle him!" The Original charged to the fore, firing a plasma blade from his hand.

Szzz—

The fist shadow was torn apart, vanishing instantly. The light ring’s speed did not falter, shooting straight at Disrem.

Disrem did not dodge. Instead, as the light ring neared, he raised both hands and shattered it by sheer force.

"As expected of a famed Heavenly King—impressive," the Original remarked, eyes narrowing. He clasped his arms together and fired the M78 Ray. "Let’s see how strong you truly are!"

Meanwhile, Seven and Jack had already surrounded Grozam.

Seeing two Ultras targeting him, Grozam grew suspicious. "Where’s Mephilas?"

He glanced around—Mephilas was nowhere to be seen, clearly having slipped away in the chaos.

"That bastard, he actually..." Grozam nearly coughed blood from anger as he realized what happened. They were supposed to fight to the death together, and now he’d been abandoned!

A flash of green caught his eye—Grozam refocused, swatting aside Seven’s head fin. "You damn Ultras, don’t push your luck!"

"Heh," Seven sneered. "Still so talkative on the brink of death—go to hell!"

As he spoke, Seven’s Wide Shot fired from his elbow, and Jack immediately followed up with his Specium Ray.

"Heh, I’m immortal, you know."

Faced with the Ultras' ultimate attacks, Grozam let them strike his body.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, his body was blown to pieces, but just as quickly, the fragments drew together, re-forming him.

"His powers are tricky—be careful, Jack," Seven warned, then turned and flew toward Earth. He had suddenly thought of Mebius.

Mebius, having acquired the power of the Burning Brave on Earth, would be best suited to counter Grozam’s icy might with fire.

Seeing Seven flee, Grozam immediately taunted, "What’s wrong, afraid?"

"Not at all." Jack shook his head slightly, replying calmly, "To deal with you, I alone am enough."

"Such arrogance!" Grozam growled, unleashing another frost wave. "Jack, let me see how much you’re worth!"

Jack could only dodge the oncoming cold. Though Mephilas led the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, Grozam was the most difficult to handle—first for his immortality, and second for his ice powers that were a bane to the Ultras.