Volume One, Chapter 15: The Fall of the Heavenly King

All throughout the universe, it was common knowledge: the Ultra Clan relied on light energy to replenish their strength. And within that light, the most vital component was heat. Light and heat complemented each other, becoming the very source of life for the Ultras.

Yet what Grozam’s cold current countered was precisely light and heat. Combined with the power of darkness, his terrifying might far exceeded that of the other three Heavenly Kings.

Constantly evading the frigid streams, Jack’s battle was clearly turning against him. At that moment, he caught sight of Seven’s head fin. Since being knocked away by Desserium, the head fin had been floating in the distance, reflecting the images of the First and Desserium.

Jack’s gaze sharpened; he suddenly accelerated, but his charge was aimed at Desserium instead. If Grozam was difficult to handle, then he would eliminate Desserium first!

At that moment, Desserium was still locked in a stalemate with the First, his focus entirely on the struggle, leaving him blind to Jack’s approach. In the blink of an eye, Jack burst in behind him, a blade of light forming in his hand, clearly intending to end it in a single strike.

“Look out!” Grozam’s warning came too late.

Perhaps it was the imminent threat of death, but Desserium instinctively turned his head, meeting Jack’s eyes at point-blank range.

A sharp sound split the silence—the blade of light mercilessly sliced through Desserium’s neck. His movement froze, pupils dilating in shock.

With the dark energy’s collapse, the First’s beam of light broke free like an unbridled steed, thundering forth.

“Farewell, schemer Desserium,” Jack murmured, pushing off Desserium’s body with both feet. As he kicked him into the onrushing beam, Jack himself sprang away.

A thunderous explosion erupted. The beam pierced Desserium’s body, blossoming into a dazzling firework in the void of space, devouring his last vestige of life.

A king of his era, fallen.

“Desserium!” Grozam roared in fury, energy surging through his body like boiling water. His cold current surged forth, forming a river of ice, flooding toward the two Ultras like a deluge breaching its banks.

Faced with such terrifying power, Jack and the First dared not meet it head-on. They could only activate their Ultra Barriers in defense.

The power of a stellar-level being was enough to shake the very heavens and earth. Grozam, a legendary force among stellar-class warriors, wielded unimaginable energy.

A few Ultras on the periphery attempted to help, but as soon as they drew near, they were assailed by the glacial cold, instantly frozen solid.

Witnessing this, the remaining Ultras instinctively stepped back, fear written across their faces.

Within the cold current, Jack and the First stared intently at their barriers, their gazes shifting toward Earth. Within the solar system, they could absorb little energy; if this continued, they would not last much longer.

At this moment, Seven had already returned to the surface. Seeing the frozen Mebius, he tried his utmost to gather light to melt the ice, but to no avail.

“Ultraseven, I’ve long heard you’re a fourth-level stellar master. Let me see your strength for myself.” A cold, chilling voice sounded behind him.

Seven glanced back, stunned. “Tregear!”

Indeed, before him stood none other than Tregear, the long-missing blue Ultra warrior of the Land of Light.

“What are you doing on Earth?” Seven rose swiftly, about to approach, when his steps faltered. He had just noticed the dark aura seeping from Tregear’s body.

“You...” Seven’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s right,” Tregear replied calmly, tracing lines of darkness in the air with his fingers. Turning his head, he added, “As you see, I am now a dark Ultra warrior.”

Seven’s chest heaved, his breath growing labored. The fall of an Ultra warrior was something he—and all of the Land of Light—least wished to witness.

“Can you tell me why?” Seven looked Tregear in the eye, his voice trembling. “Is the temptation of forsaking the light truly so great?”

“No,” Tregear shook his head slightly, voice tranquil. “To me, the world isn’t divided between light and darkness. They are, in fact, one and the same. Where, then, is the temptation?”

“And there’s something else you’re mistaken about.” Tregear raised both hands. In his left palm, a faint glow appeared. “I have not abandoned the light.”

Seven’s pupils shrank at the sight of that light, and when he saw the dark glow in Tregear’s other hand, his eyes widened further.

“This... impossible!” Seven murmured in disbelief, unable to trust his own eyes. Light and darkness had always been opposites—how could they coexist in one being? How could such a thing be possible?

“No need for astonishment,” Tregear said coolly. “Light and darkness are the same at their core, born from the same source. It’s just... you have drawn too sharp a line between them.”

As these last words fell, Tregear’s form flickered. In a heartbeat, he was before Seven, striking out with a fist.

Seven froze for a moment, then quickly raised his arm to block.

As a senior officer of the Intergalactic Defense Force, his combat experience and martial prowess were among the finest in the Land of Light. But no matter how profound his experience, could it surpass that of Tregear, who had lived two lives as an Ultra and fused with Grimdo’s memories?

Clearly, it could not.

Mid-punch, Tregear abruptly pulled back, then lifted his left leg and delivered a vicious kick.

At such close range, Seven sensed danger but could not react in time.

A heavy blow—the force knocked aside his arm, and the kick struck his jaw with full force.

A crisp crack resounded as bone shattered, and Seven was sent flying.

Without pause, Tregear leapt after him, body spinning in a full arc, and with a roundhouse kick, smashed into Seven’s abdomen.

The impact was like a boulder striking flesh; Seven crashed to the ground.

When he struggled to his feet, the timer on his chest had already begun to blink.

Two moves—just two moves, and he was already at this point.

Seven stared in shock, his gaze trembling.

But Tregear did not press the attack. Instead, he turned and began to walk away.

“Stop...” Seven tried to follow, but the agony in his abdomen halted him after only a few steps.

Lifting his head again, he shouted, “If there’s still light in your heart, why don’t you return to the Land of Light?”

Tregear paused, then resumed walking.

“Because I want to prove that light and darkness have equal worth.”

Seven frowned, his voice low and grave. “Light is light, darkness is darkness—this world has never been equal. Your actions will only lead you deeper into the abyss.”

This time, Tregear said nothing.

Because... there was no longer any need.