Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Eight: Leaving Nuock-Ultraman: Cycle of Chaos(Fallen Star, Sinking Moon)

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The continuous explosions of water columns finally roused Tregear, who had fused with the water element. He glanced at the surface of the sea, murmuring with a half-smile, “No wonder he’s a demon god with the power of water, able to cling to life even under the mightiest forces.”

The water element—among all the elements—was the most mysterious and unpredictable. It could become ice or turn to mist, and such transformations took mere seconds, far from the simplicity of other elements.

But what did possessing vast quantities of water power amount to, really? Tregear narrowed his eyes, a pure blue light flickering in his gaze.

Water element—fusion complete!

Exhaling softly, Tregear was about to retract the Orb Holy Sword, only to realize it was no longer at his side. He frowned, looking towards the beach where Gai stood. The Orb Holy Sword, which he had altered and corrupted with his own power, had been reclaimed by its master. There could be only one explanation: the Light of Orb had fully merged with Gai’s body, becoming a complete entity.

No matter. He already knew the locations of the other two elements. Whether or not he possessed the Holy Sword was now irrelevant.

Tregear withdrew his gaze, exhaling again. He lifted his hand slightly, and a sphere of water immediately formed in his palm. As his will shifted, the water changed as well—sometimes freezing, sometimes becoming vapor, or thinning into mist, ever changing and elusive.

He glanced at the Seven Star Sword locked in fierce battle with the Water Demon God below, and let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Those ancient demon gods are no mere cosmic beings—they are ultimate lifeforms!”

Even the weakest lifeforms born in the ancient era were ultimate lifeforms, and these three-headed demon gods had absorbed and fused with the water element for eons, their strength now rivaling the legendary. Otherwise, why would Noa have sealed them instead of destroying them outright?

Even if he had stripped them of the water element, their power would not diminish in such a short time.

“You can all stay here and play your little games,” Tregear muttered, flying away from Nuok.

Having acquired the water element, he saw no further reason to remain.

At that moment, the Seven Star rank warriors also noticed Tregear’s retreat.

“That bastard’s running!” Jient roared, snapping Nodanshamsha out of his stupor.

But the moment his gaze landed on the broken blade of the Nameless Sword, a spasm wracked his heart with pain.

Could the legendary sword really have been destroyed in his hands? Would he go down in history as the eternal sinner of the Seven Star Sword lineage?

Nodanshamsha felt the world spin, despair threatening to swallow him whole.

He turned his burning gaze toward the Water Demon Gods, shouting, “You monsters—all of you will die today!”

He slipped the broken Nameless Sword into his pack, then drew another blade.

This sword was called the Star Severer, symbol of the Cosmic Swordmasters’ clan chief, and the source of his own ultimate technique: Star Severer.

“You’ve truly angered me now,” Nodanshamsha’s single eye blazed with a fearsome red light.

At once, the entire sea turned crimson, and the space around them trembled violently.

“Secret Art—Meteor Severance!”

Gripping the sword in both hands, Nodanshamsha lunged forward, leaving a long, blood-red arc hanging in the air. His target: the eldest of the three Water Demon Gods, Gamakukira.

Nodanshamsha seethed with fury, but Gamakukira was driven to the utmost rage.

The breaking of his seal should have been a time of universal joy—he had even planned to invite the greatest warriors of the galaxy to celebrate. Yet, as soon as he emerged from the depths, some unknown powerhouse had robbed him of his water element.

And then these worms dared to provoke him further—did they really think he was easy prey?

“Roar!” Gamakukira bellowed, slamming both palms onto the sea.

A colossal wave rose, towering a hundred meters high, surging towards Nodanshamsha.

Yet Nodanshamsha charged fearlessly, like a lone warrior facing countless foes, unyielding and undaunted.

And he was alone.

The wave crashed over him, and Gamakukira sneered, “A mere insect—he should have vanished from this world long ago.”

Born in the ancient age, sealed away for countless millennia, Gamakukira could only feel profound contempt for the feeble powers of the present.

And yet, at that moment, a flicker of red light pierced through the calm waters.

Before Gamakukira could even react, Nodanshamsha appeared before him. Their eyes locked—a gaze brimming with boundless killing intent—and Gamakukira froze for a fraction of a second.

It was all the opening Nodanshamsha needed. His Star Severer blade cleaved straight through Gamakukira’s brow.

For an instant, the world seemed to freeze in a tableau of blood.

Nodanshamsha held his striking pose for three full seconds before collapsing to his knees, gasping for breath.

“Now you know what I’m capable of,” he chuckled weakly, turning to survey his handiwork.

But before he could see, a tentacle—he knew not from where—lashed viciously across his face.

With a sickening crack, his helmet shattered, blood spraying as he was sent hurtling a hundred yards into the sea, falling silent and still.

“Brother!” Yumezamsha screamed, scrambling headlong into the depths.

When she found Nodanshamsha, he was barely clinging to life.

Fugaku at last shed his earlier disdain, his tone grave: “Everyone, this monster is on a cosmic scale. We must use that move.”

“Agreed!” The remaining four voiced no objection.

The five gathered, lifting their demon blades in unison as a massive phantom samurai took form behind them, woven from their auras.

The Seven Star Swords did not require all seven to wield their power—two or three could suffice, though the might was far less than when all seven combined.

The five demon blades rose slowly into the air, merging under a mysterious force to form a massive sword with seven holes in its blade.

Ding!

Five clear tones rang out as the five holes glowed, the phantom samurai gripping the sword. A vast, overwhelming power swept across the entire planet Nuok.

Having already left the stratosphere, Tregear could not help but glance back, murmuring in surprise, “I never expected the power of just five could rival an ultimate lifeform. If all seven joined, could they threaten the supreme beings themselves?”

Boom!

In Tregear’s sight, a huge bulge rose from the sea of Nuok, energy within surging madly as if about to engulf the entire planet—a sight both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

But as spectacular as it was, Tregear had no time to watch. He turned and shot swiftly into space.

The water element was secured. Next up: the fire element.

Pushing his speed to the limit, exceeding the speed of light, he raced toward his next destination: the Planet of Fire, Nuonapi.

——

Meanwhile, the seas of Nuok had been blasted open, leaving a massive crater so deep the water could not refill it in time.

The three-headed Water Demon Gods lay battered and dying in the mud, while the Seven Star Sword warriors were little better, kneeling in the pit and gulping for air.

Only Yumezamsha remained able to fight.

Seeing that the demon gods yet lived, she hurriedly seized her needle blade, ready to strike the final blow.

“Stop! Stop at once!” A distant voice called.

Orb Ultraman descended from the sky, Salamni in his palm, shouting in alarm.

Seeing Orb, Yumezamsha paused, then asked, “Did you recover the Orb Holy Sword?”

“Ah… er, yes.” Orb nodded, unsure what to say.

In truth, he was puzzled—the Orb Holy Sword had returned on its own, and two new elements had appeared in its roulette. A good thing, but he could not feel truly happy. If that mysterious Ultra Warrior could steal it once, he could do so again. If the sword went missing, he would be unable to transform into Orb.

Fortunately, the sword had come back. As long as he maintained his transformation, things should be fine.

“Stop! You can’t kill the Water Demon Gods!” Salamni cried.

Only then did Yumezamsha notice the human, her gaze softening. “Why not?”

“Because…” Salamni hesitated, biting her lip, then blurted, “Because I released them. I can’t just watch you destroy them.”

“What?” Orb’s jaw dropped. Wasn’t it Tregear who freed the Water Demon Gods? How had it become her?

“I… I…” Salamni sighed in defeat and confessed the truth.

After hearing her out, Orb’s expression grew increasingly strange.

He couldn’t understand—how could unleashing the Water Demon Gods possibly stop a war? Did this girl really believe that Nuok’s current might could stand up to those three monsters?

“Salamni,” Orb said, “war is inevitable in the development of any civilization. If you wish to stop it, there are other ways. I told you before—I would help you.”

“But you cannot handle these monsters. They could destroy your planet in an instant— even the star-level warriors couldn’t defeat them. What you’ve done will only bring ruin to your world.”