Chapter 120: The Arrival of Zoda
The two continued their journey through the cosmos, slaying countless mass-produced Dark Lopus units and monsters infected by dark energy.
Both Zero and Yue Longze were almost completely shrouded in an intense killing aura, so ordinary, weaker monsters did not dare approach them.
...
Deep in the universe, Yue Longze and Zero slew the last Dark Lopus in the area, then immediately turned to look at the Ultraman before them, whose form was gradually dissolving. Their hearts were filled with indescribable fury.
He had been a reserve member of the Space Garrison, an exceptionally capable warrior, yet he had still fallen to the overwhelming numbers of the Dark Lopus.
“Damn it!”
Zero clenched his fists, consumed by rage. One of his own kind had been killed by Dark Lopus units created in his likeness, and he found it almost unbearable.
“If only we had arrived one minute earlier... Just one minute!”
Yue Longze sighed, filled with deep regret. The fallen warrior had possessed tremendous potential, yet his life had been cut short here.
As they lamented, the Ultraman’s form completely disintegrated, transforming into countless points of light that drifted through the profound darkness of space.
This turbulent age of the universe was destined to be filled with bloodshed and slaughter.
“Let’s go, Zero.”
Yue Longze stepped forward and comforted the indignant Zero. “The dead are gone. We must protect those who are still alive!”
Zero turned his head and glanced at Yue Longze with his sharp, pale-yellow eyes. He said nothing, merely nodding lightly. The two then set off once more, continuing their search for prey to eradicate.
...
The two flew deeper into the universe. Whether it was good fortune or bad, they encountered neither monsters nor mass-produced Dark Lopus along the way.
Stars and celestial bodies glittered in the distance. The two stopped on a small asteroid to rest for a while.
Yue Longze found a flat stretch of ground, dropped himself onto the asteroid’s surface, and then lay down, using his hands as a pillow. He looked utterly languid.
...
“The senior said that the power of light is merely dormant within me. It hasn’t been completely lost...”
He pondered how he might recover the light he had lost.
Zero, meanwhile, sat quietly on a cold rock, arms folded across his chest, staring blankly into the distance. No one knew what he was thinking. Perhaps he was blaming himself for failing to save the Ultraman earlier.
Yue Longze sensed the change in Zero and secretly shook his head. He could understand that feeling.
When he had once been possessed by the Raybrad Alien, he had personally killed two passionate warriors from the Space Patrol.
Even now, Yue Longze still carried a profound sense of guilt.
He hated the Raybrad Alien, but he hated himself even more. Why had he been so weak?
And the being he despised so deeply still existed within him.
...
Just as the two had fallen into silence, an enormous, sinister figure appeared above them.
Two horns grew from its head, and a cape hung across its back.
“Heh heh heh...”
The grim figure let out an evil laugh.
“Juda?!”
Yue Longze and Zero snapped out of their silence at the same time. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense and oppressive, and both unconsciously clenched their fists.
The demon Juda possessed terrifying power. He was as notoriously infamous as the Raybrad Alien—perhaps even more so. The Father of Ultra had once called him the eternal enemy of the Land of Light.
This might become a battle to the death.
“Has this day finally arrived...?”
Yue Longze’s gaze turned solemn. He remained fully alert, guarding against a sudden attack from Juda at any moment.
Zero instantly transformed into his Ultimate Form. Silver armor covered his upper body, while the Ultimate Zero Sword in his hand radiated a razor-sharp presence.
“Heh heh. Don’t be so tense.”
Juda’s voice was distant and eerie. His form appeared extremely indistinct, as though he possessed no physical body.
“I merely wanted to admire this Ultraman who possesses the purest dark energy. I’m truly looking forward to taking over that body!”
....
The Ultraman with the purest dark energy was obviously Yue Longze.
Hearing Juda’s words, Yue Longze was once again filled with doubts.
He seemed to be rather special in their eyes.
“Am I prey to them?”
Yue Longze caught the look in Juda’s eyes and sensed the covetous desire directed toward him.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
Zero showed no fear in the face of the powerful Juda.
Yue Longze, however, said nothing. He simply fired a blue palm-sized beam of light.
The small blue beam passed straight through Juda’s enormous body and struck the celestial body behind him.
“As expected, he has no physical form.”
Yue Longze pondered this silently.
“Heh heh heh. What a violent fellow.”
Juda laughed wickedly once more. “I’ll come back for you, my little prey, after a few more days.”
With that, Juda’s form vanished from space. The stars that had been concealed behind his enormous phantom body emerged once again.
....
“How utterly inexplicable...”
That was what both Yue Longze and Zero were thinking. Had Juda appeared only to say those things?
“Although I don’t know what that fellow is planning, still...”
Zero suddenly spoke.
“Still what?”
Zero’s words piqued Yue Longze’s curiosity.
Zero turned around and said seriously, “Still, I think the current Juda shouldn’t possess the ability to launch a direct attack.”
“Is that so?”
Yue Longze murmured thoughtfully.
“Right now, Juda probably only has the ability to control or create monsters.”
A glimmer flashed through Zero’s sharp, rebellious-looking eyes.
“Hmm...”
Yue Longze rested his chin in his hand and fell into thought.
“In other words, the current situation is this: Juda cannot attack us directly, while we cannot attack Juda directly because he has no physical form.”
Yue Longze slowly voiced his interpretation.
“That should be correct.”
Zero dispelled his Ultimate Form and nodded, agreeing with Yue Longze.
Their deduction was indeed accurate. Juda, who currently possessed no physical body, truly lacked the ability to launch direct attacks. However, he could continuously create monsters or control them.
....
“Regardless, our immediate priority is to continue increasing our strength!”
As he spoke, Yue Longze glanced toward the direction in which Juda had disappeared and continued, “I’m afraid that the next time Juda appears, he’ll already have a physical body!”
This was Yue Longze’s intuition.
At present, Yue Longze knew of two ways to defeat Juda.
The first was to strike while Juda still lacked a physical body. By using a massive amount of dark energy to repair the spatial distortions caused by Juda’s resurrection, he could completely erase Juda in one decisive blow.
The second was to wait until Juda acquired a physical body. Once that happened, ordinary attacks would become effective against him, and they could fight with everything they had to kill him.
...
The first method required him to possess an enormous amount of dark energy. Yue Longze’s current energy reserves were nowhere near sufficient to meet that condition.
The second required him to possess overwhelming combat power. Alternatively, he could join forces with others and surround Juda, delivering the decisive blow himself at the end.
Relatively speaking, the second method was somewhat easier, since he could receive the assistance of other Ultramen. The first method, however, would rely entirely on him alone, because he was the only one in the Land of Light who possessed dark energy.