Chapter 123: Spacium Matter

Mars’s atmosphere was thin and bitterly cold. Across its surface, strewn with dunes and gravel, Ultraman Mebius pierced the enormous bodies of the two monsters with his familiar finishing move, the Mebium Ray, ending their lives in an instant.

Looking over the desolation that covered the ground, Mebius let out a quiet breath. Then he turned and looked toward the sky, where Zero and Yue Longze were still floating and bickering incessantly. He had noticed their arrival long ago.

Neither Zero nor Yue Longze was a stranger to Mebius.

When they saw Mebius looking their way, Yue Longze and Zero immediately flew over and landed lightly upon the dry, gravel-strewn surface of Mars.

...

“Long time no see, Zero—and this gentleman...”

Mebius suddenly fell silent. He had no idea what to call Yue Longze.

Mr. Black Ultraman? That sounded rather strange...

“Just call him Little Zeze.”

Zero, standing nearby with his arms folded across his chest, casually tossed out the remark.

“Oh. So you’re Little Zeze!”

Mebius nodded earnestly, giving the matter no further thought.

Yue Longze cast a rather helpless glance at Zero, then turned his gaze back to Mebius. “My name is Yue Longze. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Mebius blinked, then glanced at Zero and scratched his head. “I think I’ll just call you Young Master Yue...”

Truthfully, Mebius also felt that “Little Zeze” sounded rather odd. It carried a peculiar hint of... well, something not entirely wholesome.

Yue Longze nodded, indicating that he did not mind whatever name Mebius chose. Then, with an entirely serious expression, he complained to Mebius, “Big Brother Mebius, could you please discipline your nephew? He’s terribly violent!”

Mebius immediately looked somewhat embarrassed. Since this nephew of his was only about two years younger, he had always deliberately avoided acknowledging this strange generational relationship.

But Mebius had always been warmhearted and found it difficult to refuse anyone’s request. Scratching his head awkwardly, he shifted his gaze toward Zero.

“Um... Zero, Ultra Warriors aren’t supposed to use violence indiscriminately.”

Mebius spoke with a slight stammer.

He did not know why. He was usually a rather shy person, but he had never been this awkward before.

Mebius always felt that his nominal nephew possessed an extraordinarily imposing aura.

When Zero said nothing, he gave off an unmistakable air of “keep your distance.” Especially now, standing there with his arms folded...

Seeing Mebius behave this way, Zero found it both amusing and entertaining, but he forcibly suppressed his laughter. He had to remain composed and preserve his cool, aloof image in front of Mebius.

Yue Longze, who had witnessed everything, had only one thought in his heart.

Mebius was simply too adorable!

But then Zero suddenly seemed to remember something. He whipped his head around and glared fiercely at Yue Longze.

“Hey! What did you just call him... Big Brother Mebius?”

At that, Yue Longze immediately lowered his head and began scraping at the gravel on the Martian surface with one foot, pretending to be unconcerned.

In truth, he had done it deliberately.

By calling Mebius “Big Brother,” he had raised his own seniority by an entire level, effectively becoming Zero’s elder!

Seeing Yue Longze bow his head, struggling not to laugh, how could Zero fail to realize that the title had been intentional?

He immediately prepared to rap Yue Longze on the head again, but Yue Longze, already on guard, dodged the blow.

...

“See, Big Brother Mebius? Your nephew really is incredibly violent!”

Yue Longze flashed away from Zero and continued complaining to Mebius.

Mebius merely smiled without saying anything. By now, he had seen through the relationship between Yue Longze and Zero. They were companions, much like Mebius and Hikari.

The thought of Hikari brought a trace of melancholy to Mebius.

The blue-skinned Ultra Warriors of the Land of Light had originally possessed no combat ability. Hikari was an exception. Not only was he a top-tier researcher, but he was also an exceptionally capable fighter. At that very moment, he was battling across the universe, slaughtering monsters and mass-produced Darklops wherever he went.

...

Mebius dispelled his thoughts and once again focused on Yue Longze and Zero, who were still noisily bickering.

Would this kind of happiness continue forever?

Although Mebius ranked at the bottom among the Ultra Brothers, he still knew that Yue Longze was a mysterious warrior whom the Father of Ultra had personally ordered Zero to bring from another universe. It seemed that Yue Longze carried some important mission upon his shoulders.

“Hmm? What’s that?”

While continuing to joke and quarrel with Zero, Yue Longze waved a hand at him, signaling that they should pause for a moment. Then he lightly tapped the ground with his toes and shot forward like a swift, graceful sparrow.

In barely ten seconds, Yue Longze reached a pitch-black stone roughly the size of an Ultra Warrior’s fist. He crouched down, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand several times.

The stone seemed to possess an extremely high density. It felt surprisingly heavy in his grasp.

Yue Longze’s eyes narrowed slightly. The uneven black stone was highly unusual.

He could sense a certain energy emanating from it.

During his special training in subspace, the original Ultraman had repeatedly bombarded him with Specium Rays. As a result, Yue Longze had become extremely sensitive to the aura of that technique.

And this rough, pitch-black stone was radiating the very aura of a Specium Ray!

Zero and Mebius flew over from nearby.

“Hey, what are you doing, Little Zeze?” Zero asked, sounding somewhat displeased.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, his gaze fell upon the black stone in Yue Longze’s hand.

“That’s...”

Zero slapped his forehead as though he had remembered something, but for the moment he could not quite recall what it was.

“Specium substance,” Mebius supplied.

“Oh, right, right, right! That stuff! Specium substance!”

Hearing Mebius say it, Zero slapped his thigh and finally remembered.

“Huh?”

Yue Longze stared in astonishment at the irregular black stone in his hand, his heart filled with shock.

“So this is the legendary Specium substance...”

He murmured under his breath.

“If you’re interested, you can try comprehending the Specium Ray from it,” Mebius said kindly as he walked over to Yue Longze.

“Comprehend the Specium Ray?!”

Yue Longze was stunned. Could the Specium Ray really be obtained in such a manner?

“Specium substance may not be particularly rare, but it isn’t something one can encounter whenever one wishes. This is a fortunate opportunity!”

Mebius patted Yue Longze on the shoulder. His meaning was clear: he wanted Yue Longze to try comprehending the Specium Ray.

“That’s right, kid! Treasure this opportunity!”

Zero stepped forward as well, encouraging Yue Longze to give it a try. After all, there could only be benefits and no harm.