Chapter Forty-Two: The Third Giant

"It's the Black Ultraman!"
"The Black Ultraman has appeared again!"
As the crowd looked up at the sky to see a giant figure, pitch-black from head to toe, speeding toward them, they erupted in cheers and excitement.

Across the boundless Pacific Ocean, where the blue waves rippled ceaselessly, within the command center of the TPC base—
"Captain, two giants have appeared in Kumamoto City! And that Black Ultraman is back again!"
Norie, his face full of shock, quickly pulled up the footage on the main screen.
On the screen, a silver giant was rampaging through the city in wild destruction, while Black Ultraman descended like a savior...
"How can this be?..."
Captain Rena stared at the screen, exclaiming in astonishment, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.
"What in the world is going on?"
Even Director Sawai, usually so calm, could not maintain his composure.
Most of the Victory Team was still out in space, leaving them unable to respond to the current situation.
"Could it be… that there will be more giants appearing on Earth from now on?"
Director Sawai fell into deep thought.

Elsewhere, Dagu had just managed to rescue everyone trapped on Mecha Island, only to be confronted by another mechanical monster on the island, and was now locked in a desperate battle with it.

Back in Kumamoto City—
Keigo Masaki, having transformed into a giant for the first time, was utterly inexperienced in true combat and unable to wield the giant's real power. He was easily subdued by Ryusei Yuezawa, who used his physical prowess to pin him to the ground.
A gentle tearing sound—
Ryusei Yuezawa extended his silver right palm toward the kneeling and gasping Keigo Masaki, releasing a soft, deep violet light. That light, like a trickling spring, purified the darkness within Keigo Masaki, turning him back into his human form.
Then, with a firm gesture, Yuezawa drew in the purple glow, and along with it, Masaki's human body floated gently into his hand.

"That is..."
Captain Rena's eyes widened as she watched Masaki return to human form on the screen, but the purple light that enveloped him kept his figure obscured.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Black Ultraman lifted his head and soared into the void, leaving behind only the ruins of battle.

Within the cave of the Tokararin Ruins—
Keigo Masaki lay unconscious on the ground, while Ryusei Yuezawa sat quietly to one side.
"Ah, this was all my fault," Yuezawa admitted with some guilt. He could not avoid responsibility for the destruction of Kumamoto City this time.
After all, it was his own hand that had given the Divine Light Rod to Keigo Masaki, which allowed the darkness within the Dark Divine Light Rod to corrupt him.

Time slipped by like water.
Keigo Masaki awakened from his faint, startled by the noise.
"Ah, yes, boss!"

…
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had an urgent matter, so I forgot to come to work today..."
…
Yuezawa was bowing and nodding as he spoke into his phone, clearly speaking to his boss, the director of the Ichiryu Dojo—Masao Chiba.
He had gotten so caught up in his plan to leave this dimension that he had forgotten he was supposed to work today.

After Yuezawa awkwardly hung up, he turned to find Keigo Masaki awake and watching him with a strange expression.
"Um... you're awake..."
Yuezawa scratched his head in embarrassment.

"You... you don't seem to be pure light. You are darkness," Keigo Masaki said quietly.
"I miscalculated," Yuezawa replied with a bitter smile.
"What I have inherited is not just light, but even more, darkness."
He lowered his head, pressing his hand over his left chest. Even through his clothes, he could feel the dark power of the Dark Divine Light Rod.
"But you, you who have no evil in your heart, you are the one who can inherit the light!"
Yuezawa lifted his head, clapping both of Masaki's shoulders with purpose.

"But like this... does that mean I've failed?"
Masaki clutched his chest. The first time the golden particles of light danced within him, he had felt a warm current flow through his heart.
Even now, he could still sense the lingering warmth, still alive inside him.

"If you truly wish to become the guardian of this planet, you must seek out another."
Yuezawa spoke solemnly.
"You mean that guy in the Victory Team, right?"
Masaki suddenly smiled and went on, "I was going to look for him at first, but then I found you. Compared to the Victory Team, your status as an ordinary citizen made you easier to approach."

"Is that so? Then I look forward to the birth of another warrior of light!"
With a smile, Yuezawa turned and walked away, leaving Masaki alone in the ruins, lost in thought.

A long time passed.
"I must become the light!!"
Keigo Masaki swore this vow deep in his heart.

———

After leaving the cave, Yuezawa hailed a taxi and hurried back to the Hokushin Ichiryu Dojo.
"Giggle, my great coach, you’ve finally arrived!"

No sooner had Yuezawa gotten out of the car, before he could reach the entrance, he heard Sonoko Aoki’s tinkling laughter from afar as she stood with several students in front of the dojo.
"Uh, well, let’s begin today’s training..."
Yuezawa approached the entrance, smiling awkwardly at everyone.
"It’s almost noon!"
Sonoko Aoki rolled her eyes at him.
"Coach Aze, why are you always disappearing on us?"
Masako Haneda, as sweet as ever, asked curiously, her nose adorned with a few freckles that only made her more endearing.
"Pfft, you just don’t get it, do you? It must be that Coach’s girlfriend asked him out!"
The short, chubby boy chimed in with a mischievous grin.
"Wow, does Coach Aze really have a girlfriend?"
Sonoko Aoki’s sparkling eyes widened with curiosity and surprise.
"Hey, hey, Yoshida, don’t just make things up!"
Lines of exasperation creased Yuezawa’s brow as he massaged his temples.
"Ha, don’t worry, Coach, I promise not to spread rumors! Your secret’s safe with me!" Yoshida declared, thumping his chest.
"Yeah, we’ll all keep your secret. Next time, we won’t let the director find out that you sneak out for a date during work hours!"
Another student, Koichi Masano, echoed with a laugh.
Suppressing his annoyance, Yuezawa gave both Yoshida and Koichi a playful knock on their heads.
Yoshida clutched his head in exaggerated misery, like a scolded little girl—no small feat for a 150-pound fellow—eliciting even more laughter from the group.

"Heavens, what kind of students have I ended up with..."
Yuezawa looked up and sighed in mock despair.

…
They all ordered takeout for lunch, gathering in the dojo to eat and rest, sharing amusing stories and chatting about the latest topics.
Leaning against the wall, Yuezawa gazed absentmindedly at the small hole in the wall, left by the bullet from that mysterious gunman. He found himself thinking again about the organization behind that man in black—who were they, really?
Shaking his head to dispel these troubling thoughts, he reminded himself that for now, work came first...
Fortunately, no one had noticed the bullet hole. The spot, blending into its surroundings, was inconspicuous enough.
Yuezawa mused that next time, he should get a rug to cover it up...
As for the shattered window from before, it had been fixed the very next day; everyone simply assumed some mischievous child or stray animal had broken it.

After a short rest, Yuezawa led everyone into training.
Inside the dojo, a group of young people began to sweat and strive together.