Chapter Forty-Four: The Demon God Einomina

“Friends from the Land of Light, are you all well? ... Xiao Xiang, have you been taking care of yourself...”

In the distance, a tall, slender figure stood on the snow-covered horizon. Against the pale sky, his silhouette exuded an air of solitude.

The figure belonged to Yue Longze.

“Wait for me, everyone. I’ll be back soon,” Yue Longze murmured to himself.

Having once traveled to the Land of Light together with Zero, Yue Longze knew only the space-time coordinates of that world; he had no means to return to the other Diga timeline.

Moreover, returning to the Land of Light and defeating Zoda once and for all was his mission.

“That guy, Masaki Keigo, must have already sought out Da Gu, right?” Yue Longze raised his gaze to the sky. He genuinely hoped Masaki Keigo would become a righteous Ultra warrior, so that even after he left this timeline, Da Gu wouldn’t have to fight alone.

The old, second-hand phone in his pocket rang with an ear-splitting tone reminiscent of a device for seniors. Yue Longze hurriedly took it out and checked the caller ID.

Seeing the name Mihoko displayed on the screen, a subtle curve appeared at the corner of Yue Longze’s lips. Since their parting at the dojo that day, neither had reached out to the other.

“Hey! Long time no see, Mihoko!” Yue Longze pressed the answer button and greeted her with a playful tone.

“Yes, it has been a while,” Mihoko’s gentle voice sounded from the other end of the line.

“Aze-kun, today... do you have time to have a meal with me?” Mihoko seemed a little shy over the phone; one could easily imagine her cheeks were flushed red.

“Ah... Of course, I have time,” Yue Longze paused noticeably, but still agreed.

They chatted idly for a while before Mihoko reluctantly hung up.

“Am I really that charming?” Yue Longze rubbed his nose and laughed foolishly. But he hadn’t forgotten—he already had a girlfriend!

Today was a day off; Yue Longze didn’t have work. By noon, he donned his stylish black wool coat, stepped into retro brown boots, and navigated the bustling streets, arriving punctually at the place he’d arranged to meet Mihoko.

“Gillam Restaurant.” Yue Longze muttered as he looked up at the sign, the Western eatery he and Mihoko had agreed on.

Across from the Gillam Restaurant was a small open plaza. Recently, a hardworking troupe had been performing there, but their show attracted little attention.

Perhaps on such a cold, snowy day, no one wanted to sit through a dull clown act.

Standing beneath the Gillam Restaurant sign, Yue Longze squinted at the distant troupe, his keen eyesight picking out details, and frowned.

“Aze-kun!”

A sweet voice rang in Yue Longze’s ear. He turned suddenly and saw Mihoko waving her delicate hand, as white as jade, running toward him with a fashionable pink shoulder bag.

He was surprised by Mihoko’s appearance. The worn sneakers from their last meeting were replaced by brand-new black, knee-high boots exuding a queenly allure. Her black hair fell casually over her shoulders, and she seemed to have put on light makeup.

“Mihoko...?” Yue Longze was stunned by her beauty—it was as if she were a different person! Compared to their last meeting, her style had completely changed.

“What’s wrong, can’t recognize me, Aze-kun?” Mihoko smiled sweetly, two charming dimples appearing on her fair cheeks. Both wore black coats, looking very much like a couple.

“Ah, you’re so beautiful today, so...” Yue Longze laughed sheepishly, scratching his head, but before he could finish, Mihoko interrupted.

“What do you mean, ‘beautiful today’? Was I not beautiful before?” Mihoko feigned anger and pinched Yue Longze’s arm fiercely, making him beg for mercy.

“My dear aunt, let’s just go inside and eat!” Yue Longze pulled a face, looking utterly miserable.

“Aze-kun, you give in so easily?” Mihoko withdrew her hand, adjusted her bag, and led the way into the restaurant.

Just as Yue Longze stepped forward to follow her, a huge demonic figure appeared by the tall building nearby, as if an evil king had descended.

Yue Longze spun around to stare at the sinister figure.

“As expected! The Demon God Einomena!”

The reason Yue Longze had frowned at the troupe earlier was that he’d spotted a real little monster among them, one that seemed familiar.

The audience thought it was merely a costume, but Yue Longze and the troupe members knew it was a genuine monster.

Recalling the features of this small creature, Yue Longze deduced that the demon god Einomena had appeared.

The crowd erupted in chaos, and everyone began fleeing—a routine that had become almost commonplace.

Monsters had been appearing frequently on Earth lately, so the sudden emergence of one more barely raised an eyebrow.

Strangely, this monster didn’t attack humans or destroy the city. It simply stood in the city center, scanning the ground with its sinister eyes, while an eerie purple mist radiated from its back.

“Mihoko!”

Yue Longze grabbed the terrified Mihoko’s wrist and pulled her along with the evacuating crowd.

Overhead, Victory Team’s Machine One and Machine Two had already launched an attack, but every strike was nullified by the demon’s bizarre barrier.

Einomena’s lips curled into a disturbingly humanlike smile before its enormous body slowly vanished into thin air.

From appearance to disappearance, the demon god lingered for barely a minute.

As it vanished, the strange purple mist that had first emanated from its back spread from the sky to the ground.

Those who came into contact with the mist suddenly became enraged and insane, fighting each other, smashing vehicles and public property—a scene of utter chaos.

“What’s happening!” Da Gu, aboard Machine One, was bewildered. How had the crowd suddenly grown so crazed?

On the ground, Yue Longze clutched the frightened Mihoko, fleeing desperately as the purple mist threatened to engulf them.

Suddenly, a gentle golden light emerged from nowhere and neutralized the purple mist.

When the mist finally dissipated, those who had been driven mad slowly returned to normal, gazing at each other in confusion, curious about the sticks and improvised weapons in their hands, baffled by their own actions.

Inside TPC headquarters’ command room, the Victory Team’s computer genius, Nozumi, was analyzing the properties of the purple mist emitted by Einomena.

With the final keystrokes, Nozumi completed the analysis.