Chapter Fifty-Seven: An Encounter

The villagers who had already entered the house began smashing at the other side of the building, seemingly determined to confront Yue Longze and his companions to the bitter end.

Yue Longze’s group retreated swiftly, while the villagers—now possessed by the monstrous fleshy growths and reduced to mere destructive instincts—continued to relentlessly hammer at the back wall. This distraction bought Yue Longze and the others ample time to escape.

...

On a relatively flat stretch of land, surrounded by endless whiteness, the group stopped to catch their breath.

“Where do we go now?” Hori bent forward, hands pressed against his knees, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as he gasped for air.

“Still can’t reach your headquarters?” Yue Longze asked, scanning their surroundings to ensure their safety.

“Not yet,” Da Gu shook his head, taking out his PDI—the Victory Team’s communicator—and tried it. There was no response whatsoever.

“The root cause of all this is that strange meteorite!” Yue Longze said gravely to the group. “If we destroy it, all these problems will be solved.”

“Then let’s find the meteorite and destroy it!” Da Gu replied at once. Feeling a dryness in his throat, he scooped up a handful of untouched snow, kneaded it, held it for a moment, then stuffed it directly into his mouth. The snow water moistened his parched lips.

“But... can our current equipment even destroy the meteorite? It’s enormous!” Yue Longze remembered in the original storyline that the Victory Hyper Gun had no effect on the giant, bizarre meteorite—it was ultimately destroyed by Shinjo piloting Machine No.1 and firing missiles.

“This...” Both Hori and Da Gu looked troubled. Indeed, their equipment was insufficient, and if they failed to destroy the meteorite, they might end up like the villagers. Worse still, there was no way to contact headquarters.

“Maybe we should head down the mountain and figure things out from there?” Hori suggested.

“Fine,” Yue Longze nodded. “Do you know the way down?”

Da Gu and Hori froze, then shook their heads with wry smiles.

“I... I know!” the girl with the oval face stepped forward.

“Is that so? Wonderful!” Hori’s face lit up with joy, his plump cheeks wobbling as he smiled.

...

Led by the oval-faced girl, the group set out on the path down the mountain, chatting and laughing as they went.

...

“Come to think of it, none of us know your name yet!” Hori always made a point to walk beside the oval-faced girl. She relaxed and opened up to the others.

“I’m...” Before she could say her name, a dense monstrous fog surged up from the path ahead, racing toward them with astonishing speed and cutting off their route!

“Run!” Yue Longze grabbed Meiko’s slender wrist and pulled her back, retreating swiftly. The monstrous fog was not only ahead; it was now sweeping in from the left as well!

Driven by the terrifying white fog, the group scattered in panic, splitting into three groups. Da Gu fled alone, Hori and the oval-faced girl escaped together, while Yue Longze and Meiko remained.

...

Yue Longze tightly gripped Meiko’s wrist, running desperately.

“Aze-kun... I... can’t go any further! You should escape alone!” Meiko’s voice trembled with tears—she didn’t want to hold Yue Longze back. This fog was faster than before, and if she continued to slow him down, both of them would be caught.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Yue Longze suddenly stopped, scooped Meiko into his arms, and sprinted forward with all his strength.

If it had been the previous fog, carrying Meiko would have sufficed to evade it. But this time, the monstrous fog was closing in rapidly, the gap shrinking with every moment.

“Please...! Don’t worry about me, just save yourself!” Meiko was now crying, struggling in Yue Longze’s arms, pounding his shoulders in desperation.

She knew that if Yue Longze wasn’t burdened by her, he could certainly escape—but if he kept holding her, they would both be doomed.

Suddenly, from the thick, terrifying white mist, a disgusting pink fleshy growth shot out with a hiss, wriggling repulsively—the same grotesque entity that had attached itself to the villagers.

Sensing the danger behind him, Yue Longze held Meiko in his left arm, and she nestled against his warmth. With a thought, the Cloud Sword appeared in his right hand, unsheathed; now was not the time to summon its scabbard.

He swung the sword with one arm, slicing the swiftly approaching growth in half and dropping it to the ground, where it instantly shriveled.

Meiko, cradled in Yue Longze’s arms, stared in shock.

Yue Longze was about to carry her onward when, from the white fog, another ten pink fleshy growths surged forth. He brandished the Cloud Sword quickly, its blade flashing with a faint blue light.

With a deep breath, Yue Longze dispatched the last of the growths and felt a brief sense of relief. But almost immediately, more and more pink growths erupted from the fog, their color stark against the snowy landscape.

“Damn!” Seeing the onslaught intensify, Yue Longze retreated while holding Meiko, swinging the sword in his right hand. Every swing claimed the life of a pink growth.

Fifty-six... fifty-seven...

Ninety-eight... ninety-nine...

One hundred and fifty-one... one hundred and fifty-two...

He lost track of how many he had dispatched—sweat poured from him like rain, his arm growing weary and sore. He let Meiko down, drawing her behind him as he continued to retreat, shielding her.

“Am I really going to reveal I’m Ultraman in front of Meiko?” Yue Longze forced a bitter smile as the relentless growths continued to surge from the white fog.

It was best not to expose his identity, for he feared Meiko might distance herself from him. Through his time with her, he’d come to realize she was a strong yet deeply insecure girl—such a disparity in identity might determine whether she chose to remain friends with him.

Her intense self-doubt made her reluctant—or perhaps afraid—to befriend those she perceived as superior or nobler.

“That’s right! These disgusting things are afraid of water!” Yue Longze suddenly remembered. Seizing a moment, he looked back and spotted a pond in the distance.

Thankfully, it wasn’t frozen.

A smile crept onto Yue Longze’s lips, his spirits lifting. While fending off the growths, he began retreating toward the pond.

Luckily, these growths lacked intelligence and could only attack directly. If they knew how to surround him, Yue Longze would almost certainly have to reveal his true nature this time.