Volume One, Chapter 105: The Ultimate Life Form

"And what about the last one?" Jack asked. "Where are we supposed to find another cosmic-level fighter?"

"Leave that to me," Mebius, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, stepped forward. His eyes burned with determination. "I can rely on my brothers' power to transform into Infinity Form; that should be enough to hold off one of them."

Father of Ultra remained silent for a long moment before shaking his head. "I am afraid that will not work. After all, the Plasma Galaxy currently boasts dozens of known stellar-level combatants aside from the Three Kings. You, Zoffy, and the others are our backbone; if you all focus on just one of the Three Kings, the Ultra Warriors on the front lines will be left in a desperate situation."

"What about us?"

A voice drifted in from the doorway.

The Ultras all turned their heads to see the New Generation heroes, led by Ginga, walking slowly into the room.

Seeing them, Father of Ultra allowed himself a rare moment of joy, though it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Zoffy and I have already factored you into the count, but we are still outnumbered by the Plasma Galaxy."

As these words fell, all the Ultra Warriors present could not help but sigh. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined the Land of Light would face such a daunting battle.

"By the way," the Original Ultraman suddenly turned his head and asked Ace, "what is the situation with Max?"

Back yesterday, he had asked Max to contact cosmic races friendly to the Land of Light, requesting their assistance. By now, they should have received the message.

Ace shook his head and sighed. "The situation is not optimistic. The only ones willing to fight alongside the Land of Light are the Intergalactic Alliance and the Andro Defense Force. Every other faction has chosen neutrality."

It was to be expected. News of Tregear was spreading across the universe at a breakneck speed. Anyone who caught wind of the situation would likely choose to steer clear. After all, this was a clash between the Plasma Galaxy and the Land of Light; regardless of the outcome, it would have little impact on them.

Father of Ultra nodded and looked at Hikari beside him. "How is the development of the Ultra Medals coming along?"

The Ultra Medals were a new product developed by the Land of Light’s Science Bureau, designed to assist Ultra Warriors in battle by utilizing the power contained within the medals.

"Development is nearly complete," Hikari replied. "They are ready for deployment."

Upon receiving this confirmation, Father of Ultra’s expression finally relaxed slightly. Just then, a Blue-tribe Ultra warrior rushed in, appearing panicked.

"It’s a disaster! A 'Superior Lifeform' has appeared outside the Land of Light!"

"What!"

At the mention of a "Superior Lifeform," the faces of every Ultra Warrior in the room shifted, turning pale with shock.

"What exactly is going on!" Hikari shouted, rushing over to the Blue-tribe warrior.

The warrior did not hesitate and immediately projected the image. Outside the Land of Light, a mysterious warrior clad in golden armor hovered in the void. He held his arms aloft, and the golden energy surging from his palms was so intense that even through the projection, the Ultras felt an unprecedented pressure.

Hikari quickly activated his scanner, and the energy levels flickering on the screen hit Level 9 on the cosmic scale. In other words, if that individual took one more step forward, he would possess the legendary power comparable to Ultraman King himself.

Hikari froze, his face turning deathly pale. Father of Ultra’s body trembled, and he slumped heavily into his chair.

Cosmic-level combat power was clearly divided into the first five tiers, but anything beyond that was referred to by a single collective term: Superior Lifeform. Although the leap from Level 5 to Level 6 was only one tier in energy, the transformation was cataclysmic. It was a chasm, an insurmountable divide. Once crossed, one would achieve true immortality.

Father of Ultra hurriedly suppressed his shock and asked urgently, "What is going on? Where did he come from?"

The Blue-tribe warrior dared not hide anything and described the entire sequence of events from the moment the mysterious figure was detected. Hikari remained silent, his fingers sliding across the console to rewind the recording to the moment the Superior Lifeform appeared.

A golden dimensional rift suddenly tore open in the sky, and the figure emerged without warning.

"Dimensional traversal!" Hikari’s expression darkened. To master such an ability, one usually needed to be at least cosmic-level. Even Seven’s son, Ultraman Zero, only gained the power to traverse dimensions after receiving a gift from Ultraman Noa. Yet, looking at the figure in the recording, this seemed to be his own innate power.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned heavy. Father of Ultra stared intently at the recording for a long time before finally speaking: "Do not disturb him for now. Let us see what he intends to do."

A Superior Lifeform was a threat no less severe than the entire Plasma Galaxy. Without knowing whether he was friend or foe, he dared not act rashly. Hikari agreed, immediately enlarging the projection so all the Ultra Warriors could see.

...

"So this is the Land of Light. Truly beautiful."

Gazing at the glowing emerald planet before him, Tartarus made no effort to hide the longing and admiration in his eyes. Before long, this planet would become his home.

But before that, he decided to test the strength of the Ultra race.

Tartarus raised his arm and clenched his fist.

*Boom—*

Instantly, a visible shockwave of power radiated from him, spreading rapidly across the entire universe.

"What is he doing!" Father of Ultra and the others were startled by Tartarus’s actions.

Within seconds, Hikari’s communicator began to blare incessantly.

"It’s a disaster! Ribut reports that Max has been controlled by Greeza cells; he requests reinforcements!"

"Princess Yullian has sent an urgent report—Ruge-cite has appeared on Planet Kanon!"

The first message sent a shiver down Father of Ultra’s spine. The second message left him feeling utterly numb.

"How is this possible!" Taro exclaimed in horror. "Isn't Ruge-cite supposed to be out cleaning up the universe's garbage? How could it appear on Kanon?"

Though Hikari kept his face neutral, his eyes darted back and forth frantically. He was not concerned with Ruge-cite, but with the Greeza cells.

"What do we do?"

Every Ultra Warrior turned their gaze toward Father of Ultra. The situation with the Plasma Galaxy was already imminent, and now, another disaster had arisen at this critical juncture.

"Alas, a time of tribulation, with calamity rising on all sides." Father of Ultra let out a long sigh. He looked at Taro, then said in a deep voice, "Hikari, I leave Max to you. Jack, take a team and deal with Ruge-cite!"

"Everyone else, reorganize our forces immediately and prepare for the battle with the Plasma Galaxy!"

"Understood!"

The ringing, powerful voices of the Ultras echoed throughout the cramped conference room.