Volume One, Chapter 3: The Prey Who Became the Hunter

Although he had temporarily escaped the hunting grounds of the Muzhenians, Tregear dared not let down his guard.

Before he had acquired the power of chaos, he was nothing more than a fragile member of the Blue Tribe.

Now, with history already changed, he could only be even more cautious—at least, until he reached Borges.

Glancing at the tracking bracelet on his arm, Tregear let out a cold, mirthless laugh.

Muzhenians, you had better pray I do not leave this star system alive.

Otherwise, what awaits you will be nothing but slaughter and destruction.

Meanwhile, the video of Tregear’s brutal slaying of the Strumian had already spread like wildfire across the universe.

Unsurprisingly, the Land of Light had also intercepted the footage.

"Impossible!"

Within the Space Garrison, Taro was visibly agitated. "That must be a forgery—Tregear could never have done such a thing!"

Having grown up together, he knew Tregear better than anyone.

No matter what, he refused to believe Tregear was capable of such an act.

The Ultra Brothers, too, wore conflicted expressions.

Indeed, they found it hard to believe. But if it was an imposter, why did their instruments detect nothing amiss?

That could only mean it truly was Tregear.

And for him to kill another being of the universe with such cruelty…

It was proof his heart had already fallen into darkness.

“Something’s wrong! Zero has broken into the Plasma Spark Tower!”

At that moment, an urgent voice sounded from outside.

“What!” The Father of Ultra’s expression tightened, and he said hurriedly, “Ace, Jack, stay here and keep an eye on Taro—don’t let him do anything reckless.”

No sooner had he spoken than Seven had already dashed out of the Space Garrison.

Following close behind was Deputy Commander Zoffy.

As they left, Taro suddenly stood up. “I’m going to find Tregear—I’ll ask him myself and get to the bottom of this.”

At this point, there was no choice but to bring Tregear back by force.

If they did that, there might still be room to turn things around.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch his closest brother be hunted down, nor could he let those rumors spread unchecked.

But he had barely turned when Ace and Jack blocked his path.

“Taro, we understand how you feel right now.”

“But Tregear is a wanted man!”

Ace and Jack’s voices were firm—not because they didn’t want Taro to go, but because in his current state, they couldn’t let him.

To let emotion cloud judgment was a grave mistake.

That was exactly why the Father of Ultra had asked them to watch over him.

“Brothers, if we don’t find Tregear soon, his life will be in danger!” Taro pleaded anxiously.

Now, with the Land of Light’s warrant already issued,

and, if the news spread across the cosmic dark net, it would not be long before every race in the universe knew Tregear had defected.

And he was only a Blue Tribe warrior!

All the forces opposed to the Land of Light would surely send people to hunt him down.

With his current lack of fighting strength, Tregear’s fate was all but sealed.

“I beg you, please let me go.” Tears streamed down Taro’s face as he fell to his knees before them.

“Taro, what are you doing!” Ace hurried forward, trying to help him up.

But just then, Taro suddenly looked up and delivered a swift chop to Ace’s neck.

“Taro—you!” Jack stared in disbelief. “Are you trying to rebel?”

Gently laying Ace on the ground, Taro straightened and said resolutely, “Brother, I beg you, let me go find Tregear—I can’t lose him!”

Jack was speechless.

“Please, brother,” Taro said, voice trembling as he stood up, “If you insist on stopping me, then I’ll have no choice but to knock you out, too.”

Jack was silent for a moment, then finally relented. “Very well. But you must promise me you’ll return within three years—do you understand?”

“I promise—if I can’t find Tregear, I’ll come back immediately,” Taro swore without hesitation.

“Good!” Jack dropped his arms, and as Taro ran past him, he swung both arms up and brought them down hard on Taro’s neck.

“Ugh…”

With a thud, Taro collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“Sigh… Taro, you may have completed your mission as an emissary of light, but you’re still too young.” Jack sighed, turning to look at Ace lying on the ground. “Alright, you can stop pretending now—it’s handled.”

From the start, the two had planned this.

If Taro truly acted impulsively, they would go along with it and use this trick to subdue him.

After all, neither wanted to fight their little brother.

Go too easy and he’d escape; too hard, and they’d regret it.

In the end, an ambush was best.

He called out, but when Ace didn’t rise, Jack grew suspicious.

Suddenly, he felt a chill behind him.

He didn’t need to look—he knew it was Taro.

With a loud bang, Jack slowly toppled over.

As he lost consciousness, he managed a wry smile: Damn, Taro’s picked up some bad habits.

“I’m sorry, brothers,” Taro whispered, then hurried out of the Space Garrison.

Soaring into the sky, he caught a glimpse of Seven and Zoffy escorting a young Ultra in another direction.

He knew that was Seven’s son.

But right now, he had more important things to do.

Taro accelerated, bursting out of the Land of Light in a single surge.

The Father of Ultra, stepping out of the Plasma Spark Tower, saw his departing figure and could only sigh heavily, praying nothing would happen to him.

Meanwhile, Tregear had already encountered the first wave of Muzhenian hunters.

By relying on an asteroid, he narrowly escaped disaster.

But his freshly healed wounds were torn open once more, leaving him in worse shape than before.

The Muzhenians came for him again.

With no other choice, Tregear dragged his battered body onward in desperate flight.

On his hand was a device for tracking his location.

With his intellect, he could have dismantled it easily, but without tools, he could think of no other way.

“Heh heh heh… Ultra Warrior, I know your name now.”

“It’s Tregear, isn’t it?”

“I’ve heard you’re a scientist. So, how about working for me?”

The Muzhenian’s voice suddenly rang out, echoing from all directions, drilling into Tregear’s ears.

Tregear gave no response.

This could easily be a trick to lure him out—he could not take the risk.

Just then, a laser struck the ground near his feet, blasting a modest crater in the silicon surface.

Tregear’s brow furrowed.

Had that laser struck him, his body would have been left with a gaping hole.

So, the Muzhenian had not lied—he truly wanted to recruit him?

Countless thoughts flashed through Tregear’s mind. In the end, he stepped out from behind the rocks, exposing himself to the open ground.

“I accept!”

A Muzhenian descended from the sky, landing before him and chuckling in a low voice. “Those who know when to submit are wise. But if I find you’re of no use to me, the consequences… well…”

“So long as you spare my life, I won’t disappoint you, sir,” Tregear replied respectfully.

Given the current situation, submission was clearly the wisest choice.

“You agreed so quickly, it makes me uneasy,” the Muzhenian mused, then grinned wickedly. “How about this? Bring me the heads of the others, and I’ll spare your life.”

“No problem,” Tregear answered without hesitation.

Trading another’s life for his own survival—there was nothing fairer in the universe.

“Excellent!” The Muzhenian nodded, satisfied, and gestured at a distance.

With a sharp click, the bracelet on Tregear’s arm fell away.

Before he could rejoice, the Muzhenian produced another bracelet and locked it on him.

“Go. I’ve already informed the others.”

“Your status has changed from prey to hunter.”

The Muzhenian handed him a tablet. “Use this to find them, and return to me.”

Tregear said nothing further. Taking the tablet, he turned and left.