Volume One, Chapter 49: The Struggle Between Light and Darkness

This, too, is the reason they have long fought on the front lines.

Under the intense gazes of the three, Tregear finally spoke—not to answer them, but to pose a rather peculiar question.

“What are your thoughts on the conflict between light and darkness?”

The three were momentarily taken aback, exchanging uncertain glances.

The struggle between light and darkness? Was he not speaking of the Land of Light and the Dark Nebula? These two greatest powers in the universe had been locked in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years. They stood as the most prominent symbols of light and darkness. Yet now, with Emperor Belial dead, the war between light and darkness had ended with a decisive victory for the Land of Light. Since the war was already over, why would the lord ask such a question?

None of the three were children; they understood that Tregear’s words carried a deeper meaning, and so they pondered further.

After a long silence, Magna, the most forthright among them, finally spoke. “My lord, I think the struggle between light and darkness is meaningless—merely a clash of interests.”

The Land of Light sought to protect the universe, while the Dark Nebula sought to rule it. With such opposing ideals, war was inevitable. Right and wrong were irrelevant; the universe has always belonged to the strong. In his eyes, the Land of Light opposed the Dark Nebula in the hope of bringing peace to the universe—a noble intent, perhaps, but poorly executed.

Everyone in the universe knew that the Ultra race favored Earth in the Solar System. Any monster or cosmic being daring to appear there would be relentlessly hunted down. Among these were innocent extraterrestrials who also cherished peace, yet their fate was no different. Such things had long ceased to be secrets on the dark web of the universe.

The Dark Nebula, on the other hand, was somewhat different—their sole aim was the domination of the universe. At first glance, this sounded villainous, but on closer inspection, perhaps not. The Dark Nebula was composed of many races from across the cosmos; should they ever rule the universe, it might become a paradise for cosmic beings and monsters alike. However, as long as the Land of Light existed, unless one side was utterly annihilated, the fighting would never end.

Of course, that was merely his objective view.

After all, he was just a hunter from the Plasma Galaxy. How the Land of Light and the Dark Nebula fought had nothing to do with him. So, as for the conflict between light and darkness, he had little opinion and cared even less. To put it plainly, it was none of his business. If they wanted to fight, let them—what did it matter to him?

Tregear smiled and looked toward the other two.

“My lord,” Garum said, “I believe that whether it is light or darkness, neither holds any particular meaning. I left Gatz Star as a child—I once yearned for the light, but in the end, it was the power of darkness I obtained.”

“But darkness did not corrupt my heart, nor devour my soul.”

“I walk alone, pursuing greater strength only to better protect my family.”

“So, in my eyes, the war between light and darkness is a meaningless struggle.”

“Darkness can choose restraint, and light can choose humility, yet they both ultimately resolve their differences through conflict.”

“This proves that the clash of ideals has nothing to do with light or darkness; the two are fundamentally unconnected.”

Before arriving in the Plasma Galaxy, he had wandered through many star systems, witnessing and experiencing much. To him, neither light nor darkness was wrong. The true fault lay in the ever-growing desires of people's hearts, and their arrogance in believing themselves above all else. The same held true for every planet: before their technology reached the stars, they believed themselves alone in the universe and yearned to explore wider realms. Yet when they were confronted by the existence of cosmic beings and monsters far beyond their imagination, they grew fearful and created weapons of destruction.

The Land of Light, in its effort to shelter the weak, had developed a kind of twisted pathology. They were indeed the embodiment of light and their desire to maintain peace was not wrong. The mistake was in defining their actions as justice and using that as justification for war. To the weak, they were guardians. But to the cosmic races and monsters, they were the true villains.

With differing ideals, the concept of justice naturally diverged. These truths, he had long since accepted.

Tregear nodded slightly, giving him an approving look, then turned to the last of the three—Barrel.

Barrel lowered his head, unsure how to respond. He gazed at the nameless blade of darkness in his hand, his thoughts drifting far away.

His race, the Baltans, were also inheritors of the demonic blade, but the destruction of Baltan Star had cost them that honor. In his years wandering through the universe, he had suffered much disdain and discrimination. Along the way, he had grown indifferent. Light and darkness—he had never cared for such things. There simply was no need.

Barrel raised his head, meeting Tregear’s gaze. “My lord, whether it be light or darkness, as long as it allows me to survive, I accept it.”

Tregear did not speak, but nodded ever so slightly, looking into the distant, slowly spinning galaxies.

That was the M78 Nebula—the homeland of the Land of Light. It was also his own homeland.

Since the Ultra race had made a name for themselves in the universe, tens of thousands of cosmic beings had flocked to the M78 Nebula, seeking shelter. The once-mighty races had all been driven out—forced to gather in the Dark Nebula or wander to other star systems.

As a scientist of the Blue Tribe, he knew all of this well. Though it was not what the Land of Light had intended, they had chosen silence. They feared those powerful cosmic beings would shatter the fragile peace they had built.

Yet they had never realized that it was the Land of Light themselves who had caused the cosmic invasions of Earth. Earth was an insignificant planet; humanity, among all cosmic races, was the weakest. So why did monsters and cosmic beings continually invade it? All because of its connection to the Land of Light.

It was that first battle that revealed Earth to the universe. Every subsequent invasion could be traced back to the arrival of the first Ultra Warrior. The wars on Earth that followed only deepened the conflict between the cosmic races and the Land of Light. Now, the enmity was irreconcilable.

Such polarization was stark. Among the kind-hearted cosmic beings, the Ultras were revered as gods. But to the evil ones, the mere mention of Ultraman was enough to set their teeth on edge and make them long to storm the Land of Light.