Volume One, Chapter 55: Arrival on Earth

"But..."
"There's no 'but'," Durex replied with firm resolve, though his tone softened a little. "I understand how you feel right now, but I've already reached out to the Land of Light. I trust the Ultra Clan won't stand by and do nothing."
"After all... Tregear is one of their own."
———
In another universe.
Tregear slowly emerged from the wall of space.
Below him, on a tawny planet, more than a dozen Mokjin were fleeing in utter panic.
Among them was the King of Mokjin.
Tregear raised his hand, ready to annihilate the planet with a single gesture.
But then, he lowered it again.
The Mokjin were a race who delighted in slaughtering other extraterrestrials, treating them as prey for their own amusement.
Such acts had naturally made them enemies of many races throughout the universe.
But what would their faces look like now, being hunted as prey themselves?
At this thought, a wry, amused smile curled at the corner of Tregear’s lips.
Run, then. I hope you don’t make this hunt too dull for me.
On the planet’s surface, a group of lab coat-clad Mokjin trailed close behind their king.
"Your Majesty, the environment here is too harsh. We must leave quickly," one of them said.
The King of Mokjin glanced at him but said nothing.
With his stellar-level strength, the sandstorms meant nothing to him.
But all those researchers who had accompanied him were so weak, not even planetary level.
Against the relentless winds, it was only a matter of time before they collapsed, never to rise again.
But what could he do? That formidable pursuer might already be upon them. If they didn’t use the terrain to their advantage, they would surely be killed!
Just then, another Mokjin suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, look at that blue planet. Why don’t we hide there?"
Hearing this, the King of Mokjin looked carefully and his expression brightened.
On that planet, he could actually sense the presence of life.
And not just a little—billions upon billions!
He was utterly astonished.
He simply couldn’t imagine what kind of race could have such a vast population in this universe.
It must be... a tremendously powerful civilization.
The King of Mokjin swallowed, hesitating.
If they rashly intruded, wouldn’t they be seen as invaders?
If anything went wrong, they’d be wiped out on the spot.
After a moment’s thought, the King waved a hand. "Clinton, go scout that planet and find out what kind of beings live there."
"Yes, sir!"
Entrusted with this risky task, Clinton knew full well the king meant for him to be the guinea pig.
So instead of landing directly, he slipped through the clouds and immediately flew to the far side of Earth, planning to escape.
Time passed, and the King of Mokjin grew impatient.
"Why isn’t he back yet?"
Those below whispered among themselves, discussing quietly.
"Let’s go and see for ourselves!"
Unable to wait any longer, the king led the remaining dozen Mokjin toward the blue planet.
Noticing their actions, Tregear lifted his gaze slightly.
When his eyes landed on the azure planet, a hint of surprise flashed through them.
"It’s... Earth?"
Tregear was momentarily taken aback, but then his smile deepened.
He had quite a history with this planet.
Since that was the case, he might as well go and have a look.
The Mokjin did not realize that a streak of violet light had entered Earth ahead of them.
Nor did Tregear know that, even as they approached, an organization on Earth called the Victory Team had already locked onto their presence.
"Director, we’ve detected a massive life form similar to the one we saw earlier!"
Victory Team member Yeno reported excitedly.
Ever since monsters had begun appearing, every scrap of new technology they gained had greatly advanced Earth’s development.
Captain Hui gave a slight nod, then asked, "Can we get a visual from the satellite?"
"No problem!" Yeno replied confidently, immediately typing away at his keyboard.
The other team members gathered around, piqued with interest.
Before long, Yeno exclaimed, "Found it!" and projected the image onto the main screen.
Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to it.
When they saw Tregear displayed there, their expressions shifted in sync.
"Is... is that an Ultraman?" It was Lina’s voice.
She was striking, with a short, practical haircut and a rare determination in her eyes, one of only two female members on the team.
"No way..." The chubby Kuen opened his mouth wide. "My goodness!"
The others reacted much the same—
All except for Daigu.
He stared fixedly at Tregear on the screen, his eyes filled not just with disbelief but also with a trace of panic.
For an Ultraman lived on Earth too.
He was the ancient Ultraman, Tiga.
The image of Tiga was deeply engraved in the hearts of Victory Team and people all over the world.
But now, with the appearance of yet another Ultraman, one could only imagine their shock.
"Are those... Mokjin?"
Captain Hui was first to recover, shifting her gaze to the aliens Tregear was pursuing.
"Yes, Captain!" Yeno answered quickly. "Their features match exactly with the Mokjin who appeared on Earth before; we can confirm they’re the same species."
Daigu, regaining his composure, spoke up. "Kuen, they’re getting close to Earth. Can you try to communicate with... that Ultraman using radio waves?"
At these words, everyone’s eyes lit up.
"I’ll give it a shot!" Kuen understood the significance and hurried to his station to adjust the communications.
But just then, Yeno exclaimed, "That Ultraman has broken through the atmosphere!"
What?!
Everyone was startled and quickly looked at the screen.
In the blue sky above, a trail of fire hurtled down like a meteor.
Boom—
The moment it struck the ground, it was as if the entire Earth trembled.
Captain Hui rose to her feet, her voice steady: "Move out!"
"Yes, ma’am!"
The team members gathered their helmets and rushed to the hangar.
Sitting inside the Swallow-1, Daigu couldn’t help but touch his chest.
There he kept the Spark Lance that transformed him into Ultraman.
Noticing he wasn’t starting the engines, Lina, seated behind him, asked in confusion, "Daigu, what are you doing?"
"Ah, it’s nothing!" Daigu snapped back to himself and answered sheepishly, "I just wonder if this giant is... different from Ultraman Tiga."
One could hardly blame him. From Tregear’s appearance alone, there was indeed something distinctly sinister about him.