Chapter Seventy-Two: A Perilous Situation

Whoosh!

A figure streaked across the sky—Dagu had returned from outer space!

In a single stride, Dagu moved to stand beside Yue Longze, the two standing shoulder to shoulder as they confronted the mysterious giant who had suddenly appeared before them.

This new giant's patterns greatly resembled those of Tiga in his Composite Form, while the shape of his head bore a resemblance to Ace Ultraman.

"Who are you?" Yue Longze demanded, his voice edged with anger at this figure who had ambushed him without warning.

The mysterious giant did not answer, but a trace of mockery—and murderous intent—could be seen in those deep blue eyes.

Meanwhile, the two massive dinosaur monsters had already regained their footing. No longer under the control of the Najans, they grew even more ferocious, their eyes glowing red as they stomped heavily toward their previous foes—Yue Longze and Dagu.

"In this world, only I am supreme and unique!"

At last, the mysterious giant spoke, his silver, slender finger pointing directly at Dagu and Yue Longze. "You both must disappear!"

"What nonsense!"

With a somersault, Yue Longze dodged the oncoming, furious charge of the two Marpeneza and landed directly in front of the mysterious giant. Dagu, however, found himself locked in a fierce struggle against the two monsters.

Suddenly, a realization struck Yue Longze.

"You're from TPC, aren't you? You're the one who tried to assassinate me twice—it's you!"

Yue Longze's milky-white eyes glinted sharply as he stared down the mysterious giant. The two giants were conversing in a way no human could hear.

"Heh, so you've guessed it. Yue. Long. Ze." The mysterious giant crossed his arms, amusement flickering in his gaze.

"You even know my name? Are you Dr. Danko from the TPC Biological Research Institute, or someone else?" Yue Longze asked calmly. He was confident that he could subdue this opponent at any moment. Those who transformed into giants for the first time always held themselves in too high regard.

What they didn’t know was that a first transformation could never unleash the giant’s full power.

"You even know about Danko?" The mysterious giant’s voice held a trace of surprise, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"So it's not Danko." Yue Longze was done with questions—there was nothing more to learn, and his time in this form was limited.

A shadowy fist flew at the mysterious giant, who dodged nimbly.

"So, you do have some skill."

Yue Longze didn’t dwell on it and launched another assault against the mysterious giant.

——————

"Hehehe...hahaha..."

Inside the vast, empty research institute, the darkness was nearly absolute; almost none of the lights were on. Dr. Danko of the TPC Biological Research Institute sat in a black chair, laughing as he stared at the broadcast on his screen. His laughter was laced with mockery and disdain.

"Director Miyazawa, you never imagined you would never become human again, did you?"

Clad in a white lab coat, Danko’s eyes were icy as he watched the battle between Yue Longze and Miyazawa unfold on the monitor.

The giant body possessed by Director Miyazawa was, in fact, one of the two other giant corpses discovered inside the pyramid where Tiga was found. After being damaged by Golza and Melba, the incomplete giant statues were retrieved by TPC, and Dr. Danko, in charge of this matter, saw his perfect opportunity.

He restored the giant statue, subtly altering its facial features to avoid suspicion—all in preparation for this very day.

Through a special device invented by Danko, Director Miyazawa injected all of his life force into the stone giant, completely fusing with it and becoming a true giant—though never able to return to human form.

"In the end, you all must die!"

With a cold laugh, Dr. Danko glanced at the other restored giant statue in the institute. In a mocking tone, he whispered, "As the saying goes in Cathay, 'While the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole watches behind.' Or, as they say, 'Sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.' I, Danko, will rule the entire world!"

His crazed laughter echoed through the dark institute. Danko's heart was blacker than Miyazawa’s.

At least Miyazawa’s intention was to become the one and only savior.

Danko, on the other hand, wanted to rule the world.

Danko had truly lost his mind.

——————

"Hyaaah!"

Yue Longze fought fiercely; this opponent, even in his first transformation, was almost able to match him in strength. At first, the giant’s combat skills were awkward, but they improved rapidly—now, he was nearly Yue Longze’s equal.

Yue Longze couldn’t understand it. His own power had been honed through relentless effort and countless battles: the first monster he encountered after crossing into the Ultraman world, then Zegula, Eleking, Zoga, the Evil God... the special training with Zero in the Land of Light... repeated clashes with the Kirieloids...

And now, in this parallel world, he had fought many battles.

What Yue Longze did not know was that the mysterious giant before him was Director Miyazawa himself—a man who, in his youth, had been a king among soldiers, an elite of the special forces, trained in real battlefield killing techniques and with actual blood on his hands.

More importantly, thanks to Danko’s machinations, Miyazawa had completely fused with the giant, never able to return to human form but in perfect sync with this new body, able to control it flawlessly.

That was why Miyazawa possessed such power.

...

"Who exactly are you?" Yue Longze roared, leaping high and unleashing a rarely used Leo Flying Kick. Flames erupted from his foot as he struck at the mysterious giant he had knocked down moments before.

Boom—

With a rolling dodge, the mysterious giant narrowly avoided the fierce blow, his shoulder grazed. Even so, wisps of white smoke rose from the spot where he was struck—a testament to the power of the Leo Flying Kick.

"Your energy... it's almost spent, isn't it?"

The mysterious giant brushed his smoking shoulder dismissively, looking at Yue Longze with mocking eyes. Yue Longze had already used the Dark Zaperio Ray once, but the cunning giant had deftly evaded it.

"I'm not as simple as you think!" Yue Longze shouted, and with a flick of his right hand, a sword gleaming with silver light appeared in his grip.

The Cloud Cluster Sword!

But the mysterious giant remained unruffled—he knew about this move. Catching a blade with bare hands was nothing new for someone who had been a special forces soldier. He had no fear of Yue Longze’s sword.

Meanwhile, Dagu was half-kneeling on the ground, the color timer on his chest flashing violently. Faced with two raging Marpeneza, he was clearly outmatched. He had already expended energy using a beam attack against the Najan spaceship in outer space. Even with the two Swallow Fighters from the Victory Team providing support overhead, things were not looking good.

The situation was dire.