Ultraman: This Belial only wants to make money.

Chapter 15. Earth's Last Night

Tokyo, along the Tama River.

"Such days are truly rare."

Jin Yi and Lipia strolled through the outskirts of Tokyo, their boots crunching over the withered grass, gazing at the quiet, silent city in the distance.

Tokyo, one of the world's most bustling cities, has lost its former vibrancy and color. The neon lights no longer shine, and the once bustling streets are now only frequented by a few pedestrians. Office buildings and GG signs are now black, like building blocks splattered with ink. Darkness has clung to the body of this city, and the beasts have fallen into hibernation.

Tokyo is quiet tonight.

"Concentrating energy resources for combat doesn't make much sense, does it?"

The person next to Jin Yi asked the question.

Lipia and Shinji Kaminaga's bodies separated, but Ultraman himself has the ability to mimic other life forms. If the Mephisto aliens can do it, there is no reason why the more advanced aliens of light cannot.

Shinji Kaminaga, who had just been awakened, was confused and didn't understand what was going on. He was receiving concern from his former teammates. There was no point in staying here any longer, so Kim Eui issued an order to the Japanese government in the name of the FOT team.

"Stop all energy supply to Tokyo and concentrate power on the Beta Wand to create an advantage for tomorrow's operation."

Thus, an unprecedented darkness was born in Tokyo, plunging other cities in the Tokyo metropolitan area into an unsettling darkness.

Meanwhile, Jin Yi was taking a walk in the suburbs with Lipia, enjoying the starry sky under the darkness, a sight they hadn't seen in a long time.

According to the calendar, the moon should be quite bright today, but Zetton's enormous body blocked the light refracted from the moon. After Zetton swallowed the moonlight, the Milky Way became even clearer. As a result, many beautiful stars that should have been obscured by the moonlight could be seen.

"You're right, it's just a smokescreen."

Jin Yi shrugged.

"Is it to give humans a sense of participation, so they don't despair about the future?"

As planned, Lipia provided cover while Beria launched the attack; from beginning to end, no human intervention was possible in this operation.

Zetton, high above Earth, exists in a universe where Earthlings possess relatively normal scientific technology. They haven't developed terrifying firepower like the faster-than-light missiles of the Showa era universe, nor do they have extraterrestrial attack capabilities.

Even if the most powerful weapon, a nuclear bomb, were used, the effect of hitting the Zetton Barrier would be roughly equivalent to throwing a firecracker onto the deck of an aircraft carrier.

As for the energy supply of the entire Tokyo, it is even less significant compared to the immense power possessed by Ultraman himself.

"That understanding is not wrong. After all, the war to defend Earth would be too tragic without human participation, so we need some means to boost their morale."

However, the bigger reason is simply to pay tribute.

Jin Yi thought to himself.

A cool night breeze caressed their faces. After walking for a long time, Jin Yi was slightly sweaty, so he stopped and sat on the grass by the roadside.

"You really understand people's hearts; you're just like an Earthling."

Lipia remarked.

"Maybe I was originally from Earth."

Jin Yi sighed, the truth that no one believed drifting away in the night wind.

"Speaking of which, Libia, do you love humans?"

As soon as he said that, Jin Yi changed his mind.

"No, more precisely, do you understand humanity?"

"I'd say I know a little about it."

During the time he possessed Shinji Kaminari, Ultraman was like a sponge soaking in water, frantically flipping through all kinds of books in the library and absorbing all the knowledge in them.

He got along well with the members of the Fate Team. Although Ultraman's personality was a bit eccentric, he was generally a serious and responsible good person.

"No, you don't understand at all."

"?"

Ultraman was puzzled.

"Books are wonderful things written by humankind, the crystallization of human wisdom. The members of the Fought Team are also good people, and you could say they are the elite of humanity."

Jin Yi stretched.

"That's why you don't understand humanity. When you look at Earth from space as Ultraman, you can't see the other side of Earth."

"Now open your senses and truly experience the entirety of the Earth."

The senses of the beings from the planet of light are countless times greater than those of humans. When Ultraman first entered Earth, he captured Shinji Kaminaga's heroic act of sacrificing himself for others. However, during the time he was with Shinji Kaminaga, he became accustomed to seeing with human eyes and hearing with human ears, as if he had forgotten Ultraman's instincts.

Now, with Jin Yi's prompting, his instincts returned, and in an instant, his eyes could see through the deep darkness thousands of miles away, and the wind carried information from almost the entire planet into his ears.

For a moment, his body swayed precariously.

"How...could this be?"

Ultraman's eyes conveyed confusion and bewilderment.

"Are you alright?"

Jin Yi stood up from the lawn and patted Ultraman on the back.

Without even listening or looking, Jin Yi could tell what Ultraman was seeing.

It's nothing more than the ugly side of humanity under the apocalypse.

Mechanical Zetton hovered high in the sky. Although there was no official confirmation, rumors of an impending doom were rampant. Despite the efforts of the human authorities to maintain stability, their power was insufficient to stir up any ripples compared to the sheer number of ignorant people.

Smashing, looting, murder, shattering glass, women's screams. The heinous crimes that have occurred on Earth tonight are arguably the worst since the dawn of civilization. As the end of the world approaches, humanity seems to have torn off its mask of civilization, unleashing the evil within.

"It shouldn't be like this..."

Ultraman murmured, appreciating the goodness of humanity and wanting to unite with them. But at this moment, Jin Yi tore off the mask of human civilization, revealing the bloody truth and evil.

"It's hard to accept, isn't it? But it's normal."

It's roughly equivalent to a model student who is excellent in both character and academics. One day, the study materials they borrowed contained an R18g videotape. When the bloody and gory scenes appeared, their worldview collapsed as well.

Was I wrong?

Ultraman found it hard to accept that he had learned of humanity's kindness and was willing to give his life for it; at that moment, he was probably feeling the most pain.

No, you are not wrong.

Jin Yi pulled Ultraman, who was somewhat doubting his existence, and they sat down together on the lawn.

"It's less a sin of humanity and more an instinctive side."

"You love humanity deeply, but if you can't understand the whole picture of humanity because of it, then that love is not complete."

Jin Yi shifted to a more comfortable position, lying flat on the grass, looking at the stars in the night sky, and mumbling as he chewed on a blade of grass.

"Unlike the fully evolved life forms on the Star of Light, humans evolved from very primitive and simple organisms."

Jin Yi seemed to be talking to Ultraman next to him, but it also seemed like he was talking to himself.

"In the very beginning of life, Earth's resources were not abundant, so creatures evolved claws and fangs to avoid those at the top of the food chain and prey on those at the bottom."

Ultraman had regained his composure and was listening quietly to the whispers in the wind.

"Several days and tens of thousands of years passed in this way, until a certain race hid its claws and for the first time reached out to its weaker kind."

"And so claws became nails, humans learned to shake hands, and fangs, used for tearing flesh, uttered words for the first time."

"And then?"

"Later they learned to use fire, learned to wear clothes, and began to think about things beyond just survival, and their population grew to 80 billion."

"Then...why is that...?"

"The instincts of the beast, something that has never been successfully eradicated, exist in the blood of humans and stir restlessly, but—this is only one aspect of humanity."

"To only see the evil in humanity is to not understand humanity at all. Think back, Lipia, aren't there any other moving scenes on Earth right now?"

some.

Ultraman recalled the homeless child who gave his last piece of food to his companion, the law enforcement officer who stood in front of the thugs... Kindness may be rare, but it shines brightly.

"The starry sky is beautiful because of the shining stars, not because of the dark night sky."

"So... is this what you wanted to tell me?"

We must understand the good in humanity, but we must also understand the evil in humanity.

If you fall in love with something, you must understand its true nature.

In the past, the humans seen by Ultraman were more like ladies in paintings. Everything under the spotlight was beautiful and exquisite, unrealistically so. It seemed that the government intended to present the best side of humanity to the savior.

But this was undoubtedly wrong, so Jin Yi tore off the veil.

No longer the rigid figures in portraits, real humans can get angry and have all sorts of flaws; they are ugly but more real.

If you don't understand the whole picture of something, then so-called love is just superficial and empty words.

"If you want to understand all of humanity, then please live on, Ultraman."

"Thank you, Belial..."

Lipia seemed to be deep in thought.

"No, just call me by my human name on Earth."

These are not words that Beria could utter; they belong only to Jin Yi.

"Thank you, Jin Yi."

--------

Shinji Kaminaga stepped into the door of the Fought Team, completely bewildered.

He was never good with words; he was the kind of invisible person who liked to hide in a corner and delve into his studies. In some ways, he was similar to Lipia, which is probably why the latter was able to perfectly disguise himself.

"Are you alright, Kaminari?"

"How does it feel to merge with Ultraman?"

These questions, coming in rapid succession, left him bewildered, especially the Asami team member, whose face looked very familiar, but he couldn't recall any details about their interactions.

Shinji Kaminaga could only give vague answers and hastily fled the Furious Squad.

Looking back on these past few days, the most memorable moment is still the scene of rushing into the deep mountains to search for the lost child.

What followed was like a legendary tale, merging with a hero who descended from outer space, and defeating giant monsters as large as mountains. However, the memory is vague, as if watching a low-resolution monster movie through a black and white screen. The protagonist has the same face as me, but it is not me.

"Was it a dream?"

He was walking down the dark street when a scream came from a nearby alley. Almost instinctively, he followed it.

It was a thug robbing another woman.

Without any hesitation, Shinji Kaminaga, a civilian team, knocked down the thug with a powerful punch. The disheveled woman hurriedly pulled up her clothes, gave a simple thank you, and left without looking back.

At that moment, applause erupted from the empty street.

"what!"

Shinji Kaminaga suddenly clutched his head, a sharp pain shooting through him, making it difficult for him to even stand. He could only barely hold onto the wall to avoid falling.

This is……

It wasn't an external attack, but rather a sudden influx of non-existent information into my brain. The black-and-white monster movie quickly became clear, and the fists that had struck the monster still retained the tangible feeling of impact.

At this moment, Shinji Kaminaga completely transformed into the male protagonist of the movie.

"Is this... what it feels like to be Ultraman?"

Shinji Kaminaga shifted his gaze from his palms to the front and called out the name of the person clapping.

"Zack?"

The Zarab aliens already possess the ability to manipulate memories. Just now, they simply made the memories in Shinji Kaminari's mind highly clear, and the price they paid was a severe headache.

Zack looked at Shinji Kaminaga with admiration.

"Just as Lord Belial predicted, you do indeed possess exceptional talent."

"Don't worry, I meant no harm!"

Shinji Kaminaga quickly calmed down.

"What do you need me to do?"

In my memory, this Zarab alien is a friend, so perhaps I can trust him.

"Remarkable courage, and astonishing boldness."

Zach exclaimed in admiration.

"The Joker, hidden away by Lord Belial, you might truly become humanity's savior!"

P.S. The scene of the entire Tokyo experiencing a blackout is a tribute to Hideaki Anno's earlier work, *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, in which, in order to defeat the powerful enemy Rai-Tsurugi, Commander Misato Katsuda cut off the power to the entire New Third Tokyo City, concentrating the energy to power the final weapon, the Positron Cannon, which blasted through Rai-Tsurugi's shield with a single shot.