Chapter One: Jin Awakens

Within the world of Ultraseven X.

Deep underground, in a location lost to all maps, a violent tremor propagated in silence. Within a subterranean chamber constructed of metal, a disc-shaped spacecraft sat at the center, connected to countless cables and conduits.

A closer inspection would reveal hundreds of oval-shaped nutrient pods arranged in one corner of the craft. The cables extending from outside the ship wove through the interior like a complex spiderweb, with many of the connectors plugged directly into the pods.

Suddenly, the tremor intensified, shaking the entire interior of the ship. One of the nutrient pods began to sway violently; its aged exterior sparked as a series of short circuits caused the surrounding wiring to burst and fly off. The pod began to roll in one direction.

A weak but commanding voice echoed through the space:

"Quick! Stop it! You must not let him be awakened!!!"

This was the voice of the second persona, Zhephe. After seizing control from the primary consciousness and taking the initiative, he had arrived in the Land of Light through the summoning of Ultraseven. However, after his presence was unmasked by Ultraman King, he was forced to self-destruct, scattering his mental energy across the universe and severely weakening himself. The consequence of this was a massive backlash against the portion of his mental energy that remained behind in the Ultraseven X world, leaving it fragile.

It was this vulnerability that triggered a chain reaction, eventually allowing the Gaia consciousness to pinpoint his location, leading to the current situation.

As his voice rang out, a monster emerged from the dark corner. It was a mechanical creature resembling a spider, its body shaped like a paramecium, with three powerful legs growing from each side. Its appearance was that of a grotesque amalgamation of insect body parts.

This was a giant mechanical lifeform known as Gurachias. Generally not possessing high offensive power, they usually operated in teams of three to achieve greater strength through coordination. However, it seemed that because the second persona, Zhephe, had assigned only one to guard this place, it was currently alone.

Its ugly mouth, shaped like that of a piranha, was laterally compressed and looked bizarre, as if it had been crudely grafted onto its neck.

With a shrill roar, the Gurachias suddenly spat out a faint pink, thread-like substance that coiled around the rolling nutrient pod. The substance lacked destructive power, acting instead as a powerful adhesive, much like a spider's silk, intended to lock the pod firmly in place.

However, more connectors on the surfaces of other pods began to shower sparks. Amidst the tremors, they started to sway and roll according to the frequency of the vibration.

The Gurachias let out a frustrated hiss and sprayed more of the thread-like substance from its mouth. Soon, the entire underground area was covered in the pale purple webbing, which acted as a powerful adhesive to anchor any drifting pods.

Seeing that no further pods seemed in danger of breaking loose, the Gurachias hissed with excitement and retreated to a corner to wait. Pink radiance filled the underground space, and the nutrient pods hung suspended in the web like stars in the night sky.

Inside one of those pods, a man remained quietly encased in nutrient fluid.

After a long while, a single finger twitched, silently.

A voice seemed to be calling him, urging him to rise, a voice that granted him infinite strength. Within his consciousness, the utopia constructed by the second persona, Zhephe, began to blur like a mirage. A sense of emptiness welled up in his mind, and everything before him began to dissolve like dew in the sun.

The city, like a iridescent bubble under the sunlight, was gradually pricked and popped.

He found himself in a void.

Then, an F-15 fighter jet, brothers, women, a house—everything flashed before him and then vanished. Finally, a woman in a white lab coat appeared. She crouched down, looked at the sobbing man, and handed him a pair of red glasses.

"Jin, you are the savior of this world!"

"Wake up, wake up quickly!"

"Gulp."

His consciousness jolted. The world shifted; the sky turned into the city, the city into a void, and finally, the void settled into the object before him.

Nutrient fluid flooded into his throat. Jin struggled violently, attempting to shatter the glass barrier.

"Bang!"

Having just awakened, Jin was still weak; his blows against the glass were powerless. But the next moment, his palm trembled, and the red glasses lay quietly in his hand.

"Hmph." Zhephe’s eyes narrowed, becoming sharp and fierce.

"To think you dared to deceive me—simply unforgivable!"

He swept his arm through the nutrient fluid and set the glasses upon the bridge of his nose.

Immediately, a powerful red light erupted from within the nutrient pod. A familiar sensation flooded his heart; Zhephe felt his cells surge with excitement and his blood boil. His perspective rose higher and higher as immense power coursed through his entire body.

"Bang!"

As expected, the nutrient pod shattered. Many other pods cracked as well, and the people sleeping within them slowly opened their eyes.

What met their sight was an endless red glow. Then, a massive red hand cupped them protectively within its palm. Protecting the awakened people behind him, the giant figure of Ultraseven X hunched slightly, adopting a combat stance.

"Sss-la!"

In the corner, the Gurachias roared in anger and shock. It spat out a stream of pink, snake-like threads that whipped toward Ultraseven X, accurately binding his wrist.

Ultraseven X did not panic. With his free hand, he grabbed the threads and, utilizing the immense strength of his arms, yanked the giant body of the Gurachias forward. The threads, now nearly a hundred meters long, pulled taut. Ultraseven X stomped his foot, using his right leg as an anchor, and exerted force through his right arm, sending the Gurachias flying through the air. It slammed into the stone wall, embedding itself deep within.

Ultraseven X stepped forward, appearing behind the Gurachias, and pulled back his right fist to gather energy before throwing a punch.

Even over the short distance, visible air ripples surged outward. The speed of the fist broke the sound barrier instantly. This was one of Ultraseven X’s basic close-quarters combat techniques; he had once used it against Galukimes, sending the monster flying hundreds of meters with a single punch.

Now, as the punch landed on the Gurachias embedded in the wall, a violent explosion occurred. Amidst the flames, Ultraseven X slowly retracted his fist.

The intense explosion triggered a new round of tremors in the underground space. Light radiated outward, shielding the people.

Ultraseven X channeled energy to his forehead. A beam fired from his Beam Lamp—the organ atop his head—burst through layers of earth and dissipated into the surface world above.

Following the beam, the scent of fresh air, accompanied by the moonlight, drifted into the chamber.

(To be continued.)