Chapter Eight: Thick Mists

In the long, dim corridor, Jin’s footsteps were rapid. Watching Tamaru walking unhurriedly ahead, as if mocking him and K, a nameless fire of rage ignited in his heart.

"Stop! Are you trying to run away!?"

Tamaru stopped but did not turn around. He simply replied with a sneer, "I am not trying to run away. The device is not yet complete."

Jin pursed his lips and asked, "Give it up. Where is the alien who commissioned you to build this device?"

"And who is the alien spying on Earth?"

Tamaru’s lips curled. "I cannot say that. I must be loyal to my clients!"

Jin raised his laser pistol, pointing it at Tamaru’s head in anger. "Are you going to tell me or not!?"

Tamaru pouted, muttering to himself, "How troublesome."

"Although I hate getting serious in front of others, if you don't stop, I will truly get angry!"

After saying this coldly, Tamaru removed his glasses. His eyes suddenly glowed with a ghostly blue light, appearing eerie in the dim light of the corridor.

Immediately following this, his entire body began to crack, as if a doll were shattering. Once the body fell away, an insect-like alien was revealed before Jin.

A Margit alien!

Jin did not flinch; he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ultra Eye.

"Wait a moment."

The Margit alien raised his arm, pointing at Jin. "Wait a moment. This is truly surprising."

He took a few steps forward, staring curiously at the Ultra Eye in Jin’s hand, and guessed, "You are that red giant, aren't you?"

"So what if I am!?"

The Margit alien paced back and forth, unhurried. "You want to defeat me—does that mean you also want to defeat those people from earlier?"

"They voluntarily provided energy for the invasion weapon! So they are guilty just like me, aren't they?"

"Humans who assist in the destruction of Earth, humans who sell out their own lives—do you really want to fight for such a group?"

"If not for that, then what is it? Is it just for your own self-satisfaction?"

"If everyone is guilty, then you, the primary culprit, should be the first to be punished. As for them, they will naturally be judged by human law!"

Jin turned to face the Margit alien and decisively put on the Ultra Eye.

A dazzling, blinding radiance erupted, and the outline of a red figure gradually extended over Jin’s body. When the light faded, the form of Seven X stood in the corridor.

His orange-red eyes were deep and punctuated with intensity; the color timer glowed with a cyan light, and the Eye Slugger on his head was indestructible. His robust physique showed clearly defined abdominal muscles, and the armor on his chest extended to his elbows. Though he was human-sized, his immense power was clearly evident.

The Margit alien looked angrily at the Seven X standing before him, knowing that this battle was unavoidable. He quickly turned his head, leaped with his legs, and simultaneously vibrated the thin cicada-like wings on his back at high frequency, flying toward the end of the corridor.

Seven X followed closely behind, and they soon arrived at an open factory area.

The Margit alien seemed to have no intention of running again. He scanned his surroundings and said, "This place is good. If we fight in a factory, it would be a shame to damage the device I worked so hard to build."

As he finished speaking, the Margit alien suddenly raised his hand, and an energy sphere shot toward Seven X.

Jin had been keeping his eyes locked on the Margit alien. When he saw him raise his hand, Seven X’s powerful body leaped to the side, narrowly dodging the attack.

"Boom!"

However, the steel behind him erupted in a shower of sparks upon impact. With the sound of the explosion, the entire steel frame snapped, and the massive equipment collapsed downward.

Seven X tapped his toes on the ground, his figure leaping onto another piece of steel equipment.

Two blue beams of energy shot toward him immediately after. Seven X dodged them nimbly and lunged toward the Margit alien.

He threw a heavy kick, which the alien dodged nimbly. As Seven X turned, he thrust a heavy elbow toward the alien, but his opponent leaned back and aside to evade it, then struck back with a fierce punch aimed at Seven X.

Seven X reacted abruptly, grabbing the opponent’s wrist tightly, and then drove his left fist with tremendous force directly into the Margit alien’s own fist. The immense power sent the opponent flying.

The Margit alien was incredibly agile; he spread his wings and vibrated them at a high frequency to dissipate the impact. However, as soon as he regained his footing, Seven X pursued him, his left leg striking with fierce force, sending the alien flying once again.

Jin had always preferred an aggressive, wide-open fighting style, emphasizing powerful strikes that hit like thunder and lightning. Moreover, Seven X’s power had been significantly amplified in this world; his physical prowess had increased, especially his raw strength—which was far greater than that of the original Seven. (This could be clearly seen from the abdominal muscles that distinguished Seven X from Seven.)

The Margit alien managed to steady himself and, flapping his wings, leaped into the air to launch a flying kick at Seven X.

However, one must remember which fighting technique Ultraman is most familiar with; the "Ultra Flying Kick" is arguably the most frequently used. In terms of hand-to-hand combat, Seven X was far superior to the average Ultra warrior; when it came to fighting, he truly feared no opponent.

Facing the Margit alien’s flying kick, Seven X did not hesitate for a second. Gathering strength in his legs, he leaped up. His powerful body took flight, his right leg extended to kick the alien. The massive force struck the Margit alien right in the stomach, causing the air to ripple outward in waves.

At the same time, the Margit alien plummeted from mid-air and crashed heavily into the ground. It was only when Seven X landed that the alien clutched his stomach and struggled to climb to his feet.

"I will tell you, since you love humans so much—the client who commissioned me to build that invasion weapon... it was humans!"

Jin’s heart jolted, and he looked at the Margit alien with hesitation.

"Do you want to know who it was?" The Margit alien let out a strange laugh, looking at Seven X mockingly.

"It is the one who is everywhere..."

"Boom!"

Before the words could be finished, a massive sound echoed from high above. Seven X looked up to see a giant monster appearing in the sky.

Six powerful legs stood tall, supporting a body that looked like a paramecium. Its ugly, giant mouth was flattened like a piranha’s, appearing very strange, as if it had been crudely stitched onto its neck.

It was Guracias!

Ever since Jin had awakened in the UFO and escaped, this was the first time he had engaged with this kind of mechanical creature. This monster’s movements were mysterious; Jin had tried hard to investigate it and had even asked K, but K had claimed he had never encountered such a monster.

Guracias seemed to act with organizational discipline, following commands, with every action serving a specific purpose.

Without a moment to think, a shrill roar rang out. From the mouth of Guracias, a pale pink, thread-like substance suddenly sprayed out, wrapping around the body of the Margit alien and carrying him high into the sky.

Jin felt a sense of urgency and hurriedly pushed his body to grow larger. However, when the red light faded and Seven X’s massive form stood in the factory area, he looked around, but the traces of Guracias had already vanished.

The ship, Guracias, the Margit alien—what kind of relationship did these three have?

And who was the human employer the Margit alien spoke of? Why would they purchase invasion equipment from the Margit alien, and were they the ones controlling Guracias?

Jin felt as though he were trapped in a thick fog. Yet, in a flash of intuition, his eyes brightened. Behind all of this, there had always been one person.

Tetsuya Ark!

Seven X’s massive form dissipated. Amidst a flash of light, Jin stood in the factory with a thoughtful expression.

High above, on a suspended projection screen, government personnel were broadcasting their slogans.

"Please feel the joy of working!"

"We provide you with valuable work and spacious rooms. The procedure is very simple."

"To achieve the goal of 0% unemployment, new attempts are currently underway..."