Chapter Fourteen: That Was a Demon (Fourth Update! An Extra Chapter for Old Luo!)

"Roar!"
The summoning cry echoed once more, and countless birds that roosted in the city unfurled their wings, flying toward the beast. They blotted out the sky, numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands, sweeping overhead in a black arc like a bridge of darkness.

Upon the monster's back, atop two enormous bony spines, blue light shimmered, bewitching in its allure. Flocks of birds clung to the bone, fusing with the beast's body and extending its form. In just a moment, its fearsome long wings had coalesced. On either side of the monster's shoulders, from the smaller lizard and rodent heads, a newly-formed, pitch-black bird-creature emerged, fierce and menacing, letting out its first harsh cry.

"Roar~!"

Immediately after, the beast's giant maw opened wide, unleashing another howl that reverberated throughout all of Shinjuku.

Its vast, black wings slowly folded around its body, then suddenly beat the air, sending gusts in every direction and kicking up a storm of dust.

Faced with such a horrifying sight, the television crew filming the monster instinctively retreated several steps in fear. The female reporter, whom Tetsuya had once met, was ghostly pale, her hand clutching the microphone trembling, her voice so shaky she could barely speak. After a moment to compose herself, she stammered,

"Incredible! Wings... the monster suddenly unfurled enormous wings!"

"This... this scene is simply terrifying! How can I even describe it..." The reporter hesitated, searching for words, then, as if convincing herself, declared,

"Like this... it's simply... simply..."

Amidst another resounding roar, the monster's massive wings beat the air, and through the swirling dust that stretched for thousands of meters, its colossal form began to rise.

"Demon!"

Countless people standing before their televisions, hearts clenched in dread, could not restrain their terror. Demon—the word struck home, perfectly capturing the creature in an instant. Those three grotesque heads, the dense spines bristling over its body, the lizard-like tail, and now the newly-grown, immense black wings... When the reporter uttered that word to millions watching, none objected; indeed, it seemed only such a word could describe a monster so fearsome.

"Mama... will we...?" A little girl named Miku, trembling, looked up at her young mother.

The young mother’s lips quivered; for a moment, she forgot to answer. Accustomed to the routine of her nine-to-five life, her mind was bound by the weight of daily toil. Now, facing a beast torn from the fabric of myth, she was struck by despair.

"No, we won't!" Beside them, Saro Mizuhara knelt down, fixing the little girl with a determined look. In a firm voice, she said,

"Ultraman will defeat it!"

"R-really?" the girl asked uncertainly.

"Of course! We must believe in him—he is our hope!" Saro Mizuhara raised her gaze to the distant black speck soaring in the sky, silently praying in her heart:
"Tetsuya, you must do it! Because... you are our hope!"

Countless others, too, looked skyward at the flying giant, the same thought rising in every heart:
"Giant, you must defeat it! Because... you are our hope!"

"System, analyze the levels and strength of both sides!"

The system responded at once:

The One
Height: 50 meters (Demon Form)
Weight: 58,000 tons (Demon Form)
Flight Speed: Mach 6 (Demon Form)
Rank: A-Class (Demon Form)

Next Ultraman (The Next)
Height: 50 meters (Adult Form)
Weight: 50,000 tons (Adult Form)
Flight Speed: Mach 6 (Inspired by pilot Tetsuya Naie’s pursuit of speed)
Running Speed: Mach 3
Jump Height: 800 meters
Grip Strength: 50,000 tons
Rank: B-Class (Adult Form)

Tetsuya fell silent. The gulf between B-Class and A-Class was like a chasm—could he truly defeat this demon before him? He had no confidence, yet he knew he had no choice but to fight, hesitation impossible. Though afraid, he could not allow that fear to halt his battle.

Fight!
For what I protect, for my title!
Next!

As if by instinct, Next crossed his arms, dazzling energy blades bursting from his forearms, forming two luminous crescent blades that shot toward the demon.

The system chimed in at once:

Lambda Blades (B+): Crescent-shaped energy blades launched from the Cumulus Blades, focusing both wrist’s energy to release a powerful cutting attack.

Yet the demon matched his flight speed with ease. With a mere flick of its mighty wings, it dodged the blades effortlessly.

Next spread his arms wide, tracing a graceful arc through the sky, charging straight at the demon.

Bang!
The demon’s massive wings folded slightly, its immense frame retreating nimbly. At the same time, it lashed out with a kick toward Next. Pain as sharp as a blade tore through Tetsuya’s abdomen, shooting straight to his mind.

Next was flung away by the kick, plummeting toward the ground.

“No! I can’t lose!”

Tetsuya’s voice was almost a roar. In his mind’s eye, Saro Mizuhara’s face flashed by; he grit his teeth fiercely.

“Again!”

Next spread his arms, stabilizing himself as he fell, then glided low for a moment, before his streamlined form shot skyward once more.

“Lambda Blades!”
Slicing through the clouds, Next fired another set of lambda blades, but again, they missed their mark.

“Roar!”
A sphere of blue energy shot from the demon’s mouth like a meteor, trailing a long tail of blue light as it streaked toward Next in rapid succession.

Though the demon far outclassed him, Tetsuya was an ace pilot—flight was etched into his very soul. Next’s agile form weaved away from the blue energy spheres, but the demon twisted midair, firing volley after volley relentlessly.

Tetsuya seethed. His own lambda blades required time to charge, but the demon seemed to unleash its energy attacks at will, each burst forcing Next to respond urgently.

Whoosh!
One after another, the energy spheres were evaded by Next’s dexterity. By now, the demon had soared into the dense clouds above.

Without hesitation, Next dove in. The clouds were a white shroud, all vision obscured. Next tracked the black silhouette flitting through the mist, chasing with incredible speed.

They burst through the cloud layer. In the distance, the demon flew toward the sun; Next pursued, the gap closing steadily.

"This feeling..."
Tetsuya’s words were a near-whisper, dreamlike:
"Thirty thousand feet up, I’m all alone, slicing through the air..."
He could hear his own heartbeat echoing thunderously in his mind.

"I feel as though... I’ve become light itself!"

It was as if he heard the roar of jet engines by his ears, as though he were back in those days flying fighters.

"Like a silver meteor..."

Suddenly, the demon veered downward, spitting another blue sphere of energy from its maw.

Boom!
The sphere tore through a skyscraper in an instant, the blast following with a deafening roar as the building collapsed.

Boom~~
One after another, the surrounding towers were pierced by energy spheres, explosions and flames and black smoke engulfing all of Shinjuku.

In moments, only ruins remained, fierce fires raging, debris raining everywhere.

"Burn! Burn them all away—let humanity perish!"

The demon’s rampaging laughter resonated in every heart. People stared in despair as yet another blue energy sphere shot from the demon’s mouth, trailing a streak of light, hurtling toward the densest crowd below!