Chapter 22: Vanishing Traces

"The Battle Star has vanished from here."

A Red-Type Ultra warrior gazed at the empty expanse of the starry sky. There was absolutely no trace of any starship to be found. His eyes settled on a single object suspended in the void, pulsating with a rhythmic red light.

His massive form surged forward, and he reached out to retrieve the item—it was a tracking beacon from the Land of Light’s starship fleet.

"Damn it! Those Blue-Type fools actually managed to find this thing."

He spat the curse in anger. Instantly, the image of a specific Blue-Type Ultra surfaced in his mind—a guy who was often seen wearing a white researcher’s lab coat, though he was an outcast from the Space Science Bureau.

He had not expected that fellow to be so capable; even a tracking beacon had been tracked down by him, allowing those Blue-Type scoundrels to retrieve it.

They had been played!

Without a moment’s hesitation, he spun around and flew back in the direction from which he had come. This matter had to be reported to Father of Ultra immediately.

They had to find out exactly where the Battle Star had gone. Given the madness of Zearth, who knew what he might do under these circumstances?

"The scout is returning!"

A Silver-Type Ultra warrior alerted Father of Ultra. Kane nodded slightly, his gaze shifting toward the approaching figure in the distance. A Red-Type Ultra warrior was flying toward them at high speed.

"There is absolutely no trace of the Battle Star ahead. We’ve been deceived!"

The young Red-Type Ultra warrior produced the tracking beacon and looked urgently at Father of Ultra. "Captain Kane, we must find the whereabouts of those Blue-Type individuals as quickly as possible!"

Kane watched the pulsating red light of the beacon in silence, nodding faintly before coming to a halt. Following his lead, thousands of Red-Type Ultra warriors pulled up as well. Across the vast, majestic expanse of space, a thousand Ultra warriors stood suspended in the void.

Tetsuya looked ahead and stopped as well. Beside him, Belial cast a glance at Tetsuya’s well-defined, muscular physique with a hint of envy. He compared it to his own—which was not bad, by any means, but...

It was truly demoralizing!

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light bloomed across the sky, and several characters materialized within it.

Tetsuya looked up. Even though these were just cryptic symbols, they emitted a flood of information.

He felt as though he were looking at the Land of Light—a place overflowing with radiance, immense in scale, with towering architecture. Amidst the white light, a disc-shaped starship descended from the sky into the atmosphere of the Land of Light. Immediately following, countless Ultra warriors rushed out from the buildings, staring up at the vessel.

Tetsuya saw it with perfect clarity: most of the Ultras there were ordinary Blue-Types. They gazed up at the starship, their complex expressions containing an unreadable mix of emotions.

The vision shifted, transporting him into a vast, expansive chamber. The urgent voice of a young White-Type Ultra echoed out:

"Captain Kane, Zearth has led the members of the New Space Garrison aboard the Battle Star and has arrived at the Planet of Ultra!"

"Captain Kane, please lead the warriors back to the Planet of Ultra with all possible speed!"

The image rapidly dissolved. Tetsuya was stunned for a moment before he realized what it was: an Ultra Sign. A few simple characters served as a vessel for a vast amount of information, carrying far more visual and auditory data than one might assume.

Kane’s face turned ashen as he dissipated the Ultra Sign. He sighed helplessly; no one had imagined that Zearth would dare to lead the New Space Garrison in such a daring counter-strike!

He had taken the most powerful forces of the Land of Light away from the planet, leaving the Planet of Ultra like a warrior stripped of his armor. What resistance could it possibly offer against a madman like Zearth?

*Brother, you were truly far more suited to be a leader than I.*

Aboard the Battle Star, the atmosphere was somber, even oppressive.

Though they, the Blue-Types, had been suppressed by the Red, Silver, and White-Types for ages, they identified deeply with their status as Ultra warriors and as members of the Land of Light.

The Blue-Type warriors of the New Space Garrison watched the figure at the helm—a man who was not tall, but possessed incredibly broad shoulders. They believed that Zearth would bear the burden for all of them. None of the Blue-Type Ultras had ever considered, or even dared to imagine, what their fate would be if they were to lose Zearth.

Thus, every Blue-Type warrior held this powerful fighter in the highest reverence, never daring—nor wishing—to question any of Zearth’s decisions or commands.

But standing before them was the Land of Light!

"Captain Zearth, you surely don't mean to..."

Even the usually lawless Cupid felt his scalp tingle. He felt the entire atmosphere freezing over. Thousands of Blue-Type warriors had their gazes locked forward, and even though Cupid was not the sole focus of their attention, he felt as if his very spirit were being paralyzed.

Cupid was an excellent warrior, but the prospect of becoming a leader to guide the Blue-Types toward their own rise to power was still far beyond his reach.

Yet, Zearth possessed exactly that kind of presence.

He was a born leader—cold, resolute, and unyielding in the face of any difficulty. He held the power of the entire Blue-Type race in his hands; he was their only hope. The weight of that alone was something Cupid found hard to fathom.

Bearing the hopes of an entire race was not a beautiful thing.

In fact, it was a terrifying and arduous burden. If one were truly committed to the greater good, one would have to face constant sacrifices. A single command could result in the deaths of countless kin. That weight was so heavy that it was impossible to bear.

Furthermore, Zearth had been forced to lead the New Space Garrison into bloody battles against the dark races of the universe for the sake of his people’s rise and the new path pointed out by Ultraman King.

At every moment, Blue-Type Ultra warriors were dying because of it.

At every moment, Blue-Type warriors were bleeding.

A person with a soft heart could never be a commander; one had to be cold and firm within.

And a commander could never be the leader of the Land of Light, because, to such a leader, life is merely a series of numbers.

For the Land of Light, Kane was indispensable.

For the Blue-Types, in the midst of their rise, Zearth was also indispensable.

But now, it seemed they had finally arrived at a point of absolute opposition.