Chapter Sixteen: The Vanishing Light

"You damned fool, you could never defeat me!" The demon's voice thundered across the sky, its barbed tail lashing relentlessly against Nexte's chest, the energy of light slowly consumed by the demon.

Whoosh!

The F15 sliced through the skies like a swift swallow, the sonic boom roaring past. Kurashima stared through the cockpit, his gaze locked onto the monster's ferocious and colossal form.

"Fire!"

A barrage of missiles streaked forth, trailing plumes of smoke and fiery tails, crashing into the demon's back with a series of violent explosions. Kurashima’s fighter jet pulled sharply away, skimming past the demon's side.

"Tetsuya! I'll carry your hopes and soar through battle in the skies!"

Immediately, Maki's jet followed, targeting the spot where Kurashima's missiles had struck, his finger pressing down hard on the launch button.

"Let me show you... the power of humanity!"

The two fighter jets maneuvered like agile swallows, circling and harrying the demon, while more F15s rushed in from the distance.

Boom!

Continuous explosions rocked the monster’s back, flames illuminating the air as blood and chunks of flesh scattered. All three of the demon’s heads howled in anguish.

Under such an assault, the demon’s grip on Nexte loosened. Nexte braced himself, his elbow thrusting with immense force, breaking free from the monster's claws.

He halted within a hundred meters of the demon, arms crossed over his chest, radiant energy extending along his arms, dazzling sparks flaring between his fists.

Suddenly, he swept his arms apart and raised them slightly, then slashed swiftly toward the demon, unleashing two massive blades of light.

"Lambda Blades!"

The twin blades carved graceful arcs through the air, slicing toward the demon's wings at lightning speed. In an instant, the enormous black wings were severed cleanly beneath the Lambda Blades. The demon, deprived of flight, howled miserably, its body plummeting uncontrollably from the sky. Portions of the broken wings scattered and dissolved in midair, transforming into a swarm of black ravens, shrieking as they fled. The remnants of the demon's wings followed suit, filling the sky with countless ravens fluttering wildly.

"Maki, the giant will finish it! Let's withdraw and avoid the ravens to prevent a collision!"

"Understood!" Maki watched the demon fall, a steady smile on his lips.

"Tetsuya... If it were you, you'd want to fight alongside us, wouldn't you?"

The demon's vast form crashed through the clouds, helpless in freefall, finally smashing into the ground with a tremendous impact that echoed throughout Shinjuku, sending clouds of dust billowing.

For a moment, the crowd was silent. Then, a surge of cheers erupted.

Amidst the jubilation and swirling dust, the demon slowly crawled out of the crater, its massive body rising, stirring up yet more dust. Compared to its former imposing form, The One now appeared utterly wretched—still enormous, but its back drenched in blood. Barely managing to stand, it shook its hideous heads, clearly dizzy from the fall.

"Giant! Finish it!" a burly man shouted first. Instantly, the crowd took up the cry, shouting in unison:

"Finish it!!!"

Nexte descended from the sky, his streamlined form rising from the ground. He nodded to the crowd, then, without hesitation, raised his golden, glowing arms. Torrents of energy gathered at his elbows as his arms slowly closed. Electric sparks flashed incessantly, his hands brushing past each other, forming a radiant cross.

"Evol Ray · Torrent!"

The energy of light surged forth, Nexte’s ultimate ray bursting out in a rushing stream, colliding with The One's chest. The powerful force drove the monster backward. Amidst the anguished howls, Tetsuya poured out every ounce of his life-derived energy, pushing the Torrent Ray to twice its original strength.

"Why... After destroying me... you'll have exhausted your own life, too..." Kiwami Udo's trembling voice echoed, tinged with a plea for mercy.

"I... I'll give you Saro! We can coexist peacefully, can't we?!"

Tetsuya stared resolutely at the ferocious The One, his voice unwavering: "I've changed my mind. I not only want to protect Saro... I want to protect this world!"

"So... before I die, please... die first!"

The One's body froze, its monstrous form dissolving into countless blue ion lights, still retaining its original pose, but as a breeze swept by, it scattered and vanished into the air.

The sun was sinking at its final edge, and beneath the sunset's rays, the blue ions drifted past, beautiful as a deep starry sky.

Saro Mizuhara gazed at the sky filled with blue ions, awestruck by the breathtaking sight. She thought: Perhaps this is the most beautiful scene in the world.

It was not mere beauty, but the embodiment of hope fulfilled—the death of the demon.

Her eyes lingered on the giant. Saro felt her nose sting, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

The giant's gaze met hers, and deep within, she heard Tetsuya's voice, mischievous and roguish as ever.

"Don't cry... I told you, I'll protect you—and the world you love."

"Don't cry... I really, really... want to see you smile!"

With tears in her eyes, Saro smiled—a smile radiant and lovely, especially beneath such a beautiful sky.

Tetsuya wished… If only… if only I could always see her smile.

"Detected: host’s bodily tissues have collapsed..."

Tetsuya ignored the words he already knew all too well and asked calmly, "How much time do I have left?"

"...At the current rate of dissolving into light, no more than two days."

"That's enough..."

He cast a lingering glance at Saro Mizuhara, then raised his head, gazing far toward his homeland. If I must die, let it be in my homeland.

Light—an unbearably dazzling yet gentle radiance—burst forth from the giant’s body. The warmth spread, gradually dissolving into endless particles of light, drifting like tiny sprites. In this process, the giant’s form faded away.

"Is this scene... beautiful?"

With tears in her eyes, Saro nodded, smiling.

"Then let me prolong this beauty for you a little longer..."

"Do you remember what I said? Never fall for me. Having a boyfriend who can transform into Ultraman isn’t exactly a blessing."

Saro didn’t know how to reply to his candid words; her feelings for Tetsuya hovered on her lips, but she couldn’t speak.

"Still... the same words. Never fall for me."

He paused, his voice breaking and fragmenting.

"Afterwards... smile more... I like it very much..."

A gentle breeze swept by, and following The One, The Next’s figure also faded, dissolving into endless ions of light, gradually vanishing on the wind.

Saro's smile froze. She began to feel that something was wrong...

"Tetsuya!"

She cried out loudly, but there was no reply. Only the light particles beneath the sunset adorned the sky in a scene like the Milky Way.

"Tetsuya?!"

Suddenly, her phone rang. Instinctively, she answered, calling out his name.

"Hello... this is Kurashima..." Startled by her call, Kurashima stammered out his name.

"I’m Maki... During a mission with Tetsuya, he saved me, but his own jet plunged into the red light."

Maki paused, then spoke in a low voice: "I saw his plane crash in the mountains of Tateyama, burning... Shortly after, news of his death arrived."

"When he saved me, he told me about you... I’m sorry it took so long to contact you; Kurashima helped me track down your number."

"He told me... that if he didn’t survive the flight, I must give you his photo. And tell you, there once was a very handsome fighter pilot who liked you, and that he really wanted to see you smile."

"I'm sorry... I couldn't bring him back safely... He was a great pilot, a great soldier..."

Saro Mizuhara lowered her phone in a daze, her mouth bitter, crystalline tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Tetsuya... you truly were a great warrior... but you were never meant to be a good boyfriend."