Chapter Twenty-Four: Gaiozak

From the sky, a dazzling flash of light swept across, and Diga—now in his blue and red form—appeared, leaping down to the earth with a tremor that shook the ground. Without hesitation, his fighting stance was already set. Tetsuya piloted the White Dragon, flying past behind Diga, his heart filled with an indescribable feeling; this might be the last time he fought side by side with Diga.

"Next time... I'll be your opponent!"

Diga’s gigantic body charged forward, immediately bracing both hands against Geozak's fins. The immense force pushed him steadily backward until, forced by circumstance, he rolled aside to evade. In his standard form, he could not restrain Geozak. Diga crossed his fists over his forehead, a crimson glow flashing by, and his body was soon enveloped in a vivid red hue.

Diga stepped forward to keep pace with Geozak; the red form greatly increased his strength. Gripping Geozak’s fins tightly, Diga strained with his arms, intent on wrenching it from beneath the earth.

A sizzling sound crackled...

Inside the command room, the image began to blur and flicker. Norui stared in surprise and immediately notified Captain Jun Midori.

"After Diga Ultraman appeared, there was an abnormal fluctuation in the ultra-shortwave signals in that area!"

"After Diga appeared?" Captain Jun Midori was aboard the aircraft, and upon hearing Norui’s report, she fell into deep thought.

It was purely a contest of strength. Diga and the subterranean Geozak wrestled, neither able to best the other.

"Ah!!!"

At last, Diga, with tremendous effort, yanked Geozak’s lower half from the earth. With this advantage, he soon pulled out the upper half as well, revealing Geozak’s shark-like form to all present.

With a thunderous crash...

Diga hoisted Geozak high and hurled it with all his might away from the amusement park. Geozak’s massive body slammed into the ground, landing belly-up. With a furious roar, Geozak recovered, its sharp antennae pointed directly at Diga, blue light blazing in its eyes, and jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth, the very image of a mutated shark.

A brief standoff followed; then Geozak, surging forward with force in its forelimbs, charged ahead. Its pointed antenna struck Diga square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

A guttural roar...

As Geozak soared again, the White Dragon unleashed a barrage of Spire Missiles, sending the monster hurtling through the air. Its enormous body crashed down atop the amusement park, flattening many structures beneath its bulk. Thankfully, everyone inside had already been evacuated, or countless lives would have been lost.

"Here’s a gift for you..."

After taking a hit, Diga was no fool; he didn’t linger before Geozak but circled behind, seized its fin, and mounted its back, pummeling Geozak with powerful fists.

"Texas Cannon, ready..." Tetsuya calmly piloted the White Dragon to face Geozak directly. The craft split, revealing the formidable muzzle of the Texas Cannon once more.

Diga sat atop Geozak’s back, gripping its fin firmly to immobilize it, then signaled Tetsuya to fire.

"If I were to aim just a little off target..."

Tetsuya entertained the thought but quickly dismissed it, pressing the launch button forcefully. A colossal energy beam blasted toward Geozak’s head, piercing it through. Amidst the explosion, Geozak’s mechanical innards were exposed.

"What is that?" Excavator, watching from the ground, exclaimed in surprise. "Is it a mechanical monster?"

With Geozak incapacitated, its intelligent core destroyed, Diga seized the moment, tearing off its right limb as flames erupted from within.

Dealing with a monster whose core had been destroyed was now all too easy. Diga grabbed its tail, hoisted it up, spun it several times, and flung it far away.

As Geozak sailed through the air, Diga’s Dirasium Light Stream condensed into a flaming sphere in his hands. Just as he was about to unleash it, a voice rang out.

"Daigo... You’ve gained powers far beyond human evolution. Why do such tedious things?"

Through Diga’s eyes, Daigo could see clearly: in the blue gaze of Geozak, the man who had appeared before was now emerging, slowly and distinctly. "Do you think you’re the only chosen child of heaven? You’re wrong. You just happened to stumble upon Diga’s pyramid by sheer coincidence. But I’m different. I got here by my own strength. Light should have chosen me!"

A blue glow flashed from Geozak’s antenna, striking Diga’s chest at lightning speed, knocking him to the ground. The color timer on his chest blinked with a red light.

Just as he stood, Geozak’s tail, all sharp metal, swept by and sent Diga flying again.

Diga staggered to his feet, bringing his arms together from both sides, gathering high-density, superheated light energy particles in his hands. Gradually, a yellow fireball formed, pulsing with tremendous energy, and he hurled it with all his might.

Dirasium Light Stream!

The powerful beam shot straight into Geozak’s gaping maw, and a violent explosion erupted within its body. Its mechanical frame was completely shattered, fragments and parts scattering in all directions.

Soon, beneath the night sky, the ruined amusement park remained lit. Daigo, enduring pain, slowly regained consciousness and crawled from the ground.

"You did well..." A man’s voice called out, and Jinggo Masaki stepped down from the carousel. "Even though you’ve become Ultraman, you still expend your own stamina, Daigo."

Daigo looked at this enigmatic man he’d met twice before, gritting his teeth. "That’s because..."

"It’s nothing more than self-indulgence..." Jinggo Masaki walked steadily toward Daigo, mocking him. "You’re just intoxicated by humanity’s praise for your heroics. Diga alone can’t possibly save this dying earth."

"Tell me, then..." As he spoke, Jinggo Masaki swiftly punched Daigo in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Daigo struggled to rise, lunging again at his opponent, but a kick was easily blocked. Jinggo Masaki ducked, evaded Daigo’s fist, and struck his abdomen, sending him to the ground once more.

"I possess intelligence beyond ordinary people, and it’s innate." Jinggo Masaki spoke calmly as he strolled leisurely, looking utterly relaxed.

"Not only that..." He turned back swiftly and kicked Daigo down again. "I’ve trained my body as well!"

He ripped open his shirt, revealing well-toned muscles on his chest and abdomen, his tone turning angry and dissatisfied.

"I trained desperately to become a superhuman!"

"But you?" Jinggo Masaki crouched beside Daigo. "You’ve never put in any effort at all!"

With that, he snatched the Divine Light Rod from Daigo’s arms and strode away, stepping over Daigo’s body.

"Give it... give it back..." Daigo grabbed at his trouser leg.

"What a beautiful object..." Jinggo Masaki admired the Divine Light Rod under the lamplight, sighing with genuine admiration. He kicked Daigo’s hand away, retreating while laughing.

"This is exactly what I needed..."

"Something that... can turn my body into light..."

He laughed wildly, vanishing swiftly into the darkness.

In the distance, Daigo heard his teammates calling his name. But... he couldn’t... let them know.

This must remain hidden from them.

Daigo suddenly felt terribly alone. Some burdens, he realized, could only be borne by himself. Staggering, he tried to stand. At that moment, someone approached and extended a hand.

"Come... let’s go retrieve your Divine Light Rod!"