---o---
Light Curtain Comments—
Phantylia's scheming left the audience outside the screen completely speechless.
To be fair, while many viewers across the infinite dimensions despised Phantylia, they had to admit that she was certainly living up to her title of Lord Reaver of Destruction.
No matter which boss was in charge, Phantylia was always diligently carrying out her "Destruction."
Stelle / Galaxy Baseballer: "A subordinate of Nanook, an Emanator of Destruction, a Lord Reaver... why does she always feel like a shit-stirrer?"
On the Astral Express, the moment Phantylia appeared, Stelle's expression soured. Her golden eyes were filled with utter disgust, as if she were looking at a rat scurrying across the street.
To undermine the bond between humanity and the Ultramen from behind the scenes... it had to be said that if there were no other external factors, Phantylia's move could definitely bring about the downfall of many Ultra Warriors and humans.
Detective Conan: "The Father of Ultra was so focused on fighting Belial that he forgot to get rid of Phantylia while he was at it."
Among the remaining Ultra Warriors on Earth at this point, although they couldn't truly kill Phantylia, it would have been perfectly feasible to beat her to the point where she was completely incapable of causing trouble.
Unfortunately, Phantylia's true form, the Suiyang, had no physical body. It didn't even possess a lingering resentment like Yapool. A ball of light was its form of existence, making it normally impossible for an Ultraman's senses to detect its approach.
Gilgamesh / King of Heroes: "A clown-like character wants to test humanity? You'll make this king laugh his head off, hahahaha!!"
The King of Heroes from the Fourth Holy Grail War burst into raucous laughter at the thought of Phantylia's plan.
Ace Pilot of the Death Squad: "Humanity and the Ultramen just finished annihilating the invincible Dark Universe Emperor. How could they possibly fall apart because of some petty instigation?"
On the TPC Victory Team, Shinjo didn't believe a single word of Phantylia's on-screen monologue.
As a human himself, he admitted that there were many incomprehensible and dark things within the human race. But by the same token, just as humanity ultimately chose Mebius, they would also awaken at certain moments, just as they did during the battle with Alien Empera.
If Phantylia had tried this a few years later, he might have had more to say. But right now, humanity was in its awakened phase. There was no way they would fall apart due to her provocations.
---o---
[In the light curtain, several days had passed since the elimination of Belial. While Phantylia was busy trying to stir up conflict between humans and Ultramen, the perspective shifted back to outer space.
With the thunderous collapse of Alien Empera's Dark Universe Empire, the dark regions he had once reconquered fell into the hands of the Swarm once more.
In the process of vying for this new territory, some of the Swarm even underwent a self-evolution, adapting to both darkness and light.
In less than a month of propagation, the combat effectiveness of the Swarm swarming between the stars had risen dramatically.
Quite a few civilizations that had managed to preserve themselves at the Swarm's point of origin had now chosen self-destruction under the assault of these dangerous swarms.
To them, the entire Ultra universe was a treasure trove, filled with rays and mysterious energies that could make them stronger.
"The Swarm King's position is constantly changing. It's been days, and we haven't even seen his shadow."
Interstellar travel was dull and tedious, especially when the crew of the Express was not around.
Since Dyna had joined the team, she and Zero had been following the Swarm King's trajectory, eliminating swarms while searching for his whereabouts.
Cosmos and Dyna were also investigating a region very close to Zero's position.
Although they didn't know why Noa had specifically insisted on these three Ultramen, with all the support he currently had, Zero was confident he could put up a fight even if he encountered the Swarm King.
"You can't say that. It's not like we've made no progress at all. At least, based on the information we've found, we've managed to deduce the Swarm King's objective for this operation."
Hearing Stelle complain inside him, Zero, though he also found it boring, replied optimistically.
From the fact that they were constantly eating his dust, it was clear that the Swarm King, Tayzzyronth, was not as slow as one might imagine. On the contrary... his speed was astonishing, far exceeding that of a normal Ultraman's interstellar travel.
And after a not-so-rigorous deduction, Zero concluded that Tayzzyronth's goal was simple: to cross over from this universe to another.
As for which universe, he had no idea. After all, the vast majority of Ultra Warriors did not possess the ability to traverse the cosmos. Even with his Aegis of Palagye, he couldn't cross the barriers between universes as easily as Noa or Ultraman King.
"Tayzzyronth, what on earth is his reason for wanting to switch universes to continue propagating? Is something wrong with this one?" Stelle pondered in her mind, but she couldn't figure it out.
It could only be said that the activities of Aeons were inherently difficult to grasp, so much so that even members of the Genius Society couldn't fully comprehend them.
"Just eating his dust isn't a solution. Say, Zero... don't you have the Aegis of Palagye? Getting ahead of him shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Stelle said with a deadpan expression.
It seemed the Swarm King didn't possess spatial travel abilities like Noa or Ultraman King. This was unexpected for Stelle, but... it was also possible that he had the ability and simply wasn't using it.
In response to Stelle's words, Zero held his head and shook it. "You think I don't want to? There are dozens of beings at the same level as the Star-Shattering Sting-Wing surrounding the Swarm King."
"They are escorting the Swarm King, and their powerful auras are even starting to distort the cosmic magnetic field in the surrounding area."
"Spatial abilities are completely useless, and if the Swarm King discovers me, I'll have to fight dozens of planet-destroying Swarm Kings at once."
Zero's tone was filled with deep caution, a complete departure from his usual arrogant style.
Perhaps it was because he had investigated the trajectory of the Swarm King's movements that he now had a clearer understanding of his own standing before the Aeon.
"Let's go. There's no point in getting entangled with him any further. Before I have completely mastered the light given to me by Noa, we're powerless even if we catch up to Tayzzyronth."
"Go...? Back to Earth?"
Zero had decisively given up the chase of Tayzzyronth and chosen to temporarily return to Earth to see if the Father of Ultra had any other instructions.
This move surprised Stelle greatly. The Zero she knew from not long after his debut would never do something that resembled running away or admitting defeat.
Zero, however, clearly didn't notice Stelle's expression. After a moment's thought, he said, "Although you've explained a lot before, I still don't quite understand the concept of an Aeon."
"But at the end of the day, even if we successfully eliminate Tayzzyronth, this calamity won't end, right?"
The Path already exists. So even if the Aeon dies, the Swarm will continue to propagate endlessly.
Unless... the Path of Propagation is completely erased from the Ultra universe.
However... a conventional Ultraman is fundamentally incapable of achieving this, not even the Father of Ultra in his full True Power state, nor Ultimate/Destruction-Zero, nor even Phoenix Brave.
And this... was perhaps the reason why Noa had chosen those three specific Ultramen.]
---o---
The peculiar nature of an Aeon, akin to a philosophical embodiment, means that even in death, they enter a quantum superposition of being both dead and alive.
In the Honkai: Star Rail universe, many Aeons have fallen. Taiyi, who presided over [The Order], and Akivili of [The Trailblaze], are both explicitly confirmed to be dead Aeons.
But is that really the case?
Their Paths still exist. They have either merged with other Aeons or simply left their Path behind.
From this perspective, they are not much different from being alive; they are in a state of being dead but not completely dead.
Therefore... to eliminate the Swarm King Tayzzyronth, his very concept must be utterly annihilated, leaving no trace of his death behind. Only then can the Swarm Disaster be truly and completely resolved.
---o---
Light Curtain Comments—
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Dead but not completely dead, alive but not completely alive... this sounds like a new form of nonsense literature. The existence of Aeons is truly wondrous."
Nobita Nobi: "My head hurts. I'm going to grow a brain. What does 'dead but not completely dead' even mean? It's so hard to understand!"
Detective Conan: "This... if I analyze it carefully, I think I can understand it, but I'm still not clear on the specific principle."
The Wise Yakumo: "You've already been told they are Aeons, what principle are you still considering? And they're not even gods of Earth, but gods of the cosmos."
Ruan Mei: "Aeons... don't truly die? Even the confirmed deceased, [The Trailblaze] and [The Order], continue to exist in another form. It's becoming more and more fascinating... the existence of Aeons and their Emanators."
---o---
[In the light curtain, in the cosmic Dark Empire, after the death of Alien Empera, the remaining aliens and former subordinates of Empera either took all his assets and returned to their home planets, or left with ambitions of becoming the second Alien Empera.
In short, the current Dark Empire, aside from some monster minions, posed almost no threat.
And with a flash of light, an unexpected figure appeared within the Dark Empire.
"Belial... did he hide the Sacred Light here?"
As the camera zoomed in, the prominent great horns confirmed the visitor's identity.
That's right, it was the Father of Ultra.
He had followed the energy of the Plasma Spark Tower's core all the way from Earth to this place.
He had carved a path through the swarming insects and, while he was at it, had annihilated all the evil dark creatures within Empera's Dark Empire.
Standing before the Plasma Spark Tower, the Father of Ultra hadn't expected Belial to place its core within the Dark Empire.
Although a seal had been placed, it was extremely unstable. The slightest mistake could cause the Sacred Light to completely illuminate the entire Dark Empire.
"I suppose... this was a case of dog-eat-dog between Belial and Alien Empera," the Father of Ultra stroked the 'whiskers' on both sides of his chin and speculated.
The sacred power of the Plasma Spark Tower's core was of little use to dark beings. The reason Belial stole it was for revenge against the Land of Light.
Although the core could be used to revive the hundred monsters in the Giga Battle Nizer, in reality, anyone could do so with enough energy.
After the destruction of the Land of Light, the Sacred Light would have been of little use to Belial.
Its only remaining function was to be used during a fallout between Belial and Empera. The Sacred Light was powerful enough to turn the Dark Empire into a Radiant Empire in an instant. At that point, most of the resentful spirits and dark lifeforms would perish.
Although nothing would happen to Alien Empera himself, he would surely be enraged and completely lose his reason.
It's well known that Alien Empera despises the light. The war with the Land of Light back then was because they were beings of light. His hatred for the light was bone-deep.
Why did the later Tartarus, in his time travels, gather a pile of monsters and evil aliens, but refuse to go and find Alien Empera?
It was because The Kingdom also utilized the power of light. Even if they weren't of the same race as the Ultras, The Kingdom would be seen as an enemy by Alien Empera.
It was just a pity that before Belial and Alien Empera had their falling out, they both perished on Earth.
Casually undoing the seal Belial had set, the Sacred Light suddenly burst forth with intense radiance, completely illuminating the entire Dark Empire.
Even the Father of Ultra had to shield his eyes, not daring to look directly at this terrifying energy.
If it were any other ordinary Ultraman, they might have been injured or even sent flying by this energy.
After the stimulating light faded, the Father of Ultra gently grasped the base of the Sacred Light and pulled it out.
"Finally... it's almost over!!"
The eighteen billion Ultras of the Land of Light were all counting on the Sacred Light in the Father of Ultra's hands to regain their mobility.
Without much hesitation, the Father of Ultra looked up at the sky, then leaped high into the air, returning at maximum speed to that completely frozen planet.
At the same time, on the Planet Ultra in Nebula M78, Ultraman King was using his own body to maintain the life of the planet and its eighteen billion Ultras.
For dozens of days... a full dozens of days, he had relied on this single avatar to save the entire Land of Light.
Without any exaggeration, Ultraman King was absolutely worthy of his title, the true King of the Ultra Race!]
---o---