U40 was one of the most powerful allies of the Land of Light.
Although the planet U40 didn't have as many Ultra Warriors as the Land of Light, every single one of them was a tall, powerful, and formidable warrior.
Their muscular builds were a rarity even among the many Ultramen.
And Joneus was the cream of the crop among them, with power that was in no way inferior to the Father of Ultra in his prime!
Across the infinite dimensions, the appearance of Joneus caused the jaws of countless viewers to drop.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Even Joneus is here? I thought an Ultraman from a manga like this wouldn't make an appearance."
Hachiman Hikigaya: "...Yukino actually reads manga? Oh, right... you probably marathonned every single Ultraman story, including the manga, because of the light curtain."
Madara Uchiha / The Uchiha Dancer: "Another opponent not to be underestimated. I now understand why Tartarus is so wary of the Ultra race. It's not just Noa and Ultraman King; the sheer number of powerhouses in this race is absurd!"
Absolutian Tartarus: "U40... Joneus, he is another obstacle to my race. I didn't expect the light curtain to hold him in such high regard... When I have the chance, I will personally test his strength!"
Detective Conan: "Testing your strength against Joneus? The Kingdom is really something else. Pissing off the Land of Light isn't enough; now you want to take on U40 as well?"
---o---
[In the light curtain, with the Land of Light mobilizing, a dark tide began to surge throughout the entire universe.
As the cosmic police, every major move made by the Land of Light was universe-shaking news, not to mention that they had gathered an unprecedented force this time.
If Alien Empera's Dark Empire at its peak wanted to clash with the current Land of Light, they would likely be in for a tough time.
If not for the trustworthy reputation of the Ultra race, the other aliens might have thought the Land of Light was taking advantage of Empera's absence to conquer the universe.
In fact, due to the Swarm, most powers in the universe had undergone a major reshuffling. Many weaker civilizations had either pledged allegiance to a nearby stronger power or had been reduced to dust under the iron heel of the Swarm.
The Swarm danced between the star systems, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, leaving a trail of desolation wherever it went.
And Earth could now be called the only planet that had been invaded by the Swarm without suffering catastrophic losses.
This was all fundamentally thanks to the efforts of the Ultramen. Whether it was the Father of Ultra or the Ultra Brothers, without them... Earth would have long since become a breeding ground for the Swarm.
But...
"I've said it so many times! Director, Alien Empera didn't attack Earth because of the Ultramen! Even without them, humanity would still have been invaded by him!!"
In the GUYS Phoenix Nest, Shingo Sakomizu's voice was firm and powerful. Beside him, the other members wore grim expressions.
On the other end of the video call was the General Director of GUYS Earth, Sakomizu's direct superior.
Casting aside the heroes now that the war is won. This wasn't the first time humanity had done something like this, but this time, and only this time... the darkness of humanity had exceeded their wildest imaginations!
The Ultramen had just helped humanity so much, and now humanity was turning on them to deliver a fatal blow.
If it were just that, it would be one thing. After all, the higher-ups who gave the orders were always issuing inexplicable and disgusting directives.
But... accompanied by a chorus of condemnation online, by the fury of the people, the members of GUYS understood that this was not a simple matter. Someone behind the scenes was skillfully manipulating public opinion, turning the saviors of the world into villains spat upon by all!
"In conclusion, GUYS Japan will not hand over Mebius, nor will we reveal the locations of the other Ultra Brothers!"
Taking a deep breath, Shingo Sakomizu chose to defy his superiors, directly rejecting the order from headquarters.
"Hmph, Director Sakomizu, no... you are no longer the Director. The matter of handing over the Ultramen is not for you to decide. Even if you refuse to cooperate, we can still ferret out those Ultramen hiding among humanity!"
"Headquarters has already shut down all of GUYS Japan's equipment. You and your teammates can't run. Just wait to be disciplined!"
The General Director on the other end of the video roared. As his voice fell, the Phoenix Nest was plunged into a power outage, and all equipment ceased to function.
Seeing this, even the normally good-tempered Shingo Sakomizu slammed his fist on the table, completely ignoring the blood on his knuckles.
"Director..."
"Ryu, is it... is humanity forever unable to escape its own vile nature? Is humanity truly such an ungrateful creature that repays kindness with hatred?"
For a moment, Shingo Sakomizu's spirit sank. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with both anger and helplessness.
"Director, someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes, trying to drive a wedge between us humans and the Ultra Warriors."
Ryu Aihara took a deep breath and said to Sakomizu. After experiencing so much, he had gradually matured from the team member who could only rage impotently.
He now had the potential to become the captain of GUYS.
"I am aware of that point as well, but the problem now is... which alien is so insidious, and how did they manage to make the public view the Ultramen as enemies?"
After venting, Shingo Sakomizu gradually calmed down, but what replaced his anger was disbelief.
This was something not even Alien Empera had managed to do. Which alien could have possibly severed the bond between the Ultramen and humanity?
"Could it be... Alien Mephilas?" Teppei Kuze guessed from the side.
As a notorious alien known throughout the cosmos, Alien Mephilas's greatest strength was sowing discord. His intellect was among the best of all aliens; it was entirely possible for him to achieve something like this!
"But... isn't Alien Empera already dead? Could Alien Mephilas be so loyal that he would still want to harm humanity even after the Dark Empire has fallen? Isn't he afraid of the Ultramen?"
Marina couldn't understand. What reason did Alien Mephilas have? Could he really be seeking revenge for Alien Empera?
However... just as they were racking their brains, a faint light suddenly appeared in the dark control room.
"Who's there!?" George instinctively drew his sidearm and pointed it at the humanoid figure in the faint light.
Amidst the crew's alert, the humanoid figure simply let out a cold snort. "You were just pinning the blame on me, and now you don't recognize me?"
As the dim light grew brighter, Alien Mephilas gradually materialized before their shocked eyes.
"Alien Mephilas?" Konomi Konomi covered her mouth, her voice filled with disbelief.
Pinning the blame on him... could it be... that it wasn't Alien Mephilas who was behind this?
"Foolish humans. Although you and the Ultramen worked together to kill His Majesty the Emperor, but... I cannot allow His Majesty's treasures to fall into the hands of others. This is the one and only thing I, as the last subject of the Dark Emperor, can do for His late Majesty!"
With a wave of Mephilas's hand, the Darkness Armor appeared before them. The evil aura that washed over them made everyone gasp in shock.
"The one who stole His Majesty's armor, spread the rumors, and controlled the upper echelons of humanity... is her..."
"She killed my colleague, Yapool, has been secretly helping the Swarm open up new planets, and even stole the Darkness Armor from the Dark Empire, indirectly leading to the fall of His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Now, she has shifted her target to the Ultramen. If you humans do not want to perish from internal strife and a crisis of faith, then kill her quickly."
As Alien Mephilas spoke, his expression revealed a contempt for Phantylia and... a deep wariness!
She was more malevolent than Mephilas, who was known as a vicious alien. She was more cunning. The bond between humans and Ultramen, something even His Majesty the Emperor couldn't sever, was something she could easily play with in the palm of her hand!
"Why... are you helping us? Aren't you a subordinate of Alien Empera?"
Although they now knew who the real enemy was, the members of GUYS did not lower their guard, continuing to aim their guns at Alien Mephilas.
Facing their vigilance, Alien Mephilas smiled, his tone surprisingly sincere. "Perhaps it is to help His late Majesty retrieve the Darkness Armor, or perhaps... it is because I too have grown fond of this planet!"
"The bond between humans and Ultramen should not be broken by such a ridiculous existence..."
After speaking, Alien Mephilas vanished on the spot.
Then, the control room returned to normal, even the power was restored. Clearly... Alien Mephilas had briefly restored power to the Phoenix Nest.
]
---o---
A gentlemanly alien, a vicious alien.
Alien Mephilas had many titles, but it was clear that this character, who wasn't even a supporting role, had truly left a lasting impression on the countless viewers across the infinite dimensions.
Light Curtain Comments—
Detective Conan: "Does he hate Phantylia even more than he hates humans? Even a vicious alien like Alien Mephilas finds Phantylia's actions despicable?"
Zoffy with the Big Manly Pectorals: "No, Alien Mephilas is evil, but he is also a gentleman. What he cannot accept is... Phantylia stealing the Darkness Armor and humanity being so easily swayed by provocation."
Otto Apocalypse: "He fell in love with Earth? A vicious alien fell in love with Earth. Alien Mephilas... truly leaves a deep impression!"
Dark Universe Great Emperor: "Alien Mephilas, it seems we have always underestimated you. We never thought that after our death, you wouldn't flee like those so-called allies..."
Ultraman Hikari: "A gentlemanly alien? As an opponent of the Land of Light, his threat level was the highest among the Dark Four Heavenly Kings."
Stelle / Galaxy Baseballer: "So Phantylia has truly become like an insect. Neither the good guys nor the bad guys like her. After finally outlasting Empera, it turns out Mephilas is waiting for her."
Phantylia: "Hmph, just a bunch of dogs without a home. You want to defeat me in my area of expertise? What a joke!"
Sowing discord, causing civilizations to crumble from within... this was what she did best.
Ever since entering the Ultra universe, she had been constantly taking losses, being chased by this one, beaten by that one!
Now, she could finally hold her head high for once!!
---o---
[In the light curtain, with the power system restored, the members of the Phoenix Nest quickly sprang into action.
Using the equipment left behind by the Space Pendragon, they began to investigate the Darkness Armor that Alien Mephilas had just revealed!
At the same time, the brain-dead higher-ups had confirmed the identities of all the Ultramen and had quickly dispatched troops to arrest them!
To hunt down Ultramen... this was something that had never happened before in the history of mankind.
The higher-ups who had given similar orders in the past, while also brain-dead, at least knew that the Ultramen were an unbeatable force for humanity.
They were mostly just running their mouths. If they were to actually face an Ultraman, they would probably be scared into wetting their pants.
The power level of an Ultra Warrior, even if they could only be active on Earth for three minutes, even if they had lost the light of humanity, was definitely not something human technology could handle!
What's more, the ones they were trying to hunt down now were the famous Ultra Brothers, who were among the strongest in the entire Ultra race!
However... as the ones being loved, humans were always a bit spoiled.
"Against the humans you hold so dear, can you bring yourselves to fight back, Ultra Warriors?"
In the darkness, Phantylia yawned, a hint of a smile at the corner of her eye, as she watched the actions of the brain-dead higher-ups.
She was waiting for this planet to self-destruct. Although the time was a bit short, the majority of humanity already viewed the Ultramen as evil.
And given the nature of those Ultra Warriors, they would never fight back, even to the death. Those foolish creatures would at most run away; they would never lay a hand on the humans who were attacking them.
As if sensing something, Phantylia's gaze suddenly turned towards space.
"Let me see, is it three rays of light again? There are really quite a few Ultramen in this universe."
"Perfect. Aside from the Ultra Brothers, I'll take care of those guys as well."
Looking at the figures of Zero and the others, a smile played on Phantylia's lips.
Compared to the Ultramen, who were fundamentally impossible to destroy from within, dismantling humanity was simply too easy.
"The divine power of Propagation is already spreading throughout the cosmos. The mission Lord Nanook entrusted to me will soon be complete."
"When the time is right, whether it is this universe or that one, they will all submit to Destruction..."