---o---
Sealed by the power of Shining Zero.
Across the infinite dimensional cosmos, countless viewers who saw this point were not entirely relieved.
It wasn't that they didn't believe in the power of Shining Zero, but that Phantylia was simply too cunning.
As a Lord Reaver, her grasp of human nature and her control over the tide of battle were near perfect. Coupled with her bizarre abilities, she was, so far, the only character to have nearly wiped out the entire cast of heroes!
If she hadn't been outmaneuvered at the very end, defeated by Zero's powerful convictions, this third viewing might have ended right there.
[Detective Conan: "Phantylia is simply too dangerous. Keeping her around is always a threat. Is it really okay to just leave her sealed inside his body?"]
In the world of Case Closed, Conan frowned, deeply afraid that Zero would once again be consumed by Phantylia or the darkness.
He was able to become Shining Zero and reverse time this once, but what about the next time, and the time after that? As long as Phantylia was not eliminated, Ultraman Zero's body could never be considered truly safe.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "There's no other way. Who asked her to be a Suiyang, an immortal being? She has no special skills except for being good at surviving."]
In the world of Saekano, Utaha Kasumigaoka sighed. Like it or not, troublesome or not, in any world, immortality was a disgusting ability.
Although beings on the level of an Aeon could still kill Phantylia, ordinary people had no way of coming into contact with beings of that level.
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "Just one Lord Reaver is this terrifying. If it were another Emanator or even an Aeon, wouldn't that be even more horrifying? Whether it's the Ultra universe or the Star Rail universe, they are both far too dangerous!"]
In the world of My Teen Romantic Comedy, Yukinoshita Yukino thought it over carefully and realized how fortunate she was to live in a peaceful world, one without supernatural creatures like insects and monsters.
[Captain Aizen: "Dangerous...? Hehe, for many, those places are indeed dangerous. But for me, it's completely different. Danger and opportunity coexist. Just like Miss Stelle; before she entered the Ultra universe, she was just an 'ordinary person' with a Stellaron, but now... she has become an existence on par with an Emanator."]
[Captain Aizen: "I truly hope that one day, the light curtain will bring me to a wider sky... Be it death or rebirth, as long as I can witness that vaster world, for me... that would be enough!"]
---o---
[In the video, Phantylia was sealed. But in the end, she was not the main force in this catastrophe.]
She was more of a pot-stirrer. Although she had caused a lot of trouble, thankfully, it was a crisis averted.
Compared to Zero and the others, who were far away on Earth, the Ultra Alliance currently facing the Swarm King in the cosmos was in a truly perilous situation!
In outer space, in a region an unknown number of tens of thousands of light-years from Earth, numerous members of the Space Garrison led by the Father of Ultra, along with allied forces of the Land of Light, were locked in a desperate struggle against the Swarm King's grand army!
!
There was no need to elaborate on the sheer number of the Swarm!
The scale of the battlefield alone already spanned tens of thousands of light-years, affecting no fewer than ten million planets. And even so, the Swarm remained boundless.
Countless warriors had already died from exhaustion, yet the Swarm around them was still without end.
You must know, for this battle, the Ultramen had mobilized all the forces they could muster. With their support, countless neutral aliens had joined the battlefield, and even many evil aliens who had once been enemies of the Land of Light were now fighting against the Swarm!
"Everyone, stay rational! Once you're deep within the Swarm, you'll be assimilated by them!"
In a small combat unit fighting the Swarm, the leader, Ribut, took a deep breath, using the light from his body to purge all of the Swarm's pheromones from his system.
Those pheromones constantly interfered with his judgment, even attempting to alter his thoughts. The reason the Swarm could fly freely throughout the entire cosmos was largely due to the effectiveness of these info-toxins.
"No... I can't, Ribut! There are too many of them! We can't hold them back!"
Beside him, an ordinary Ultra Warrior was already showing slight signs of insectification. He was holding on with sheer willpower, trying to avoid falling completely into the Swarm.
"If this goes on, we'll be wiped out!"
"Don't lose heart! As long as the Captains succeed, this Swarm will retreat without a fight!"
Surrounding Ribut, countless Ultra Warriors were desperately holding on, supported by their faith and willpower. But this was by no means a long-term solution. If the Father of Ultra couldn't resolve the situation with the Swarm King in time, then... this battle would likely end in a total rout.
"Hiss-hiss-hiss!"
A flying insect broke Ribut's train of thought, its hard feelers clamping down on his spear.
"Not good!" With a forceful tug from the feelers, the spear in Ribut's hand was sent flying.
Then, the Swarm saw its chance, swarming Ribut's entire body in an instant.
"Ribut!!!"
Beside him, several struggling Ultramen cried out in alarm.
Just then, a green beam of light instantly injected itself into Ribut's body, replenishing his energy and driving all the insects off him!!
"Ribut, use your energy to purge those pheromones from your system, or you'll turn into an insect too!"
A majestic voice rang in his ears. Ribut subconsciously acted, and golden light particles appeared on his body, expelling the pheromones left by the Swarm.
"Hah... hah~~"
Ribut panted, relieved that he hadn't been consumed by the Swarm and become one of them.
He shifted his gaze to the warrior who had single-handedly saved them from peril: "Joneus!!"
The red warrior moved through the Swarm, and barely any insects could get close to him before being blasted away by his immense power.
"That is..."
Just as Ribut was wondering why Joneus was here, a giant, kilometer-sized insect suddenly appeared within his line of sight.
The Swarm King... this was one of the Swarm Emperor's many Emanators, and one of the most powerful among them, even stronger than the Star-Shattering Swarm King Zero had faced.
It was said that he could move freely across countless battlefields, having already taken down over a hundred allied warships.
Even many elite Ultra Warriors had died at his hands.
"Joneus's target... is him!"
Ribut said thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to the other Ultra Warriors.
"Everyone, although we can't be of much help, we must do our best to relieve the pressure on Ultraman Joneus! Stop those common Swarm from getting near him!"
Ribut said, then flew into the sky, casting a capture net that instantly trapped tens of thousands of common insects.
The other Ultra Warriors, seeing this, also fired their beam techniques to relieve the pressure on Joneus.
"Well done, Ribut! Because of your presence, I can fight without holding back!"
Joneus praised Ribut, then looked coldly at the Swarm King before him, who was suspected of possessing teleportation abilities.
"A mere thousand-meter monster is nothing!"
As his voice fell, Joneus crossed his arms. An emerald light enveloped his body, and his form instantly grew from its original seventy meters to over a hundred meters!
Not only that, but in order to fully exert his power in the battle against the kilometer-sized Swarm King, he was also madly releasing his own energy, expanding his body to a size that could match the Swarm King's.
"Come and trade blows, you monster known as the Swarm King."
[Joneus's giant form stood like Pangu, holding up the heavens. The power he emitted was astonishing, and even the surrounding Swarm began to retreat in fear...]
---o---
In the infinite dimensional cosmos, countless viewers were stunned when they saw this scene.
They had seen kilometer-sized monsters, but a kilometer-sized Ultraman was truly a first.
Joneus's height was already conspicuous among the ranks of Ultra Warriors. Now he could grow even larger, and a kilometer didn't even seem to be his limit. It was truly hard to imagine that if he continued to grow, he might just crush the very ground beneath his feet.
[Little Golden Man: "Indeed... Joneus's power is not to be underestimated, especially his close-combat ability. Worthy of a warrior from U40. His physical strength is probably number one in the universe!"]
Observing Joneus's battle, Tartarus gave him a high evaluation and even made a decision: if it wasn't necessary, he would never engage Joneus in close combat.
[Father of Ultra: "Joneus, the strongest warrior of U40. So many years have passed, and he's as amazing as ever. His strength hasn't regressed in the slightest."]
In the Land of Light, the Father of Ultra looked at Joneus in the video, a hint of envy and regret in his eyes.
Because of his decisive battle with Alien Empera, even though his body could still fight, his strength had long since passed its peak.
Joneus was an old friend of his. He had no hidden injuries on his body and could release his full power. This indeed made the Father of Ultra, who could only hold down the fort, feel a trace of envy. Of course... he also felt regret, regret that he could not fight alongside his old friend.
[The Uchiha Dancer: "There are such powerful warriors outside the Land of Light too? It's simply unbelievable. Originally, my Susanoo could surpass an Ultraman in size, but now, it's not even close."]
[One-Punch Man: "Joneus, huh? His muscles look so impressive. I'd love to spar with him. I might not win, but... it would definitely get me excited."]
...
[In the video, a kilometer-sized giant and a kilometer-sized giant insect were fighting in space. Perhaps their own forms were insignificant in the grand scale of the cosmos.]
[But... whether it was Joneus or the Swarm King, their power was among the best in this universe. The battle between them... even a single shockwave could easily destroy a planet!]
"Hiss-hiss-hiss!!!"
The moment it saw Joneus, the Swarm King understood that this life form was not an easy opponent. But even so, it would not follow its instincts and flee.
Because... the Swarm Emperor Tayzzyronth had issued an order to eliminate anyone who obstructed the Swarm's propagation!
Since Ultra Warriors were not purely biological beings, they were more like a special life form existing between energy and life.
Therefore, the time consumed to insectify an Ultraman was too long, and the stronger the Ultraman, the harder they were to assimilate.
Just like Seven and the others, when they were captured by the Swarm, the Swarm had already injected pheromones into their bodies.
Reproduction, replication, and control, the Swarm's most proficient methods, repeatedly failed when used on Ultra Warriors.
They had yet to succeed in getting a female Ultra Warrior to bear the Swarm's offspring, and the insectified Ultra Warriors, while extremely inefficient to create, did not possess the great power they had before insectification.
Therefore... for the Swarm as a whole, insectifying an Ultra Warrior was a complete waste of effort with no benefits!
With that time, they might as well go to an unknown universe and assimilate the life of another cosmos.
But now, not only were these Ultra Warriors difficult to assimilate, they were also obstructing the Swarm's advance. In the process of the Swarm's propagation, the Ultra Warriors had practically become their natural enemies, etched into their DNA.
"Toh—aah!!"
Letting out his unique battle cry, Joneus tightly grabbed one of the Swarm King's long feelers, and then actually used it as a leverage point to lift the Swarm King up!
You must know, although they were both a kilometer tall, due to their physiological structures, the overall weight of an insect was definitely greater than that of a human.
But even so, Joneus was still able to lift the Swarm King with brute force, swing it around in mid-air a few times, and then throw it away!
The giant body tumbled into the Swarm, crushing countless insects in an instant.
"Hmph—"
Joneus took a deep breath, as if he hadn't used his full strength at all.
Before the Swarm King could get up, he took a huge stride forward, reaching it in just a few steps. While pinning down the Swarm King's throat, he also pressed down on its body with his own various body parts!
"BAM! BAM!! BAM!!!"
Each punch landed with the roar of cannon fire, making one feel pity for the Swarm King.
Green, purple, and golden liquid constantly flowed from the Swarm King's body, accompanied by its painful cries. Clearly... that liquid was the Swarm King's blood.
While being beaten, the Swarm King did not stop resisting. Seeing that it couldn't break free from Joneus's restraint, it directly abandoned its own head, severing its head from its body.
It was just losing a head. For many insects, this was nothing.
The escaped Swarm King secreted many vibrant liquids from its body. This was a super-potent poison that even cosmic monsters couldn't withstand for a second, dozens of times stronger than the poison sac of the volcanic monster Birdon!
"Hmph!"
Although Joneus didn't know it was poison, his years of combat instinct and experience made him leave the area the moment his body was stained by the liquid.
Flinging off the poisonous liquid on his hand, Joneus saw that the meteorite iron it touched melted like jelly, completely gone.
"Poison? I didn't expect you to know this. From the looks of it... you're not a monster that specializes in using poison."
Raising his arm, Joneus was on guard as he stared intently at the headless Swarm King.
Although it had lost a head, from a normal human aesthetic point of view, this giant insect could indeed be described as good-looking, even handsome.
It should be a type of arthropod similar to a centipede, but it also had feelers and elytra similar to those of the order Coleoptera.
A combination of a hard carapace and a soft body, coupled with the ability to escape by detaching its head and a potent poison... it seemed this Swarm King had absorbed the advantages of quite a few insect groups. It could be described as a Super Swarm King!
Joneus thought to himself, then took a deep breath. It was clearly not a wise decision to engage in close combat before the opponent's poison was depleted!
"Toh—aah!!"
Joneus roared, and the green star mark on his head began to emit an emerald light, carrying a destructive and extremely dangerous aura.
This was... the Astro Beam!!
Its firing method was somewhat similar to Zero and Seven's Emerium Slash, but its power was even greater. It was an explosive beam that could pierce through a meteorite with a single casual shot!
Under the illumination of the red light, the Swarm King felt the threat from the Astro Beam and knew it couldn't escape by fleeing.
And so... under the watchful eyes of the crowd, this thousand-meter Swarm King... simply vanished on the spot!
"What! It disappeared!! It seems he really can teleport!!"
Joneus muttered to himself. The reason this Swarm King received his special attention was because it could move between various battlefields.
"Did it go to another battlefield again? Not good... if that poison is spread wantonly across the battlefield!"
Joneus was alarmed and was about to continue tracking the Ultimate Swarm King, but... he got nothing. Just as he was about to go to other places to check, he suddenly sensed something and looked behind him.
"Ribut!! Get out of there, quickly!!!" Joneus shouted, but it was too late.
The colorful blood, before the Ultra Warriors could even react, splattered onto their bodies. Except for Ribut, who subconsciously deployed a defensive barrier because of Joneus's warning, all the other Ultra Warriors were spared no exception, all of them fixed to the ground by the Swarm King's viscous blood.
Ribut tried to save them, but he too was entangled by the blood. "This is... an adhesive ability like a spider's web? How can it appear in blood!"
As Ribut was shocked, the Swarm King's attack arrived!
The sharp claws of the Coleoptera order were the hardest among all the Swarm. That armor-like sharp blade could mercilessly reap all life within its line of sight like cutting grass!
Ribut... is in danger!!!
---o---