The following page (Ultraman S: Element 1) is fan fiction, it is in no way an attempt to make profit of any form off of copyrighted characters by Tsuburaya Productions and other companies. It is meant for the enjoyment of other fans of Ultraman and similar copyrighted characters.
Element One: Light
Title: Light
Characters
- The Giant: S
- Sakate Trial
- Sasaki Iruma
Monster(s)
Prologue
A young boy. He was shrouded in an enveloping, terrifying black cloak of thick mist. Sitting in the fetal position, defeaning screams filled his ears. Fumes of smoke wafted around him, smoke that would have came from the combustion of wood. This was just the beginning, he thought.
Chapter 1
The forest. Birds chirped in sweet melodies, high up in the trees. The lush, green grass swayed from side to side, as a sea of fish swept by, along the riverside.
Carcasses of dead squirrels, hummingbirds, and various other species of wildlife, were being collected, and examined carefully. Fresh, digestive liquids dripped from the wings of a cockatoo, while the guts of a squirrel were spilled all over the place. A disgusting sight to behold.
Luckily, the young man was used to the sight of rotten, bloody corpses. Sitting on a log, he picked up an intestine, using a pair of metal clippers, and activated a scanning device on his helmet. Other trained men were scouring the forest, looking for more evidence to come.
"Sakate, found anything beneficial?" the supposedly leader of the examination group, called out. The young man dispatched the intestine into a clean, disinfected plastic bag, and waved over, signifying a significant find on the field. Apparently, an otherworldly presence had been looming around the forest the previous night.
The men cleaned up the last of the rotting lumps of meat, with slight looks of disgust on their faces, and proceeded to black vans, driving off casually.
Chapter 2
Meanwhile, a giant of towering heights slayed off the last of the threatening monsters, who were driven by bloodlust, on the barren planet. He casually wiped off the blood on his face, and proceeded to locate the coordinates of the artifact he was assigned to find.
An easy job, was what the giant thought. He could feel the aura of the object, no, crystals, nearby. His sixth sense directed towards a desolate, ancient temple, surrounded by an atmosphere of bleak emptiness.
"Ah, there you are," the giant muttered to himself, in the foreign language of his species. Using his telekinetic powers, a force tossed the crystals up into his hands. A sphere of prismatic energy then materialized, and encased the four gems of blood ruby, transparent aqua, strong umber, and translucent emerald.
However, a trail of blue energy appeared from the sphere, seemingly pinpointing to a location.
"Interesting," the giant recognised the direction of the energy trail, this was where the brotherhood of legendart warriors had always ventured to. Intrigued, and of course, enchanted, he embarked on a journey, following the trail of light, and towards the blue gem known as Earth.
Chapter 3
"So, you're participating in the first ever Space Warp? That's unexpected, considering you were just a rubbish collector hours ago." A middle-aged lady, draped in a lab coat of sorts, swiftly picked up a cup of steaming coffee from the round table of unconventional design, and sipped away uncaringly.
"I am a man of many... talents. Gathering the scattered innards of those animals was just a temporary task. What we found, however, was out of the ordinary, Head Professor and Elite Investigator, Ms Iruma," the young man reported in a monotone voice, ignorant of the sarcastic remark Ms Iruma had sneaked within her retort.
"I told you to stop using formalities, just call me Sasaki young man! Shouldn't you be proud of the fact that you're taking part in the most prestigious journey in human history, utilizing advanced technology exceeding common capability to warp both space and time? Hey, hey!" Ms Iruma raised determined hands into the sky, exclaiming with perpetual admiration mixed in with a tinge of lingering annoyance towards the unfeeling man, who just sat there tapping away at the touch screen of the device, keying in numbers and algorithms.
"Indeed, I am proud," Sakate muttered with a mild ridiculing sense, switching back to his meticulous input of data.
"Show your excitement at least-" Iruma was interrupted and stopped by Sakate shoving into her mouth a double decker sandwich, then proceeding to continue his work.
"You better eat up, or the hunger will get to you. You have a conference next, we can't have you, my benefactor, starving in an audience. It would be a shameful display, really."
"I get it," Iruma sighed with a minor disappointment, chewing on the triangular bread while looking down upon herself.
"At least you have somewhat changed from then."
"Did you say something?" Sakate asked, unaware of what the professor had whispered so silently.
Iruma didn't reply, reminiscing of the incident that occurred 20 years back into the past, flashbacks flooding back to her like an intense downpour of emotional happenings. It all started on that day, the 9th of February, 1995.
Chapter 4
Amidst the debris of burning wood stood a prepubescent boy, eyes devoid of any feeling, looking towards the direction of the police with a cold stare. The fire burned bright under the loom of the night sky, watched by the lonely moon against a background of imposing black due to the absence of stars that night, which seemingly reflected the situation the boy was in.
"How's the investigation goin', officer?" A young Iruma spoke with a Kansai accent, simultaneously holding up a conversation with the middle-aged police superintendent while taking down notes concerning the current issue at hand.
Police officers were rushing to the scene, car by car lined up behind one another, a frenzy of flashing lights. A cacophony of emergency sirens, communications over the radio and constant shouting over the disastrous incident engulfed what was once the silence of the night. Chaos ensued.
Iruma took notice of the drenched boy, who was sitting down on a fallen log, quietly pondering to himself without a care for the world.
She took small steps towards his direction, cautious yet intrigued by this child. He seemed frail and fragile from the outside, distracted by the trail of meddling ants crawling amongst broken branches and rotten leaves, but gave off a menacing aura despite his appearance. This did not deter Iruma though, as she slowly approached the boy from behind, preparing to scare him with all her might.
Noticing an impending presence looming behind his back, the boy acted with a swift turn, eyes opened wide with an alert gaze.
"What are you doing...?" the child asked, bewildered, scanning every section and area of the professor's body in caution.
"Heh heh, you must be hungry. Take this!" Iruma whipped out a wrapped piece of candy, aware that it might not be nearly enough to satisfy the hunger of a boy in growth, but still offered it anyway.
He gawked at her with overwhelming confusion, then cracked somewhat of a smile.
"Thank you."
Apparently, the fire was a result of a freak accident, when a gas pipe exploded and ignited a flame - but this was all just a ruse, a cover-up of what really took place on that day. What was held in the boy's hand was an important piece of evidence vital to the case, a matchbox.
The intentional fire took the lives of two adults, who supposedly were parents to the child. They were burnt to a crisp death in deep sleep. In the eyes of the police and general public, the boy was a murderer. He killed, and he had to suffer the consequences. He did not show any signs of remorse for his actions, unfeeling to what was happening around him.
Initially, they decided to throw him into the hands of a daycare centre which specialized in handling children with severe mental issues. Iruma saw the boy in a different light, and with much persuasion, managed to take him into custody.
This was the start of an unusual relationship.
Chapter 5
Carrying a cup of coffee in his hand and a laptop cupped in the other, Sakate took his place in this massive auditorium, amassed with throngs of listeners, students, researchers, people from all walks of the scientific world came here to gather. The youngster sat himself down on one of the prestiged VIP seats, crafted with comfortable cushioning blanketed within a layer of synthetic leather, in the cooling yet crowded environment of the air conditioned open space.
From where he was seated, the man could see the happenings of the stage without the worry of getting his line of sight blocked. The excited chattering of exhilirated people filled the air, in anticipation of a renowned professor held in high regard, but this was immediately silenced when Iruma stepped foot onto the stage, followed thereafter by a cacophony of clapping, cheering noises for the scientist.
Today's topic was concerning the after effects of conducting intermolecular genetic transmorphing research and experimentation on humans, revolving around the moral and scientific issues regarding said topic.
"This reminds me of the clean up." Sakate thought back to when he collected the animal carcasses within that forest, specifically the Aokihagara Forest, prominently known and infamous for being a popular suicidal spot for hopeless, deranged teenagers and working adults pressurised by society. The government had cordoned off a radius within the forest, deemed too dangerous to enter due to the recent disappearances of youngsters, and police search teams who went looking for these cowards. The risk of the loss of valuable men and resources were too high to take.
While the public deemed it supernatural, government agencies and secret organisations believed otherwise, of an otherwordly threat taking its hold within that very forest. There was a common trend, of which people who had gone within that circular radius cordoned off, were found brutally multilated approximately a month or two later in other districts, as if they were thrown away like useless garbage that served no purpose.
As the incidents of disappearance had only occured slightly a month ago, only one or two bodies were found thus far. Further investigations found that the corpses had been toyed with in a viscious fashion, experimented on.
Sakate wondered if there was a connection between the two, so deeply engrossed in his thoughts that he wasn't paying any full attention to what Iruma was speaking, a recurring habit.
In the middle of her lecture, Iruma sneaked a glance, eager to see if Sakate was taking a liking to her speeches, which he, to her dismay, wasn't.
"He's going to get it from me later."
Chapter 6
"Sakate! What in tarnations did you do at school again?" Iruma lightly stumped the boy's head with a single chop. The youngling just looked back with his constant stare.
The homeroom teacher had ringed the Sasaki Residence earlier in the day, regarding the boy's unacceptable violence within the school compounds. Blood had been spilled into a messy puddle on the classroom floor, followed by a trail of a crimson, scarlet concoction of a gory mess spilled onto stained wood.
A few boys, the same age as the culprit, were laying lifelessly and susceptible to the harsh winter conditions on the stone cold ground. One had his front teeth blown out of its usual spot, another had black bruises inflicted on both of his eyes. Some of them were laying in the fetal position, enclosing and defending themselves subconsciously from any further harm, while others were laid out on the ground, as if they were animal skins laid out as fur carpets.
The preparator clenched his blood soiled fists, swinging it up into the air, a few drops of the liquid spraying across the room as a result. The last of the gang was crowding his trembling legs towards his quivering chest, in the hopes of the ground swallowing him whole, away from this terrible fate upon him.
However, fantasies remained as such, as a swift blow was dealt across the boy's face, grazing the skin of the other's knuckles. Further attacks were only stopped when intervention from the teaching staff were involved, as the strength of several teachers were barely enough to hold the child still, leaving the last victim only lucky enough to walk away with a punch to the face. This was as the scene communicated with gruesome detailing to his sole guardian, and for an elementary school, it was downright a convoluted horror.
...
"They just got what they deserved." The sinner replied in a soft tone of voice, oblivious to the horrors that had been implanted and the mental scars that had been inflicted into the minds of several young children in the neighbourhood just that day.
"...I believe you. Just don't overdo it again, 'kay?" The caretaker took a long pause to reply, then brushed her hand against the boy's ruffled hair, and proceeded on with her duties.
Sakate never attempted to lie, this being one of those instances. Iruma always knew, from that dispirited demeanor and unfeeling look on his face, that he would never try to cover up whatever wrong his actions may have caused through a bunch of empty lies, empty words, as he had no need to do so, nor bore the necessary guilt in order to spew out such false appeals.
But she was still afraid, of that glow, that flickering glimmer in his eyes, of which reflected the truth of his nature, illuminating his inner person, revealing what couldn't be seen normally. His authencity, sincerity, scared Iruma slightly, as she never had a clear idea of the boy's real intentions, of which he masqueraded under layers of acts, personas, and painful facades. Even the blank face he possessed, was only shown to the closest of people he knew, but yet which did not reflect full trust. She did not have the guts to intervene.
Sometimes, in his sleep, the boy would mutter words of apology, sometimes to someone, out of the ordinary. Iruma was perplexed, confused, over the sight of a crying, weeping boy who did not usually reveal his true colours, but yet felt sympathy, as if he had disclosed a secret weakness to the woman, of which only she knew and divulged in. Was it related to that incident years ago, his benefactor thought of this once in a while, but could never find answers.
Chapter 7
"Took you long enough."
"Says the one who wasn't listening."
"...it's almost time. I have to go soon."
Sakate pounced up from his seat, and handed over his collection of transferred data files, settled in the comfort of his memory drive, clad in a beautifully designed, reflective obsidian casing.
"This contains the information required for the investigation regarding the forest and research concerning the Death Circle. There's also a PDF file at the end of the folder. Read it. Don't lose it." He said these words as a finger pointed firmly towards the precious item, as if accusingly bringing into light a wrongdoing secluded in secrecy, while staring daggers straight into the eyes of the frightened professor, who only nodded in forced agreement. Achieving what he initially strived to do, the man took a swift turn, and made his way towards base headquarters for space craft preparations.
Neither a good bye, nor a farewell, was heard; only a stupid thumbdrive was given to Iruma as her parting gift. Naturally, such an impertinent, unpleasant act of antisocial behaviour drove the woman to the brink of madness, causing her to storm off away in fuming anger, as if a boiling kettle with its top blown off. Regardless of such conduct being terribly usual for such an unfriendly man, he could've at least said a good bye; this being one of the many similar thoughts crowding up Iruma's disheveled mind.
However, something stuck out of place, something being unusually incongrous. His eyes, though encompassing the same cold stare, had flickered with a glint of fainting hope, a gleaming sense of an anomalous desire uncommon for his character, alongside a quick flash of fading regret, as if he was remorseful for doing something that deeply upset her.
Perhaps there was a hidden meaning in what he ordered Iruma to do, a symbolism hidden beneath his obscure words.
Iruma stopped right in her tracks at this realisation, as if she had just discovered what was already right under her nose from the beginning, and twisted her head behind her, to see that the man had already left, nowhere in sight.
Chapter 8
"How close is the creature to land?" A man dressed in a glorified uniform, adorned and decorated with badges glistening against a wrinkled surface of raven linen cloth, calmly inquirer a group of nervous, apprehensive individuals, who were shaking profusely, at the unexpected sight happening before their eyes.
"F-five hundred metres and counting, sir..." One of the sea space surveillance officers, despite his meek appearance, mustered up courage gathered from the bottom of his gut, and replied with a crack in his voice.
With a scalish body and frilly fins attached to its vertebrae, the amphibious creature amounted to almost twenty-five metres in calculated height, and was estimated to have taken down twenty state-of-the-art warships and even a group of fighter jets akin to those used in the past to combat monsters, but of which proved ineffective. All the efforts and conventional tactics of the military had been in vain.
"We can't let it threaten the lives of the people. Send out a group of autonomous jets, evacuate anyone living near cities by the coast. We will pass the baton to the attack team by then."
All seemed hopeless as the monster pressed on forward, towards the coastal city of Chiba.
Chapter 9
"Check, and check. Pressurisation systems are stable, preparations are fully complete."
Throngs of men and women from the different branches of science gathered round the enourmous spacecraft, ticking away at every minute detail, every little nook and cranny for technical malfunctions and potential hazards to human life. Though there were few, every mistake was met with a clamour of disorganised commotion, an orchestra of scientific equations, music to the ears of any scientist.
Conversations were abruptly interrupted by the glorious entrance of the highly anticipated team of astronauts, people who were specially selected and harshly trained to operate the massive spacecraft. They were met with a raucous applause, an air of ecstatic excitement filled the room, lifting the spirits of the group of ten who were about to make history.
The group made their way up into the attitude control substation, the containment cockpit room consisting of layers by layers of advanced piloting equipment, thermal stabilisation systems, and other forms of complex machinery unfamiliar to the general public. Setting themselves down in their respective corners and seats, the team proceeded on to flip colored switches, press down on buttons of different sizes, and pulling levers clearly unoiled before the flight; indeed, it was a chorus of clicking and turning on the multitude of electrical apparatus supplying gigawatts of power to the craft's thrusters.
"We're ready for take off, captain."
"Fasten your seatbelts, and steel yourselves in place, because this is going to be a long ride..." All personnel prepared themselves for a sudden, incoming force of unimaginable proportions, some grasping tightly to their seats, others shutting their eyes in a discordant concoction of pressuring trepidation and adrenaline-induced elation. Sakate did not bat an eye, patiently biding his time, humming an indiscernbile tune to himself.
A countdown commenced, the numbers decreasing every second, as if in anticipation of the event about to happen, the event that would make history for mankind. The final digits flashed over in a breeze, flipping over to a three, then a two, finally to a one, and then...
"...zero!"
Turbine engines swirled to their greatest potential, roaring and crackling with electrical energy, producing stupendous amounts of output power for thrust to take place. Differentiating itself from flights of the past, the jet blasted off without any trail of polluting greenhouse gas, the only product of the reactions taking place within its core being traceless water vapor. Clean energy was being utilised by a self-sufficient turbine power source, solar energy to be exact.
Flaps readjusted themselves to their correct position, followed by the rudder and aileron, in order to stabilize the plane's net drag force, allowing for a smoother flight upwards. The pilots themselves were taking the flight unusually lightly, yanking levers and flicking switches like nothing. All seemed to be fine within the vicinity of the cockpit, the crew relaxing and enjoying the flight as if they were on a momentary cruise.
...
One crucial component had been overlooked, however, as the engine coughed and wheezed, sparks seething from a frayed, damaged wire, cooler liquid spewing from a broken pipe, under poor conditions was an unfortunate incident about to take place...
Chapter 10
"Shit... it's coming closer every second..." Humans scurried like troubled mice within the communications center, already packed like sardines in a fragile tin casing. Whirrs of curse words and unheard profanities swarmed the room like bees buzzing around a field of nectar rich flowers, in this case, the troubled minds of people.
"I can see that from the monitor, dimwit..." A glorified individual, presumably a higher up, clad in reflective gold badges akin to a knight in shining armor, retorted in sarcastic annoyance, at the pointless comment his surbodinates had made. He had little to no expression on the stale face of his, only the occassional twitching of his eye was noticeable.
"The jets have been destroyed... all the Ultramen have left as well... is there nobody to save us?" One officer covered up his face in despair, wallowing in tears shed a minute too early.
"You babbling idiot! Send in more jets! What we cannot make up in quality, we make up in quantity!" The general barked in a harsh tone of voice, devoid of any feeling except seething anger. This was a calamitous disaster; Earth's own forces were failing at their very eyes.
...
The space craft cruised its way towards the upper limits of the thermosphere, clouds giving way to a clearer scenery with only a burning, radiant giant in view. The crew were soon touching the boundaries of the exosphere, hoping to phase through any difficulty they might encounter, and go into full overdrive once the appropriate altitude was set.
There were sudden vibrations along the lower deck of which nobody took notice of. Sakate was down for engine checks, fastening his waist to the boiler tank with loops of manila rope for safety, while ticking on a list the essentials required for the ship to embark on safe, smooth flight. Though one thing caught his attention, the constant, unusual quivering of the fuel tank by the side, of which was supposed to be back-up equipment in case of a system failure in the energy conversion machine. Connected to it was the jet's core processing engine, of which supplied power to every usable panel on board.
"This shaking... don't tell me..." Sakate feared the worst, taking into possibility of a breach in the fuel tank. Such a life threatening security risk would, of course, be checked on beforehand, but even the most minute of details will always be overlooked on. Humans were careless, and this was one of those times where such inattentive negligence would cost the destruction of the ship, and possibly, their lives.
Upon closer inspection, the man's fears came through. It was indeed a leakage of fuel, which had the potential hazard of causing a fire. The hole was too large, the blotch could not be patched up in an instant, with the inferior mechanical equipment they had on board. The engine started to overheat by the second, as gasoline bubbled at its feet.
"We have to turn back... or escape... this mission is a failure..." Sakate murmured to himself in doubt, yet rushed upstairs, boots clanging against aluminium steps, as if the stress had materialised itself in a racket of hurried metallic sounds. Blasting the cockpit door open at full strength, the crew members were bewildered, and turned around to look at their comrade, all worked up, yet holding a serious look on his usually despondent face.
"Captain... bad news, we have to escape the ship."
The worst had yet to come, however.
Chapter 11
A monstrous explosion rocked the lower area of the ship, blasting its components into unrecognisable smithereens, bits and pieces dropping from the sky like fireworks during the annual festival. This was not much of a cheery occassion, however, as the crew member scuttled for a safe space, running in an orderly line towards the twin set of escape pods available, attached to the side of the ship.
"Hurry!" Screams and shouts from the top of their lungs filled the already panicking atmosphere. The plane was in stasis, floating towards the direction of the Sun in the dark corners of space, just above the exosphere. Escape was going to be one hell of a ride, dropping an astounding five hundred kilometres above ground level, and having the time of their lives withstanding the copious amounts of frictional heat such a drop could deliver.
To their horror, one of the escape pods had launched on autonomous command. Frayed electrical wires dangled where said pod was once located, amongst piles of rubble engulfed in flames. There was only one pod left, and which wasn't enough to contain a crew of ten.
"Online activation has failed... we can't launch the pod automatically..." The co-pilot tried tapping away at complex computerised command systems, to no apparent avail.
"Then that means..."
"No, I don't want to die!"
"What are we going to do?!"
Captain and engineer flung a series of curse words, insulting each other over the grim feeling of dread hanging in the air, while a woman cried softly, sprawled up in a corner, hope losing in a battle against despair. Amidst the chaos, there was only one possibility left if the team wanted to survive and escape the fiery fate approaching them in slow, yet steady steps; this was a solution none of them wanted to, or even hoped to, sound out, however.
"How about if I manually reactivate systems from the outside? The pod can perfectly fit nine, though a little discomfort is to be expected."
A voice, as if an ephemeral ray of light shining into a well of distressful darkness, resounded across the room. Nine heads turned to look at Sakate, as if staring at a madman making a thoughtless decision under desperate consequences.
"...are you serious? You will di-" Words of dismay were cut off by cyclical alarms signalling the opening of emergency doors.
"...I have... lived long enough to know what life's like... I don't mind sacrificing one to save nine."
The crew were stunned, surely even he didn't want to die?
"...and by one, I mean myself. Now go."
Sensing determination in his strong, powerful voice, the ship's company had no room to disobey, complying with the young man's request. As they boarded the compact jet, one by one they saluted, in a mixture of relief, regret, and moral respect. Lightly pressing down on the complimentary big, red button, the escape pod launched towards the origin point of their journey, disappearing into a flash of radiant colours.
"At least I managed... to leave the note..."
Oxygen support within the ship dwindled to a complete zero, the numbers on electronic displays frazzled into oblivion, flames brewing from behind as Sakate settled down on his designated seat, anticipating the final moments of his life, flashbacks sweeping across his eyes like a montage set to unimaginable speed.
What a horrible life, he thought.
...
"This light..." the giant grasped in his hands the set of glowing shards, which had led him to the disconsolate sight, happening right before his eyes.
"Humans, how oddly... peculiar..."
Transforming into a luminous ball of crimson light, the being swept towards the spaceship erupting in a majestic inferno, colliding with it in a glorious explosion, just as his ancestor did, fifty years ago.
Chapter 12
The creature ravaged indefinitely along the port side, clawing at storage warehouses containing stacks of fresh sealife, recently caught on a fisherman's journey out into sea. The monster had come onto land, foraging for food that had been stolen from its underwater territories due to extensive over fishing. As the old saying went, you reap what you sow, and the countless fishermen fleeing from the site of attack had certainly done as such.
Fighter jets previously out of battle commission were rapidly firing blasts of lasers and a barrage of explosive missles, proving no effect either due to their horrible marksmanship, or the fact that the amphibious creature had extremely tough hide. It was no use; further retaliation was a waste of money and resources.
Nearby, government and military personnel were hurriedly evacuating throngs of civilians in an attempt to save the least they could. Families were screaming in fear, high school students frantically holding each other's trembling hands of each other, children stranded alone on the streets, rooted to the ground in terror. Some men raised their voices at evacuation officers, looking for individuals to blame for such a situation. It was utter pandemonium.
...
"Waiting for the creature to calm down, is it really the best way?!"
"We have no other choice, our weapons have no effect on its skin at all."
"At this rate, the infrastructural damages and financial losses will be huge, you basta-" the mayor's words were interrupted by a slam to the conference table.
"Then what the hell do you suggest, you idiot?! What the hell can we do?" Teeth grinding in anger, confusion and worry took over the mind of the general in command.
The mayor had no words, though this wasn't in disarray from the common sense the general had hammered into him. His eyes were focused on the brightly lit screen, which was now plagued by red.
The general's eyeballs flashed, focusing on a ball of light descending, dropping down onto a partly destroyed neighbourhood. It was unbelievable, no other words could describe what they captured perfectly with their eyes.
The light dissipated, to reveal a towering giant, glowing gently in the face of a muddled monster.
"We, have never seen this being before... who exactly..."
"...is it?"
The lustre of the colossus faded, to reveal a new saviour.
Chapter 13
The giant got into a stance, displaying himself in a non threatening way. He understood the intentions of the creature, who stopped plundering away at fish stocks to scan through the humanoid figure, who was carefully approaching without sudden movement.
Unfortunately, trying to alleviate the situation did not help, as the creature lunged forward, perceiving it as an act of intimidation. The giant swiftly laid down on all fours, causing the beast to soar forward and crash into a group of shoddily constructed towers.
He rolled towards the direction of which the behemoth had fallen, then balancing himself to face the struggling creature, who was frantically trying to get itself on its flippers. The giant sighed in disbelief, and proceeded to help out. Hopefully it would stop its attack, swim back to sea, and everyone would've a happy ending, he thought.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a fairytale.
Lightning crackled in a swarm of clouds, thunder resonating throughout the battlefield. Vermillion bolts of electricity surged among swarms of atramentous particles against a capricious backdrop, dark energies concentrating in a singular point. The giant sensed an incoming wave of unconceivable degrees, which stroke a feeling of endangerment within his chest, causing him to flip backwards to safety.
An incognitable mass of pitch black darkness struck at the creature, who let out a scream of undescribable agony. The particles forcefully plunged themselves into the body, fusing with organs and external parts in a bloody mess. Attachments fitting the creature formed in a whirpool of intense haziness, piercing themselves into its skin. Under a tornado of obscurity, the monster went through a terrifying evolution, limbs mutating into claws, fins splitting open revealing internal circulatory systems quickly patched up by artificial metallic scales, and fangs growing out of pores exposed.
The being watched in horror, as the smoky aura vanished, revealing a hellion monstrousity bearing little to no resemblence of its previous self. Driven by bloodlust and a will to destroy, a new species had been created under forced circumstances.
...
Suppose I were to eat you.
A cloaked figure cracked fingers, dragging bloodied palms across its cheeks. Lounging upon a horribly mutilated corpse, muscle strands ripped and ears torn off in a crimson mess, it observed from a holographic screen, the fight ensuing multilayers of dimensions away. The being smacked its lips, drawing a tongue down its victim's face; then smashing it to the ground, leaving only a clutter of brains and blood. It picked up an eyeball, and consumed the delicacy.
It would certainly be an amorous treat!
The laugh of a female echoed within the valley, as it scooped up a mouthful of heart to enjoy.
Chapter 14
Unbadrea, as the monster was named, turned from a quadrupedal aquatic creature, to a bipedal nightmarish horror, a being so physically disfigured that it was revoltingly unbearable to even glance at. Bearing protective armor pads surrounded by convulsing veins, unnatural appendages and add-ons, as well as a crazed look in eyes continuously shifting in various directions, it was as if the monster had been transformed into a deranged beast; as if it's mind had been corrupted.
Growling under the gleam of moonlight, the frenzied mutation of a brute charged forward. The giant, though slightly startled, wasn't taken aback, and punched the behemoth to the side of its jaw, several teeth crushing down onto a pavement below. This was followed by a swirl kick to its body, the impact shattering the armor pad which rested upon layers of now crushed bone.
The monster groaned in pain, and let out a sudden burst of volatile acid, which the colossus blocked with his hands, spraying it onto infrastructure nearby. Smoke filled the air, as limestone and metal melted and dissolved in a flash, while fires were ignited by leaking gas pipes exposed to the overwhelming heat. The creature's power was immense.
A quick stream of highly pressurised water discharged from its oddly shaped blowhole. The Ultra reacted in the nick of time, guiding his hands into a circular shape, of which generated an energy shield to block the counter attack. The road gave way to the combined weight of both the giant and the force exerted on shield, pushing him a few metres backwards.
The monster whipped out a split tail, emitting bolts of shock inducing electricity, taking the giant aback, who briskly cartwheeled to dodge, minature explosions occuring seconds near his previous whereabouts.
"This is infuriating..." the being of light muttered under his breath, sprials of prismatic light gathering at the palm of his hand, forming the shape of a slicing weapon, which then launched towards the beast's tail, cutting it off with a clean strike. The monster screamed in aching agony, its claws moving in unthinkable motions, as severed tail flopped on the ground.
The Ultra took the chance, forcing a kick to push the behemoth, then grabbing it by its neck and throwing its flailing body mid-air into a collective group of buildings, crushed under its sheer weight. As the monster tried standing, the giant sprinted forward, clutching it by the chest and crotch, lifting it up high into the sky, and then using all his strength to slam its body into the ground.
Back flipping to a safe space, the being looked on, as the monster tried to resist its eventual fate, its power fading as its limbs refused to obey its command.
The giant prepared for a finish, centering his straightened arms to the chest, energy of a plethora of colours gathering to the orb of light in his chest. He then performed a series of hand movements, spheres of radiant lustre circling rapidly around his arms, emitting a faint light in the dark of night. Putting his hands together in the shape of a cross, a beacon of emerald pulsations encircled by sprials of lustrous photonic energy crackled from his palms, blasting its way towards the behemoth's chest, who fell over onto a street of rubble, lampposts and cars, its lifeless body bursting in a glorious explosion.
The humanoid's timer started to flash in red, as he released his crossed arms from their posture. His job done, he flew off silently into the desolate horizon of night, disappearing in a flash, never to be seen again.
...
"W-what... was that all about?" Officials stared on with blaring confusion, unconvinced from the battle they had just witnessed.
"A new... Ultraman...? He defeated the monster, upgraded even, as if it was nothing...!" The general spoke up, terrified yet sensing an immediate need to voice out his opinion.
"We will never seem to know, General..."
Chapter 15
Soaring through the emptiness of the void, the Ultraman headed for his required destination, in order to fulfill and complete the scouting mission given to him in the first place. He had no clue, however, as to the handling of the human he had saved. He was still unconscious, struck in a coma within the giant's core.
"Hmm...?!"
Space warped, tearing open to reveal bleak darkness within. A rift had been opened right in the face of the Ultra, his luck just wasn't stupendous. Putting aside the reasons and possibilties to why a gateway would suddenly rip open at such an exact spot, the colossal being focused his efforts on escape, and resistance against its unusually substantial gravitational pull.
His strength was not enough to keep up with the pull of a transdimensional transportation warphole, as the being of light helplessly flailed in agony, unwillingly drawn in by its immense power, his last words in the universe being grunts that shouted for help, against the siren of a rapidly pulsating timer.
...
Alien machines glimmered in the background, as a gigantic display gently illuminated the dark corners of the room. Sitting in front of said screen was a figure draped in tattered clothing over scales of hexagonal armor, a pincer in one arm tapping away at rich mahogany, clicking sounds resonating across the chamber. Under a reflective mouthpiece, a smirk slowly formed, amused by the hilarity of the unpredictable situation.
"Let's play, together..."
"...Sakate Trial..."
Epilogue
Iruma was shell shocked to the core, not at the horrendous beat down of a fight that had been circulating around headquarters like news hot off the press, but at the relayed message from the recently sent out spacecraft. Apparently, the escape pod had landed safely in the Indian Ocean, bobbing for rescue, yet one member of the crew had not made his way back.
"Sakate..." she replayed the recorded last words of the deceased man, tears flowing softly down without hesitation. Iruma opened up the boy's laptop, clicking away at the final message he had sent for her, which she read through carefully with watering, bloodshot eyes.
Whatever might happen, live on. Was what he had typed for Iruma to view, unknowingly, yet irrefutably, the last letter left that detailed he had ever existed.
"I'm sorry."