Magos Sigma, having received word from his servants, walked into the depths of the underground space. The underground space was shrouded in darkness, and the air was still.
As he walked, his footsteps echoed in the smooth, stone-walled space.
He continued deeper into the smooth underground space.
He could see the Magos' retinue inspecting everything in the cave.
Some servants used their self-contained mechanical devices to drill into the incomplete stone statues, extracting samples from different locations for research and comparison.
Other servants were testing the age of the cave's rock layers, confirming its history and origin.
He reached the deepest part of the underground space.
A Mechanicus priest stood before a colossal, black wall made of an unknown material. The indicator light on his portable data detection instrument flickered erratically. The closer he got to the wall, the more the readings increased exponentially.
"It seems we've found something interesting." Magos Sigma moved his heavy mechanical limbs, his face, covered in bio-implants, showing the joy of discovering a treasure.
An insect-like metal eyepiece slowly moved to Sigma's electronic eyes with the sound of mechanical gears turning, displaying the microscopic structure of the wall in her mind.
Another mechanical eye rotated back and forth, scanning the special patterns on the wall.
"Truly astonishing, such perfect weaving. Their understanding and mastery of the Warp have reached their peak."
Sigma reached out to touch the wall, the sound from her communication array filled with excitement and agitation.
Her smooth metal fingers were already implanted with numerous miniature instruments, allowing her to quickly analyze the wall's material and properties. The shaking of her arm gradually decreased as the hydraulic compensators on her arm calibrated.
Cooling steam hissed from the joints with her movements.
"Can we open it?" Shar looked at the wall covered with countless special patterns and asked, "There might be something important inside."
"It conceals the secret of that power, the opposite of those giants who claim to be just and good." Sigma read the special symbols on it, combining them with the ancient texts of this world to uncover their secret.
"Opening it isn't difficult; this wall is merely an outer shell."
The murals and symbols on the wall recorded secrets about the ultra-ancient era.
A group of giants, corrupted by power and lost to themselves, were sealed here. Tens of millions of years had passed. That was an unimaginable length of time.
Over such a long period, even drastic changes in the landscape were not impossible.
Information from the readings indicated that the sealed beings were still alive.
Such methods and technology were not far off from the necrons who had slept for sixty million years.
necron technology originated from the ancient C'tan.
So, which ancient race did this sealing technology originate from?
Regardless of which race created these giant powers, their civilization's technology and culture had certainly reached their peak.
From the perspective of the Adeptus Mechanicus, creations that cannot be controlled are failures. These sealed giants were, without a doubt, failures left over from the ultra-ancient era.
However, failures are not without value.
From a scientific research perspective, the existence of failures makes it easier to reverse-engineer the secrets of the giants' power.
From Magos Sigma's large and bulky body, a metal tentacle extended. The metal tentacle stopped fifty centimeters from the wall and emitted a special light.
When the light touched the wall, the wall melted as if ice had met lava.
As the wall dissolved, the failures sealed for tens of millions of years were revealed before Magos Sigma and Captain Shar.
Behind the wall was a smoothly polished, massive cave etched with countless special patterns.
At its center was a smoothly polished stone platform, upon which stood three giants transformed into stone statues.
It was clear that they were no different from the Ultramen currently active.
All three statues had distinct gender characteristics.
One female and two male.
If the records on the wall were not deceiving. Then these statues were failed prototypes of ultra-ancient giant warriors.
Sealed here to prevent trouble.
warriors who were supposed to wield the power of giants were instead controlled by it, unleashing the evil within their hearts.
Such occurrences were not uncommon in the Imperium.
Before the firewall was established, many psykers would walk that path. The power of the Warp was not so easy to wield.
It was extremely prone to backlash. The power of the giants must be the same.
If it truly had no flaws, then why would the creators of this power have vanished from the universe?
The strength of those giants should not be underestimated. They could fly at light speed in space, possessing high mobility, high defense, and high output.
According to some rumors, some Ultramen could release beams capable of destroying stars.
Destroying stars was not particularly special. The problem was that those Ultramen were individual entities, unlike Imperial warships which required a crew to operate.
Once a space war broke out, those Ultramen would be more flexible. The Imperial fleet might not gain the upper hand.
Unless, like dealing with the necrons, they had the assistance of a creator of the giant power, it would be difficult to win the war easily. The reason why the necrons, led by the Silent King, failed so easily.
A large part of it was that the Void Dragon had sided with humanity.
necron technology was completely countered by humanity. That's why they suffered a crushing defeat, unable to even organize a decent resistance.
For the Imperium of Man to defeat the Ultramen, the cost would undoubtedly be unimaginable.
However, the civilization that created the power of the giants, also known as the Ultraman power, has now vanished without a trace.
Possessing such powerful technology, yet they met their demise. This indicates that the power of the giants is not invulnerable; it likely has a fatal weakness.
As for the speculation among the natives that the power of the giants was created by the Land of Light, that is absolute nonsense.
Ultramen from tens of millions of years ago can be found on Earth.
While the Land of Light was established less than 300,000 years ago.
Did they travel to the past to teach ancient people how to use the power of giants, and then travel back to form a perfect loop?
The Land of Light is a civilization that uses the power of giants, not one that created it.
Perhaps they don't even understand the true nature of the giant power. They just simply use that power.
Magos Sigma scanned the stone statues with his equipment.
But he found an invisible barrier blocking the scanning instrument. The barrier had existed for an unknown number of years.
Yet it was still functioning.
No conspicuous machinery was visible either.
Only the surfaces of the platforms where the statues stood were etched with those special patterns. The civilization that created this barrier not only understood the Warp very well but also utilized it to its fullest extent. They were able to create a sealing mechanism that could still function even after their civilization had vanished into the river of history.
A sound came from Shar's communicator.
He listened for a few seconds, then turned to Magos Sigma.
"The natives are here. If we don't want to start a war, we need to leave early."
"We must take them with us." Magos Sigma said, "These will be useful for our research."
"How will we take them?" Shar asked the Magos, his voice, filtered through the metal grilles, filled with confusion.
One of Magos Sigma's mechanical arms extended, and in his open mechanical palm was a rotating, glowing metallic sphere.
"I have a dimensional storage sphere; it can store non-living objects, and the space within is enough to take this island. But we don't need to take it."
"This is necron technology!" Shar's voice carried a hint of disgust.
"The Emperor has already formed an alliance with the C'tan, and knowledge is neutral; it doesn't belong to anyone." Magos Sigma walked towards the wall, the metal sphere in his hand spinning rapidly.
Just as he was about to cut out the space where the three stone statues stood and place it into the dimensional sphere. The invisible barrier rippled slightly at that moment.
As if attracted by something.
"Is it a key? Are those natives? Someone among them has resonated with the seal, activating it automatically, like a sensor lock detecting a key."
Magos Sigma detected the fluctuations of the invisible barrier.
He quickly pinpointed the native human who could cause the seal to resonate. That person was highly valuable.
For researching ultra-ancient civilizations, they might bring unexpected results.
"Have your subordinates take this woman away; she is a critical asset." Magos Sigma said to Shar.
A thunderous explosion echoed in the sky. The GUTS Wing and the North American GUARD squad's Zeus, responsible for high-altitude support, turned into fireballs in the sky, fragments scattering amidst the raging flames.
"Daigo." Lina, a member of GUTS, screamed, her face pale.
"Damn it, I can't reach them on the communicator." Shinjoh, another GUTS member, pressed his communicator, saying anxiously.
Seeing the destruction of the fighters, the faces of all the team members changed drastically. The pilots of the fighters were their companions with whom they spent every day. They tried to contact them, but there was no response. They no longer held any hope that the two pilots had survived.
"Damn it, it must be those Imperial people who did it; they knew we were coming." Horii, a GUTS member, said angrily, "We absolutely cannot let those guys off."
"Blood for blood." A Chinese-American member of GUARD said, word by word.
"God will not forgive them." A white member of GUARD also showed anger.
Captain Iruma was about to say something to boost morale, to make them regain their spirits, and to ask headquarters for reinforcements.
A thick, large, dark gun barrel was pressed against her smooth forehead.
Where there had been nothing, a tall, burly, armored giant appeared.
Captain Iruma was as soft as a little girl in front of that giant.
Just the armored arm of the opponent was thicker than her entire body. The other team members didn't even have time to react.
When they realized that guns were also pointed at them. Those warriors appeared beside them like ghosts.
Huge gun barrels were pressed against their small heads. The caliber of those guns was comparable to a cannon. The sheer impact force alone would be enough to shatter them.
"Mortals." A giant said, "Do not make any movements that would cause us to misunderstand."
Captain Iruma raised her hands, her proud figure fully revealed with her movements.
"We won't do that, please calm down."
Horii, Shinjoh, and the others slowly moved their hands away from the holsters of their blasters on their waists. The opponent's gun barrels were already pointed at them.
Even if they found a chance to shoot. Their blasters might not be able to penetrate the opponent's armor.
Captain Iruma watched the massive armored giants, she knew very well that it wouldn't take much effort for the opponent to kill everyone here.
Are these the savage war creatures created by the Imperium?!
Just like those monsters that wantonly destroy what is beautiful. They must also be here to destroy people's happiness.
"Are you the so-called Imperium?" Captain Iruma asked. The other party did not answer her. The buzzing of electricity echoed in the communication. They were communicating on their own channel.
A few seconds later, a stun grenade was thrown into the crowd.
Horii, Lina, Shinjoh, and the others all felt a buzzing in their heads, as if their souls had been heavily struck by something. Their vision went blank.
All five senses vanished without a trace.
It was only after a few minutes that they could barely see again. The giants had disappeared, and Captain Iruma was also gone.
It was clear she had been taken by those people.
"Captain was taken by them."
Vice Captain Munakata was the first to react.
"Damn those bastards, they killed Daigo, and now they've abducted the Captain." Horii took out his blaster from his waist holster. "They must not have gone far, let's go search quickly."
"Lina, you're responsible for contacting headquarters and requesting backup. The rest of you, come with me to rescue Captain Iruma."
"Daigo, Horii, Shinjoh, Captain." Daigo's voice came from afar at this moment.
He was also helping the pilot of GUARD Zeus, who had injured his leg in the explosion.
"Daigo, you're alive!" Shinjoh shouted excitedly. The GUARD team members were also excited that their pilot had survived.
Daigo scanned the area but didn't find any trace of the Captain.
"Where's Captain Iruma?!"
Several team members all sighed when they heard Daigo's question.
"Those Imperial people we've been tracking appeared just now, but they pointed guns at us, so we didn't dare to move. Then they suddenly all left, and they took the Captain with them." Shinjoh said dejectedly, "We were just about to go look for the Captain when we heard your voice."
Upon hearing this, Daigo's heart immediately filled with anger.
He hadn't expected the Captain to be taken by those Imperial people.
"Then let's quickly find Captain Iruma Megumi. We absolutely cannot let them take her away," Daigo said firmly. "The Captain has been so good to us; we can't abandon her."
The other team members nodded.
"Then let us help you find Captain Iruma Megumi as well," the Caucasian Captain of the GUARD team also said. The island wasn't big, and the few of them quickly searched it.
But found nothing. They even found a special passage inside the volcano, entered the underground space, discovered the ultra-ancient ruins, and saw some recent artificial traces. The Imperial organization that took Captain Iruma Megumi had conducted survey work here. They had also taken some rock samples.
But there was still no trace of Captain Iruma Megumi or the Imperials.
When reinforcements arrived, they used GUTS' authority to have Noda, who was stationed at headquarters, use satellites, but found no anomalies on the island.
From beginning to end, they only found images of two teams entering the unnamed island, with no sight of any Imperial ships or aircraft leaving. Those mysterious Imperials and Captain Iruma Megumi seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Megumi Iruma was in a coma.
Until she was awakened by a loud, buzzing sound like an insect's hum.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a skull-shaped floating machine. The sight before her made Megumi Iruma feel a little afraid. The thing looked as if it had been made by silver-plating and polishing a human skull.
And inside the skull were installed red visual devices and various mechanical tentacles that resembled connections to the brain's nerves and spine.
What kind of madman would make a perfectly good machine look like this?
Her uniform had been replaced with loose clothing made of soft fabric. The clothing was long, covering her entire body. There was nothing underneath.
Just one piece of clothing on her entire body.
Even with the loose clothing, it was difficult to conceal her impressive figure.
Her slender waist and prominent feminine features were faintly visible.
Looking around, she found herself in a clean, tidy, well-ventilated, and brightly Litte place.
Everything around her was spotless. Fragrant plants hung on the smooth walls. The indoor fabric furnishings were softer than she could ever have imagined in her dreams.
An invisible energy force field shimmered at the doorway.
Megumi Iruma walked to the force field and, reaching out, felt its strength.
Even the laser cannons installed on the Guts Wing might not be able to destroy this force field.
With her own strength, it was even more impossible.
She had been brought here by those giants.
What did those guys want from her?
Voices came from outside the force field.
One was cold and steady, containing the unique ruthlessness of a warrior. The other was mechanically emotionless, as if from a robot, devoid of any feeling.
A slight hiss sounded, and the energy force field shimmered like water, revealing the scene behind it.
A giant clad in iron armor and a man whose entire body was embedded with metallic prosthetics, with little flesh remaining.
Even his face had been replaced by a metal mask, no longer having human flesh and tissue.
Megumi Iruma instinctively took two steps back.
She felt that this world was a bit too crazy.
"I hope I haven't startled you, Captain Iruma Megumi. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a Magos of the Mechanicum, and you may call me Magos Sigma. And next to me is Shal, the Third Captain of the Flesh Tearers."
"The Emperor always teaches us to treat the scattered human branches with benevolence and universal love, striving to make them feel the glory of the Imperium and thus join peacefully."
"Bringing you here in such a manner was truly unavoidable; your aggressiveness made us uneasy."
Magos Sigma introduced himself softly in standard local language.
"You attacked my team members, and now you say we pose a threat to you?" Megumi Iruma retorted with some anger.
"I have no intention of continuing to defend this matter; doing so would be unhelpful to our communication and would only lead us into meaningless arguments and debates," Magos Sigma said. "I converse with you, Captain Iruma Megumi, with hopes of peace. I hope both sides can set aside differences and jointly create a beautiful future for humanity."
"Create a future with madmen like you??" Megumi Iruma scoffed. "Look at your appearance and your actions; aren't you the source of nightmares and chaos?!"
"I can tell you very clearly that this is all your one-sided view. We all exist for a beautiful and noble purpose. We are committed to advancing a cause that will ultimately bring happiness to everyone," Magos Sigma said. "You don't understand this very well, which is why you make incorrect judgments about us."
"Killing, instigating dictatorship, enslaving monsters—is this your cause? I see nothing that can bring happiness; you will only drag people into the abyss of suffering," Megumi Iruma said angrily. "You even killed one of my teammates just now; he was so kind that he would cry even if he unintentionally hurt someone. Yet you mercilessly killed him, destroyed his fighter jet, and left no trace of his body."
"You don't understand your teammate, do you?" Magos Sigma did not directly answer Megumi Iruma's question but instead asked another.
"No, I know him very well. Every member of GUTS is my family."
"Then why do you think your teammate is dead? He possesses the power of a giant; an explosion is just a trivial inconvenience to him. Our mission is exploration; unless absolutely necessary, we do not kill."
Magos Sigma waved his mechanical arm, opening a faintly glowing interface in the empty air.
It displayed the scene of the Guts Wing and Zeus exploding.
A beam of light was hidden in the dazzling fire released by the disintegration of the fighter jet.
Upon closer inspection, Daigo, the pilot, was seen enveloped in light.
In the next frame, he transformed into Ultraman.
"Tiga!!" Megumi Iruma's voice was filled with disbelief.
"Yes, Tiga. That is the name you use to refer to this Ultraman who possesses the power of a giant."
Sigma opened another screen. The GUTS members were surveying the island, searching for her trace.
"Where did the Captain go?!" Munakata said sadly.
"She'll be fine," Rena encouraged Munakata.
"We will definitely find the Captain."
The voice was indeed from Daigo, whom Megumi Iruma had thought was sacrificed.
Looking at the images displayed in those information windows.
Megumi Iruma remained silent, but a feeling of emotion welled up in her heart.
She tried hard to control her emotions.
She couldn't let those Imperials find any weaknesses or flaws.
"They are all fine," Magos Sigma said.
"I will not be convinced by you, Imperial. I will never tolerate a dictator establishing an empire to enslave other life forms; even if they are just monsters, they have their own freedom and dignity and should not be slaves."
"So, for this noble purpose, you would allow your comrades to die," Magos Sigma countered, "watching them sink into helpless despair and ultimately fall into the abyss."
"What do you mean?? Are you going to start a war??" Megumi Iruma suddenly stood up. "The Ultramen won't let you succeed."
"Ultraman? Do you think they will always protect humanity? Has the memory passed down from your ancestors not yet awakened in your mind? Those things in the darkness are coming; they have been hidden for many years, hungry. Will those so-called Ultramen really shed their last drop of blood for humanity? Perhaps those humans born on Earth and Mars would do so, but would those Ultramen from other places really do that??"
"Have you forgotten the previous incidents? Ultraman once declared they would not interfere with human choices, even if humans made choices passively or unconsciously, they would not interfere. When dark entities corrupt human minds and lead them to make wrong choices, will those Ultramen turn away out of respect for human choice?"
Megumi Iruma was somewhat shaken.
With the arrival of that extraterrestrial spacecraft, Megumi Iruma had begun to awaken those ancient memories.
She knew that the other party was not wrong. The ultra-ancient times had experienced the Kyge Flower crisis, which immersed all humans in illusory beautiful dreams, unable to extricate themselves. Those ultra-ancient warriors did not interfere with human choices, choosing to leave.
After the dark apocalypse arrived, the ultra-ancient civilization was also destroyed.
Just as the other party said, Ultraman would not protect humanity forever.
"What do you want from me??" Megumi Iruma asked somewhat weakly. The other party's words struck her psychological defenses like a hammer.
Making her question and feel confused about Ultraman's protection.
Her spirit also developed cracks, causing her to lose the strength to resist.
"You are very special, Captain Iruma Megumi. The destroyed ultra-ancient human civilization left some necessary means for their descendants, attempting to prevent you from walking the path of destruction. You are a successor; the power and wisdom of your ancestors are contained within you."
"You can help the Imperium acquire the power of the giants, understanding the principles and essence of this power."
Hearing Sigma's words.
Megumi Iruma looked into the other party's eyes, discerning the intentions behind the Imperial organization's long-standing various actions.
"You want to master Ultraman's power? No, that's wrong. Without a kind heart, that power cannot be controlled, just like the Ultraman War in ultra-ancient times; you will be consumed by that power and ultimately destroy each other."
"It seems you have regained the memories of your ancestors and know some things about the ultra-ancient times." A hint of expectation appeared on Magos Sigma's metallic masked face. "It is precisely because we are concerned about not being able to control that power that we invited you here, Captain Iruma Megumi."
"We hope to get your help in assisting the Imperium in obtaining complete giant power technology."
"No, that's too crazy." Megumi Iruma shook her head sharply. "Why do you want that technology?! Do you want to create an Ultraman army for your Emperor? Like the Land of Light? I cannot help you; you will bring destruction and war."
"No, we won't." Magos Sigma extended a mechanical arm, placing his cold metal hand before Megumi Iruma, like a gentleman inviting a lady. "I said, every living being in the Imperium is working for a great cause that, if successful, will bring happiness to all humanity. The Imperial Emperor is also by no means the kind of dictator you imagine, who would stop at nothing for power. The burden the Emperor bears is beyond our imagination."
"I can reveal the truth to you, and then you will understand that everything the Imperium does is for humanity itself. You will also see what sacrifices the one you consider a dictator has made for humanity. Believe me, war and slaughter are by no means the Imperium's original intention; only by understanding deeply can you comprehend the helplessness behind all of this."
Megumi Iruma looked at the other party's metal hand, hesitating.
How could she be so wavering?!
To be unsettled by a seemingly evil cyborg, giving rise to doubts about her own beliefs.
Ultraman's power should only be held by those with kind hearts.
How could it be held by an evil, dictatorial empire?
That kind of thing was too terrifying.
But the other party's words were so deeply resonant.
Striking her soft spot again and again, making her unable to control her emotions, wanting more.
"Captain Iruma Megumi, you wouldn't want your team members and family to be swallowed by darkness, would you?!"
Magos Sigma's last sentence shattered Megumi Iruma's psychological defense.
She placed her hand on the other party's cold mechanical palm.
"Don't let me find out you're deceiving me with lies, Imperial."