A transport plane, bearing the golden Imperial Two-Headed Eagle emblem, was soaring rapidly across the Pacific Ocean. The vast and boundless ocean stretched endlessly, with no end in sight. The azure sea connected with the cerulean sky, making it indistinguishable whether it was ocean or sky at a glance.
On the transport plane, news reporters were interviewing the members of the current task force.
Daigo was among them, acting alongside another Ultraman named Rosso.
In addition, there was a special weapons team providing them with fire support and logistics. The team's mission was simple: to do everything possible to contain the Mujin aliens. They wanted to make it clear that offending humans would have no good outcome.
Unlike others, Daigo didn't seem particularly happy about the media cameras that would make him famous.
He knew that this report would soon be seen by the members of the GUTS team.
Even if he wasn't by their side, he could imagine the sorrowful expressions of his former comrades.
He had once promised to bring back the power of the Land of Light, but now he had become a lackey of the Imperium.
Such a thing was absolutely unacceptable to them.
How disappointed Rena's eyes must be when she looked at him!
Fortunately, the report quickly ended.
After the news headquarters switched cameras, the reporters no longer paid attention to them.
"You don't look so good!" Katsumi Minato walked over and sat next to Daigo.
Daigo shook his head, "I'm fine."
"If something's wrong, say it, don't keep it bottled up," Katsumi Minato said. "I heard you used to be a member of GUTS. Are you thinking about them?"
"They probably won't understand me," Daigo said, looking a bit melancholic.
Katsumi Minato smiled and said, "Why do you need others to approve of you? In this world, there are many things people won't approve of. Many self-righteous people are often slow to realize, and will only criticize others from a post-event perspective. When doing anything, you shouldn't seek others' approval, but rather ask your own heart if it's worth doing."
"I understand," Daigo said.
A sudden, urgent alarm blared. The transport plane began to shake. The pilot's voice came through the cabin's loudspeaker.
"Enemy spacecraft detected. They are attacking us. Emergency, emergency."
Daigo and Katsumi Minato exchanged glances. They each took out their transformation devices.
After two flashes of light, the two Ultramen appeared high in the sky. The Mujin aliens' flying saucers were attacking the human transport plane.
Beams of dazzling light shot out, impacting the shields projected on the transport plane's surface, creating ripples. The transport plane, in turn, fired missiles at them and sought an opportunity to retreat to a safe zone. The pilot's skills were superb. They struggled to hold on with various difficult maneuvers, avoiding being shot down. The two Ultramen simultaneously unleashed light waves. The light waves were incredibly powerful, piercing through the flying saucer's shield, hitting its side, tearing it apart, and causing an explosion.
Black smoke billowed from the flying saucer as it lost balance and plummeted directly to the ground.
"We have no quarrel with Earthlings, why are you attacking us?"
"Damn it, this is an act of war! Humans, are you going to start a war with us?"
"We won't let you get away with this!"
The terrified and angry voices of the Mujin aliens rang out.
"How dare you offend the Imperium?" Katsumi Minato said. "Then be prepared for extinction."
Katsumi Minato didn't know much about the Imperium.
He only knew that high-ranking officials like Keigo Masaki and Megumi Iruma pledged allegiance to the Imperium.
It was said to be a top-tier power that prioritized humanity, with great influence.
His lack of understanding didn't stop him from using it to intimidate the monsters.
Katsumi Minato's words clearly provoked the Mujin aliens.
A weak civilization that couldn't even leave its own star system dared to speak to the great Mujin aliens in such a way. This was an absolutely unforgivable crime. These damned humans must be made to understand that those who offend planet Mujin, no matter how far, will be annihilated.
Planet Mujin would bury all foolish races who dared to offend it. Two streaks of dark light flashed, and two colossal, mountain-like monsters appeared before the eyes of the world.
Both monsters had wings on their backs, enormous enough to carry their massive bodies through the air.
One of the monsters had two conical horns on its head.
When it roared, its sharp teeth were visible in its mouth.
Its fierce gaze was deep and savage, revealing brutality and cruelty. The other monster had a turtle-shell-like ridged back, its entire body covered in a thick carapace.
Its head was wide and flat, with tusks.
Its neck was long and powerful, and it had four strong arms. The end of each arm had hard, sharp claws, like cast iron.
An exceptionally thick, iron-hard tail could be used for both attack and defense.
Its eyes were like brass bells, scarlet and brutal.
When it looked at the two Ultramen, they were filled with hatred.
"You humans are going too far. We Mujin aliens have no grudge against you, why are you making things so difficult for us?"
One monster emitted a psyker sound wave, questioning angrily.
"This is a human planet, and you intruded here, yet you dare to ask such a question!"
Katsumi Minato had been with Keigo Masaki for some time and had subconsciously developed a sense of human superiority.
Even between two countries, intruding into someone else's territory without permission comes at a cost.
Let alone two completely different races and civilizations.
In the past, humans were weak, and technology was not advanced enough to detect these invaders, so they could only passively defend after the invaders caused trouble.
Many people would praise the beauty of that bygone era.
But to some, that era was nothing short of a disgrace.
Imagine a group of invaders breaking in without warning, using violent means to invade your territory, and killing your citizens.
Being able to repel them was already a cause for celebration.
As for others disrespecting your civil sovereignty and your racial dignity, you could do nothing about it.
You even had to comfort yourself by saying you loved peace and wouldn't bother with them. That's like someone blocking your doorstep, ready to commit an act of aggression against your spouse.
And you still comfort your wife, saying it hasn't started yet, and we can't be unreasonable people.
Such a person is not rational; they are cowardly.
Katsumi Minato didn't use to think so.
After working with Keigo Masaki, his mindset slowly changed.
He felt that humans in the past truly seemed cowardly.
If someone smashes your door, you should hit them with a shotgun.
Instead of talking about compromise and calm.
"Await the Mujin aliens' retaliation! Do you still think you can get protection from the Land of Light?!" one monster roared furiously. Two Ultramen, two monsters.
Both sides tacitly chose their opponents.
Daigo, as Ultraman Tiga, focused on the horned monster.
He delivered a chop with his hand, striking the monster's horn, causing a series of massive explosions.
One of the horns was blown off instantly, and the monster let out a wail.
Its massive body staggered, then plummeted towards the ocean surface, creating a terrifying tidal wave.
But it was not defeated by this.
Moments later, the colossal monster emerged from beneath the sea like a giant mountain.
It spread its forelimbs, lowering its heavy, conical-horned head.
It charged directly at Ultraman Tiga, cutting through the waves.
Light shone from its horns.
A beam of light was fired from them.
Ultraman Tiga slightly shifted his body, dodging the terrifying attack.
But in the next second, the colossal beast charged forward, slamming into him, causing him to let out a low groan.
As Ultraman's body was attacked, Daigo felt it too.
He felt as if he had been struck by a giant mountain.
His massive Ultraman body almost lost balance and fell.
He controlled his massive body, transforming into the red Power Type, and swung his fist for a counterattack. The monster was knocked back.
He got a brief moment to breathe, but soon, the monster attacked again.
Its claws were incredibly sharp, and with a single swipe, they scraped sparks off Ultraman's body.
Daigo felt it too, feeling as if his chest had been torn open.
In that instant, he even wondered if his heart would be ripped out directly.
Daigo also knew that Ultramen were not immortal as people imagined.
If killed, they would die too.
And they would die miserably. The light of the human host would disappear, and they themselves would die. Their body without light would turn into a stone statue, to be destroyed or banished to eternal void.
Ultraman Titus had revealed those terrifying truths to him.
He had witnessed the deaths of countless Ultramen.
Daigo counterattacked, striking it with another hand chop, pushing it back.
He had expected a tough battle.
But it ended quickly. The members of the Defense Force arrived swiftly. The four human hosts capable of transforming immediately did so. They joined the battle.
"Despicable and shameless, ganging up on us!" the Mujin aliens shouted angrily, but no one paid them any mind. These aliens clearly hadn't learned from the disciples of the Ye family. They weren't good at 1v3. They quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Eventually, they were focused down and eliminated by several Ultramen working together.
With a booming explosion, the monsters were reduced to scattered debris. The Mujin aliens invading Earth were thus annihilated.
However, this was just the beginning. The Mujin aliens were a vast civilization. Those who could play such hunting games were either rich or influential, and they must have held significant sway within the Mujin race.
After humans killed them, retaliation was inevitable.
It could be anticipated that humanity would face a series of troubles in the near future.
Daigo could foresee that this incident was likely just the beginning.
In the past, with the Land of Light present, the aliens weren't so outrageous.
But now, the Land of Light was gone. The order maintained by the Ultramen no longer existed. Those fierce aliens would certainly show their true, menacing side.
A terrible war was about to break out.
After dealing with the monsters, the human hosts boarded the plane and returned to the Defense Force base.
As soon as they landed, they saw cheering crowds.
People held flowers, shouting the names of the Ultramen.
Among them, Tiga was the most popular.
Even before the Defense Force was established, Ultraman Tiga had been active in this world.
He also had the most fans.
Of course, other Ultramen also had many supporters. The airport at the base was packed with people, all there to welcome the human hosts back. This was Keigo Masaki's intention: to make people support Ultraman and the Imperium, creating an atmosphere where joining the Imperium was the right choice.
Daigo, receiving such treatment, showed a mixture of fear and apprehension.
Because he saw the GUTS members he had always dreaded facing.
Captain Iruma, Shinjoh, Horii, Rena, and Noda were all there, among the crowd.
Even from a distance, he could feel their disappointment.
Rena's eyes seemed to speak.
Constantly questioning why he had betrayed them, why he had abandoned his family, and so on.
"Do you need my help?" Katsumi Minato walked over and said, "After all, we're friends who fought side by side. Your business is my business, Daigo. We both need to look forward. the Imperium is a better choice, don't you think?! Look, those monsters, we defeated them without a single casualty. That's the benefit of choosing the Imperium."
Hearing Katsumi Minato's words, Daigo felt a little more confident.
He followed the task force members as they disembarked.
"Little Tiga is making more and more progress," a gentle, pleasant female voice came from the side; it was Carmeara, dressed in a miko outfit.
Perhaps the ancient and modern human mindsets were different.
Carmeara was only wearing a loose miko outfit. There was nothing underneath.
Her proud figure was completely exposed.
Making Katsumi Minato and Daigo feel that the already hot weather had become even hotter.
Hudra and Darram followed behind Carmeara, looking like old perverts.
When they saw Tiga, they shouted, "My brother, my friend."
Upon seeing the trio, Daigo subconsciously became wary. To be honest, he had a bit of a psychological complex about the trio.
I'd suffered many losses before, and even been ganged up on once.
"Daigo." Another voice called out. Lina had somehow bypassed the security personnel and ran to Daigo's other side.
Her face was filled with sorrow and indignation.
It was the kind of sorrow and indignation a woman would feel after spending a night listening to sweet nothings and sacrificing herself for love, only to be kicked out of bed the next morning, realizing the man who swore he'd never marry anyone but her was now professing his love to another woman.
It was a mix of sorrow and indignation from betrayal, manipulation, deception, and abandonment.
"Why, why would you do this?" Lina asked, her voice filled with anger.
When Carmilla saw Lina running over, she casually wrapped her arm around Daigo's waist and pressed herself against him.
"Brother Daigo, are you tired?!"
Carmilla even pretended to wipe sweat off Daigo's face.
As she wiped, she said in a sarcastic tone,
"Who is this woman? Why is she being so mean to Brother Daigo right away? Unlike me, I only care for Brother Daigo."
Seeing her impressive peaks deform under the pressure of Daigo's arm, and Daigo not breaking free in time, Lina only felt even angrier.
"Was it for this woman? That you abandoned your principles? Abandoned your convictions? Daigo, I look down on you."
Several security guards came to escort the distraught Lina away, along with the other GUTS members who were trying to cause trouble.
Seeing the GUTS members being led away, Carmilla, who had been calling him "Brother Daigo" just moments before, wiped the smile off her face.
She pushed Daigo away with a hint of disgust and impatience.
Now, she had found her goal. That was to take charge of the Ultraman Legion created by the Imperium.
She wanted to climb up step by step, eventually sitting on par with the so-called Holy Emperor, or even riding on his head.
She wanted all the fools in the multiverse to know the might of Queen Carmilla, trembling under her whip. This time, she would absolutely not let emotions make her foolish again.
She would never give a scumbag like Tiga any chance.
She should ruthlessly retaliate against him, toy with him, and then kick him out like a stray dog.
Reconciling with such a scumbag was impossible, even if the universe were to be destroyed.
Daigo didn't pay attention to Carmilla's malicious behavior.
He also didn't know how to face Lina, and letting her misunderstand and distance herself from him was a good thing.
With the outbreak of war, the Ultramen would definitely be considered the main fighting force.
At that time, monsters would be as common as dogs, and Ultramen would be everywhere.
He might even sacrifice himself as soon as he entered the battlefield.
It might not be a bad thing for Munakata, Lina, and others to live as ordinary people.
Imperial Exploration ark.
Inside a massive biological laboratory.
Several Zazarans trembled in fear, watching the tortured Moojins. The humans here were completely different from the humans they had previously known. They were uniformly dressed in uniforms with a double-headed eagle insignia. The captured, non-giant Moojins were all sent to the biological laboratory.
Humans with mechanical prostheses directly cut them open, cracking their skulls.
Connecting mental controllers. Those unfortunate souls, whether they confessed or not, all met the same fate. They would all be directly connected to a mental controller to read everything in their minds; trying to hide secrets was impossible.
Lucia also stood nearby.
Not far from her, a Moojin was suspended. The creature had been tortured to the brink of death, its skull peeled open, its bizarre brain, oozing black blood, exposed to the air. The scene was bloody, cruel, and utterly terrifying.
Some Moojins were placed in sealed containment tanks, preserved like samples.
"Humans, you will not have a good end!" a Moojin screamed in horror, "You will surely face the retaliation of all Moojins."
The next second, it let out a scream of terror and despair.
Moments later, it was made into a specimen.
Hung on the wall of the biological laboratory.
Its eyes held a dense, unyielding despair.
My name is Zahariel.
Born in the hive city of Terra Deshe.
Formerly of the Bone Angels, later a member of the Dreadwings.
We were uncrowned princes, the Emperor's original angels.
Before the legions were even formed, I had already participated in clearing the Oort Cloud. That place, which seemed like a distant sky from Terra, was actually just the outermost ring of the solar system.
My comrades and I cleansed the dwarf planets and moons of those xenos that would never be named or classified.
I once fought the Rangdan, slaying them with bolt pistols and chainswords, and annihilating them with radiation missiles combined with phosphorescent weapons. The First Legion was the origin of all legions. The other Astartes Legions were all modeled after the First Legion before gradually becoming various legions.
Some of these legions might, in future campaigns, gradually become more specialized in certain tactics compared to us.
Even so, their specialties are rooted in our abilities. The White Scars were not the pioneers of high-speed combat.
Siege tactics did not originate from the Iron warriors.
Assault tactics did not come from the World Eaters.
Even the Luna Wolves were not the founders of decapitation strikes. These tactics, for which they became famous, all originated from our secret wars.
It was we who brought the light of the Imperium to the darkest corners of the galaxy, it was we who incinerated those terrible xenos whose very existence should not be known to humanity.
We are the Emperor's executioners, His destroyers, the Emperor's final judgment.
With the return of the Primarchs, those Astartes Legions born from the First Legion became even more excellent than the First Legion.
Until the return of the Lion, that changed again.
I always thought we would once again gain glory envied by other legions.
But the turning point of fate is always so abrupt; it won't let you prepare at all. That was the Sarashiel Incident.
Many details of this incident have been deliberately concealed.
Even I couldn't know the full picture of the event. The structure of the First Legion was extensively adjusted by the Lion.
No one but the Lion could know the whole story, what the whole plan was like!!
I know some secrets that those around me don't. They also know secrets that I don't.
Everyone holds fragmented secrets and truths.
From Luther's mouth, I learned that the Sarashiel had sweet-talked and deceived the Lion, and planned to assassinate the Lion with a nuclear bomb, and I also knew that their plan ultimately failed.
But I don't know why, after that day, the Lion sent Luther, his former knight companion and the legion's second-in-command, back to Caliban to await orders. That included me.
I am not from Caliban; I am from Terra. I have no emotional attachment to Caliban.
It was just a world I neither liked nor disliked.
I wouldn't see the beauty of home like my comrades from Caliban.
It was also difficult to consider it a pearl of the Imperium.
I must admit, we were exiled. The warriors began to harbor suspicion. This suspicion would soon turn into seeds of division. The outbreak of the Horus Heresy gave these seeds a chance to take root and sprout.
Even though we were trapped on Caliban, with delayed news, we still received a lot of information from across the galaxy. The Space Wolves plunged into Prospero, Baal was besieged, Perturabo tore apart his homeworld, Angron incinerated his home, and one shocking event after another arrived. The Alpha Legion and Space Wolves went to war, the Ultramarines suffered a backstab attack from the Word Bearers, the Drop Site Massacre, and so on. The Emperor's great work became precarious.
But we were powerless, trapped on Caliban, without even a ship to traverse the stars.
Corswain returned once, and I had wanted to go with him to support Terra.
I would rather die fighting there than waste time, squandering my days on Caliban.
I wanted to rush back to the side of the monarch I had once sworn allegiance to, and face those terrible things with Him.
Even if it meant dying in battle, I would not be a prisoner on Caliban. The rebellion finally ended, and the First Legion, led by the Lion, reappeared in the skies above Caliban.
No exchange, no communication.
I don't even know who fired the first shot.
I watched our defensive emplacements roar to life, spewing ion plasma and lasers into the sky.
Even though we were a legion known for our ruthlessness, my hope died that day. Everything was chaotic then; we couldn't even find the commanders who constantly bickered and frequently accused each other of treason.
No matter what theories or differences I had, I couldn't understand why Luther and his lieutenants would fire on the Lion without warning. The Legion was completely torn apart a day later. The planet Caliban was also shattered by the Lion's command. Those eager new recruits who joined the First Legion, donning their armor and taking up arms for the first time, faced their gene-father and blood brothers who sought to kill them.
What a tragedy. The Lion, filled with pure rage, only wished to destroy and kill us.
He roared Luther's name, slaying all his sons who dared to stand in his way.
Duty unfulfilled, crusade unfinished, yet dreams shattered and hearts dead.
We were deemed traitors by our own gene-father.
In that terrible melee, we were abandoned. Thrown into an unknowable abyss by the chaotic flow of time.
When I regained consciousness and returned to the real universe.
It had already become chaotic.
I returned to the real universe three hundred years before the Great Rift appeared.
However, everything had changed. The Dark Angels Chapter regarded us as traitors, calling us the Fallen Angels. The intricacies of this were beyond my knowledge.
I only knew they had no mercy, and no patience to listen to our pleas. They only wanted us dead.
I was forced to resist, trying every means to survive between the Imperium and Chaos. The Imperium had become the very thing the Emperor abhorred most.
If He could awaken from the Golden Throne, His first target would definitely be that corrupt Imperium.
Chaos was the great enemy the Emperor had always tried to fight.
No matter what, we only had one path: resistance.
We struggled to reverse the Imperium's decay and fight Chaos.
Guilliman's return changed everything.
He reshaped the old order, brought science and reason back to humanity, and sought to create an even grander endeavor.
We, however, fell into an even greater state of confusion. The entire galaxy would be within the grasp of the Imperium led by Guilliman.
But where could we, the unacknowledged, go?
We could only linger in the dark crevices, awaiting the day of cleansing.
Our path was unclear, with no light to be found.
Until one person appeared, bringing a turning point.
Lord Cypher pointed out a path: to seek refuge with little Fulgrim.
Little Fulgrim was his designation. That fellow was a clone of Fulgrim, a loyalist.
Such a thing was both comical and incredible.
"If you wish for your grievances to be cleared, if you wish to once again pledge allegiance to the dream you once swore to fulfill, then go there. A hidden path of salvation awaits you."
Lord Cypher left with these final words, then drifted away.
We had no choice.
Either be swept away like trash by the increasingly powerful Imperium, or do as Lord Cypher said.
Zahariel was disturbed by a clamor of voices and opened his meditating eyes.
"To the bridge, Knight." Little Fulgrim's voice came from inside.
With the unique nobility and confidence of a Primarch.