Zero's entrance was breathtakingly cool.
Putting everything else aside, his fierce eyes, combined with the overwhelming pressure emanating from his body, truly gave him the aura of a final boss.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
Zett: "Haruki! Did you see that? That's Master Zero! That's Master Zero!! So cool!! Master Zero is so strong!!!"
Inside the unique transformation space of the New Generation, Zett was overcome with emotion, not behaving like an Ultra Warrior at all. Instead, he resembled a fangirl seeing her idol, his excitement boundless.
Asahi Kujo: "Zero… has he… grown to be this outstanding? As expected of my son."
In the Land of Light, Seven stared intently at the light curtain, his eyes filled with gratification and pride.
After all, that was Zero, his own child. How could he not feel proud and relieved to see him grow into such a powerful warrior?
Overseer of Schicksal: "The Land of Light's youngest and strongest warrior. The light curtain gives him quite a high evaluation. I wonder who is stronger, him or the Swarm King?"
In the Overseer's office, Otto watched Zero with great interest. As a representative figure of extreme combat power among the Ultramen, and arguably the current strongest warrior of the Land of Light, Zero had thoroughly captured his attention.
Ruan Mei: "The complete Star-Shattering Swarm King… Indeed, the gap between it and the imitations I cultivated is vast. I wonder if Ultraman Zero can draw out the Swarm King's full power, allowing me to obtain more… experimental data…"
---o---
Light Curtain
The giant of red and blue stood tall upon the earth, the dim sky reflecting the somber atmosphere of the moment.
The humans underground stared intently at this unfamiliar giant before them. Without a doubt, this was an Ultraman who had never appeared on Earth before.
Before him, the Star-Shattering Swarm King, Skaracabaz, watched him with compound eyes that symbolized the Swarm.
Innumerable reflections of Ultraman Zero were mirrored in its pupils, as if it intended to burn his image into its very core.
"Hmph," Zero shrugged, speaking in a contemptuous tone. "Hey, big bug. A body that large is nothing more than a living target in front of me."
"If you know what's good for you, get off this planet with your minions, or else…"
Zero swung his right fist, the meaning behind his gesture self-evident.
But despite his words, in terms of combat, the Star-Shattering Swarm King before him was undoubtedly the most powerful opponent Zero had ever faced.
In his previous battle with Leo, he had been unable to use his full strength due to various restrictions. But the Zero of today was truly in his prime.
Throughout the entire Land of Light, only a certain horned figure, when uninjured and in his peak condition, could compare.
Right now, the Emanator of the Aeon of Propagation, Tayzzyronth—the Star-Shattering Swarm King, Skaracabaz—was inferior to the Emanators of other Aeons in both strength and intelligence.
But as an Emanator, it was undeniably a terrifying existence within the Star Rail universe.
Judging by its mandibles that could shatter celestial bodies and its scythe-like blades that preyed on planets, Skaracabaz's combat power was extraordinary.
The Swarm King remained silent for a moment before its pupils glowed red—a clear sign that it was preparing for battle.
Under its command, hundreds of adult Sting-Wings, all elite individuals fifty to sixty meters in size, vibrated their wings and charged toward Zero.
Seeing this, Zero kicked off the ground with force, soaring high into the air. The green indicator on his head fired the Emerium Slash.
Emerald-green beams shot out continuously, strafing like lasers, instantly slicing the Swarm that couldn't dodge in time into two. They burst into sparks of fire in mid-air.
An intense aerial battle then unfolded. Relying on his powerful mobility, Zero weaved wantonly through the swarm of insects.
The two crests on his head moved as if they were an extension of his arms, spinning rapidly with faint green light glinting on their sharp edges.
They danced through the insect tide like a meat grinder. In an instant, the Swarm's blood splattered across the sky, mixing with their wing dust, turning the entire world a hazy gray.
A single flying kick sent four or five elite Sting-Wings crashing to the ground, causing buildings for hundreds of miles around to collapse.
Witnessing this, the surrounding Sting-Wings spread their wings, using their bodies as obstacles, seemingly trying to compress the space around Zero to prevent him from unleashing his power.
But to their surprise, Zero flexed his arms and directly ripped their wings off. Their blood splashed onto the indicator on Zero's chest.
This savage fighting style caused many viewers to shut their eyes tightly. One would never see such a wild method from any other Ultraman.
Zero, having moved from the sky to the ground, showed no signs of panic. The hundreds of insects before him were now surrounded by him alone.
Zero's personal show began. Under his absolutely crushing combat power, he didn't even need beam techniques; the Sting-Wings were torn apart by sheer brute force.
Even if some insects managed to land a hit on Zero's body, for the man with the strongest physique in the universe who could withstand Leo's kick head-on, such attacks were no different from being tickled.
Watching Zero use his sharp fighting style like an insecticide, eliminating the Sting-Wing elites one by one, the audience in front of the light curtain couldn't help but clench their fists, their hearts pounding with excitement.
Zero's appearance was like a ray of light in the darkness, sweeping away the fear in the hearts of humanity on Earth.
Countless aliens watching the footage couldn't help but tremble. Another terrifying existence had emerged from the Land of Light.
How old was that boy? Calculated in human years, Zero probably wasn't even an adult yet. But a young man like him fought even more ferociously than the Father of Ultra.
It seemed they would have to be more careful when causing trouble in the future. Father of Ultra was old and had too many duties to be easily dispatched, but Zero was different. Faced with such a powerful being, they were nothing more than a pile of punching bags…
In the video, after defeating the insects that were swarming him, Zero did a backflip, nimbly rolling out of the swarm's encirclement. He then placed his hands on the two crests on his head.
The crests, imbued with Zero's power, were unsheathed once more, dancing wildly among the Swarm. The adult Sting-Wings were like paper before them, falling to the ground like harvested wheat.
With that, the elite insect tide was completely annihilated.
Next, it was the Swarm in the sky's turn. The current Zero was determined to do the job to perfection.
His head crests returned to his hands. Zero decisively joined the two crests to the Color Timer on his chest, unleashing the most powerful beam he could muster.
The energy of the light blades transformed into a full-power beam with a wide area of effect, erupting from his Color Timer.
The pillar of blue light tore through space, and the powerful recoil forced Zero's feet deep into the ground.
The view shifted to the horizon. Under this single attack, the sky-spanning Swarm dissipated at a visible rate, like burning straw.
The power of the beam was immense, and with Zero's continuous output, the Swarm let out shrill and painful screams.
Across the starry sky, the roar of explosions echoed through the cosmos. The beam pierced through all obstacles, heading into the endless expanse of space.
The number of insects annihilated was dense and incalculable.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
Seeing Zero, at full power, wipe out the entire insect tide surrounding the planet-sized Swarm King, the audience outside the light curtain was plunged into deep shock.
Too strong… He was simply too strong.
Beyond those words, there was nothing else to describe the Zero in the video. Compared to Mebius, Zero wasn't just a little bit stronger.
He inherited Leo's near-perfect fighting techniques, and he also possessed powerful beam skills that even Leo didn't have.
Watching him fight was like appreciating a perfect performance, making one involuntarily lose themselves in it.
Gen Otori: "Zero… is he really my future apprentice? His combat power is far more ferocious than mine is now."
The Most Unfilial Son in the Universe: "I think I understand why my father died such a miserable death back then. Facing an existence like this, he certainly didn't die unjustly…"
Belial: "When did the Land of Light get someone of this level? A young brat, but his strength isn't bad…"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Phew, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. With Zero here, Earth will be safe."
Detective Conan: "…The coverage of the Swarm is too vast, and from a cosmic perspective, it's very close to Earth. I have a feeling… it won't be that easy…"
---o---
Light Curtain
With the minions cleared, it was now king versus king.
To avoid harming life on Earth, Zero decisively flew away from the planet, choosing to fight it in space.
The Swarm King merely watched as Zero leaped before it, its mandibles making strange insect-like vibrations.
Due to the massive difference in size, Zero's prized fighting skills were difficult to use effectively against the Swarm King.
Fortunately, he was well-balanced in all aspects; besides his martial arts, his beam skills were also very strong.
"In this universe, there has never been a race that reproduces this quickly. Who are you, and where did you come from?"
After the battle just now, Zero's chest indicator hadn't even started blinking, clearly showing he had plenty of power to spare.
But rather than starting another fight immediately, he was more concerned about the origin of the being before him. After all, this was a mysterious existence that even the great Ultraman King was unaware of.
It was highly likely a product of another universe that even Ultraman King didn't know about…
"…"
As Zero expected, the insect before him gave no reply. It just stared at him with its gaping maw, like a predator facing its prey.
It… doesn't have intelligence? It can't speak the universal language, nor can it even perform basic communication.
Zero pondered this internally, clearly a little shocked. For a powerhouse of this level to have no intelligence, there was only one possibility.
"Is there a mastermind behind the scenes? It seems you're not the leader of this disaster…"
Zero's tone carried a hint of disbelief. What level of being could create an opponent of the Swarm King's caliber?
He estimated it would be on the level of Ultraman King. If an opponent of that level wanted to wreak havoc on the universe, it would be a huge problem.
Recalling the time he had recklessly challenged Ultraman King, Zero couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
The terrifying power that belonged exclusively to the Legendary Ultras was still etched in his mind. In Ultraman King's hands, no matter how much he grew, he was like a helpless pet, unable to even get close.
"Swoosh— Swoosh—"
While Zero was still feeling troubled by the magnitude of this disaster, the Swarm King had already launched its attack.
Its two antennae, hundreds of meters long, fired azure beams capable of easily slicing through meteorites and destroying celestial bodies.
A scorching heat like that of a blazing sun assaulted Zero at an incredible speed. An ordinary person wouldn't even have time to react.
Relying on the conditioned reflexes honed from his battle with Leo, Zero instinctively tilted his head and flew, dodging the beams.
The Swarm King's beam struck a nearby meteorite, and with a single hit, it was pulverized into dust.
"So strong!" Zero said, a trace of fear lingering. A hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.
Defeating an opponent of this level was all the more meaningful. Although Zero's extreme personality had been corrected after his education in the space-prison, he was still fundamentally a bit of a battle enthusiast.
The heavens had blessed him with great talent, and also with an unquenchable will to fight.
Before Zero could act, a massive blade descended with unerring precision, aiming for his waist as if to cut him in half.
Naturally, Zero wouldn't let it succeed. An intense, scorching heat emanated from the scythe blade, quickly transmitting to the Swarm King's pain nerves, causing it to let out a pained roar.
Zero continuously fired the Zero Cluster Beam from his hands, concentrating the shots on the vulnerable joint where the scythe met the body. This caused the Swarm King intense pain, as if its limb was about to be torn off.
"BOOM—"
Another energy wave was released from the Swarm King's mouth, neutralizing the Cluster Beam. It then rapidly charged toward Zero.
"Nani!"
A charge from a body larger than a planet would likely crush Zero to death on impact.
Dodging the Swarm King's attacks haphazardly between the stars, Zero seemed to be in an unusual state.
Because he had to be mindful of the distance between the Swarm King and Earth, Zero was somewhat constrained, not daring to use his full power in a life-or-death battle.
And with the Swarm King's power, even a simple collision would cause a devastating blow.
The two sides remained in a stalemate, with Zero constantly on the back foot.
However, what no one noticed was that while Zero and the Swarm King were locked in their struggle, a pair of mechanical eyes were silently watching from the darkness.
Transmitting everything happening at the scene to the great one behind them…
---o---