---o---
[On the light curtain, on Earth...]
The swarming figures of the insects vanished from the cosmos, replaced by an endless, boundless darkness.
No one had expected that Alien Empera, the Great Emperor of the Dark Universe, would be so decisive as to personally descend with his Four Heavenly Kings.
He wasn't going to send them out one by one to feed Mebius experience points, as he did in the original Ultraman Mebius series.
Of course, this was likely related to Father of Ultra and the Swarm.
After all, from Empera's perspective, the Land of Light had already fallen. The main objective of this campaign was the Swarm King, and time was limited.
Furthermore, Father of Ultra was indeed a formidable opponent. Relying solely on his subordinates to defeat him would be impossible, which was why he had chosen to act personally.
Inside Phoenix Nest, the home base of GUYS.
The brief disappearance of the Swarm did not bring the members of GUYS any relief.
Arriving immediately after was the emperor of the dark universe, Alien Empera—a being that even the Land of Light on the Ultra Star would have to fight with all its might to have a chance of winning.
...Just as the Dark Emperor descended, GUYS and the Space Pendragon received a report.
Thirteen Inpelaizer units had collectively invaded Earth! They had scattered, descending upon Washington, Moscow, Paris, London, and other major world capitals!!
The Invincible Iron God, Inpelaizer, was clad in incredibly tough armor and possessed self-repair capabilities. No matter how many were destroyed, others would immediately arrive as reinforcements, and their power was immense.
And these thirteen Inpelaizers were not the ordinary mass-produced models used against the Swarm. They were elite units, each one possessing combat power equivalent to an Ultra Brother!
Even for Empera, the number of such units he possessed was limited.
Adding in the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, it could be said that Alien Empera, seeking to end this once and for all, had directly deployed all of his elite forces.
To counter the Inpelaizers, Phoenix Nest and the Space Pendragon scrambled, preparing to disperse and engage the Inpelaizers in various parts of the world.
But just as GUYS was about to mobilize, a voice filled with authority suddenly resounded in everyone's ears!
Whether it was the GUYS team, the crew of the Pendragon, or the Ultra Brothers hidden on Earth, they all heard the voice of Emperor Empera.
"I am the Emperor! The one who rules this universe!"
"I now convey my will to you Earthlings... Drive out the Ultramen hidden on your planet! They have taken human form and are lurking somewhere among you!"
Hearing this, the people of Earth were thrown into an uproar. "Ultra Warriors in human form? You've got to be kidding!"
"Could it be... that Ultramen have been hiding among us all this time...?"
The Emperor's voice continued: "Find them for me! Then, you Earthlings will hand them over to me personally!"
"In return, Earth will fall under the banner of me, the Great Emperor of the Dark Universe. When that time comes, I guarantee that Earth will never again be invaded by the Swarm."
Alien Empera's words echoed in the minds of every person on Earth. His objective was obvious.
He wanted humanity to trade the lives of the Ultramen for his protection.
And given his ability to annihilate the Swarm of an entire solar system and his seemingly endless legion of Inpelaizers in the blink of an eye, he clearly had the power to protect Earth.
Inside Phoenix Nest, Ryu Aihara's expression was grim. "He actually wants us to drive out the Ultramen?"
Marina Kazama was angry. "No one would ever accept such a demand!"
Ryu Aihara snorted coldly. "I don't care if you're an emperor or whatever. Trying to drive Mirai away is impossible!!"
Before his words could fade, a piercing alarm blared through Phoenix Nest. "The Inpelaizer in Tokyo has activated!! It has already begun its attack!"
After activating, the Inpelaizer in Tokyo began to rampage through the city. Under its assault, buildings collapsed one after another under cannon fire!
Aboard the Space Pendragon, Captain Hyuga clenched his fists as he watched the screen. "He wants to destroy Japan first to threaten the rest of the world?? We absolutely cannot allow this!"
Suddenly, as if he thought of something, he turned to his crew. "Oki, you're quite familiar with the history of monster activity on Earth. This scene... does it seem familiar?"
Oki acknowledged, "Yes, the Great Emperor of the Dark Universe did indeed invade Earth during the period Ultraman Mebius was active, but... the situation is a little different from how it is now."
"Thirteen Inpelaizers are one thing, but the Dark Four Heavenly Kings and the cosmic fleet the Pendragon has detected... these are completely different from the historical events in the projection."
"But no matter what, our universe doesn't have a history of the Swarm, after all."
Captain Hyuga smiled, then his tone shifted. "But, Alien Empera failed in the end, didn't he?"
"If that's the case, then we have even less reason to listen to him and hand over the Ultramen."
"Haruna, start the engines! We of the Pendragon are joining the fight! Prepare the Pedanium Cannon! Next... we have a tough battle ahead of us!"
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary—
Empera's appearance was truly dripping with style, extinguishing the sun, a star, the moment he arrived.
Thirteen Inpelaizers, each with power comparable to an Ultra Brother, directly seized the throats of every major nation.
It seemed he was determined to conquer the Earth.
[Fallen Black Cat: Making humans turn over the Ultramen... This Empera has some insidious methods!]
[Hachiman Hikigaya: I'm afraid that even if they hand over the Ultramen, Earth won't be saved. Becoming a dark planet versus being wiped out by the Swarm... there doesn't seem to be much of a difference.]
[Detective Conan: But there's no other way. The masses will sometimes cling to false hope. This is a fundamental flaw of humanity. It's an open plot, built upon the foundation of one's own absolute strength.]
[Yukino Yukinoshita: Humanity... they won't really hand over Mebius, will they? That would be too...]
Inside the Service Club, Yukino Yukinoshita's face was grim. It was time to test humanity again, but unfortunately, this thing called human nature... was the least able to withstand testing.
If humanity really did abandon the Ultramen, then Earth... would truly lose its right to be saved.
[The Uchiha Dancer: Hmph. Even if they don't fully believe what Alien Empera says... for the sake of living in a corner of peace, I'm afraid they would still hand over the humans.]
[Ace Pilot of the Death Squad: Absolutely not! The bond between the members of GUYS and Mebius is so deep. If it were us, the Victory Team, we would never hand over an Ultraman!]
[Himeko: GUYS might not, but the rest of humanity is a different story. The fear brought by the Swarm has yet to dissipate, and right behind it comes the darkness. For weak human beings, surviving in this universe... is simply too perilous.]
[Walter Joyce: Therefore, whatever choice humanity makes, GUYS can do nothing to stop it. That is precisely why Empera's scheme is so vicious...]
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: Damn it! Of all times, why did Zero have to run off to who-knows-where? If he were here, Empera wouldn't be this arrogant.]
[Super Scientist Ah Guang: After Zero entered that form, his power already surpassed the Supreme Commander's. Fighting Alien Empera would be no problem at all, but... he can't maintain that form for long. In a battle of attrition, Alien Empera would still claim the final victory...]
[Super Scientist Ah Guang: Right now, we can only hope for a miracle...]
---o---
[On the light curtain, an Inpelaizer continued to destroy the city. The cannons it fired easily demolished a skyscraper, sending people fleeing in terror and chaos.
Just then, Mebius arrived. He kicked the Inpelaizer to the ground with both feet and unleashed a flurry of combination punches!
However, the Inpelaizer's armor was far too tough. Mebius's attacks were completely ineffective!
The Inpelaizer flung Mebius away and simultaneously fired high-temperature fireballs from the cannons on its sides, but Mebius blocked them with a shield.
The Inpelaizer advanced on Mebius, firing its cannons, and the powerful barrage suppressed Mebius for a moment, leaving him unable to act!
The various jets of GUYS provided support, breaking off the Inpelaizer's attack. Mebius seized the opportunity to land a side kick on the Inpelaizer's body, then continuously dodged its cannon fire.
Today's Mebius, after experiencing so much, had grown considerably in strength! He had already learned to predict his enemy's attack patterns and react in advance!
His growth, among all Ultramen, could only be described as genius.
Back in the projection, the Inpelaizer used its arms to throw Mebius aside, hoping to seize the chance to fire its cannons again.
But Mebius gave it no such opportunity. With three consecutive backflips followed by a side kick, he shattered the Inpelaizer's balance!
Then, Mebius adjusted his position with a mid-air somersault, seized the opening, and landed another side kick!
Mebius threw the off-balance Inpelaizer to the ground, then transformed into his Burning Brave form amidst the flames! He leaped into the air, his body spinning at high speed, and the power of intense heat gathered at the tip of his foot. Mebius shot straight through the Inpelaizer's body.
A moment later, the Inpelaizer's body exploded into countless mechanical fragments!!
"Beautifully done!" Seeing this, the human form of Ultraman Taro, hidden in a corner, couldn't help but clench his fist and cheer for Mebius.
After all, Mebius was his student. To see him grow so rapidly, he, as the instructor, was naturally delighted.
"Mm, not bad," Beside Taro, many other Ultramen in their human forms offered praise. Even Leo couldn't help but nod.
It was a good thing he had specifically trained Mebius according to Zero's standards. Now, Mebius's fighting style was as fluid as flowing water. His combat skills had become far more mature than when he first started.
Whether it was attacking, defending, or the timing of his ability releases, everything was just right.
After the Inpelaizer was destroyed, the GUYS jets were preparing to return to base. But just as Mebius was about to relax, another Inpelaizer appeared in Tokyo via teleportation!
Mebius was startled. He was just about to assume a fighting stance when another Inpelaizer appeared behind him!
This Inpelaizer was even equipped with a giant sword!
"It's become two Inpelaizers?"
Fingers flying across a keyboard, Teppei Kuze quickly figured out the reason. "It's spatial transfer! The moment one is defeated, it's replaced by another Inpelaizer... At this rate, this will never end!"
Facing a joint attack from two Inpelaizers, Mebius was quickly put on the defensive. Trapped between them, he was constantly bombarded by high-temperature fireballs, and was soon forced into a desperate situation!
An Inpelaizer stomped on Mebius's back. At this moment, Mebius's Color Timer had begun to flash red.
Seeing this, GUYS unlocked their Meteor Technology and unleashed the Phoenix Phenomenon. The attack directly annihilated one of the Inpelaizers!!
From this, it was clear that the Inpelaizer that appeared in Japan was not an overly elite unit, but rather a tool used by Alien Empera to wear down Mebius's stamina and attempt to lure out the Ultra Brothers and Father of Ultra.
In the projection, Mebius rolled to create distance from the remaining Inpelaizer. He raised his arms, and flames originating from his chest gradually spread across his entire body.
Engulfed in flames, Mebius unleashed the Mebium Bomb, charging towards the Inpelaizer!
The intense heat melted the Inpelaizer's iron plating. With Mebius's roar, a massive fiery explosion erupted over Tokyo!!
However, after using the Mebium Bomb, Mebius couldn't even support himself. He fell to his knees, his chest heaving violently.
The Mebium Bomb, though incredibly powerful, required an enormous amount of energy.
After using this bomb, Mebius's energy reserves were bottoming out, and the flashing of his Color Timer became urgent.
But... another Inpelaizer appeared via spatial transfer!!
Mebius raised his head and stared at the Inpelaizer before him, clearly stunned.
He dodged the Inpelaizer's attack with a roll and tried to counterattack, but the feeling of utter exhaustion caused him to collapse weakly to the ground.
Under the urgent flashing of his Color Timer, his body turned into white light and vanished...
With Mebius's disappearance, the Emperor's voice rang out once more: "As you can see, defeating Ultraman Mebius is a piece of cake!"
His tone was a little low. Clearly, he was disappointed that Mebius had vanished without managing to lure out the other Ultra Brothers and Ken.
He then continued: "If you don't want the Earth to be destroyed, capture Ultraman Mebius, then make him reveal the locations of the other Ultramen. If you accept this demand... I promise to protect the Earth and will not allow it to suffer any threat!"
"The time limit is... three hours! Before then, I expect a wise answer from you Earthlings."