Chapter 10: Demonic Spirits Can Be Flexible
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
The senior Ultramen each had their own unique methods for transforming from their Human Host. Some used Glasses, some used a Transformation Stick, and then there were the New Generation types who had a peculiar fondness for fiddling around with all sorts of strange, colorful Items.
But Orin Vale's personal favorite was the method invented by his senior, Jack: Thought Transformation.
No Item needed, no assistance required. With a single thought, driven by Willpower, he could instantly grow bigger, stronger, and more powerful right where he stood.
However, senior Jack's case was a Spirit Possession-type Possession. He was attached to the Human Host, Hideki Go, so the Willpower of Ultraman and the Human Host were often in Conflict. This occasionally led to the awkward situation where one wanted to Transform, but the other didn't.
For instance, when brother Go wanted to Transform but Jack didn't, it resulted in the painfully awkward situation where he'd slam his head against a tower with his Q key mashed to bits but get no Reaction, leading his Teammates to suspect he was an "actor" intentionally feeding the enemy a Kill.
Or, when Jack didn't want to Transform, but brother Go would just jump off a seventy or eighty-story building, as if to say, "Transform or don't, I don't care. At worst, we'll just die together."
But Orin Vale was different. He himself was Ultraman; there was no Human Host he was possessing. So unless he developed a split personality, he could normally Transform whenever he wanted, with no risk of dying in a struggle with Ultraman.
Therefore, for the Demonic Spirits, it all happened in the instant of a single thought.
The Silver Giant, a Crystal shimmering like a brilliant diamond on his chest, still faintly wrapped in the immense divine radiance from his Gigantification that hadn't fully dissipated, had already thrown a Heavy Punch that whistled through the air.
The striking Power of the Ultra Brothers was generally at least between one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand tons. In rare cases, under a Power Burst or with a cheat-like boost, it wasn't impossible for them to move a Planet.
But obviously, Orin Vale was just a Scientist; he didn't possess their kind of Strength. One hundred thousand tons was already close to his personal limit.
Of course, for this Demonic Spirit, it was more than enough.
The moment Feituosi was targeted, its entire Demonic Spirit form froze stiff.
In an instant, it recognized him.
It was that Giant!
The mysterious Giant who had recently one-shot the Starro-shaped visitor from Outer Space, the one some Humans had dubbed "Ultraman"!
But the Demonic Spirits had only heard rumors about this World's news, previously dismissing it all as Strange Tales. They never thought they would face him personally today and only now understood the true terror of that being.
What kind of punch was that?
A frantic Hurricane, as if answering the command of that punch, swirled up within the Sanctuary. The terrifying Wind Pressure was like a tidal wave. In that moment, the entire world in the Demonic Spirit's eyes seemed to be consumed by this meteor-like punch, like a Verdict of Divine Descent.
"I will die."
Feituosi's thoughts were clear.
"This is too big, too powerful. There's no way I can withstand it."
"I will absolutely die!"
At the last moment, almost by Instinct, a dark Magic spell-seal flowed around the Demonic Spirit's body, and the Spell's script spread throughout the Magic Sanctuary.
It was an Ancient Script that no one in Reality used anymore, containing Supernatural Authority, with the Ability to command Energy, transmit Messages, and even distort the Laws of Reality.
And the Spell it released in its final moment, translated into plain language, was a single word—
—"Help!"
Just as depicted in the movie Shazam, the Great Hall of the Rock of Eternity connected to all sorts of magical worlds and had always been guarded by the Wizard. And now that the Sanctuary was occupied by Demonic Spirits, it was natural that some ill-intentioned evil spirits would break free from their suppression.
A Vortex opened, like a direct passage to another World. Dark Chaos churned within it. A massive Sharp Claw reached out, pressing against the edge of the portal-like Vortex, and a colossal body slowly emerged from the Chaos.
A huge, terrifying, maddening Monster.
"The Demonic Spirit Pittus!" Wizard Shazam said in a low voice.
That was a powerful Demonic Spirit that held a prestigious place even in the Sanctuary of the Rock of Eternity. A thirty-meter-tall black Statue of it was fixed to one of the Sanctuary's walls, its face ferocious and twisted.
And now, the sealing Statue had shattered. The great Demonic Spirit had reawakened from the Abyss, bringing with it endless resentment and a thirst for Revenge against the Wizard!
However, as it poked its head out of the Magic Vortex, it happened to see the scene of the Silver Giant's punch crashing down. The Demonic Spirit Feituosi was smashed through the floor by that punch, causing the entire Great Hall to shake violently as clouds of dust rained down...
Pittus, who was halfway out, froze and came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the portal.
It blinked its ugly, large eyes twice, its shocked little expression seeming to ask—
—"What is that?"
A Giant dozens of meters tall, a descending Fist, and the Wizard standing by the entrance...
"I thought the Wizard was supposed to be extremely weak right now, someone I could bully and trample as I pleased? Where did this Giant get summoned from??"
Then, the Giant who had just obliterated Feituosi into a Mosaic with one punch slowly turned its head. Its huge, golden eyes cast a dangerous gaze, meeting its own.
Pittus was over thirty meters tall and had always been proud of its size. But now, poking its head out of the Gate and looking up at that Red-Silver Giant, it had a strange delusion.
It felt like a little brother.
It only froze for a brief moment.
The great Demonic Spirit Pittus pulled its head back, retracting into the Vortex behind it with the same motion as a rewinding videotape. The Vortex then closed up, as if it had casually shut the door behind it.
"Excuse me, my apologies for the intrusion."
"I must have come to the wrong place."
The remaining group of Demonic Spirits outside watched, dumbfounded.
Perhaps no one could imagine the roller coaster of emotions they had just experienced in that fleeting instant.
To be fair, the moment Pittus poked its head out, they all thought this was in the bag.
That was Pittus! A powerhouse that low-level Demonic Spirits like them could only look up to, a Big Shot who had a place in the Sanctuary of Eternity!
With a Big Shot like that making a move, wasn't it a sure thing?
But the scene that followed was like when a fully-equipped jungler finally arrives late to a crucial fight, takes one look at the Battle Situation from afar, and then immediately turns tail without even engaging. It was a highlight reel of a "Collapse, Retreat, and Flee" Strategy, guaranteed to make their teammates' blood pressure skyrocket.
And if there was anything more tilting than the big shot running away and the team fight collapsing, it was the big shot failing to get away.
Pittus dived head-first into the portal, dashing at full Speed through the Chaos.
It thought it had already escaped, but it suddenly felt an intense Heat all over its body, as if it were being burned. The Dark Space was instantly illuminated by a brilliant Light, a rapidly approaching radiance that seemed like a great, burning sun was chasing it from behind.
Pittus subconsciously turned its head.
It saw that at the portal it had just entered, which hadn't yet had time to close...
An open Hand reached in.
Shrouded in endless Golden Radiance, its five fingers spread wide, extending boundlessly.
Just like the Five Finger Mountain that trapped the Monkey King.
In the end, Pittus still failed to escape.
In the Demonic Spirits' field of vision, they saw the Giant stomp a foot, its entire body flaring with Light. It left a trail of Afterimages in a series of Flashes, its single hand performing a Direct Assault on the Lair, breaking into the closing portal.
When it pulled its hand back out, it was already gripping a section of a black Tail... attached to a thirty-meter-plus giant Demonic Spirit that was flailing its limbs, desperately clawing at the empty air in front of it.
Actually, at first, Orin Vale wasn't entirely sure he could catch this Monster.
The Ultra Brothers of the Space Garrison generally had a conventional running speed of around four to six Mach within an atmosphere, which is four to six times the Speed of Sound.
But Orin Vale was a bit of a noob and couldn't compare to the Big Shots above him. His average running speed was only a little over Mach two. Back in the day, when preparing for his graduation physical fitness test, he had trained for twenty years straight, and at his peak, he could barely manage Mach Three.
In the following few hundred years, he neglected his training, so his condition had probably declined. He likely couldn't even reach Mach Three now.
Thankfully, he had barely managed to catch up.
*BOOM!*
That was the sound of the Demonic Spirit being slammed onto the Ground by its Tail.
Pittus struggled to its feet, shaking its head as it climbed up. Before it could even muster a counterattack, a massive Fist came flying at its face again.
Martial Arts was the absolute foundation of the Land of Light's curriculum, and Orin Vale was confident that he had learned it well.
He went in with a Feint, a deceptive attack with his left hand to misdirect the Demonic Spirit's gaze, followed by a right Swing Punch. Then came a left Hook Punch, an Uppercut, and a charged Rear Hand Straight Punch...
The massive Demonic Spirit's head was instantly beaten into a pulp, *bam, bam, bam*. The surrounding Demonic Spirits in the Great Hall all shivered, frozen in place, too scared to move. It felt like they were watching a brutal execution, and they could be next...
After a magnificent Combination Punch, Pittus's entire ugly face had been beaten into a black mush. Its body went limp on the ground as if its bones had been removed, its life status unknown.
Orin Vale clapped his hands, turned his head, and looked at the remaining Demonic Spirits in the Great Hall. His indifferent gaze seemed to ask, "Who's next?"
The Demonic Spirits looked at each other.
Then, one by one, they raised their hands and prostrated themselves on the ground.
It was clear that being a Demonic Spirit was all about being flexible.
With a strong emphasis on being able to yield.
What could they do? The other guy's fist was bigger.
(end of chapter)