Light burst from the Beta Capsule like a compressed star blooming in Shen Yong's palm.
Silver-white streams of energy wrapped around his body as a strange humming vibration filled the air.
His body began to expand.
Muscle fibers writhed like living creatures. His bones stretched and lengthened. His skin tightened to its absolute limit.
With his eyes closed, Shen Yong repeatedly pictured the form of Ultraman in his mind:
A streamlined red-and-silver body.
Brilliant eyes glowing with warm light.
It was the figure he knew best—the image he had imagined countless times in dreams, the shape he had tried again and again to imitate.
Then—
It felt as if he saw something.
He saw Ultraman reaching out a hand toward him.
At the moment the transformation completed, Shen Yong opened his eyes.
His vision had completely changed.
The skyscrapers of Yangjibang now looked like miniature models beneath him. The river wound across the ground like a narrow stream.
A giant dozens of meters tall stood amid the ruins.
His red-and-silver body shimmered faintly in the night. The helmet's eyes glowed like brilliant gems. His broad chest resembled a shield, while his shoulders and arms flowed with powerful, balanced strength.
Unlike the slender proportions of Shin Ultraman, Shen Yong's body retained the proportions of his original physique.
His muscles appeared fuller, his shoulders wider, his arms thick with strength—like a mighty gladiator from ancient times.
There was no glowing timer on his chest.
Shen Yong's heartbeat thundered through his chest like rolling drums.
He clenched his fists and looked down at his hands.
Massive fists.
Red and silver patterns crossed over the joints.
Power surged through him—endless and overwhelming, as if drawing water from an infinite ocean.
"I… I did it?"
"I became Ultraman!"
Excitement erupted inside him like a volcano.
His childhood dream had come true.
If he hadn't been in this transformed state, Shen Yong would probably already be crying.
He stretched his arms, feeling the resistance of the air around his enormous body.
In the distance—
Neronga roared again.
The sound snapped him back to reality.
Shen Yong forced himself to calm down.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of excitement and exhilaration in his chest.
Then he turned to face the monster.
Neronga had already advanced to the edge of the coastal district.
The blue glow building in its horn illuminated the night sky.
Its massive body crouched low to the ground. In its small eyes flashed a trace of caution.
Its tail swept through a row of buildings.
Glass shattered like rain, as if the creature were warning Shen Yong not to approach.
But Shen Yong felt no fear.
His blood was boiling.
He took his first step toward Neronga.
The giant footfall struck the ground like an artillery blast.
The earth trembled.
A section of underground subway track beneath his feet instantly collapsed. His gigantic mass was like a moving mountain.
Concrete shattered.
Twisted rails bent upward.
Burst water pipes sprayed fountains into the air.
Shen Yong froze.
He suddenly realized something.
This wasn't a tokusatsu show.
His enormous strength itself could destroy the city.
Carefully, he adjusted his steps, making sure not to trample any survivors among the ruins.
Neronga noticed him approaching.
The monster's eyes locked onto him.
Its antennae twitched.
Blue electricity crackled along its horn as an energy wave lashed toward him like a blue-white whip.
Shen Yong instinctively raised his arm to block.
The electric arc struck his forearm.
Sparks scattered in all directions.
But instead of the expected agony, he felt only a mild numbness.
Shen Yong charged forward.
Neronga crouched low, attempting to thrust its horn into him.
But Shen Yong was faster.
He sidestepped in a flash and delivered a powerful kick to the monster's flank.
The monster roared in pain and rolled sideways, crushing an entire row of shops.
Electric energy flickered wildly across its horn.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yong gathered his strength and threw a punch.
His fist slammed into the joint of Neronga's shoulder.
The impact fell like a collapsing mountain.
The monster's scales cracked.
Dark fluid splattered outward.
Shen Yong focused his mind and crossed his arms, forming the iconic stance to fire the Spacium Beam.
One second.
Two seconds.
Nothing happened.
No beam emerged.
Shen Yong blinked in confusion and looked down at his hands.
But Neronga had no intention of giving him time to think.
The monster's massive tail was already sweeping toward him, while its horn began charging another electric attack.
Shen Yong leapt into the air.
The electric wave fired at that very moment.
He instinctively tried to fly to evade it—
But to his surprise, he couldn't.
In desperation, he crossed his arms to block.
The electric blast struck him midair.
Shen Yong was sent flying.
His back slammed violently into the ground.
Dust exploded into the air.
The earth collapsed beneath his weight, rubble grinding into powder beneath his body.
"Damn it…"
"I can't even fly…"
Shen Yong cursed under his breath.
He quickly pushed himself back up and assumed a fighting stance, facing Neronga again.
At the same time—
Inside the EUC Defense Force Central Command, an emergency battle conference was underway.
The command center was located deep within an underground fortress somewhere on Earth.
Alloy walls surrounded the chamber. Massive screens displayed real-time images of the monster.
Mark Reyes stood before the central holographic platform.
His Mexican features looked severe under the cold blue light.
Mark Reyes.
Forty years old.
A former air force pilot and now Vice Commander of the Earth Defense Force.
He had temporarily assumed command of the monster interception operation. Few were better suited than this experienced battlefield veteran.
"Combat drones will escort the scanning drones. Conduct a full scan of the target," Mark ordered firmly.
"Analyze its weakness—whether it's an internal power organ or the horn. We must finish this before it destroys the new district."
Around the conference table sat dozens of officers and researchers.
On the screen, swarms of drones had already launched into the sky, scanning the monster's heat signatures and energy readings with lasers.
"Commander, the scan results are in," one officer reported.
"The monster's energy core is located in the horn. No internal power-generating organ detected. It likely absorbs electricity and converts it into high-voltage energy."
He hesitated before continuing.
"But with the current firepower of Yangjibang's defense forces, we cannot destroy the energy core."
Mark nodded.
"Understood. Ground forces will provide cover. Drones will maintain suppression."
"Fighter squadrons from the Asian sector are already en route. ETA five minutes."
"In those five minutes, hold it back at any cost."
"Do not let it reach the power station in the new district."
Then he turned toward the head of the research team.
Ellie Solen.
A forty-five-year-old Norwegian scientist and a true polymath specializing in biochemistry and physics.
She wore rimless glasses. Her scholarly gentleness was tempered by quiet determination.
"Ellie," Mark asked, "what's your take? Where the hell did that thing come from?"
Ellie stared at the screen.
A troubling thought stirred in her mind.
The creature resembled a native Earth organism.
But how could Earth produce a lifeform of that scale?
It completely violated biological principles.
And if this creature belonged to a species, how could it suddenly appear without any prior trace?
She finally answered.
"Preliminary analysis suggests it is indeed an Earth organism. But at present, no scientific theory can explain its existence."
At that moment—
The holographic display suddenly shook.
On the screen—
A red-and-silver giant appeared.
Mark's eyes widened.
"What the hell is that?"
"Ultraman?!"
He turned toward the research team.
"How is that even possible? Is this some kind of tokusatsu shoot?!"
The room erupted into commotion.
"Scan him immediately," Mark ordered.
The heat and energy scans were completed within seconds.
Ellie studied the results.
"The skeletal structure closely matches human anatomy."
"Heat signature shows body temperature higher than a human's, but the heat distribution pattern is identical."
"There is no detectable energy core."
Her heart trembled.
This wasn't an alien lifeform.
It looked more like…
A human.
She turned to Mark.
"Commander, regardless of what it is… it's fighting the monster."
"We should observe."
Mark hesitated briefly.
Then he leaned forward, resting his hands under his chin.
"Continue scanning the giant's physical data."
"Support the giant."
"We cannot allow that beast to keep destroying the city."