Chapter 121: Just One Final Push Away

Crack!

This scene left Zaki stunned, his roaring cry cut short as he suddenly looked down at his own arms, which were locked in a beam struggle at point-blank range. His light had been interrupted.

The next moment, Jojo’s beam struck Zaki’s body directly. Given the current power of Jojo’s beam, Zaki’s fragile body was completely unable to withstand it.

"Aaaargh!!!"

A roar-like scream erupted. Zaki’s body immediately turned a luminous blue, and its dark energy was relentlessly eroded by the light.

Boom!

A terrifying explosion swept through the area in an instant. Venus seemed to have been struck by a meteorite as a massive mushroom cloud expanded outward. The power of the fused beam, boosted once more by Jojo’s final surge of willpower, caused the surrounding space-time to warp. It was not just Zaki’s body that detonated, but the immense darkness within it as well.

Jojo, caught in the center of the blast, had his beam interrupted and took the full force of the explosion at point-blank range. The Ultra went spinning backward through the void. The Y-shaped energy core on his chest dimmed instantly, but fortunately, his bulbous eyes still glowed, meaning he hadn't fallen unconscious and reverted to human form. Moreover, that recent surge of willpower had inadvertently acted as a password, providing a timely recharge.

[Light Factor: 95% → 97%]
[Light of the Sky: 40% → 60%]
[Light of the Earth: 15% → 20%]
[Light of the Ocean: 15% → 20%]
[Dark Factor: 9.5% → 9.7%]

He slammed into the ground and rolled several times, lying there panting with his chest heaving as his energy core began to flicker again. He had recovered just enough health; otherwise, Jojo would have remained in a "dying light" state, requiring a long time to regain any energy.

"Damn it!"

Jojo lay on the ground, unwilling to move. Although he had anticipated that Zaki’s explosion would be powerful and had deliberately lured the fight into space, he hadn't expected Zaki to force a point-blank beam struggle at the end. Had there been any distance between them, Jojo could have dodged with teleportation. It was fortunate he had been in his Red "Brute" form, which significantly boosted his defensive capabilities.

While using Ripple energy to recover, Jojo opened his status panel. His Light Factor had risen to 97%; he was just one final step away from fully evolving into an Ultraman. The fusion level of the Light of the Sky had reached 60%—a truly gratifying result.

"Zaki isn't dead yet?! Wait, could it be that it separated its dark energy beforehand?"

The lack of a quest completion notification on the panel made Jojo immediately realize something was wrong. He quickly pondered all the possibilities of Zaki's survival. He had seen the explosion with his own eyes; Zaki and all of its dark energy should have been obliterated.

A second Mephisto? It shouldn't be born that quickly, so it couldn't be that memory policeman. The first Mephisto had died completely, and after his warning, Komon was no longer influenced by the darkness.

Jojo suddenly realized something and immediately rose from the ground, transforming into a silver sphere of light. In this state, an Ultra can fly at unpredictable, ultra-high speeds, exceeding the speed of light in space. In the original Leo series, Astra would use this technique to support Leo, traveling from King Planet to Earth, which was why he always appeared so timely. He wasn't sure if it was Ultraman King reminding Astra that Leo was in danger or if Astra sensed it himself, but regardless, Astra’s intuition was formidable. The location of the Absolute Tartarus’s planet had been discovered by Astra. It was a classic hero-saving-the-damsel scenario, where Teacher Eighty had nearly lost Yullian.

The silver sphere of light that Jojo had become shot straight out from Venus, heading toward Earth. Finishing the job was crucial! However, halfway there, he remembered an even faster method and directly entered subspace to open a viewing portal.

At the Night Raider base:

Ever since the battle between the two giants had moved into outer space, Mizuhara Sara and the others could no longer track the specifics. Furthermore, the Night Raiders' satellite detection couldn't keep up with combat approaching the speed of light; they could only see two streaks of light—one silver and one black.

"Zaki is actually this strong!" Matsunaga took off his glasses, his forehead covered in nervous sweat. After wiping the fog from his lenses and putting them back on, he looked at Mizuhara Sara: "Inspector, can the Ultra Warrior win?"

"I don't know." Mizuhara Sara’s expression was grave; she didn't know much about Jojo.

Komom was staring intently at the main screen when he suddenly noticed the presence of dark energy coming from Nagi Saijo, who was standing beside him! This unexpected development startled him, and as he turned his head, he saw two black-and-red markings appearing on her face. Her expression was one of extreme pain.

"Nagi! What's wrong with you!"

The familiar black-and-red markings made Komon’s pupils constrict as he instinctively blurted out the question. The others were alerted by his voice, and their gazes turned toward Nagi. When they saw the markings on her face, everyone’s expression changed drastically.

Nagi grabbed her head with both hands, her face twisted in agony: "Something! There is something trying to control my body!"

Hearing this, Komon’s heart sank; he realized a certain possibility. As soon as Matsunaga saw the markings on Nagi and heard her words, he immediately understood and shouted at Komon: "She has been possessed by Zaki! Agent Komon! Kill her!"

"Shut up! You old fool!" Hearing this, Komon immediately drew his sidearm. He aimed the Di-te pistol at the ground near Matsunaga’s feet and fired! The laser bullet struck the floor with a bang, sending sparks flying.

Komon shielded Nagi behind him, his gaze fixed on Matsunaga, Mizuhara Sara, and the others. "I won't say it a second time—no one is allowed to hurt Nagi!" His eyes swept over those present as he pondered how to escape.

"Komon! Calm down!" Wakura, seeing the situation, immediately tried to dissuade him. But Komon’s gaze remained sharp, completely unmoved.

"Nagi, can you still move?" While asking her, Komon took her hand and began to walk toward the exit. Nagi was currently weak, her steps unsteady, her consciousness locked in a constant struggle against Zaki.

"Komon," Mizuhara Sara said, looking at the markings on Nagi’s face, "It is very difficult to save someone who has been possessed. Even if we do nothing, Nagi will slowly lose herself and eventually have her body completely taken over by Zaki." She had experienced such a thing in the past; that was how Arisaka had been lost.

Hearing this, Nagi paused. While resisting the invasion of her consciousness, she looked at Komon: "Kill me! Do it now!"

"If it is by your hand, I am willing!" Her voice was weak, but her tone was incredibly resolute. Zaki was the one who had killed her parents; she did not want to be controlled by him.

Hearing her words, Komon stared blankly at Nagi.

"Damn it!"

Komon punched the wall, his hand holding the gun trembling. He was too weak! He couldn't do anything right now! He couldn't protect anything! The R7 factor within him surged rapidly, fueled by his intense emotions.

At the same time, Jojo, who was preparing to step out of subspace, sensed the anomaly within Komon and quickly pulled his foot back.

A new light is being born?