Chapter 71: So, Who Was Missing?

Mimos was toyed with by Jojo and Gaia as if he were a mere plaything. The two Ultras joined forces, slamming him down as ruthlessly as the King of Hell himself. In the end, with Jojo’s special beam lending added power, not even a trace of Mimos’s ashes remained.

With their enemy vanquished, Jojo and Gaia raised their hands and clapped each other on the shoulder, bumping fists and nearly going so far as to knock their hips together. The air between them was one of perfect understanding. Witnessing this, the Lightning Team and the crew of the Peaceful approached the two Ultras, all wearing smiles on their faces. It was a scene of true camaraderie and harmony—except for one absent figure: Agul.

The King of Cool had suffered another setback, though fortunately this time no one had witnessed it, or else Fujimiya’s efforts to reveal his identity would have lost much of their impact. In the beginning, inside the digital world of Crisis, Agul, empowered by code, had pummeled Crisis senseless. But Agul, ever the one to make a show, was bound by fate to stumble. When Crisis cut the power and began operating autonomously, driven by the power of the Annihilation Summoner, Agul suffered a heavy blow. Otherwise, he would not have emerged from the digital world with his chest timer flashing red.

Especially telling was the way Agul had immediately rushed to destroy the Crisis mainframe upon returning—a clear sign of frustration. As for Fujimiya, he was now at the Prolon Karamoss Research Institute, explaining his ideas to Daniel and the others. Dr. Inamori had chosen to support Fujimiya upon his return. Fujimiya’s identity as an Ultraman would inevitably draw the attention of the media, and he needed to use that attention to communicate with humanity.

Of course, Prolon Karamoss was a classified research facility, inaccessible to outsiders. Not just anyone could interview him; it would be up to Fujimiya to seek out the media himself. He had chosen only one station: Tokyo Television. According to his research, Tabata, Renwen, and Reiko Yoshii were committed to reporting the truth and would not mislead the public for sensation.

With the current media landscape rife with sensationalism, Fujimiya was especially careful in this regard; he understood human nature well.

Back at the GEO Base, Jojo and Gaia nodded to each other in the way of Ultras, then gave the Lightning Team and others a thumbs-up before soaring into the sky, vanishing in twin flashes of light. Onboard the Peaceful, Makoto Tsutsumi observed this and issued the order to the Lightning Team: “Lightning Team, return to the aerial base.”

“Roger that.” ×3

Tsutsumi did not mention Ogawara’s previous disobedience. Those in XIG who had worked with Ultraman nearly all regarded them as comrades, and Tsutsumi understood this perfectly well. In this kind of special effects world, it was only natural for friendship to develop between defense teams and Ultraman through battle. Even in the case of Nexus—well, perhaps best not to mention Nexus.

Jojo and Gamu returned to the EX, piloted by the AI, Pal, and headed back to the aerial base.

In the XIG Command Center, Ishimuro and Chiba stood by the window. Watching the jets return to base, Chiba sighed, “Crisis, transformed into an Annihilation Summoner, has been completely eliminated.”

“That’s not what concerns me,” Ishimuro replied, watching the EX return, his expression troubled. “What I want to know now is: what does Hiroya Fujimiya intend to do?”

“The Tokyo Television system was attacked by an unknown program. I suspect that was Fujimiya’s doing,” Chiba replied. “He deliberately exposed his Ultraman identity to everyone. Does he have a purpose?”

Chiba frowned in thought at this. At that moment, Atsuko’s report came through: “Commander, Daniel from Alchemist’s Star is requesting communication.”

“Put him on the main screen,” Ishimuro commanded, stepping in front of the large display, Chiba close beside him. Just then, the command center doors opened automatically and Jojo and Gamu entered, Tsutsumi following behind.

In the video call, Daniel’s expression was apologetic. “We’ve completed a thorough inspection. There is no residual consciousness left in Crisis, now that it’s become an Annihilation Summoner. Still, I’m very sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ishimuro reassured him. “This was the enemy’s plot—not your fault.”

Ishimuro suspected that the Annihilation Summoner had been eyeing Earth for some time. He had his own theories. Hiroya Fujimiya was the Blue Ultraman—could it be that the Annihilation Summoner intended to use him?

When the Blue Ultraman first appeared, he seemed openly hostile to XIG, attacking without regard for Falcon Team, ignoring Gaia’s pleas, and even planning to destroy the Earth monster Bokuragu. Yet the next time he appeared, he began to consider the Lightning Team and helped Gaia defeat the first-generation GARN Q. Something must have happened in between, causing Fujimiya to change, and then discover Crisis’s transformation into an Annihilation Summoner.

Deep in thought, Ishimuro glanced at Jojo standing nearby.

It must have been Jojo—he must have had a hand in this. Gamu may have played a part as well, but Ishimuro sensed that Jojo’s role was critical. Perhaps, at some time unknown to XIG, Jojo and the Blue Ultraman had already fought, especially since Gaia and the Blue Ultraman had also come to blows during Gaia’s attempts at persuasion.

Chiba, too, was speaking words of consolation. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Humanity’s fate was never meant to be left in the hands of computers.”

“Our future is something we must carve out for ourselves.”

Compared to the Crisis incident, Chiba recalled the earlier conversation with Ishimuro and decided to ask Daniel more about Fujimiya’s intentions. “By the way, do you know what Hiroya Fujimiya is planning to do?”

This question gave Daniel pause. After a moment, his expression grew complex. “Fujimiya wants to try to change humanity.”

“Change humanity?” Chiba looked perplexed.

“Yes,” Daniel replied, recalling what Fujimiya had told him, his face conflicted, uncertain whether to offer his support. “Humans have made mistakes regarding the Earth’s environment, the ecosystem, and so on. I’m sure you’re aware of those issues.”

As a high-ranking human official, Chiba fell silent at these words. Humanity’s errors were many: marine pollution, secret biological experiments, poaching and trafficking of wildlife, and more.

Ishimuro’s face was grave. “And how does he plan to do that?”

“At present, I don’t know,” Daniel admitted. In truth, he was lying—he was still undecided about whether to help Fujimiya. Daniel felt Fujimiya had a point, but worried he might be too radical, considering how much he had changed since his return.

Ishimuro turned his gaze to Jojo and Gamu. Only another Ultraman could possibly communicate effectively with an Ultraman.

Jojo’s expression remained calm and collected, ignoring the glances Ishimuro frequently cast his way. Gamu, however, could not contain himself. “I’ll go talk to Fujimiya right now!”