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Chapter 256: The Fishing Light
Deherein, Parademon Factory.
The squad acted exactly according to the captain's plan. The bombs were placed in the precise locations Orin Vale had indicated. After completing their commands, the team members quickly evacuated the factory and, as planned, activated the detonation switch.
A series of precisely located explosions destabilized the central reactor. The core device that powered the entire factory spiraled completely out of control amidst a sky-high roar. The overloaded reactor sounded like a kettle about to boil, at risk of going berserk at any moment.
It was a perfect mission. All that was left was to regroup and get out before their tracks were discovered by a large number of Parademons. A successful retreat would make every one of them here a great hero in this war against Apokolips, perhaps even the kind whose names would be recorded in the annals of history for all time.
But as the group hid behind cover, they did not immediately withdraw.
Because the captain wasn't there.
"Still can't get in touch with the captain. No response to my calls."
"Could the captain have..."
"Don't talk nonsense," someone snapped. "We've all seen what Captain Williams is capable of. Anyone might fail, but not him."
"That's right, he's the legendary captain, after all! Let's wait a little longer..."
*RUMBLE!*
As they were speaking, their conversation was abruptly cut off by a deafening roar. The earth began to shake madly as the ground was violently torn open, and a massive, indistinct shadow burst forth from the soil.
Its body was the size of a mountain peak, its form ferocious, a grotesque combination of machinery and biology. Giant wings unfolded from behind its armor, blotting out the sky and sun, like a fallen angel from mythology.
The moment they laid eyes on that colossal shadow, it was as if their gazes were glued to it. Their bodies froze as if petrified, and even their hearts seemed to be gripped by an immense fear, not daring to beat.
"It's it... the thing I saw in the central control room!" one agent stammered.
It was strange. The image he had seen on the screen was clearly a featureless mass of black chaos, whereas the figure before him now was that of a giant Parademon. Yet he recognized it in a single glance.
He couldn't say why. It was like some kind of instinct, a fear as if carved into his very DNA, that was automatically activated the moment he saw that figure.
Fear nearly swallowed the agents. No matter how well-trained, they were still just mortals. The power of Anti-Life was far too immense for their level of existence; even a single fragment of it was enough to drive an ordinary person's mind to madness.
*It's over, we're dead. Fighting something like this is simply impossible.*
Similar thoughts involuntarily surfaced in everyone's mind. They could even picture the gruesome scenes of their own deaths under the terrifying creature's claws.
They watched as the giant monster that had broken out of the ground spread its massive wings, unleashing an indescribable aura, as if about to bring its verdict down upon the world. The next moment, those wings flapped violently, and the Parademon's body rode the gale and waves of dust into the air...
Then it took off and ran, without even looking back.
The agents were stunned for a moment, their emotions completely derailed.
Huh?
This terrifying demon...
Why did it look like it was running away?
Chasing right behind it, out of the hole smashed through the ground, was a supremely radiant light. It rose like a pillar of light holding up the sky. All fear and unease seemed to be swept away by that radiance, replaced by an uplifting conviction.
"That's Ultraman!" one agent exclaimed, his face lit with excitement.
One second they were all facing a great enemy, unable to move, and the next, the agents couldn't help but relax. They settled in to watch the show, all wearing "we've got this in the bag" expressions.
The transformed Orin Vale shot out from underground and, with a flick of his hand, a light bullet exploded on the airborne Parademon's rear end. A fireball erupted on the Parademon's back, and it let out a miserable shriek as it face-planted heavily to the ground.
The super Parademon turned, looked at Orin Vale who had landed before it, and its face was filled with grief and indignation.
It was as if it was saying, *F*cking Ultraman is still chasing me...*
In fact, it had already turned to flee long before Orin Vale had even transformed.
It seemed that while the Anti-Life Engine made this Parademon less willing to obey commands, it had, in turn, become more intelligent than other Parademons. At the very least, this one knew when to fight and when it had met its match.
Like just now. When it saw this tiny human shatter the force field cage it couldn't break with all its might with just a casual slap, it knew something was wrong.
*There was once a safe little nest before me, but I didn't cherish it. If heaven could give me another chance, I would definitely hide in my cage until the end of time...*
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
Orin Vale stepped forward. It seemed like just one step, but his figure suddenly flickered and appeared right in front of the Parademon. The Parademon hastily swiped its claws to intercept, but Orin Vale simply leaned his upper body to the side to evade the claw, then brought his knee up to slam into its abdomen.
Overwhelming strength pierced through its body, and the explosive impact shook the ground. The Parademon felt as if its internal organs were about to be crushed, and even its bile felt like it was about to be vomited out.
This was followed by a combination bombardment of a left hook and a right swing. The Parademon felt as if its head was about to split open. It tried to parry but couldn't keep up with the speed at all. Whether it was a concussion from the heavy blows or simply because its opponent was too fast, in its eyes, the red-and-silver giant was like a countless number of blurry afterimages. Every single one of its movements sparked with lightning, and it couldn't keep up with the rhythm at all.
Orin Vale flew up and followed with a front kick. The terrifying power of this kick shot straight through the Parademon's body, shredding its sturdy flesh with pure power. The Parademon's abdomen, unable to bear the force, burst open, its contents spiraling into mincemeat. Its entire body was sent flying backward like a rag with a hole torn in it.
But the heavily injured Parademon, flying backward, didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, its pupils contracted. Seizing the opportunity, its body suddenly spun to regain its balance, and using the power of that front kick, it spread its wings and flew desperately in that direction.
*Didn't see that coming, did you, Ultraman? This is my real escape route!*
Orin Vale: "..."
What could he say? He could really feel its will to live.
And to be fair, the flight speed of this super-powered Parademon was not slow at all. Especially since it had borrowed his power to accelerate. At this speed, even Superman might have to put in some effort to catch up.
But of course, Orin Vale was already faster than the current Superman.
An electric current crackled around his body, and the red-and-silver afterimage shot through the air, heading straight for the Parademon.
The Parademon hadn't flown far when it turned its head and paled in fright at the sight of the unscientifically fast afterimage. Seeing that it was about to be caught, it made a snap decision, quickly adjusted its direction to dive diagonally downward, and with a *splash*, plunged directly into the massive lake nearby, sending tons of water into the air.
Orin Vale was amused.
*You think I'd be scared just because you went into the water? Do you take me for the Monkey King?*
However, he didn't chase right in after it. Instead, he slowed his movements.
Some time ago, while researching the Blue Lantern of Hope, his studies went beyond just the energy of hope itself. From the data Ganthet had provided, he'd learned more about the universal principles of the Emotional Spectrum—for example, the common Lantern ability to create light constructs. This ability allowed a user to materialize light into any physical object, creating any tool or weapon based on their imagination.
Blue Lanterns, however, were normally restricted when using this ability. The lore stated that "hope without willpower to enact it is empty and powerless," so unless they were teamed up with a Green Lantern, a Blue Lantern's ability to create constructs was generally locked.
But Orin Vale was no ordinary Lantern.
*It's just turning light into a physical form and shaping it. What's so hard about that?*
Orin Vale raised his hand. Energy gathered in his palm and transformed into a physical form—long and thin, like a glowing javelin.
Then, gripping it with both hands, he raised the long pole and flung it forward. A line of light shot out from the tip, plunging into the water and locking onto the Parademon's position with homing-missile-like precision.
Gripping it again with both hands, he made a "lift" motion and yanked hard. The light ray yanked the giant shadow out of the water. The Parademon, pulled into the air by the cable of light, was drenched as water cascaded off its body, its face a mask of utter bewilderment.
*Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?*
The agents watching from the front row were also collectively bewildered.
Uh...
So Ultraman is an angler?
(end of chapter)
Deherein, Parademon Factory.
The squad acted exactly according to the captain's plan. The bombs were placed in the precise locations Orin Vale had indicated. After completing their commands, the team members quickly evacuated the factory and, as planned, activated the detonation switch.
A series of precisely located explosions destabilized the central reactor. The core device that powered the entire factory spiraled completely out of control amidst a sky-high roar. The overloaded reactor sounded like a kettle about to boil, at risk of going berserk at any moment.
It was a perfect mission. All that was left was to regroup and get out before their tracks were discovered by a large number of Parademons. A successful retreat would make every one of them here a great hero in this war against Apokolips, perhaps even the kind whose names would be recorded in the annals of history for all time.
But as the group hid behind cover, they did not immediately withdraw.
Because the captain wasn't there.
"Still can't get in touch with the captain. No response to my calls."
"Could the captain have..."
"Don't talk nonsense," someone snapped. "We've all seen what Captain Williams is capable of. Anyone might fail, but not him."
"That's right, he's the legendary captain, after all! Let's wait a little longer..."
*RUMBLE!*
As they were speaking, their conversation was abruptly cut off by a deafening roar. The earth began to shake madly as the ground was violently torn open, and a massive, indistinct shadow burst forth from the soil.
Its body was the size of a mountain peak, its form ferocious, a grotesque combination of machinery and biology. Giant wings unfolded from behind its armor, blotting out the sky and sun, like a fallen angel from mythology.
The moment they laid eyes on that colossal shadow, it was as if their gazes were glued to it. Their bodies froze as if petrified, and even their hearts seemed to be gripped by an immense fear, not daring to beat.
"It's it... the thing I saw in the central control room!" one agent stammered.
It was strange. The image he had seen on the screen was clearly a featureless mass of black chaos, whereas the figure before him now was that of a giant Parademon. Yet he recognized it in a single glance.
He couldn't say why. It was like some kind of instinct, a fear as if carved into his very DNA, that was automatically activated the moment he saw that figure.
Fear nearly swallowed the agents. No matter how well-trained, they were still just mortals. The power of Anti-Life was far too immense for their level of existence; even a single fragment of it was enough to drive an ordinary person's mind to madness.
*It's over, we're dead. Fighting something like this is simply impossible.*
Similar thoughts involuntarily surfaced in everyone's mind. They could even picture the gruesome scenes of their own deaths under the terrifying creature's claws.
They watched as the giant monster that had broken out of the ground spread its massive wings, unleashing an indescribable aura, as if about to bring its verdict down upon the world. The next moment, those wings flapped violently, and the Parademon's body rode the gale and waves of dust into the air...
Then it took off and ran, without even looking back.
The agents were stunned for a moment, their emotions completely derailed.
Huh?
This terrifying demon...
Why did it look like it was running away?
Chasing right behind it, out of the hole smashed through the ground, was a supremely radiant light. It rose like a pillar of light holding up the sky. All fear and unease seemed to be swept away by that radiance, replaced by an uplifting conviction.
"That's Ultraman!" one agent exclaimed, his face lit with excitement.
One second they were all facing a great enemy, unable to move, and the next, the agents couldn't help but relax. They settled in to watch the show, all wearing "we've got this in the bag" expressions.
The transformed Orin Vale shot out from underground and, with a flick of his hand, a light bullet exploded on the airborne Parademon's rear end. A fireball erupted on the Parademon's back, and it let out a miserable shriek as it face-planted heavily to the ground.
The super Parademon turned, looked at Orin Vale who had landed before it, and its face was filled with grief and indignation.
It was as if it was saying, *F*cking Ultraman is still chasing me...*
In fact, it had already turned to flee long before Orin Vale had even transformed.
It seemed that while the Anti-Life Engine made this Parademon less willing to obey commands, it had, in turn, become more intelligent than other Parademons. At the very least, this one knew when to fight and when it had met its match.
Like just now. When it saw this tiny human shatter the force field cage it couldn't break with all its might with just a casual slap, it knew something was wrong.
*There was once a safe little nest before me, but I didn't cherish it. If heaven could give me another chance, I would definitely hide in my cage until the end of time...*
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
Orin Vale stepped forward. It seemed like just one step, but his figure suddenly flickered and appeared right in front of the Parademon. The Parademon hastily swiped its claws to intercept, but Orin Vale simply leaned his upper body to the side to evade the claw, then brought his knee up to slam into its abdomen.
Overwhelming strength pierced through its body, and the explosive impact shook the ground. The Parademon felt as if its internal organs were about to be crushed, and even its bile felt like it was about to be vomited out.
This was followed by a combination bombardment of a left hook and a right swing. The Parademon felt as if its head was about to split open. It tried to parry but couldn't keep up with the speed at all. Whether it was a concussion from the heavy blows or simply because its opponent was too fast, in its eyes, the red-and-silver giant was like a countless number of blurry afterimages. Every single one of its movements sparked with lightning, and it couldn't keep up with the rhythm at all.
Orin Vale flew up and followed with a front kick. The terrifying power of this kick shot straight through the Parademon's body, shredding its sturdy flesh with pure power. The Parademon's abdomen, unable to bear the force, burst open, its contents spiraling into mincemeat. Its entire body was sent flying backward like a rag with a hole torn in it.
But the heavily injured Parademon, flying backward, didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, its pupils contracted. Seizing the opportunity, its body suddenly spun to regain its balance, and using the power of that front kick, it spread its wings and flew desperately in that direction.
*Didn't see that coming, did you, Ultraman? This is my real escape route!*
Orin Vale: "..."
What could he say? He could really feel its will to live.
And to be fair, the flight speed of this super-powered Parademon was not slow at all. Especially since it had borrowed his power to accelerate. At this speed, even Superman might have to put in some effort to catch up.
But of course, Orin Vale was already faster than the current Superman.
An electric current crackled around his body, and the red-and-silver afterimage shot through the air, heading straight for the Parademon.
The Parademon hadn't flown far when it turned its head and paled in fright at the sight of the unscientifically fast afterimage. Seeing that it was about to be caught, it made a snap decision, quickly adjusted its direction to dive diagonally downward, and with a *splash*, plunged directly into the massive lake nearby, sending tons of water into the air.
Orin Vale was amused.
*You think I'd be scared just because you went into the water? Do you take me for the Monkey King?*
However, he didn't chase right in after it. Instead, he slowed his movements.
Some time ago, while researching the Blue Lantern of Hope, his studies went beyond just the energy of hope itself. From the data Ganthet had provided, he'd learned more about the universal principles of the Emotional Spectrum—for example, the common Lantern ability to create light constructs. This ability allowed a user to materialize light into any physical object, creating any tool or weapon based on their imagination.
Blue Lanterns, however, were normally restricted when using this ability. The lore stated that "hope without willpower to enact it is empty and powerless," so unless they were teamed up with a Green Lantern, a Blue Lantern's ability to create constructs was generally locked.
But Orin Vale was no ordinary Lantern.
*It's just turning light into a physical form and shaping it. What's so hard about that?*
Orin Vale raised his hand. Energy gathered in his palm and transformed into a physical form—long and thin, like a glowing javelin.
Then, gripping it with both hands, he raised the long pole and flung it forward. A line of light shot out from the tip, plunging into the water and locking onto the Parademon's position with homing-missile-like precision.
Gripping it again with both hands, he made a "lift" motion and yanked hard. The light ray yanked the giant shadow out of the water. The Parademon, pulled into the air by the cable of light, was drenched as water cascaded off its body, its face a mask of utter bewilderment.
*Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?*
The agents watching from the front row were also collectively bewildered.
Uh...
So Ultraman is an angler?
(end of chapter)
