Chapter 25: The Demon Turns into Light

The night in Gotham always seemed to arrive earlier than in other places. The abandoned amusement park seemed forgotten in a corner of the world, with a giant Ferris wheel silently floating in the air like a sleeping behemoth.

Heavy fog filled the air, obscuring the only road leading to the amusement park. The distant glow of streetlights barely illuminated the dark, cobblestone path. The dull wind howled, the pale moon hanging high in the night sky, and the rustling wind sounded like the whispers of demons.

Two shadows broke the silence of the night.

A demon spirit with wings resembling those of a fallen angel sprinted through the boundless night sky, followed closely by a sleek, red-and-silver steel armor that was rapidly closing the distance between them.

In the amusement park below, green eyes lit up in the darkness like ghostly flames.

"They're here," a demon spirit chuckled quietly.

The leading demon spirit, Usac, used an ancient telepathy to communicate with the one in the sky, "Pretend to be defeated and lure that detestable Ultraman to the designated spot. He'll find a surprise waiting for him."

The reply from the airborne demon came quickly.

"Are you blind!? I'm really being defeated!" the demon screamed. "Where are my teammates? Help me!"

But it was too late.

The shoulder mechanism of the red-silver armor opened, and a small launch rack popped out from the shoulder.

A sharp whistle cut through the air as a micro-missile ignited and launched. The demon in mid-air couldn't dodge, and with a heart-wrenching scream, it was hit by the missile, exploding into a brilliant firework in the night sky.

The demons were stunned.

The missile was a Spacium Warhead, a weapon Shen You had recently developed, currently just a prototype.

Inspired by the Spacium Warhead developed by the Earth Defense Force Guys in the "Ultraman Mebius" TV series, it was downsized to fit on a personal mech.

Using Spacium material as the main destructive element, the missile had the same destructive properties as Spacium rays. Though weaker than the previously developed light cannon, it had the advantage of being instant and cost-free to deploy.

The demons in hiding all turned their eyes to the leader, Usac.

"Anyway, it already lured the target to the designated spot, its mission is complete," Usac said coldly. "No matter, I will act. Proceed as planned!"

The red-silver armor landed in the amusement park.

Everything seemed normal. The bare, thin trees swayed in the wind, their rustling sounding like ghostly whispers.

But the instruments still detected dark fluctuations, and the readings were significant. Shen You also sensed a subtle discord.

With a thought, his mental power exploded, and Ultra Vision activated simultaneously.

Sure enough, ripples appeared in the seemingly calm darkness around him. As he scanned the surroundings, he saw numerous demons silently emerging from all directions.

Most of them had dark shells and jagged bodies, eyeing him like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey.

They stopped a few steps away, looking at each other as if waiting for someone to make the first move.

Finally, a wolf-headed demon shouted, "He's under an illusion! He can't see or hear us now! Let's kill him!"

With a roar, it prepared to charge, but before it could take a step, Shen You turned abruptly and, without warning, struck out with a palm. A blast of energy shot from his hand, striking the wolf-headed demon in the face, blowing its head off. The headless body staggered forward a bit before collapsing.

"He can see us!" a demon exclaimed.

"Even if he can see us, we outnumber him!"

"Let's take him down together, no need for fair play!"

Several demons charged at once.

Shen You sidestepped a demon's claw, kicked it in the head, causing its brain to splatter, killing it instantly.

He blocked a punch with his left arm and followed up with an elbow strike, piercing the demon's lung. His right hand opened, and energy poured out, freezing another demon.

The demons charged, but with a series of thuds, they were sent flying. The red-silver armor moved like an iron god among them, unstoppable.

In the heat of the battle, a massive shadow silently approached from the darkness. A giant maw opened!

Usac rapidly expanded, transforming into a huge, terrifying monster with a body made of gelatinous material and ghostly eyes. 

Shen You was in the midst of fighting when the giant maw sneaked up and swallowed him whole!

Success!

Usac was overjoyed; it had been easier than expected.

Its stomach wasn't a typical digestive system but its most powerful weapon, a special magical space filled with corrosive energy capable of dissolving anything, even steel. Additionally, the space had a magic-blocking function, hindering any magical abilities.

In Usac's mind, the hardest part was getting the enemy inside.

The battered demons were delighted. Some clever ones rushed over, showering Usac with compliments, praising its prowess.

Usac, puffed up by the flattery, felt that this Ultraman was nothing special. When the other leaders had talked about fighting him, they were all scared. It seemed it always had to be Usac to step in.

It completely forgot it had been one of the cowards.

In the midst of the praise, a demon asked an untimely question.

"Boss, why do you seem to be glowing?"

Usac glared at it.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Light and darkness are enemies; are you suggesting I'm switching sides?"

"No, but boss, you're really glowing."

"Huh?"

Usac looked down.

Indeed, it was glowing.

A blazing, intense light shone from within its dark, gelatinous body.

It felt hot, burning, and a bit painful.

Usac froze, a bizarre thought flashing in its mind.

Am I really switching sides?

But how come I don't remember?

The next moment, all the demons were stunned, witnessing a bizarre and terrifying scene.

Usac split open.

Literally split, like a stuffed toy bursting at the seams. A massive, silver-white fist emerged from the crack, followed by holy, radiant light.

The red-silver figure grew taller and larger, until it stood towering, reaching for the stars.

The demons below stared at the giant and the split Usac, completely frozen.

Their thoughts mirrored the greenery along Gotham's streets.

Holy sh*t.