"Who is it?!"
The voice that suddenly reached his ears set Ye Feng on high alert. He whipped around, desperate to see what kind of divine being was behind him. But as he turned, he froze, rooted to the spot like a statue.
In his field of vision, there was no third person behind Li Zheng and Zhou Fei. Normally, that wouldn't be so strange, but what was terrifying was that Li Zheng and Zhou Fei... weren't moving.
Li Zheng's mouth was open as if he were about to speak, but now he was stuck in that silent gasp. More eerily, his eyes didn't move an inch; his eyelids didn't even blink. Beside him, Zhou Fei was the same. His mouth and hands were caught in the middle of a gesture, frozen in time.
Ye Feng scanned his surroundings. A swaying sightseeing boat on the lake had stopped mid-rock. Below it, the ripples created by its movement were perfectly still. Everything followed the same pattern: a plastic bag caught in a gust was suspended in the air; Queen Tortoise was frozen mid-rampage; Lidurias was halted just as she was about to launch an attack.
Everything had stopped. It was as if time itself had been paused—utterly bizarre.
Ye Feng pulled out his PDI. Even the millisecond counter on the clock had stopped. He was now certain: time had been frozen. Time doesn't stop for no reason, especially in a world with monsters. Even a monster that could manipulate time or reverse it wouldn't be unheard of.
Thinking back to the voice, Ye Feng shouted into the silent, static world: "Come out! Who are you?! If you want something from me, then show yourself!"
In a world where time was still, only he could move. Ye Feng didn't believe for a second that he wasn't the target.
"Have you lost your confidence just like that?"
The mysterious voice spoke again. Listening closely, it sounded like an elderly man—the tone was weathered and aged, yet powerful and resonant.
"I have not!" Ye Feng shouted back defensively.
"No!" the voice thundered. "You are afraid. You are in terror. You dread the power of an Ultra Warrior. You believe you will be controlled by your emotions again, repeating the scene from a few days ago!"
This series of interrogations forced the memory back into Ye Feng's mind, making him clutch his head in pain. As the images flashed repeatedly, Ye Feng reached a breaking point and screamed: "Yes! I am afraid! I'm afraid that not only will I fail to save Queen Tortoise, but I'll make her follow King Tortoise to the grave!"
After he yelled it out, the splitting headache and the feeling of mental collapse vanished. Everything settled.
"Very good. Failure is not terrifying. What is terrifying is losing the courage to face that failure." The mysterious voice sounded relieved within the frozen landscape.
The elder's voice spoke again, now with a gentle, comforting tone: "Ultra Warriors are not gods. No matter how hard we try, there will always be lives we cannot save, and goals or ideals we cannot reach."
As the voice trailed off, Ye Feng shouted emotionally: "Perhaps that's true! But because I lost control of my emotions, King Tortoise—who could have been saved—died by my hand!" He looked at his hands, his eyes filled with deep self-reproach. "Can someone like me still be called an Ultra Warrior?"
"Do not lose heart, young man. As long as your heart possesses the spirit of never giving up, then you are a true Ultra Warrior."
Ye Feng looked up, his gaze hollow. He clearly didn't believe it.
"No matter how difficult it is, as long as you have a strong heart that believes in the future, you will turn the impossible into the possible. The power of conviction will turn into courage, helping you through all hardships."
The weathered, encouraging voice sent these words straight into Ye Feng's heart.
"The power of conviction will turn into courage..."
Ye Feng lowered his head and looked at the Cosmos Stone in his palm. He asked himself: Do I still want to save Queen Tortoise?
Yes. I want to. More than anything.
If that's the case, why am I still standing here?
In his hand, the Cosmos Stone emitted two faint glows—one azure, one crimson. At that moment, the kind elder asked: "Tell me, child. Do you want to be an Ultra Warrior?"
"I do. I want to be an Ultra Warrior." Ye Feng responded instantly, without a trace of hesitation. Then, he whispered to himself: "Perhaps before, I was just glad to have this power because I thought I could use it to protect myself. But after what happened last time, I finally understand. Light... isn't just that. Though my understanding isn't deep, I feel that besides protecting myself, the Light exists to protect others... to safeguard the hope for the future that people carry in their hearts!"
Deng-deng! Deng-deng-deng!
The Cosmos Stone transformed. Azure and crimson light erupted from within, alternating like the sun and the moon, revealing its true form. The change made Ye Feng snap back to reality. He shouted to the surroundings: "Senior! Who are you? Are you Ultraman King? Senior Ultraman King?!"
He felt it—the specific radiance unique to an Ultra Warrior. In Ye Feng's memory, the only powerful Ultra Warrior with a voice that was both ancient and kind was the mysterious warrior living on King's Planet, Ultraman King. While time control was usually associated with Ultraman Noa, Ye Feng felt it wasn't strange for a "Mysterious Ultra" to know a few tricks.
"Heh heh..."
"Child, use this power. Take your conviction, and save them with your heart..."
The elder did not answer. As the last echoes of the voice faded, the constraints on time dissolved. Everything returned to normal and began to move.
"Brother Feng, I think no one but you can stop her."
Li Zheng's voice rang in his ear. Ye Feng didn't respond immediately. Instead, he slowly raised his hand, looking at the light he held. The radiance of the sun and moon faded, and the amber-blue Cosmos Stone was gone. In its place was the true Cosmo Pluck.
Looking at the short device in Ye Feng's hand, Zhou Fei and Li Zheng didn't recognize it, yet they couldn't tear their eyes away. It was as if the Cosmo Pluck held a magical pull that drew them in.
"Such warm light... what is that thing?" Zhou Fei muttered instinctively, snapping Li Zheng out of his trance.
"If I'm not mistaken, that device must be related to Brother Feng's awakening, right?" Although Li Zheng had never seen it, the fact that Ye Feng's transformation method was different from theirs was well-known among the students.
"Thank you, Ultraman King," Ye Feng whispered in gratitude. Then, he looked at Li Zheng and Zhou Fei, a confident smile playing on his lips. Though he said nothing, the two could read his meaning. They nodded encouragingly, signaling that they would leave everything to him.
"Ang~~~"
Lidurias' mournful cry rang out again. The other three monsters had already been dispersed by Queen Tortoise. Seeing an opening, Lidurias fired a thermal ray toward the Queen's head, aiming for a killing blow. Unexpectedly, Queen Tortoise spun around, holding the spotted egg in her hand. Her hooked beak opened, and a dark red ray shot out, colliding with the thermal ray in mid-air and creating a massive shockwave.
The shockwave surged outward, sweeping up Lidurias and two-thirds of the water from West Lake. As an SS-Class monster, the impact meant nothing to Queen Tortoise. After the failed sneak attack, she found her chance and delivered a headbutt that sent Lidurias crashing to the ground. Lidurias tried to get up, but the Queen was faster, kicking her and sending her tumbling away again.
Qin Yuxin refused to give up, trying to crawl up time and again, but Queen Tortoise gave her no quarter. She kicked Lidurias repeatedly like a soccer ball, sending her rolling across the dirt.
Seeing this, Ye Feng's body blurred into motion as he ran toward the small pier where the sightseeing boats were docked. As he reached the end, he sensed something. He looked up to see a Defense Force fighter jet hit; its tail was on fire as it plummeted toward the ground.
"COSMOS!"
The Cosmo Pluck was held high. The tip blossomed like a flower, and from the center, the true light of the sun and moon's intersection flashed.
Deng—
"Hah!"
A low-pitched sound echoed, and a sphere of blue light flew from the end of the pier, catching the crashing fighter jet. A powerful, warm radiance descended, drawing Queen Tortoise's attention and saving the fallen Lidurias.
"Ang~~"
"That light... it's Ye Feng!" Qin Yuxin recognized the unique radiance immediately.
"Kua-hooo!"
When enemies meet, eyes turn red with fury. Even before the light revealed its true form, the moment that hated power of Light appeared, the Queen knew: that annoying guy was back!
The sphere of light expanded along the bank of West Lake. A slender blue silhouette grew taller within the light, the bright silver face appearing first. As he reached fifty meters, the light dissipated from top to bottom—first the sapphire-blue color timer, then the towering frame and limbs solidified.
Finally, the faint shimmer surrounding him vanished. The slender, towering blue giant, holding the stalled fighter jet, stood before Queen Tortoise once more.
"Oh? His energy level increased. Looks like the old man's words worked." On a nearby skyscraper, Shajura stood watching, slightly surprised by the Class S energy radiating from Cosmos.
Ultraman Cosmos lowered his head and gently set the fighter jet aside. Inside the cockpit, the pilot looked at Cosmos with a gaze of pure gratitude; if not for him, it would have been a fatal crash.
"Kua-hooo~~~"
Seeing that he was being ignored, Queen Tortoise let out a roar of rage. She immediately fired several flame pearls at Cosmos, a reminder of the price of ignoring her.
"Hah!"
This time, Cosmos didn't raise a Luna Barrier. Instead, he swung his arm, firing several intercepting beams. These beams struck the pearls in mid-air, causing a series of explosions like firecrackers.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Hoh..."
After intercepting the pearls, Cosmos' gaze locked onto the egg in the Queen's hand. He blurred into an afterimage and charged. Queen Tortoise easily tracked his speed and swung her free arm heavily to the left. Cosmos crossed his arms to block the strike. With his energy now at Class S, every aspect of his Luna Mode had significantly improved. However, the Queen's strength was still immense, pushing Cosmos back several meters and carving a furrow into the ground.
After blocking, Cosmos thrust his hands forward, pushing the Queen back. Aiming for her left hand, he struck the back of her palm with his right, sending the egg flying into the air. While the Queen was staggering back, Cosmos delivered a powerful kick, sending her flying nearly three hundred meters.
Cosmos' left hand glowed with light energy as he reached out and caught the falling egg. Seeing it was unharmed, he gave a small nod, clearly pleased.
"Kua-hooo~~~"
Seeing this, Queen Tortoise went wild. Though her mind was clouded by hatred, the deep-seated urge to protect that egg flared up, and she charged at Cosmos. Faced with her frantic assault, Cosmos dodged left and right. Finding an opening, he seized one of her arms with his right and gave a fierce shove, throwing her back.
The Queen wouldn't stop. She accelerated and charged again. Cosmos didn't panic; he dropped into a semi-crouch, his right arm angled at 45 degrees. As she rushed in, he surged upward, using her own momentum to flip her massive body into the air. She tumbled over him and crashed heavily behind him.
With her down, Cosmos retreated to Lidurias' side and held the egg out to her.
"Ang~~" Lidurias made a sound. It wasn't human speech, but Cosmos understood. He nodded solemnly. Lidurias reached out, and Cosmos placed the egg into her palms, entrusting the Queen's offspring to her.
Queen Tortoise rose again, a raging fire of fury in her heart as she looked at Lidurias and Cosmos. Her mouth opened, and after a moment of gathering dark red energy, she fired. A spreading ray covering over twenty meters erupted, aiming to turn both of them into dust.
Cosmos stepped in front of Lidurias.
"Hoh—"
He thrust his hands out, and a Luna Marine barrier fifty meters in diameter appeared, intercepting the Queen's entire attack. Cosmos glanced back at Lidurias. Understanding his intent, she immediately flew to the other side of West Lake, placed the egg in a safe spot, and reverted to her human form.
Zhou Fei and Li Zheng happened to be near Qin Yuxin. When they reached her and saw the human-sized egg, they were stunned.
Gulp. Zhou Fei swallowed hard. Under their strange looks, he said sheepishly: "I say... this... this isn't a monster egg, is it?"
"It should be. The last time I saw this egg, it was in King Tortoise's mouth." Qin Yuxin recalled the satellite footage and briefly explained the situation.
"I see." Li Zheng understood and asked instinctively: "So what now, Goddess Qin? Did Brother Feng want you to protect this egg?"
"Yes." Looking at the spotted egg, Qin Yuxin thought of Ye Feng's self-loathing from a few days ago. She said solemnly: "No matter what, we cannot let this egg be harmed." Though the two didn't fully understand, they saw her serious expression and nodded in agreement.
"Kua-hooo!"
The Queen's roar rang out again, drawing their attention back to the battle.
Hah—
Hoh—
Ya—
On the other side of West Lake, Cosmos' moves shifted with every sound he made. Every technique easily neutralized Queen Tortoise's attacks and pushed her back. This was what confused Li Zheng: why was Ye Feng fighting like this when he could clearly land a punch or a heavy kick?
Faced with the Queen's arm, Cosmos seized it with both hands and gave a sharp tug, flipping her through the air.
THUD—
The Queen's heavy body crashed down again, creating a minor earthquake. Cosmos created some distance and assumed a starting stance, waiting for her to attack.
"Kua-hooo!"
As the Queen stood, Cosmos slowly raised his hands, spreading them to his sides before lifting them high. It felt as if some cosmic power was being drawn to him, condensing within his body. He transformed this power into Full Moon purification energy and thrust it forward as blue light particles.
Luna Extract!
Using cosmic energy, he performed a high-intensity purification, pulling the negative energy out of Queen Tortoise. The light particles enveloped her, and black smoke began to rise from her body, as if being sucked out by a vacuum, forming a dark sphere in the air.
The negative energy was extracted. Cosmos' absorbed cosmic energy was spent, but it was worth it. Queen Tortoise's scarlet eyes faded back to their normal color. The violence was gone; she became incredibly docile, as if she had forgotten everything that had happened.
But then, the extracted negative energy hovering above plummeted to the ground. In a flash of dark magic, it transformed into another Queen Tortoise. As the observers watched in confusion, the copy began to change. A hooked horn like the King's grew from its forehead; spikes erupted from the shell on its back. The claws on its hands lengthened into four-meter-long lethal blades. Not only that, but the plastron on its front shifted into armor, covering its soft limbs and turning them rock-hard.
"That monster is...!" Li Zheng gasped, pulling out his PDI to scan the transformed beast. The energy reading hit SS instantly, and the screen flashed red—it had exceeded the detection limits of the device.
"This is bad. If Brother Feng keeps fighting like that, he'll lose for sure!"
Though they didn't understand the nature of that negative energy, the energy level alone was terrifying. Zhou Fei, Qin Yuxin, and the others were filled with worry.
Unexpectedly, after sending the gentle Queen Tortoise to the central island of West Lake, Cosmos underwent a staggering transformation.
'This time, I will definitely finish you!'
Ye Feng's eyes fixed firmly on the berserk "Chaos" Queen Tortoise. A streak of crimson light erupted from his chest.
Outside, a crimson rainbow appeared around Cosmos. He held a cluster of red light high in his right hand.
"HE-HAH!"
The red light descended, washing over him from his head to his feet, plating him in a shimmering aura. As he slowly lowered his arms to his sides, the crimson light flared brilliantly, mixed with a trace of blue light!
The light faded, and a brand-new form stood before them!
Those who had seen the previous battle were shocked, but their expressions quickly shifted. This crimson body was different from the last time. It wasn't just red and silver; between the two, there were distinct azure patterns belonging to the Luna Mode.
Within the violent, chaotic power of Corona, there was a thread of gentle Full Moon strength. It was a reminder: while possessing great power, one must never forget a gentle and kind heart.
This was the true power of Cosmos—both soft and hard, brave and fierce.
Ultraman Cosmos, Corona Mode!