The Darkest Hour

"Uh..." *N

The young Magecraft looked embarrassed when they heard Azu ask that question.

Most of the Magecraft related to Ley Lines have been lost, so even if people wanted to use Ley Lines, they couldn't.

Why do Magecraft keep sneaking into Fuyuki City every day after Shinji Matou filmed Fate?

This is because other Magecraft believed that the Holy Grail system would be a good way to utilize Ley Lines.

Even if we can't communicate with the Root through the Holy Grail, summoning a few Heroic Spirit to witness it would be excellent, right?

Then these Magecraft were thoroughly punished by the Heroic Spirit of Fuyuki City, and personally experienced how reliable the Heroic Spirit security guards were.

The young Magecraft present were unaware of the complex relationship between the Heroic Spirit and the Magecraft who invaded Fuyuki City, but they were well aware that Ley Lines Magecraft was difficult to use.

Azu looked at them and continued, "Since others can't use it, instead of watching the magic dissipate and go to waste, why can't we make use of it?"

Aside from Fuyuki City that use the Great Holy Grail technique to collect magical energy, most of the Ley Lines constantly radiate magical energy into the world.

"Who said it can't be used?" a boy complained, unwilling to give up. "My family is still using the magic of the Ley Lines to set up a barrier."

Azu glanced at it disdainfully. "To prevent petty theft? Installing an alarm system would be more convenient."

The other person turned their face away and stopped talking.

Because that's what he thought too. Many older Magecraft always liked to show how different they were from ordinary people, and they did a lot of fancy "garbage".

These people insist on setting up their own workshops when they can buy the same product for just a few dollars at the supermarket.

For example, Tokiomi Tohsaka's family has a communicator powered by jewel magic.

This type of long-range walkie-talkie, which can only be operated one-to-one, is not only immune to eavesdropping, but also offers absolutely no cost-effectiveness compared to mobile phones on the market.

Of course, it was somewhat useful to the Tohsaka family, after all, they were the kind of family whose bodies would explode even if they were recorded on video.

"This kind of fancy stuff is not only useless to society, but it also wastes our already limited magic! Tell me, who is really wasting magic?!"

Azu glared at her friend and scolded him.

Everyone avoided Azu's gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

They understand the logic, but the act of using magic to please ordinary people makes them feel like they've lost the sense of superiority that Magecraft have.

"Tch, a bunch of insects."

Azu clicked her tongue.

As she spent more time communicating with Shinji online, Azu gradually became assimilated by Second Master and even learned the "Five Arts".

"Instead of wasting magic on people like you, it would be better to let Mr. Matou do something more interesting. Developing a film industry that incorporates Magecraft technology would at least make life a little better for many of us poor Magecraft."

Aoko tilted her head, "That sounds like Shinji's own opinion."

"It was Mr. Matou who told me. He mentioned it to me online a couple of days ago, saying that some Magecraft would definitely be unhappy with his behavior, and he hoped I could influence public opinion within the industry."

With Azu said, "As expected of Mr. Matou, he can even foresee something like this."

This time it was Aoko's turn to scoff.

"Pshaw, what do you mean by benefiting Magecraft? It just benefits that kid's wallet."

Aoko's statement is not entirely correct; Matou Second Master, cursed by the Counter Force, is always penniless.

In contrast, ordinary viewers are not as conflicted as the Magecraft.

Li Ri'ang, for example, was marveling at the seemingly close-up 3D visuals while watching the duel between Ultraman Mebius and King Pandon with great interest.

Although the actors and filming methods differ, Shinji still retained the fighting styles of several Ultraman characters from the TV series.

This battle was no exception; Xiaomeng's fighting style was fast, fierce, and even somewhat reckless.

But there was nothing that could be done; the monster suddenly appeared in the city center, and countless people were unable to evacuate in time due to work and study.

Concerned for humanity, Xiao Meng could only resort to aggressive fighting tactics to limit King Pandon's destruction of the city. To this end, he even used his body to block several fireballs spewed by King Pandon.

Aihara Ryu meme is just for fun, Xiaomeng herself took the incident to heart after being criticized for it.

It's impossible to avoid damaging the city completely, but we must protect it to the best of our ability!

"This Ultraman fights so hard! He's taking all the damage just to charge in and land a couple of hits on the monster."

So far, the plot of <Super Eight> hasn't entered any sentimental scenes, and its positive and cheerful style makes it easy for Li Ri'ang to watch.

At this moment, he didn't feel anything special about the panicked people on the ground; it was just a standard background in the Ultraman series, nothing special.

Instead of focusing on them, we should watch how this new Ultraman named Ultraman Mebius defeats the monsters.

Such brutal, hand-to-hand combat between enormous creatures is not something you can witness every day.

"Hmm... it would be great if there was some wind. Just having 3D effects and vibrations doesn't feel quite right."

After saying that, Li Ri'ang slapped himself in the face.

"How stupid! Wouldn't that be a 4D movie? I'm such an idiot. But... I'll look for this Ultraman TV series online tomorrow. This movie makes me want to catch up on the anime."

Thinking of this, Li Ri'ang looked up to the sky and sighed.

"Sigh, the fight scenes and special effects on TV are definitely not as good as this movie. After seeing this kind of extremely expensive fight, I'm worried I won't be able to handle watching regular tokusatsu shows."

Just as Li Ri'ang was being picky, a sudden turn of events in the footage almost made him jump out of his chair.

"Damn, does this Director have to be so vicious?!"

On screen, the camera shifts from the battle Ultraman Mebius and King Pandon to a tall building nearby.

Two enormous bodies, tens of meters tall, crashed into the building, shattering it. Right below them was a group of people who had just been trapped in the building's emergency exits.

The collapsing building landed on them, and among them happened to be Akiko, the wife of Hideki Go, the human form of Ultraman Jack.

As a Showa-era Ultraman fan, Li Ri'ang knew perfectly well that the Director was paying homage to "Return of Ultraman".

You can pay homage to anything, but why did you have to pay homage to Akiko's scenes?!

Everyone has childhood traumas, but because everyone's experiences are different, the content of these traumas will also vary.

But there's one childhood trauma that everyone agrees is the one they least want to revisit: the death of a favorite character.

In North America, the last thing people want to mention is Spider-Man failing to catch Gwen Stacy in Marvel comics, while in East Asia, the death of the Sakata siblings is a traumatic event for many.

Of course, some people might prefer Ultraman Leo, and their shadows might be Momoko and Kaori.

But regardless of which one, it's Tsuburaya Productions that's throwing out the knife.

It can only be said that Tsuburaya Productions is guilty of heinous crimes, and its fans are full of complaints!

Regardless of what others think, Li Ri'ang, a Showa-era enthusiast, simply can't stand it.

Finally, in this movie, we see Hayata's daughter and Daigo talking about marriage, Moroboshi Dan and Ann remaining together, Hideki Go and Akiko finally getting married, Hokuto Minami Yuko getting married.

In this story where all human beings have perfect endings, in this story where everyone has children and their families are reunited,

To my surprise... to my surprise... to receive such a tribute from me!

"Director, have you lost your mind?!"

Li Ri'ang let out a cry from his very soul.

Unfortunately, there weren't many true Showa-era fans like him in this theater, and his shouts didn't resonate with those around him.

Akiko's being pinned down certainly made viewers feel anxious, most people who hadn't seen "Gui Man" thought it was just a typical scene where the Director characters were in trouble, and didn't pay much attention to it.

In fact, even the Director himself seemed indifferent to Akiko's life, as the film's camera returned to Ultraman Mebius and King Pandon.

Li Ri'ang was anxious to know Akiko's fate, but the film wanted to tell the story of King Pangdon's death first.

"Ah--!"

A beam of orange-yellow light ripped through the sky, and King Pandon was cleaved in two by Ultraman Mebius's Lightsaber.

The crowd inside the screen and the audience outside the screen erupted in cheers simultaneously, everyone excited about Ultraman's victory.

Even Daigo gave Ultraman Mebius a thumbs up, praising his victory.

Just as Ultraman Mebius was about to give Daigo a thumbs up, an unexpected incident occurred.

A glass dome fell from the sky and Ultraman Mebius inside.

"They're Hippolito Alien!"

Li Ri'ang subconsciously called out the name of the guy with the same hanging hair on his face as Void Mask.

Chapter 240 The Darkest Hour

Hippolito Alien is considered a classic and well-known alien in the Ultraman series.

Despite its weak combat power, it boasts a record of wiping out the five Ultra Brothers and ambushing the 160,000-year-old Horned Bull.

In addition, there's that very distinctive face.

Even though he only appeared once in Ace, the Hippolito Alien has always been a highly recognizable character among the Ultra enemies.

After all, before Belial appeared, no enemy had ever been able to defeat so many Ultraman.

Of course, if we really have to make a distinction, the Hippolito Alien appears in <Super Eight> should be the Super Hippolito Alien. Compared to his counterpart in the Showa era, his body is more slender and he looks more like a human.

However, his highly recognizable penis was preserved—even though it was impotent, it allowed him to be recognized by longtime fans like Li Ri'ang as soon as he appeared.

Also preserved is the Hippolito Alien's signature external sealing device—a tool that can turn Ultraman into a bronze statue.

This thing is considered a bug-level item in the entire history of the Arcane system; if you get blocked by it, you're dead.

Even after being nerfed repeatedly in the new generation, it still possesses immense destructive power.

Once you're trapped inside the seal, there's basically no way to break free on your own.

In the Ultraman fighting game on the PSP that Shinji played, Hippolito Alien's move was a one-hit kill, taking down any amount of health you had.

Having had several traumatic experiences playing video games, Shinji naturally recreated this scene faithfully.

Xiao Meng, trapped inside the sealant, kept pounding on the inner wall of the cylinder, but couldn't break it.

"Hahaha, you fell for their trap!!"

With a sinister laugh, the Super Hippolito Alien emerged from the darkness.

Just like decades ago, he was overjoyed to see the Ultra Warriors fall into his trap.

"Pandon is just a tool to wear you down, Ultraman Mebius!"

Under the control of the Hippolito Alien, gas and liquid began to spray out of the seal.

Ah~~~

Ultraman Mebius let out a painful cry, and everyone could only watch him suffer with heartache, unable to help him.

"Gah gah gah gah~ It must be painful! Ultraman Mebius, just stay there and fend for yourself!!"

Amidst the piercing laughter of the Hippolito Alien, Ultraman Mebius became a motionless statue.

Seeing their hero fall, the smiles that had appeared on people's faces when Pandon exploded vanished, replaced by deep despair.

People don't know what kind of Ultraman Mebius is, but they do know that Ultraman is their protector.

But now, the hero who just appeared is gone!

The sky has fallen!

"Hahahaha! Ultraman Mebius has been defeated by me, Hippolito Alien!"

Perhaps as if they hadn't already driven Earthlings to the brink of mental collapse enough, the Hippolito Alien dealt them another blow.

"Now, no one can protect this planet anymore! Humanity is doomed! Hahahaha!"

On the ground, Daigo stared intently at the arrogant Hippolito Alien, filled with regret for being unable to do anything about it.

The enormous figure vanished, but the piercing laughter still echoed in everyone's ears.

The people of the world in <Super Eight> have truly realized that the end of the world has come.

In film scriptwriting, there's a term called "the Darkest Hour."

In superhero and romance movies, there's a common trope where the protagonist, seemingly achieving a small victory, often experiences a much larger low point before the climax of the third act, even before the film begins.

This strong contrast creates the greatest dramatic effect and evokes the strongest emotions in the audience.

The timing of the "Darkest Hour" is the most crucial point for the protagonists.