Chapter Summaries

Zhang Qi escaped a mindscape labyrinth by following the Swarm’s collective mental link and discovered a dream of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry fighting the insects. He realized the dream’s Swarm Disaster had a source in the memories of Glamoth’s dead, leaving him facing the origin of the swarm within Penacony.

• Zhang Qi found that killing the multiplying Swarm only increased the survivors’ fear and produced more insects.
• Zhang Qi abandoned his attack on the swarm and headed for the Penacony Grand Theater, where he sensed the Stellaron.
• A colossal puppet and giant eye displaced Zhang Qi into a labyrinth made from millions of visitors’ memories.
• Zhang Qi synchronized his senses with a captured insect and followed its mental link through the connected dreams.
• Zhang Qi emerged on a battlefield where the Glamoth Iron Cavalry fought an endless insect tide and recognized the source as a dream belonging to Glamoth’s dead.

A memory showed Fire Fly's last stand against the insect swarm, her awakening to the Path of Propagation, and her rescue by Kafka. Zhang Qi then confronted the black cat, which revealed an unusual connection to him and a view of time in which the future was fixed but the past remained changeable.

• Fire Fly's Iron Cavalry comrades detonated themselves against the swarm, and she chose to live before awakening to the Path of Propagation.
• Fire Fly destroyed the swarm and the planet in a final explosion, then drifted through space until a woman aboard a red spaceship rescued her and named her.
• Zhang Qi noticed that the black cat appeared inside Fire Fly's memories, and the spacecraft scene stopped completely.
• The black cat spoke to Zhang Qi, who suspected it was Elio and questioned how it had predicted and scripted his actions.
• Zhang Qi observed that the cat's many possible pasts contrasted with its single, predetermined future.

Zhang Qi learned from the black cat that the Paths were spreading forces that would eventually leave the universe with no possibility of change, and that his path might be the only future beyond the cat’s reach. Meanwhile, Firefly faced her former comrade AR-214, now transformed into a leader of the Propagation swarm, and prepared to fight.

• Zhang Qi questioned the black cat about its goal, and it asked him to consider the essence of the Paths.
• The black cat described the Paths as expanding cancers that would eventually define the entire universe and eliminate all accidents.
• The black cat told Zhang Qi that the future he had experienced was the only one it could not reach, suggesting the End had not arisen on that worldline.
• Firefly recognized AR-214, her former comrade, as the corrupted mech leading the insect swarm.
• Firefly resolved to end the swarm born because of her and took out Sam’s summoner.

Firefly accepted her fate and prepared to use the Stellaron to stop the Swarm and Sunday’s plan, despite knowing it would hasten her death. Zhang Qi intervened, took the Stellaron from her, and shattered it.

• Firefly transformed into Sam and killed AR-214, her former comrade, as the Swarm fell into chaos.
• Firefly realized the Swarm would persist as long as she lived and could flood into reality when Sunday broke the boundary between dream and reality.
• Firefly took the Stellaron from AR-214’s remains and prepared to use its power, knowing it could accelerate her Entropy Loss Syndrome.
• Zhang Qi appeared, stopped Firefly, and took the Stellaron from her hand.
• Zhang Qi crushed the Stellaron, leaving Firefly stunned.

Zhang Qi used the power of Finality to destroy the Stellaron, causing the Dream of Tai to collapse under pressure from Acheron, the Galaxy Rangers, and the Aeons. At the Penacony Grand Theater, Sunday lost his divine power, rejected Order as his personal will, and challenged the gods to listen as humanity took responsibility for its future.

• Zhang Qi explained that Elio had given him the power of Finality in exchange for accomplishing certain tasks, including curing Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome.
• Zhang Qi shattered the Stellaron, and cracks spread across Penacony's sky as Nihility seeped into the Dream of Tai.
• Acheron cut through the damaged sky, a Hunt signal flare summoned Galaxy Rangers, and the Aeon of Preservation's hammer shattered the dreamscape.
• Zhang Qi invited Firefly to witness the final act as they went to the Penacony Grand Theater, where Himeko, Star, and Dan Heng confronted Sunday about his dream of Order.
• Sunday returned to human form and challenged the gods to listen, declaring that the human world should rest in human hands.

Sunday tried to forge a new Path by separating concepts from existing Paths and combining them, but the Astral Express crew and Zhang Qi intervened. The Astral Express smashed the Embryo of Philosophy, leaving Sunday’s attempt in ruins.

• Welt realized Sunday was tearing concepts from existing Paths to create a new one, and the crew attacked him.
• Sunday repelled Himeko’s satellite beam, Dan Heng, and Stelle by denying their attacks.
• Firefly drove Sam into Sunday and knocked the Embryo of Philosophy back, allowing Welt to strike through its barrier.
• Zhang Qi intercepted the concepts Sunday had stripped from other Paths and grafted them onto the Path of Erudition.
• The Astral Express burst through the theater’s dome and smashed the Embryo of Philosophy to pieces.

After the crisis in Penacony, the Family, the company, and the Astral Express agreed to share power, while Zhang Qi searched for a way to save Firefly from Entropy Loss Syndrome. On Earth, Dinozoru attacked Tokyo, and Ultraman appeared before the terrified crowd.

• Jade and Himeko negotiated Penacony’s future, and the Family, the company, and the Express reached a fragile agreement to govern it as equal powers.
• March 7th, Stelle, and Firefly celebrated beneath the fireworks in Penacony’s dreamscape.
• Zhang Qi explained that Firefly’s Entropy Loss Syndrome stemmed from the Swarm’s collective will and said curing it without changing her humanity would be difficult.
• Silver Wolf and Kafka discussed Zhang Qi’s possible solutions, including Firefly following the Path of Propagation to become a new collective.
• Dinozoru descended on Tokyo and terrorized the city until Ultraman arrived.

Masaki Keigo confronted Bogarl in an alley while Mebius fought Dinozoru nearby. Impat saved Mebius and destroyed Dinozoru, then trapped the fleeing Bogarl in a Meta Field.

• Masaki Keigo caught Bogarl's spikes and kicked her through a wall, prompting her to transform into a giant Monster.
• Mebius was distracted by Bogarl and nearly struck by Dinozoru's tongue before Impat appeared and stopped the attack.
• Impat hurled Dinozoru into the air and sliced it into more than a thousand fragments with a sword of light.
• Bogarl tried to flee, but Impat distorted the surrounding space and formed a Meta Field around her.

Mebius recovered inside Impat’s light-filled Meta Field while Hunter Knight Tsurugi entered the space and attacked Bogarl. Tsurugi beat Bogarl into a dying state, leaving Mebius shocked by his comrade’s frenzied vengeance.

• Mebius found that the Meta Field’s gentle light energy restored his Color Timer from red to blue.
• Hunter Knight Tsurugi scanned the energy outside the Meta Field, found it unlike Plasma Spark energy, and entered by matching its frequency.
• Tsurugi saw Impat overpowering Bogarl, fired at Impat, and declared that he had come to kill Bogarl.
• Impat stopped fighting and left Bogarl to Tsurugi, whose hatred for the monster ran deeper than he had expected.
• Tsurugi ignored Bogarl’s attacks and savagely beat him until he lay dying, while Mebius watched in shock.

Hunter Knight Tsurugi killed Bogarl, then collapsed as the Meta Field dissolved and left him, Mirai Hibino, and Masaki Keigo in a Tokyo alley. Masaki revealed that he was tracking an inter-universal enemy, and Hikari recognized the energy he showed as connected to Tregear.

• Impat stopped Hunter Knight Tsurugi from continuing to strike Bogarl, who was already dead.
• Hunter Knight Tsurugi collapsed from exhaustion and emptiness as the Meta Field broke apart.
• Mirai Hibino thanked Masaki Keigo for his help and asked who he was.
• Masaki introduced himself as Ultraman Impat and explained that he was pursuing an enemy who crossed between universes.
• Mirai recognized the badge's energy as resembling the Plasma Spark, while Hikari identified its core as a force of destruction.
• Hikari suspected Tregear was connected to the energy, and Mirai realized that the man before him was Ultraman Hikari.

Masaki Keigo accepted Ultraman King’s invitation, while Hikari agreed to return to Planet Aarb after Gen Otori delivered the King’s message. Gen carried Masaki through space in Leo’s red sphere mode, and Masaki began analyzing the Ultra technology as they traveled toward the Land of Light.

• Masaki Keigo asked Mirai Hibino and Hikari to take him to the Land of Light so he could analyze an unfamiliar device.
• An Ultra Sign appeared over Earth, leading Masaki Keigo, Mirai Hibino, and Hikari to Tokyo Bay, where Gen Otori introduced himself as Ultraman Leo and delivered Ultraman King’s invitation to Masaki.
• Gen Otori told Hikari that Ultraman King had advised him to return to Planet Aarb if he felt lost, and Hikari solemnly agreed.
• Gen Otori transformed into Ultraman Leo, carried Masaki Keigo into space in red sphere mode, and began their journey toward the Land of Light.
• Masaki Keigo observed the faster-than-light journey and analyzed the energy and technology behind Leo’s red sphere mode.

Gen Otori brought Masaki Keigo to King Planet, where Ultraman King showed him futures of a multiversal war between the Absolutians and the Land of Light. King revealed that he could observe but not directly intervene in the Absolutians’ universe, and Masaki began to understand why he had been summoned.

• Gen Otori told Masaki Keigo that Ultraman King considered him the key to an impending crisis involving Absolute Tartarus and the multiverse.
• Gen Otori and Masaki passed the Land of Light and traveled with Leo to King Planet, where they met Ultraman King.
• Ultraman King showed Masaki a future in which Tartarus led a vast army of Absolutians and recruited powerful villains from across Time and Space.
• Ultraman King explained that war could spread Absolutian technology among ambitious enemies, leading to devastation across many universes.
• Ultraman King told Masaki that he could observe parallel universes where the Land of Light existed but could not interfere with the Absolutians’ universe, which lacked it.
• Masaki asked whether King wanted him to develop reliable travel between parallel universes or find a way to prevent war with the Absolutians.

Masaki Keigo accepted the Land of Light’s assistance and studied its technology at extraordinary speed, then began analyzing the powers contained in Tartarus’s and Noa’s badges. His work left him poised to investigate the forces he needed to find the Absolutians and help Ultraman Taro.

• Ultraman King sent Masaki Keigo to the Land of Light, where Father of Ultra promised him the highest level of assistance.
• Ultraman Taro asked Masaki Keigo to help find Tregear and the Absolutians, and Masaki agreed to do his best.
• Father of Ultra granted Masaki Keigo extensive access to the Land of Light’s library, where he studied its history and technical materials using a learning device.
• After one month, Masaki Keigo had completed the Land of Light’s university courses and impressed the Science and Technology Bureau with his research skills.
• Masaki Keigo entered a Class A laboratory and began analyzing the power within Tartarus’s and Noa’s badges.

Masaki Keigo analyzed Tartarus's energy and concluded that Absolutian Particles could eventually destroy their universe, explaining why Tartarus sought the Plasma Spark Tower as a new energy source. Kario then told Masaki that Hikari had returned and wanted to see him.

• Masaki compared Tartarus's energy data with the Plasma Spark Tower and found their fluctuations identical.
• Masaki concluded that Tartarus could read timelines because he had mastered abilities inherent to light-quantum lifeforms.
• Masaki determined that Absolutian Particles evolved through brutal selection and could eventually make Time and Space collapse.
• Kario arrived at the laboratory and told Masaki that Hikari had returned and wanted to see him.

Masaki Keigo and Hikari researched Absolutian particles and developed a staged plan to help The Wandering Earth survive its solar crisis. Using Life Solidification Technology, they then created capsules containing Tartarus’s and Noa’s powers.

• Masaki Keigo showed Hikari data suggesting that Absolutian particles would eventually destroy the Absolutians’ universe, and Hikari joined the research.
• Hikari and Masaki Keigo debated and refined their research models as scientists at the Land of Light’s Research and Development Institute studied the data.
• Masaki Keigo asked Land of Light scientists to help address The Wandering Earth’s solar crisis, and they provisionally settled on a staged plan called Ark.
• Masaki Keigo learned how Hikari’s restricted Life Solidification Technology could convert energy into storable life particles and potentially treat Firefly’s Entropy Loss Syndrome.
• Hikari and Masaki Keigo used the technology to create gold and mithril-silver capsules containing Tartarus’s and Noa’s powers.

Masaki Keigo and Hikari completed Ultra Capsules containing Noa's power and Tartarus's power, but the Land of Light sounded its highest alert. On Earth, Mebius defeated two Inpelaizers before four more overwhelmed him, and a dark armored figure appeared in the sky.

• Masaki Keigo watched Hikari produce Ultra Capsules, culminating in capsules containing Noa's power and Tartarus's power.
• Hikari warned Masaki Keigo that using the capsules to gain similar power and move along the timeline came with unknown costs.
• The highest-alert bell rang across the Land of Light, and Hikari said it signaled a crisis of annihilation.
• Mebius and the Phoenix crew defeated two Inpelaizers near Phoenix Nest, but four more appeared and overwhelmed Mebius, leaving Mirai Hibino unconscious.
• A vast darkness covered the sky as a huge projection of a black-armored figure emerged over Earth.

Alien Empera destroyed Tokyo and gave Earth forty-eight hours to hand over Mebius, then watched humanity debate whether to surrender him. After Shingo Sakomizu urged people to stand with Ultraman, Empera began tearing Earth apart.

• Alien Empera erased central Tokyo and threatened to destroy the planet unless Earth handed over Mebius within forty-eight hours.
• Alien Empera recalled how his sunless homeworld had descended into slaughter, leading him to embrace darkness and wage war against the light of M78.
• People across Earth argued over whether to surrender Mebius or resist Alien Empera, and their conflict spread into the streets.
• Shingo Sakomizu addressed the world through emergency broadcasts, urging humanity not to abandon Ultraman, and people began expressing their willingness to fight.
• Alien Empera appeared on Earth and unleashed a wave of black energy that split the sky and triggered catastrophic destruction across the planet.

As Alien Empera destroyed Earth and defeated Mebius, Masaki Keigo arrived and fused the powers of Noa and Tartarus to gain control over time and space. He reversed the catastrophe, restoring Earth, its people, Phoenix, and Mirai Hibino as the world returned to its former state.

• Alien Empera crushed Phoenix and defeated Mebius after Mebius unleashed Mebium Dynamite.
• Alien Empera shattered Earth, and Mebius’s energy ran out as he watched humanity perish in space.
• Masaki Keigo appeared as Ultraman Impat and fused two capsules with the Geed Riser.
• Masaki Keigo stopped time, reversed Alien Empera’s Resolim Beam, and rewound the destruction across the universe.
• Masaki Keigo restored Earth, its people, Phoenix, and Mirai Hibino to the moments before the catastrophe.

Masaki Keigo restored Earth but spent all his strength, leaving Mirai Hibino to face Alien Empera. As humanity’s memories and hopes empowered the Ultra Brothers and transformed Mirai’s final capsule, a capsule bearing Glitter Tiga emerged.

• Masaki Keigo told Mirai Hibino that he had restored Earth but could no longer fight, and entrusted him with several Ultra Capsules.
• Mirai Hibino faced Alien Empera as time resumed, and the capsules summoned Zoffy, Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Ace, and Ultraman Taro to battle the emperor.
• People across the world recognized the Ultra Brothers and cheered them on, sending their hope toward Mirai Hibino.
• Humanity’s shared light poured into Mirai Hibino’s final capsule, which transformed into one bearing Glitter Tiga.

Mirai Hibino fused with the Ultra Brothers to become Infinite Shining Mebius and challenged Alien Empera in Tokyo. With Masaki Keigo disrupting Empera’s fleet and humanity’s Spacium Amplifier strengthening Mebius’s attack, Mebius defeated the emperor.

• Mirai Hibino used the golden capsule and the power of the Ultra Brothers to transform into Infinite Shining Mebius.
• Alien Empera donned Dark Armor and battled Mebius, whose Cosmo Miracle Attack clashed with Empera’s Resolim Beam.
• Masaki Keigo’s intervention left Alien Empera’s fleet under attack from the Land of Light.
• Alien Empera fired a Resolim Beam at Masaki Keigo, while Shingo Sakomizu ordered the Spacium Amplifier to support Mebius.
• The Spacium Amplifier magnified Mebius’s Cosmo Miracle Attack, which overwhelmed Alien Empera and reduced him to particles of light.