Among the vast numbers of monsters, Gronge ranked somewhere in the lower-middle range in terms of strength. Its regenerative nature also made its tough hide a little less useful as a defense.
Usually, when Gronge found itself outmatched, it would play dead, slowly recover from its injuries, and then get back up.
Of course, monsters of this kind were extremely rare. After all, playing dead could easily turn into actually being dead.
Even lasers that most monsters could shrug off with no more than a scratch could inflict real damage on it.
And the one standing before it now was an incredibly powerful warrior with the abilities of a spellcaster.
That beam attack, which could barely do more than damage an engine, sent Tiga into happy mode at once. The red, slightly pudgy Tiga punched Gronge.
Its weak defenses gave way, and its head caved in. After that first punch, it looked so mangled even its own mother wouldn't recognize it.
The soft, springy impact made Tiga feel like he'd punched a sponge. It was like pounding rice cakes at New Year, so he backed away to put some distance between them and readied himself to defend.
Even with its face beaten into a ghastly mess, Gronge counterattacked as if it hadn't been hurt at all.
It opened its enormous jaws and fired a laser at Tiga's chest.
Tiga crossed his arms in front of himself to block. The laser only sent sparks flying off his skin; he didn't even feel injured.
Tiga slowly lowered his arms and stared at Gronge, looking a little bewildered.
What a weakling.
But Tiga didn't hesitate. He slid forward and drove a heavy punch from his side, the force so immense that the air around him shook violently.
Gronge had already seen the strength that had warped its skull. One look at the air shuddering around Tiga told it this was an attack it couldn't withstand.
It knew that perfectly well, and even though it desperately tried to move, it still couldn't dodge.
The whirlwind of a punch slammed into its shoulder. Its fragile skin was ground away, and flesh flew through the air.
The surrounding flesh seemed to shudder, and Gronge's whole body tilted to one side.
But monsters were still beasts. As Gronge leaned to the side, it swung its slender tail.
Its tail-whipping technique, honed through countless battles, easily coiled around Tiga's throat. A biological current surged through it.
Tiga felt his bones go weak and nearly dropped to his knees. The moment he saw Tiga struggling, Guts Wing 2 in the sky immediately launched an attack.
The heavy fighter Guts Wing 2 rapidly fired two missiles. They exploded the instant they hit Gronge, and the tremendous blast and flames made it howl in pain.
For a moment, Gronge's electric current stopped. Happy-mode Tiga seized its tail at once.
Tiga tensed his muscles and yanked hard, tearing Gronge's tail clean off.
He casually tossed the tail aside, then swept both hands upward in a circle, forming a red Rasengan in front of his color timer.
Delacium Light Stream!
Tiga threw the sphere like a baseball. It blasted a huge hole through Gronge's chest before crashing into the forest.
"Boom!"
Gronge and the forest exploded together. Flying sparks instantly set the dry trees ablaze, and Tiga froze in place with his throwing arm extended.
Seeing the forest fire spread, a panicked Ultra Water Gun went to work as a firefighter.
Tiga hadn't even flashed his warning light while fighting the monster. It was putting out the fire that made his light start blinking.
The flames gradually died down, leaving black smoke rising everywhere. At least the fire had been completely extinguished. Tiga nodded slowly, then swept both hands upward and took off along a graceful arc.
Watching Tiga fly away, Zhou Hong clenched his fists. He thought he should get Daigo to train with him.
Not because he'd nearly been caught in the crossfire, and not because he'd been soaked and left looking like a drowned rat. He simply wanted Daigo to grow faster.
"No matter how many times I see it, the Giant of Light is so dependable." Hibiki Gousuke released the tree he'd been clinging to and put his hands on his hips, trying to look composed. "Whenever Ultraman shows up, the monster gets taken care of."
"The name Giant of Light already tells us he's still within the realm of humanity. And humans can fail. They can die." Zhou Hong spoke calmly. "The Giant of Light is no exception."
"You're right. We need to work even harder and make sure we don't hold anyone back." Hibiki Gousuke clenched both fists, seeming to ignite with enthusiasm.
"That's why we give everything we've got when we fight monsters," Shinjoh's voice suddenly called out.
"Hey, I'm Shinjoh from GUTS. You must be Hibiki Gousuke and Zhou Hong. We owe you for buying us time."
Hibiki Gousuke stood ramrod straight. "It was our duty."
"By the way..." Shinjoh scratched his head, looking troubled. "We lost two Guts Wing 1s this time. The repairs are going to kill me. You two—"
"Captain, the fighters are wrecked. Since that's the case, let's keep up our physical training," Zhou Hong said, talking over him.
"Right! Now that flight training's over, we'll start physical training immediately."
"The nearest TPC outpost is our finish line. Let's run!"
The two called out loudly, ignoring Shinjoh as they trudged slowly across the muddy ground.
Shinjoh looked around. Seeing no one else, he figured he could get away with running too, and hurried after them.
But as soon as they passed the spot where Tiga had sprayed them with the Ultra Water Gun, the two suddenly sped up. No matter how hard Shinjoh chased them—
All he could see was their backs.
"Cough, cough. Do those two have that much stamina?" Shinjoh braced a hand against his lower back and struggled to breathe. "GUTS is so short-handed. I hope the captain gets his act together and recruits them."
Patrolling, repairing Guts Wing 1, target practice, sleeping at home on his days off, and the occasional workout were just enough to keep his fitness level steady.
Running into those two beasts had shown him exactly where he fell short.
"Hey, Shinjoh! Where'd you run off to?"
"Get back here and help repair Guts Wing 1!" Daigo's voice echoed through the helmet, making Shinjoh's head ring.
I wish I could run away, but I can't~~
"Understood. I'm on my way."
Shinjoh rubbed his aching lower back and walked toward Guts Wing 1. For a veteran ace pilot like him, repairing aircraft was one of his specialties.
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