The Alien Beast

Richard remembered this oversized bug. The liquid Alien Beast Pedron had appeared in the Ultraman Nexus TV series and was the first Alien Beast defeated by an Ultraman in the TV version.

Pedron fed mainly on humans and gasoline, and it could convert the alcohol and gasoline inside its body into flames to launch at its enemies. When hunting, it liked to wrap its foes in its nimble long tentacles before swallowing them with its enormous mouth. As an Alien Beast that appeared in the first episode of the TV series, its combat strength could be considered relatively low among Alien Beasts. But the problem was...

...Why the hell was there an Alien Beast in the Marvel Universe???

Since there were Alien Beasts, did that mean Dark Zagi—the big boss behind the Alien Beasts in the TV series and Ultraman Noah's archenemy—might also appear?

There was no evidence to prove that for now, but if he considered the worst-case scenario, it was indeed possible.

The Quinjet's bombardment of the Alien Beast Pedron continued. Bullets engulfed Pedron like a torrential downpour, flames fiercely licked at the Alien Beast's body, and Pedron writhed deep within the blaze, its long tentacles thrashing wildly in every direction.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the ground quickly pulled back, each holding their breath as they looked up at the colossal creature.

The Quinjet was a model specially equipped for S.H.I.E.L.D., and its onboard weapons were more powerful than those of conventional aircraft. Under a bombardment of such magnitude, no living thing should have been able to survive... at least, that was what the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents believed.

But clearly, they were wrong.

The Alien Beast's massive body lumbered out of the flames. Its tentacles lashed like whips, tearing through the curtain of fire around it with a sharp gust of wind. Its piercing screech sounded like a threatening roar.

Forget killing it—the thing had not suffered the slightest injury. The Quinjet's bombardment had not even left the faintest scratch on its body.

"The target is unharmed! I repeat, the target is unharmed!" Even the fighter pilot's voice had gone shrill.

Agent Coulson could see it clearly from below. His mouth fell open in shock—what the hell was that thing? Was it really a living creature?

Those were anti-tank missiles capable of piercing an aircraft carrier's armor. How could they fail to leave even a scratch on that thing?

But Pedron seemed to have been enraged. It stared straight at the Quinjet in midair as flames began gathering around the tentacles on its head. A fireball started expanding at a visible rate...

"Retreat!" Coulson realized something was wrong and hurriedly ordered the pilot, "Retreat immediately!"

But it was too late. Pedron hurled the fireball through the air. The Quinjet hurriedly swerved aside, but the flames still grazed its tail. The jet engine at the rear burst apart amid a series of crackling explosions, and the entire aircraft began plunging down with a mournful wail. The cockpit popped open, ejecting the pilot along with his seat. A huge parachute soon unfurled against the night sky.

Richard watched the Alien Beast in the distance and the helpless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, unconsciously tightening his grip on the Evolution Trust.

The Earth Defense Force charged in to throw their lives away, then Ultraman showed up to save the day. Wasn't this turning into the exact same formula as a traditional Ultraman TV show...?

That said, he still had to step in.

Richard did not like S.H.I.E.L.D. Even setting aside the fact that the organization was actually Hydra, the organization itself had many principles that clashed with his own.

But there was no denying that good people still made up the majority within S.H.I.E.L.D. There were always those willing to give up personal gain, willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater cause. Phil Coulson was a typical example. Richard knew he could not do the same, but he sincerely admired such people. He also believed that having a group of passionate people like them could truly make the world a better place.

Yes, he could not do those things, but what he could do was refuse to stand by when he was able to help.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and sharply drew out the Evolution Trust, pointing it toward the sky.

In an instant, light burst forth like a river of stars.

Under the nearly stunned gazes of everyone at the scene, a human figure gradually condensed within the incandescent radiance. A silver-white torso, enormous limbs, golden-yellow eyes like light bulbs—the silver giant stood towering between heaven and earth, suddenly blocking Pedron's path like a majestic mountain.

Having transformed into Nexus, Richard pressed one hand against Pedron's head, stopping its advance. He drew a deep breath, let out a low shout, and lashed out with his right leg, driving a fierce kick into the Alien Beast's soft body. The explosive force of his leg blasted the Alien Beast into the air. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, kicking up towering clouds of dust.

The agents fleeing at full speed from the Alien Beast all stopped involuntarily. Their eyes widened as they stared at the sudden change in the field, frozen where they stood.

Ward said in surprise, "That is..."

"Ultraman..." Coulson murmured.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had also accepted the name the Daily Planet had given the silver giant. It was only a codename, after all. What it was called did not matter.

Nexus turned his head to look at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he had saved. He was just about to carry on Ultraman's fine tradition of the "Ultraman nod" to show goodwill when his gaze involuntarily fell on Agent Ward...

Damn it, how had he accidentally saved this guy too?

Like perhaps ninety percent of viewers, Richard had hated Grant Ward's character when he watched the American TV series. Ward was the kind of villain who could never be redeemed, no matter what excuses he had. Richard had been focused entirely on the Alien Beast Pedron just now and had not paid attention to which S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were below. If he had known Ward was down there, he definitely would have waited until Pedron turned this Mr. Spy into a S.H.I.E.L.D. martyr before stepping in...

How about... making a deal with the Alien Beast? You eat this guy first, and I'll come back later?

Fine, it was only a joke.

At the end of the day, Ward was just an ordinary Hydra spy. There were plenty of spies like him in S.H.I.E.L.D. Compared to the Alien Beast, a few Hydra spies were hardly worth worrying about. There would be plenty of time to deal with them later.

Nexus soon turned his gaze back to the gelatinous Alien Beast, which had already gotten back up not far away.

The most urgent matter now was still this Alien Beast Pedron...