After transforming, Natsuki looked very similar to the original Ultraman, with only slight differences in the markings on his body. In fact, most Ultramen from the Land of Light looked much alike.
"Rooaar!"
The shock wave from the transformation had hurled Leatherback into the waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Amid the towering spray, the creature steadied itself in the shallows, its six green eyes shifting as it studied the giant standing on land ahead.
Its instincts told it that this giant was extremely dangerous!
But it was a biological weapon, after all. Even if it sensed danger, it would still carry out the mission etched into its genes.
Snow drifted down and waves surged as the two faced each other across the ruins of the Wall of Life.
Both knew the battle had already begun, and it could only end with one of them dead!
The deadly tension made the workers watching from afar hold their breath, their nerves taut as they witnessed what came next-a sight beyond anything they understood.
Thud...!
When Leatherback remained still, the giant moved first. He strode across the snow-covered ground, his steps producing not a soft crunch, but deafening tremors!
The forty-two-thousand-ton giant sent a shock through the ground with every step, leaving enormous footprints behind.
"Rooaar!"
Leatherback moved at the same time, raising its massive arms to sweep aside the seawater. Like a maddened gorilla, it roared and charged at the giant across the ruins of the Wall of Life, crushing steel reinforcement bars into flattened discs beneath its feet.
The enormous creature tore through the air as it ran, utterly disrupting the falling snow.
Its broad movements looked slow, but its actual speed was astonishing. In just a few breaths, it crossed a kilometer, reached the giant, and lunged!
"Watch out!"
"Dodge its attack!"
Raleigh had been retreating into the distance with Marshal Stacker, but the sight brought back painful memories of fighting monsters in a Jaeger. He abruptly stopped and shouted a warning to the giant.
His shout swept across the battlefield on the wind.
But whether they were too far apart or the giant could not understand him in this form, Raleigh did not know. The giant made no attempt to dodge.
Instead, he raised both arms in a defensive stance, preparing to block the attack.
When the shock wave from his transformation had sent the monster flying, Natsuki had realized that this seemingly enormous creature might not be as powerful as he had imagined.
Still, he was not entirely certain.
Now, Natsuki intended to test its strength properly and see how it compared with the monsters he had fought before.
"That's going to hurt." Seeing this, Raleigh could already imagine the pain that blow would inflict. Memories of the past made him wince in sympathy.
The Jaeger he had piloted was controlled through a neural connection. Every attack a monster landed on it made him feel the full force of the pain, no different from being struck in his own flesh.
That was why he knew exactly what pain Natsuki was about to face.
So did Marshal Stacker.
But unlike Raleigh's concern, curiosity dominated his thoughts. His eyes remained fixed on the giant, unwilling to miss a single detail, desperate to learn everything he could about him.
Boom!
The two combatants collided with a tremendous crash, followed by a powerful shock wave that swept away all the snow around their feet.
The giant blocked the monster's lunge.
His hands gripped its gorilla-like arms with unshakable firmness, showing no sign of letting go.
As Natsuki looked at the enormous monster caught in his grasp, a hint of confusion appeared in his bright eyes.
This strength... was it just playing around?
That couldn't be right.
How could a monster this big be so weak?
If the monsters Natsuki had fought before were tigers, then the one before him was no more than a small dog.
In terms of strength, of course.
"Rooaar!"
Its all-out strike had accomplished nothing. Leatherback roared and drove harder with its legs, trying to force the giant down.
But it soon discovered that no matter how hard it pushed, its opponent did not budge.
At the same time, the crushing grip on its arms sent agonizing pain through them, growing worse by the moment!
"Rooaar!"
"Rooaar!"
Leatherback roared again and again, flinging bowl-sized globs of saliva. It tried to drive the giant back with its cries, a common method of intimidation among living creatures.
In response...
The giant merely tightened his grip and slowly raised a leg. His bright eyes regarded the creature like a condemned prisoner, cold and lethally dangerous.
You thought you could invade with strength like this?
Time to finish this!
Leatherback instantly sensed death approaching!
Thud!
After a tremendous impact, Leatherback no longer had to worry about its arms. They had been torn off at the shoulders, blue blood gushing from the stumps! The force of the kick sent its body flying backward into the ruins of the Wall of Life, where it thrashed and struggled as its life ebbed away.
"Rooaar! Rooaar...!"
It had come here intending to slaughter everything in sight, but now that was no longer possible.
"That strength... my God...!" Raleigh watched the giant effortlessly counter Leatherback's assault, then tear off both its legs in retaliation. The sight shook him to his core.
Not a single Jaeger in the world could rival this giant's capabilities!
The difference in power between the monster and the giant was like the distance between heaven and earth!
It was like a toddler challenging a grown adult!
"He's like... a god straight out of myth." Marshal Stacker's eyes remained fixed on the giant, filled with profound awe at the strength he had displayed.
So even aliens could differ this much in power.
"But if he plans to blow the monster apart here..." Marshal Stacker frowned at the blue blood flowing from the monster's severed limbs, worry rising within him.
Monster blood was highly toxic and corrosive. Once it evaporated, it would cause a host of harmful effects in humans.
That was precisely why humanity had chosen Jaegers over conventional weapons to fight the monsters.
"If too much monster blood is exposed on land, a lot of people will die." Raleigh understood what Marshal Stacker meant.
He watched the giant approach Leatherback again.
He hesitated for a second.
Would this guy listen to me?
Or rather, would he even care whether innocent people lived or died?
But he quickly recalled the friendliness Natsuki had shown during their interaction.
He made up his mind.
I'll take the gamble!
"Raleigh, where are you going?!" Marshal Stacker shouted in surprise as Raleigh suddenly ran toward the battlefield.
"To warn him that monster blood is harmful to humans!" With that, Raleigh broke into a full run.
With the giant's strength, a few more punches would surely burst the monster apart. The resulting spray of blood would contaminate this entire area, killing everyone who lived nearby.
"Wait, that's too dangerous!" Marshal Stacker shouted again. The battle was not over. If Raleigh got caught in it, he would surely die.
"There's no time!"
Raleigh ran with unwavering determination, showing no intention of turning back.
Marshal Stacker watched him go.
Then, suddenly, he smiled with quiet approval.
This was why he had come to invite Raleigh back into service.
He turned his gaze to the giant again, this time with a hint of pleading in his eyes.
"Keep that fool safe," he murmured. "Please."
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