At that moment, whether in Dragon Country's deep underground cities, in shelters across Japan and other nations, or among those still holding their ground in the cities, everyone held their breath and watched Yui Ikari's speech through every available channel.
"For certain reasons, I cannot disclose the full identities of the Ultra Warriors fighting alongside NERV, but we have all witnessed with our own eyes how the Ultramen have fought to protect humanity."
As Yui Ikari said this, her gaze lowered slightly, as though those brutal battlefields had appeared before her eyes. A barely perceptible tremor entered her voice:
"Yet after every victory, when Ultraman Zero returns in human form, he is always covered in wounds... They are not gods. They can be hurt, they can suffer, and like humans, they possess passionate emotions."
She raised her eyes and looked firmly into the camera, as though her gaze could pierce the screen and reach into everyone's hearts.
"Even so, he and his companions have never once flinched."
"He once told me that until the day comes when all humanity can stand alongside them in the universe, they will serve as the shield protecting this planet."
At this, the corners of Yui Ikari's mouth lifted slightly into a smile that mingled emotion with resolve:
"Please believe me when I say that they love humanity deeply, and they put their lives on the line for that love."
"And we have a responsibility to respond to those feelings."
In front of television screens and radio speakers, countless people froze.
In an underground city, a child looked up and asked, "Mom, do the Ultramen... protect us because they love us?"
Amid the city ruins, dust-covered people who had yet to evacuate murmured, "Is that really true...?"
Yui Ikari's expression grew solemn once more, her