Chapter 121: 117 Soul Restoration

After devouring all of the Balloon Ship Ultra Beast, Zhong Baiyou, in its ghost ship form, drifted leisurely toward densely populated cities.

To it, Earth was a planet with seven billion people.

It would not leave until it had devoured all seventy billion souls.

After consuming humanity, the Earth monster’s next targets would be the hidden extraterrestrials.

“Gai…” Qi Ming, having reached a deserted area, was about to strike the dial to transform into Gaia Ultraman—the strongest composite ability among the Arbitrary Keys.

But remembering Zhong Baiyou’s teleportation and clone techniques, he decided Gaia wasn’t the best choice.

“Nova and Zhong Baiyou might be compatible… but Legardon has already appeared, Vermeg is coming soon—I must end this quickly.”

“Then it’s you, Seven!”

Qi Ming struck the dial; a silver-white beam surged upward, and Ultraman Seven appeared before Zhong Baiyou.

He launched a slender Melium Beam at Zhong Baiyou’s ghost ship form, sending it spiraling downward in a trail of black smoke.

People in the city, who had received evacuation orders and were desperately fleeing, saw this and smiled with relief:

“Great! Seven has come to save us!”

“It’s been a long time, Seven!”

“Shhh!” After crashing, Zhong Baiyou’s form changed drastically—it became a quadrupedal monster.

The earlier spaceship was merely Zhong Baiyou’s body fused with a spacecraft; this was its true form!

“This thing looks a lot like Legardon,” Qi Ming thought.

His martial arts techniques couldn’t be fully effective against such a four-legged crawling creature.

So direct magical bombardment it was.

Thinking this, Qi Ming pulled the ice axe from his head and hurled it toward Zhong Baiyou at the twelve o’clock position.

“Shhh!” Zhong Baiyou teleported, reappearing at the eight o’clock position relative to Seven.

But Qi Ming had anticipated this—he used telekinesis to control the thrown ice axe, making it execute a “perfect golden boomerang arc,” reversing midair to strike Zhong Baiyou after its teleport.

“It didn’t teleport again the second time—so its teleportation can’t be used consecutively.”

Seven launched his head blade again; Zhong Baiyou stubbornly tried to evade with teleportation, but the reversing head blade still struck it, sending sparks flying.

“Aaaah… Aaaah!” After taking two hits, Zhong Baiyou grew furious.

The next moment, dozens of Zhong Baiyous appeared before Seven.

This was Zhong Baiyou’s clone technique!

“Good heavens, what is this?!”

“It spawned so many monsters at once—it’s terrifying!”

Bystanders watching from afar, as well as TPC and Defense Force personnel monitoring the battle, were stunned.

Emi couldn’t help asking whether it was truly safe to leave the battlefield entirely to Seven—shouldn’t they send reinforcements?

Moroboshi Dan: “Don’t worry—trust Seven!”

Qi Ming, facing Zhong Baiyou directly, was unsurprised—he had used this ability in the original series.

Back then, Dyna had used his Miracle-type ability to see through it; although Seven, as he was now, lacked such an ability, he could still overcome it through his own skill.

The next moment, Seven’s eyes dimmed.

He closed them deliberately, focusing all his attention on his hearing.

Sound-based targeting!

“Aaaah!” The dozens of Zhong Baiyous charged forward, but Qi Ming instantly identified the single true body and unleashed a barrage of strikes upon it.

Moroboshi Dan, flying toward Legardon in Feiyan-2, was stunned again: “He’s fighting blind!”

Such precise blind combat—even he could barely manage it.

Seeing his clones ineffective, Zhong Baiyou prepared for direct confrontation.

It released a blue [Binding Beam] from its massive eyes, forming multiple rings in midair to bind Seven.

But Qi Ming reacted instantly—he opened his eyes and rolled sideways to evade the attack.

After the Binding Beam failed, Zhong Baiyou switched to the [Splitting Beam].

It aimed to bind Seven’s limbs and then pull them in opposite directions, tearing him apart like a chariot execution.

Qi Ming again fired a rapid Melium Beam, disrupting its charge.

After his three signature moves were broken, Zhong Baiyou finally panicked.

It fled wildly upward into the sky, trying to escape the planet.

“Hmph, trying to run!” Qi Ming leapt up, landing on Zhong Baiyou’s back, and used the “Diamond Fist” technique to pound it relentlessly.

“Aaaah!” Zhong Baiyou screamed in agony, climbing rapidly despite the pain—desperate to return to space at any cost.

When Qi Ming felt the moment was right, he joined his hands into an “L” shape.

“Zhong Baiyou, lend me your power!” Qi Ming roared.

The next instant, a concentrated beam fired, striking Zhong Baiyou’s [Ghost Brain] and shattering the linked [Psychic Tumor Pouch] along with it.

Nishijou Nagi gasped: “Attacking from that close—he’ll be caught in the blast too!”

This was suicidal!

Moroboshi Dan: “Only by risking himself can he truly protect everyone’s souls—that’s what an Ultraman should do!”

“Boom!” The next moment, Zhong Baiyou was utterly destroyed.

The souls it had devoured coalesced into a purple light orb, cradled in Seven’s hands.

Qi Ming used telekinesis to launch the orb toward the earth below; it split apart like countless meteors, scattering in all directions.

The souls returned to their original bodies.

“I… I’m back,” the children whose souls had been stolen by the Balloon Ship Ultra Beast shuddered.

Their previously vacant eyes regained their liveliness; they were no longer mindless puppets, but children once again, full of energy.

“We were saved by Ultraman again—we’re so useless!” After their souls returned, Liu Chunye’s skin regained its normal state.

He slammed his fist hard into the ground, face twisted with frustration.

“All the souls taken before have returned—now it’s my turn to devour souls.”

After de-transforming, Qi Ming looked at the [Access/Convert] option on the Arbitrary Key and selected [Access].

Star gift: 2

Amplification: 9/10.

He turned the dial; the silhouette of Zhong Baiyou appeared on the dial.

Ghost Ship Monster—Zhong Baiyou.

Integration: 60%.

Rating: B-class.

Moroboshi Dan called out: “Qi Ming, Miss Mayumi disappeared right under our noses—she’s become Vermeg again!”

This monster showed no interest in fighting Legardon; it was leaving the power plant and heading toward the oil company.

“I’m on my way,” Qi Ming replied, catching his breath.

To protect the human souls inside Zhong Baiyou, Qi Ming had been caught in the blast from his close-range beam attack—his chest now felt heavy and constricted.

He had just finished fighting Zhong Baiyou, and now he had to transform into Zhong Baiyou to fight the other two monsters.

Will this constant fighting turn my body into a “bōluó bōluó dā” (falling apart)?

Qi Ming shook his head and struck the dial again.

“Shhh!” A black spacecraft flew toward Heqiao Power Station, where the two monsters had gathered.

(End of Chapter)