Chapter 295: 291 Kumi Smashes Blazar! The Five Elements'

The Stars Group stood frozen in place for a long while before snapping out of it and heading to the lab to find Hikari.

"Hikari, I'm kind of… confused," said the Stars Group, looking dazed.

Hikari, typing on the keyboard: "What's wrong?"

The Stars Group recounted everything that had just happened, his face still marked by shock: "Do you think… this counts as growth?"

His willingness to fight for this world has strengthened, but he still clings to the same "rotten orange theory."

After listening, Hikari said: "It's not so much 'growth' as 'transformation.'"

He believed Qi Ming was a man of strong convictions, determined to live his entire life according to his own mindset.

His willingness to take risks wasn't a spiritual elevation—it was simply that certain people and things in this world were worth the cost.

"But there's nothing wrong with that," Hikari added.

"We were born in the Land of Light; Qi Ming was born on Earth's Shenzhou. Their upbringing differs—his thinking naturally can't match ours."

"The Ultra Spirit seeks to create a world where no one gets hurt, while Qi Ming's 'knightly code' advocates punishing evil and protecting the good, believing that leaving villains alive only lets them keep harming the innocent."

The Stars Group: "Knight?"

Hikari nodded and pulled a thick stack of books from a nearby shelf.

All were wuxia novels.

"Qi Ming grew up immersed in this culture," Hikari said. "When order fails to protect the weak, knights wield personal strength to enact heavenly retribution."

As the saying goes, "The master always keeps the heart of a student." After Bgajaru was killed by Qi Ming's transformation into Glerza, Hikari's reason reclaimed its dominance.

He began observing Earth's culture, customs, and technology again, just as he had when he first visited Aba Star.

The nation that gave birth to Qi Ming had piqued his interest.

After comparing it with other cultures, he found that Shenzhou rejected notions like "Don't hate people, hate the crime," "Killing your enemy won't bring back your loved ones, only deepen your sin," and "If you kill him, you become a murderer just like him."

Shenzhou deeply revered an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; punishing evildoers earned public applause.

The Stars Group finally understood: "So from Qi Ming's perspective, he did nothing wrong?"

Hikari: "Yes. But neither did you. Qi Ming wants to be the umbrella against the storm, while the Ultra Spirit encourages everyone to be the light that dispels dark clouds."

"Absolute peace may never come, but we can strive to get closer to it—fifty steps away is better than a hundred."

"For that better future, you, Team, are right. But Qi Ming's grounded, realistic approach cannot be called wrong."

Here, Hikari sighed: "Will there even be a future…?"

The Stars Group sat stunned, then asked after a long silence: "Have you… stepped out of the shadow?"

Hikari didn't answer, continuing to type: "Let's not talk about that. We can't keep Xiang Tenggong waiting."

The Stars Group looked at the chat window on screen: "You're communicating with Xiang Tenggong?"

Hikari: "Yes. Xiang Tenggong and a few Alchemy Star friends are helping me refine the 'Space Freeze Bomb.' I don't have Qi Ming's power, so I focus here."

"You've done great," said the Stars Group. "I didn't expect Xiang Tenggong to still be working hard after stepping off the front line."

Hikari: "He and his friends are all exceptional. If the chance arises, I'd like to take them to the Land of Light."

"I'd welcome them as guests too…" He suddenly spotted a book on Hikari's shelf with an arcane cover—a Taiji diagram.

"That's a book on Yin-Yang and the Five Elements—the ancient Shenzhou people's way of understanding the world's essence."

"According to it, if a person lacks Wood in their Five Elements, they're prone to poor eyesight and hair loss; if they lack Earth, they tend to gain weight; if they lack Fire, they suffer anemia and cold sensitivity…"

"Qi Ming's constant physical vitality likely stems from a perfect circulation of the Five Elements within his body, allowing his qi and blood to flow endlessly."

The Stars Group: "So that's why… this is Qi Ming's secret to strength?"

Hikari: "Hard to say. It's just speculation. I'm describing a theoretical ideal. I always feel Qi Ming is more complex than that."

…………………………

Soon, over fifty hours passed.

Qi Ming's Star Grant points reached ten. "Time to spend them—no point letting them go to waste." He asked in the group who wanted to watch the draw, and immediately received enthusiastic responses from Kumi and Nami Nishijo.

In Qi Ming's room, Nami Nishijo: "Team Leader Qi Ming, the Captain has told us your plan. To be honest, I'm worried about your safety."

Qi Ming spoke lightly: "I'm worried about myself too, but as the saying goes, 'When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up'—so I guess I'm the tall one now."

Kumi said: "After you charge through the Hell Gate, you'll leave Earth… will you come back?"

Qi Ming spoke as if it were obvious: "Of course I'll come back—right away. I couldn't return to my hometown before because I had no coordinates. This universe's coordinates were already given to me by Ako."

He added there was no need to worry—he might regain consciousness and find his Star Grant points already sufficient, then transform into Gao Si and cross dimensions straight back here.

Kumi was anxious: "Transforming into Gao Si with three Star Grant points… nine days without food—is that even safe?"

Qi Ming: "A normal person would die for sure. But I've trained—I'll carry extra food and eat the moment I regain consciousness."

He said his first act upon returning would be to send a distress signal via the PDI communicator, and they must rush him to the ICU immediately.

Seeing Qi Ming so confident, Nami Nishijo and Kumi relaxed slightly, their worry easing.

Next came the Star Gathering phase.

Qi Ming: "Who's going?"

Nami Nishijo shook her head: "I have no confidence."

There was a reason for Star Gathering at this stage:

If Qi Ming could summon an overwhelmingly powerful being capable of instantly wiping out every Kirairoid in the other side of the Hell Gate, he wouldn't need to risk transforming into Glerza.

"I'll do it!" Kumi stepped forward.

She pressed the button; four buttons emitted green lasers that converged into a light screen.

The next instant, an image appeared on the screen.

"Shhh!" A flash of white light swept across the screen, forcing all three to shut their eyes.

What's this? A flash grenade?

The flash faded quickly, revealing a giant battling enemies in the city.

The giant's head bore a jagged blue-crystal crown like unsheathed blades; his face was covered in silver armor, his sharp diamond-shaped eye-lights glowing with deep blue light; his body bore red-and-silver patterns like cracked magma; his chest energy core was encased in claw-shaped armor, and his back extended bio-mimetic spines.

This was Ultraman Blazar!

On the other end of the Star Gathering was Blazar's world.

And the opponent fighting Blazar was… how could this be?

Even Qi Ming was taken aback.

Kumi was stunned: "What's going on? Why is a fifty-meter-tall me in blue clothes smashing a building into this giant?!"

Nami Nishijo widened her eyes: "What? The shadow smashing the giant wasn't a person… that shadow looks like the one who killed my parents—is that Dark Zagi?!"

Qi Ming immediately realized.

Kumi seeing her giant self smashing Blazar with a building—that was Episode 16 of Ultraman Blazar, "Terror from the Depths."

The monster, Mogujo, emitted intense light that blinded other beings, stimulating the amygdala through the optic nerve to induce hallucinations of their greatest fears and revulsions.

Kumi: "The bright flash at the start—that was it? So we all got hit."

Nami Nishijo: "So it was an illusion. Team Leader Qi Ming, what did you see? What was your fear?"

Qi Ming's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't answer.

After several deep breaths, his eyes cleared instantly—the illusion vanished.

As he tossed a rescue metal ball toward the screen, he thought: if the final summon turned out to be Mogujo, he'd transform into it to give Nami Nishijo desensitization training.

But in the end, the Star Gathering's lens locked onto Blazar.

The screen faded; the dial spun; the silhouette of the Wild Man of Light, Blazar, appeared.

Ultraman Blazar

Integration: 60%

Rating: B-class.

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Third update today—over ten thousand characters! Please vote for monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)