Chapter 53: 52 Earth Shark vs

A ferocious monster was walking through the city, smashing skyscrapers blocking its path, each step causing massive destruction.

The Star Group naturally could not stand idly by and immediately issued an attack order.

The Star Group maneuvered Jet Eagle One to engage Gorgon, continuously firing green spike cannons at Gorgon, but the firepower was insufficient to inflict fatal damage.

Gorgon retaliated with ultrasonic beams, yet even with one leg crippled, the Star Group’s piloting skills had not declined—he always managed to dodge the attacks at the last possible moment.

Neither side could gain the upper hand for now.

On another front, Yamada and Kishida, piloting Jet Eagle Two, engaged in a heart-stopping aerial battle with Melba.

Kishida yanked the control stick hard; Jet Eagle Two flipped like a swallow evading a hawk’s strike, narrowly avoiding Melba’s next pounce.

Yamada seized the opportunity and fired—a single shot severed Melba’s left wing, causing the creature to lose balance and begin plummeting.

Kishida: “Nice shot!”

Yamada: “Turns out we’re the ones who really matter.”

“Sshh!” In that moment of triumph and relaxation, Melba, still falling, suddenly lifted its head and fired an orange flame laced with electricity from its eyes—[Melba Nic Ray].

The strike hit Jet Eagle Two’s wing, forcing Yamada and Kishida to make an emergency landing.

“Severing Melba’s wings and denying it aerial dominance is already good enough—now leave the rest to that guy…” Qi Ming murmured, watching Melba, now grounded like a chicken after losing its wings.

“Qi Ming, Jet Eagle One alone can’t stop them—transform now!” the Star Group shouted.

Qi Ming remained as calm as ever: “Guests follow the host’s lead—let the local master first show some hospitality.”

He was referring, of course, to Seidic Group’s president in Kumamoto City—the genius scientist, Masaki Kyojo.

This man had spent years secretly plotting to obtain Ultraman’s power, aiming to become humanity’s savior.

With his intelligence network, he must have known that the three super-ancient monsters had destroyed the giant statues inside the pyramid.

He, who had hidden two of those statues in Kumamoto’s cave system, would surely respond with fierce resistance.

Gorgon seemed to sense something, crouched down, and began digging.

It had likely located the two statues hidden in the cave and intended to burrow in and wreak havoc.

“Boom!” The next instant, the ground cracked open, and a massive shark emerged from behind Gorgon.

The Earth Shark—[Geozack]—made its appearance.

“Shhh!” It charged forward, its razor-sharp head piercing clean through Gorgon’s waist.

“Roar!” Gorgon bellowed in agony, slamming its right claw hard onto Geozack’s back, but the shark remained unmoved, as if it felt no pain.

“Monster! There’s a monster beneath Kumamoto City—this is its territory!” the Star Group deduced, turning to Qi Ming: “You knew about this?”

Qi Ming: “No—it’s merely an ‘electronic guard dog’ assigned to watch the premises.”

He gently stroked the Ultraman Access Key on his wrist, preparing to draw the life energy of the two super-ancient monsters once Geozack eliminated them.

In the original Ultraman Tiga series, Geozack nearly defeated Tiga in its later stages—defeating half-crippled Gorgon and Melba would be a sure victory.

“Sshh!” Gorgon fired another ultrasonic beam, but Geozack remained completely unaffected.

“Incredible defense!” the Star Group marveled, involuntarily thinking of King Joe.

Qi Ming thought to himself: Of course—it was impervious to Jet Eagle One’s attacks in the original series; only the latest Victory EX-J could barely scratch it.

“Shhh!” Geozack charged again, slicing off Melba’s right wing with its sharp dorsal fin.

After this exchange, the two super-ancient monsters realized the gap in power.

They couldn’t harm their opponent, yet their opponent could easily cripple them—no chance of victory, flee now!

Instantly, Gorgon and Melba fled again.

But Geozack showed no interest in pursuing them.

Qi Ming was stunned: “What’s going on? Why not kill these super-ancient monsters here, when they’re trying to destroy the giant statues? Is Masaki Kyojo planning to guard against thieves for a thousand days?”

The Star Group also warned that if the two monsters escaped, the consequences would be dire—when they returned, countless lives would be lost—and he urged Qi Ming again to transform.

This time, Qi Ming did not refuse.

Though he wondered why Masaki Kyojo had ordered Geozack to stop, the situation was urgent—Gorgon was about to vanish underground.

Qi Ming had no time to overthink—he had to kill these two monsters, even if only to earn Star Credits.

He tapped the Access Key’s button, raising the mechanism, rotating the dial, and the silhouette of Tiga appeared on the screen.

“Pity—I couldn’t save this one Star Credit, but harvesting two low-health targets is still easier.”

Qi Ming pressed his finger onto the dial, depressing the mechanism—intense light erupted within Jet Eagle One’s cockpit.

The next instant, Ultraman Tiga stood tall on the street.

He grabbed Gorgon’s tail and yanked it back, preventing its attempt to burrow underground.

Gorgon turned and saw Tiga—its body trembled violently, eyes wide with terror, desperately struggling to escape Qi Ming’s grip.

On the other side, Geozack, upon seeing Tiga, subtly adjusted its posture, its blue pupils fixed on Tiga’s back.

“Ultraman…” Shigenobu Ryu, who had landed on the rooftop via parachute, stared at Tiga’s figure, his expression complex.

“Great! The Pyramid Ultraman has appeared—we can rest easy now!” Yamada grinned, stepping out of Jet Eagle Two.

“It’s Ultraman Tiga,” Emi corrected over the comms.

“Are you two alright?” Nami Nishijo asked Kishida and Yamada.

Yamada laughed: “We’re fine—full of energy.”

Qi Ming beside them: “...”

With his abilities, dealing with two super-ancient monsters barely able to stand was child’s play.

He swept his leg, knocking them down, then unleashed the Zepellion Beam as they struggled to rise.

“Boom!” “Boom!”

Both exploded—two green lights were drawn into the Access Key on Qi Ming’s wrist.

Just [C]-rank… he was slightly disappointed.

[Access/Convert].

[Access/Convert].

Qi Ming was about to select [Convert], but suddenly remembered something—he chose [Access] for both.

The main interface changed.

Star Credits: 1.

Amplification: 6/10.

What was this “amplification”?

“Sshh!” The next instant, Geozack, which had just settled into stillness, fired a pale blue energy beam from its snout, striking Tiga’s back.

“I knew you couldn’t resist attacking me,” Qi Ming, prepared, sensed the movement and sidestepped instantly.

Geozack’s beam missed, obliterating the building behind Tiga.

Shigenobu Ryu’s eyes widened.

(End of Chapter)