Chapter 57: 56 Purifying Dark Melphist

The next moment, Melphist leaned forward, pressing his face close to Qi Ming’s, and a crushing force like a bottomless abyss arose spontaneously.

He repeated the words he had just spoken: “Have you begun to lose faith in this world?”

Qi Ming steadied himself: “Lose faith? I never had any hope to begin with. But life goes on—you just make do.”

Melphist’s eyes turned red: “Then why not abandon the moral chains binding you and embrace supreme freedom with ease?”

His tone was eerie, carrying a power that lured one into corruption, making one unconsciously want to sink into it.

Qi Ming was slightly startled.

Red eyes—this is Melphist Erdai !

Is it trying to tempt me like it did Goro Maki in the original *Nexus* series, turning me into a Dark Suitbearer?

Melphist: “I am the ‘self you’ve always longed for.’ Come—liberate your heart, claim this power that rules all, and forge a true world.”

Qi Ming: “A true world?”

Melphist: “An era where everything changes. A world where only the strong can do as they please.”

“In that future of survival of the fittest, you, with your strength, can live happily and fulfill every wish.”

After listening, Qi Ming fell into brief silence, then let out a low laugh:

“To describe wanton destruction and world-breaking as so refined and pure—only you could.”

“Fulfill every wish… the being behind you truly has the power to grant my desires.”

Behind Dark Melphist stood Dark Zagi, capable of crossing dimensions without effort.

“But I refuse,” Qi Ming said bluntly.

He longed to return home, but that didn’t mean he’d resort to any means to do so.

He himself was real—but the people in this world were real too.

Nagi Nishijo’s coldness, Ryu Aihara’s rage, Yamaguchi’s stubbornness, Megumi’s cleverness…

These people had their own joys and sorrows, their own lives, vivid and alive.

He had no obligation to sacrifice everything for humanity in this world, nor did they owe him their lives to fulfill his wishes.

Everyone was equal.

There was no justification for me to transform, defeat monsters, save this world, and then demand you sacrifice yourselves without complaint—as if I were a god above you.

I fight because of my own moral convictions, not because I want you to owe me.

“You refuse?” Melphist was surprised.

He had clearly sensed a flicker of longing in this human just now.

“The thing I love most to do,” Qi Ming’s tone shifted, “is tell those who think they can change my principles—no.”

“Then I won’t be polite,” Dark Melphist said, seeing negotiation was over, and moved to attack.

His body dissolved into a cloud of black mist, surging toward Qi Ming, seeking to enter through his seven orifices and nine apertures.

Was this… an attempt to forcibly possess his body, turning him into a puppet like Memory Police officer Mitsuhiro Misono from the original *Nexus* series?

That made things easier.

Qi Ming, who had originally planned to transform into Gaia Ultraman, instead lightly tapped the top-left button on his device, activating the “DNA Access” function.

“No! What is this!” The next instant, Dark Melphist, who had just seemed so profound and mysterious, let out a startled cry.

The black mist he had formed quickly retreated, fleeing outward, vanishing in a flash.

“That’s it? You ran?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Qi Ming’s dial rotated, and the main interface changed.

Star Ci : 2.

Amplification: 6/10.

The new seventy-two hours hadn’t passed yet, yet Star Ci had increased.

It seemed that although only a tiny portion of the black mist from Dark Melphist had been absorbed—insufficient even for a single unit of Star Ci , and too corrupted to convert into DNA—the residual energy still granted Qi Ming some gain.

“The subtle glances watching me before… must have been Dark Melphist.”

“He’ll probably lie low for a while now—I won’t have to worry about being ambushed from behind.”

…………………………

With Dark Melphist gone, the “ghost wall” vanished, and Qi Ming returned smoothly to the ocean base.

“Deputy Captain Nishijo, could you step out for a moment? I’d like to ask you something.”

Qi Ming called out to Nishijo, who was Ditou writing a report.

“Huh?” Megumi let out a soft exclamation.

“Whoa!” Kishida reacted loudly, as if he’d uncovered gossip.

Nishijo remained calm, stepping out with Qi Ming in a composed manner.

In a secluded corner, Qi Ming got straight to the point: “You were with TLT before, weren’t you?”

TLT was the organization in *Nexus* dedicated to discovering, investigating, researching, and eliminating Alien Beings, while also capturing Suitbearers for experiments.

In this world, TLT’s headquarters were in North America; Nishijo had originally served there before being “seconded” to TPC.

Nishijo looked surprised: “I don’t know how you found out, but I’ll give you one piece of advice—don’t speak of this organization lightly, or you’ll only bring harm to yourself and others.”

“Harm to yourself and others” meant being captured by Memory Police and having your memories erased.

Qi Ming gave no reply: “Was there ever someone named ‘Ishihori Mitsuhiko’ in TLT?”

Nishijo: “I’ve never heard of that person.”

No? So Dark Zagi never assumed his form and infiltrated TLT?

Qi Ming: “Have you heard of ‘Goro Maki’?”

Nishijo’s pupils contracted: “How do you know that name? That’s strictly classified!”

Qi Ming replied: “Guess.”

Nishijo: “Is it fortune-telling? Or did you ask Megumi to hack into TLT’s servers?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking about him, but TLT has confidentiality rules—internal matters cannot be disclosed.”

“Even as Deputy Captain of GUTS, I have no authority to reveal information to you.”

Qi Ming was not deterred by Nishijo’s rigid demeanor; he spoke slowly: “Today, I encountered something similar to what Maki once faced.”

His calm tone struck like thunder—Nishijo’s face turned pale: “You… what exactly…?”

Qi Ming: “You go first. We exchange information.”

After a long internal struggle, Nishijo finally spoke.

She said Maki had been her senior and taught her much.

During a previous mission, Maki and she infiltrated a factory; due to special circumstances, they split up, and Maki pushed deeper inside.

The factory eventually exploded; Maki vanished, and only she escaped.

“Later, he reappeared—alive, but turned traitor, standing against us.”

Qi Ming nodded. This matched the original *Nexus* plot.

Maki had fused with Dark Melphist inside that factory and fallen into darkness.

But one point puzzled him.

Before the first Melphist had been eliminated, the second Melphist had already come for him.

Had Dark Zagi, to handle this complex world, chosen to deploy two Dark Melphists simultaneously?

Could two Suitbearers exist at once?

Two masters?

Seeing Qi Ming fall silent, Nishijo couldn’t help asking: “Alright, your turn—what exactly did you mean by ‘encountered something he once encountered’?”

Qi Ming: “A demon. Maki sold his soul to a demon and fell into darkness. I refused.”

“Be careful—he’ll appear before us sooner or later.”

Nishijo wasn’t satisfied and pressed further.

But Qi Ming had nothing more to say. The situation was growing more complex; the changes this “breeding ground” world would bring were beyond even his prediction.

(End of Chapter)