[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn":3,"chapter-ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-chapter-57":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ultraman Arbitrary Key: Dawn",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2261274,4413,"Chapter 57: 56 Purifying Dark Melphist","ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>The next moment, Melphist leaned forward, pressing his face close to Qi Ming’s, and a crushing force like a bottomless abyss arose spontaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeated the words he had just spoken: “Have you begun to lose faith in this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming steadied himself: “Lose faith? I never had any hope to begin with. But life goes on—you just make do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melphist’s eyes turned red: “Then why not abandon the moral chains binding you and embrace supreme freedom with ease?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was eerie, carrying a power that lured one into corruption, making one unconsciously want to sink into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming was slightly startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red eyes—this is Melphist Erdai !\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it trying to tempt me like it did Goro Maki in the original *Nexus* series, turning me into a Dark Suitbearer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming: “A true world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melphist: “An era where everything changes. A world where only the strong can do as they please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that future of survival of the fittest, you, with your strength, can live happily and fulfill every wish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, Qi Ming fell into brief silence, then let out a low laugh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To describe wanton destruction and world-breaking as so refined and pure—only you could.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fulfill every wish… the being behind you truly has the power to grant my desires.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Dark Melphist stood Dark Zagi, capable of crossing dimensions without effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I refuse,” Qi Ming said bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He longed to return home, but that didn’t mean he’d resort to any means to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself was real—but the people in this world were real too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nagi Nishijo’s coldness, Ryu Aihara’s rage, Yamaguchi’s stubbornness, Megumi’s cleverness…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people had their own joys and sorrows, their own lives, vivid and alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no obligation to sacrifice everything for humanity in this world, nor did they owe him their lives to fulfill his wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fight because of my own moral convictions, not because I want you to owe me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You refuse?” Melphist was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had clearly sensed a flicker of longing in this human just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The thing I love most to do,” Qi Ming’s tone shifted, “is tell those who think they can change my principles—no.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I won’t be polite,” Dark Melphist said, seeing negotiation was over, and moved to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body dissolved into a cloud of black mist, surging toward Qi Ming, seeking to enter through his seven orifices and nine apertures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made things easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! What is this!” The next instant, Dark Melphist, who had just seemed so profound and mysterious, let out a startled cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black mist he had formed quickly retreated, fleeing outward, vanishing in a flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s it? You ran?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the words left his mouth than Qi Ming’s dial rotated, and the main interface changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Star Ci : 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amplification: 6\u002F10.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new seventy-two hours hadn’t passed yet, yet Star Ci  had increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The subtle glances watching me before… must have been Dark Melphist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’ll probably lie low for a while now—I won’t have to worry about being ambushed from behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Dark Melphist gone, the “ghost wall” vanished, and Qi Ming returned smoothly to the ocean base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deputy Captain Nishijo, could you step out for a moment? I’d like to ask you something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming called out to Nishijo, who was Ditou  writing a report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Megumi let out a soft exclamation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa!” Kishida reacted loudly, as if he’d uncovered gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nishijo remained calm, stepping out with Qi Ming in a composed manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a secluded corner, Qi Ming got straight to the point: “You were with TLT before, weren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TLT was the organization in *Nexus* dedicated to discovering, investigating, researching, and eliminating Alien Beings, while also capturing Suitbearers for experiments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, TLT’s headquarters were in North America; Nishijo had originally served there before being “seconded” to TPC.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harm to yourself and others” meant being captured by Memory Police and having your memories erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming gave no reply: “Was there ever someone named ‘Ishihori Mitsuhiko’ in TLT?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nishijo: “I’ve never heard of that person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No? So Dark Zagi never assumed his form and infiltrated TLT?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming: “Have you heard of ‘Goro Maki’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nishijo’s pupils contracted: “How do you know that name? That’s strictly classified!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming replied: “Guess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nishijo: “Is it fortune-telling? Or did you ask Megumi to hack into TLT’s servers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know why you’re asking about him, but TLT has confidentiality rules—internal matters cannot be disclosed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even as Deputy Captain of GUTS, I have no authority to reveal information to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming was not deterred by Nishijo’s rigid demeanor; he spoke slowly: “Today, I encountered something similar to what Maki once faced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His calm tone struck like thunder—Nishijo’s face turned pale: “You… what exactly…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming: “You go first. We exchange information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long internal struggle, Nishijo finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said Maki had been her senior and taught her much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During a previous mission, Maki and she infiltrated a factory; due to special circumstances, they split up, and Maki pushed deeper inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The factory eventually exploded; Maki vanished, and only she escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, he reappeared—alive, but turned traitor, standing against us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming nodded. This matched the original *Nexus* plot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maki had fused with Dark Melphist inside that factory and fallen into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one point puzzled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the first Melphist had been eliminated, the second Melphist had already come for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Dark Zagi, to handle this complex world, chosen to deploy two Dark Melphists simultaneously?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could two Suitbearers exist at once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two masters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Qi Ming fall silent, Nishijo couldn’t help asking: “Alright, your turn—what exactly did you mean by ‘encountered something he once encountered’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ming: “A demon. Maki sold his soul to a demon and fell into darkness. I refused.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be careful—he’ll appear before us sooner or later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nishijo wasn’t satisfied and pressed further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1191,"2026-06-19T16:40:33.318Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c09222286ae7d77cdabd3abbdd967c8ff4366a73d8e711cb8dfc5354377adc21","ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-chapter-58","ultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-chapter-56",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fultraman-arbitrary-key-dawn-cover.jpg"]