Chapter Sixteen: The Father of Ultra, Also Known as Cain

The Father of Ultra fixed his gaze scrutinously on Qiao Zhe.
This unknown space was likely a training ground created by this man; he himself had no idea why he had ended up here now.
Still, it was clearly not a suitable place for sparring—what kind of adult would bully a child, let alone one so young?
Yet, at that moment, the Father of Ultra's body moved of its own accord, startling him.
"Hey! Wait a minute!!"
"No matter what sort of training this is, you shouldn't lay a hand on a child!"
Sensing something was amiss, the Father of Ultra cried out in rage, but his words could not escape, and his body did not stop moving.
Kain placed his hand at his waist, infusing his belt with light energy and Ultra telekinesis, searching for something.
"Stop, you bastard!" the Father of Ultra shouted, his voice wild with anger.
With a sharp sound, the Ultimate Blade was drawn, its blade shining with white light!
Seeing this, Qiao Zhe's eyes widened in disbelief.
Seriously, what did I do to deserve having the Ultimate Blade swung at me, a rookie?
In the next instant, Kain raised the glowing Ultimate Blade and brought it down in a powerful vertical slash!
"Are you serious?!" Qiao Zhe blurted out, as his transformation device appeared on his wrist.
A crisp chime rang out—
Silver-white light burst forth!
The tremendous energy of transformation barely managed to block the Ultimate Blade.
But only for a moment—Qiao Zhe was sent flying, crashing to the ground and rolling along the floor.
The vast difference in strength meant his transformation's invincibility lasted only an instant.
Staring at the suddenly transformed silver Ultraman, the Father of Ultra was taken aback.
"He transformed? Has he already evolved? No, it's an Ultraman sharing a body with this human... No, that's not right!"
"But this Ultraman's light—it's the aura of a newborn!"
The Father of Ultra felt bewildered.
In the Land of Light, a newborn is barely half the length of an adult's arm.
He recalled holding Taro as a babe—he knew he wasn't mistaken.
Yet, this Ultraman, whose light marked him as a one-year-old, was so large?
What on earth was this child eating to grow so big?
While he was lost in confusion, his body moved again!
Kain swiftly gathered energy in his palm and unleashed a crescent-shaped energy shot!

Red-white energy bullets came flying—Qiao Zhe quickly rolled aside to dodge, cursing under his breath: "Damn it! Big-Horned Bull, do you have any shame?"
"Going this hard on someone younger than you? I'll go to the Land of Light and tell everyone about this!"
The Father of Ultra froze at the nickname—Big-Horned Bull, who was that supposed to be?
There was no one else here. Then his mind turned to his own prominent horns.
"Wait, is he talking about me?"
Realization dawned, but he didn't take it to heart; instead, a surge of guilt welled up inside him.
Just then, he sensed his body moving again, and a surge of dread filled him: "No! Not even this..."
The two horns atop his head radiated a terrifying power—the true force surged forth!
Kain, lowering his center of gravity, gripped the Ultimate Blade firmly with both hands, his gaze locked on the fleeing Qiao Zhe.
"Stop! Don't use that move!" the Father of Ultra fumed inwardly, but his body acted without his will.
Oblivious to the looming danger behind, Qiao Zhe focused solely on increasing the distance.
He didn't dare attempt flight, not at his current speed and unfamiliarity; with the limits of this arena, he'd likely crash right into the energy barrier, making things even worse.
"No way! Big-Horned Bull is too strong. I need to think of something—come on, think, think, think!"
As he muttered to himself, a flash of light suddenly caught his eye.
In a blur, the Ultimate Blade's light slashed through the air!
"Ow! It hurts, it hurts!" Qiao Zhe was cut clean in two at the waist, a fissure emitting a stream of light particles.
He collapsed, unable to rise.
This scene of an Ultraman being severed at the waist utterly broke the Father of Ultra's composure!
"You little bastard!!!"
Perhaps that instant eruption of pure will allowed him to break through the restriction set by Noah, letting him briefly regain control of his body.
The Ultimate Blade clattered to the ground as the Father of Ultra's eyes filled with horror.
"No, no!"
But he was still silenced.
Realizing he could move, he hurriedly gathered energy, trying to unleash a healing skill.
Yet, the mystical restriction was not so easily overcome; even a burst of will could not sustain it long.
Within moments, he found his body unresponsive once more, his full effort in vain.
Meanwhile, Qiao Zhe kept using Ripple energy to stop the leak of light particles, all the while watching the Father of Ultra's abnormal state.
A plan forming in his mind, he feigned a desperate struggle, crawling forward to grab the Father of Ultra's ankle, his voice weak:
"Mary will be taken by Belial! And Taro isn't your biological son!"
With those words, his head lolled to the side, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he looked thoroughly dead.

The Father of Ultra, fighting to regain control, froze at those words.
He instinctively looked down at Qiao Zhe, shock in his eyes: 'That's nonsense!'
Whether Taro was his biological son, his horns could attest better than anything else.
Even so, seeing Qiao Zhe seemingly dead, the Father of Ultra felt another wave of distress.
His emotional lapse left him vulnerable, and Kain again seized control.
But just then, Qiao Zhe abruptly cancelled his transformation and, with a chime, transformed again!
Silver-white brilliance exploded forth!
At such close range, the glare dazzled Kain, blocking his vision!
Having transformed again, Qiao Zhe repositioned himself, crouching behind Kain, palms pressed together, index and middle fingers extended straight!
"Bet you didn't expect this! This is my real attack route!"
"Ultimate Ripple Secret Technique!"
Golden ripples danced at his fingertips, mingling with the light energy to emit a brilliant glow. He took aim at the Father of Ultra's enormous rear and delivered a full-strength thrust!
"Here comes the Thousand-Year Kill!!!"
A streak of golden light shot forward, striking true and dealing a critical hit!
In that instant, the Father of Ultra felt a wave of searing pain surge through his body; his legs snapped straight as he was sent flying, scattering light particles.
"Ahh!!! You little brat!!!"
He still couldn't control his body, but the pain was all too real.
With a crash, he hit the ground, rolling and convulsing.
In that moment, the Father of Ultra's mind was a whirl of thoughts.
But Kain quickly recovered, sprang up, and, spotting Qiao Zhe launching a flying kick, unleashed Ultra telekinesis!
A crimson energy wave surged forth, suspending Qiao Zhe in midair.
With a wave of his hand, the Ultimate Blade flew back into his grasp, and he struck with a mighty slash!
A blade of energy split Qiao Zhe from head to toe, and he exploded in a thunderous blast.
This time, he was truly cut down—no matter how tough he was, he couldn't survive a second blow from the Ultimate Blade. Fortunately, this kind of death was only simulated.
Back in the real-world hotel, Qiao Zhe abruptly sat up in bed, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
Meanwhile, in another universe—
The Father of Ultra's eyes flashed with clarity, his aura erupting as though awoken from a nightmare. He flung his arms wide!
The desk in front of him was tossed aside, crashing to the floor and scattering documents everywhere.
"Was that... a dream? No! That was definitely not a dream! Damn it!"