Chapter 26: Me? I am Zoffy

In the New Ultraman Universe, science is held in the highest regard. Lepia belongs to the denizens of the Planet of Light. Here, however, the Planet of Light is entirely different from the Land of Light. To draw a comparison, the Planet of Light is akin to the Derassion—a force of absolute fairness and impartial judgement.

For aliens to grow gigantic, they harness the material energies found throughout the universe. In the Ultraman Universe, though, Ultramen grow by channeling a more metaphysical light energy. There is a complete transformation between their ordinary state and their transformed state.

Mephilas was the first to sense the ripple of energy within Jojo. The towering silver giant before him left Mephilas speechless with shock, yet there was also a feeling of familiarity. Jojo’s body, though armored, still bore the features of an Ultraman. Especially his facial contours—Mephilas’s mind instantly leapt to the people of the Planet of Light. The only difference was that the denizens of the Planet of Light tended to have smooth bodies, so he could not be certain at first. Yet, when Jojo moved, the certainty settled in his heart.

“Mephilas, your fate is in my hands now!”

Jojo raised both hands, aligning them before his chest, where his energy core glowed. He began to compress and spin the Specium energy. In the next moment, his right arm swept up, and a shining white disc materialized, spinning rapidly in his palm. With a single motion, he flung it at Mephilas.

The Octagonal Light Wheel tore through the air, its spinning edge capable of slicing through almost anything, but for Mephilas, it was no threat. With a casual movement, he intercepted the wheel, deflecting it to the side. The high-speed disc carved a long fissure into the ground where it landed.

This attack cemented Mephilas’s suspicion that Jojo was from the Planet of Light. His tone was full of confusion: “Denizen of the Planet of Light, I have not violated any galactic law. Even if you are a judge, that is no reason to attack me without cause!”

Mephilas’s anger was evident. As he spoke, both fists extended and clashed together, unleashing a surge of golden, lightning-like energy. The speed was so great that Jojo was hit in the chest before he could react, reeling from the impact but otherwise unharmed.

“Weak! Pathetically weak!” Jojo grabbed hold of the energy beam with both hands and slammed it into the ground. The current sizzled against the earth—Mephilas had only intended this as a feint, and now leapt forward, closing the distance.

Yet as he soared, arms and legs spread wide, his posture exposed all his weaknesses to Jojo. “Too slow! Much too slow!” Before Mephilas could land, Jojo lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick.

With a heavy thud, Mephilas was sent flying. He crashed to the ground and rolled in a tangle of limbs. Jojo watched, puzzled. “Your combat technique is absolutely abysmal! How can you be so open to attack?”

Still, the fact that Mephilas had batted aside the Octagonal Light Wheel with his bare hand testified to his astonishing resilience. That kick just now didn’t seem to do much harm.

“Forgive my poor showing,” Mephilas replied, rising to his feet and fixing Jojo with a look. “As a formidable opponent, may I know your name?”

He intended to report this to the Planet of Light! Mephilas secretly thought to himself; after all, he didn’t believe he was truly in danger after measuring Jojo’s power.

Jojo, for his part, had already discerned that this Mephilas hailed from another universe. But why did their Land of Light bear the name Planet of Light? He decided to probe further. “My name is Zoffy,” he said smoothly.

“There’s no need to lie,” Mephilas replied at once. “I’ve met Zoffy; you can’t fool me.”

Jojo now understood: their Planet of Light also had a Zoffy.

“Ah, you’ve caught me,” he said lightly. Unperturbed, he began gathering energy at his wrists. “Mephilas, what do you say to settling this in a single move?”

“Is that so…” Mephilas hesitated, realizing Jojo was already gathering power. “Very well, I was thinking the same.”

Their eyes locked. Jojo’s hands suddenly formed a cross, unleashing the Specium Ray. At the same time, Mephilas raised a fist and gathered all his energy into it, releasing an even more powerful lightning beam.

Golden current clashed with the blue-white Specium Ray, neither side giving ground. In terms of energy, aliens from the New Ultra Universe, after enlarging themselves with the Beta Device, had nearly unlimited material energy—so Mephilas could pour all his power into his attack without fear of depletion.

Feeling the strength of the energy beam, Mephilas was surprised—he might actually win! The Specium Ray lacked its characteristic rainbow hue; clearly, Jojo hadn’t managed to muster his full strength in time. The current beam started to overwhelm the Specium Ray, and Mephilas relaxed.

Maintaining his attack, he advanced step by step. “You’re quite an interesting fellow. I’d love to know your real name, but I’m afraid I must take my leave. Your Specium energy can’t match mine; just as with the Octagonal Light Wheel, it’s far too easy to deal with. Do you really think you can defeat me under these circumstances, denizen of the Planet of Light?”

Mephilas steadily closed in, the Specium Ray forced back to just in front of Jojo’s palm. His words were laced with smug contempt.

But at that very moment, Jojo, seeing that his beam was about to be overpowered, abruptly ceased fire and reached out with a massive hand. He seized Mephilas’s fist, forcibly cutting off the current attack.

“What!?” Mephilas cried in shock, but before he could react, his body was hoisted into the air. Jojo grabbed both his arms and slammed him to the ground with a thunderous crash. Knowing how durable Mephilas was, Jojo seized his ankle and smashed him into the ground again and again.

Crash! Crash! Crash! The earth cracked beneath the onslaught. Mephilas’s entire body screamed in agony, and he howled in pain.

When Jojo finally stopped, Mephilas lay dazed and powerless. Seeing that his adversary had lost all will to resist, Jojo relaxed at last. Energy swirled again at his wrists as he spoke in his signature style, “You’re not going anywhere now.”

“Denizen of the Planet of Light! You fiend!” Mephilas tried to struggle, but the pain in his body was unbearable—he couldn’t even stand.

As Jojo’s energy peaked, Mephilas felt a surge of fear. “What is this power? How can this be!” Clearly, Jojo had succeeded in gathering nearly all his strength this time.

With a sharp clash of his wrists, Jojo unleashed a radiant, rainbow-hued Specium Ray.

“Argh!” Mephilas screamed in terror, but the fatal sensation he anticipated did not come. His cries died away.

Having mastered the Octagonal Light Wheel and the Rainbow Specium Ray, Jojo’s training was complete. Still shaken, Mephilas felt his body and gasped, “I’m… not dead? What just happened?”

He glanced around; the familiar scenery swam into view, leaving him disoriented. “Was it all a dream? No, it felt so real!”

Growing angrier the more he thought about it, Mephilas raised his hand and summoned a virtual screen, transmitting his memory recording. “That wretched denizen of the Planet of Light! Openly defying galactic law! I’ll let the whole universe know!”