Chapter 5: Next ×, Jojo Ultraman √

The radiance faded.

But at this moment, Next’s entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. His Olympian form stretched to sixty meters, as if he’d trained at U40, now nearly as tall as Ultraman Jonias. Beneath the silver battle armor, muscles rippled with a sense of overwhelming power. Yet his stance was somewhat peculiar.

It was clear that Qiao Zhe was controlling the body—and perhaps only he could bring such bizarre poses from the Jojo universe into this world.

Fear of heights was, of course, out of the question.

On the contrary, Qiao Zhe felt better than ever before.

What surprised him even more was that, after enlarging, his Ripple Overdrive had also undergone a qualitative change—perhaps due to the strengthening effect of the will-powered energy of light.

In short, after transforming into Next, Qiao Zhe could still use his own abilities.

The joys and sorrows of people differ.

Here, Qiao Zhe was exhilarated; elsewhere, the situation was quite different.

The Progenitor Aberrant Beast was now somewhat panicked. Sensing the utterly unfamiliar aura emanating from Next, it couldn’t help but subconsciously take two steps back.

A hoarse roar, fierce in appearance but weak within, burst forth.

Perhaps not willing to admit defeat, blue energy gathered at the Progenitor Aberrant Beast’s mouth, and with a sudden flare, it spat a Super Blaze Bomb!

Yet, even as Qiao Zhe was exploring the state of being an Ultraman, he never took his eyes off the Progenitor Aberrant Beast.

After all, it was essential to know all his own skills, so he could link them together in battle.

In the next instant, golden arcs of light sparked across Next’s body—then, with a flash, he vanished!

Ripple Mach Move!

By combining the explosive power of Ripple with the supersonic speed of Mach Movement, he seemed to teleport.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Qiao Zhe’s voice sounded behind his foe: “Hey, big wings, I don’t think you should have such weird things growing on you.”

“But I don’t mind helping you fix that with my Light Blades!”

Hearing the voice behind it, the Progenitor Aberrant Beast was shocked and tried to turn around.

But as the words fell, Next’s twin arms already came slashing down!

Lambda Light Blades—by concentrating energy into the slicing edges on both elbows, he could unleash massive cutting light blades, two at once.

Qiao Zhe wasn’t adept at aerial combat, so naturally he had to eliminate the enemy’s advantage first.

Two crescent-shaped giant blades of light struck fiercely at the Progenitor Aberrant Beast’s back!

A shower of explosions erupted!

The two horns on the Progenitor Aberrant Beast’s back were sliced off as easily as tofu by the twin light blades!

With a dull thud, the beast was sent sprawling forward, crashing to the ground with a guttural howl.

Rolling to its feet, it stared at Next in disbelief.

Not only was the speed enhanced; even his strength had grown tremendously.

It was clear—the stronger the host, the stronger Next would become.

How could an ordinary person compare to Qiao Zhe?

The beast’s hundreds-of-meters-wide wings detached and dissolved into a swarm of panicked crows, scattering into the sky.

Now crawling on all fours like a beast, the Progenitor Aberrant Beast glared at Next, watching as he approached step by step, just about to speak.

But Qiao Zhe spoke first: “Next, you’ll try to distract me and take the chance to launch a sneak attack.”

“How did you become this strong, you bastard?! Nani?!” The beast’s words caught in its throat.

Its prone body froze, unsure whether to move or stay still.

But seeing Next still approaching slowly, seemingly defenseless, it suddenly pounced!

‘Got him!’

Feeling the solid impact of its claws, the Progenitor Aberrant Beast burst into wild laughter: “Hahaha, you bastard! So what if you saw through me? Die! Die! Die!!”

Sparks flew as the beast’s hooked claws struck relentlessly at Next’s chest. For a moment, it looked as if the Progenitor Aberrant Beast had the upper hand.

But the beast failed to notice that Next had only taken two steps back.

That was simply due to the massive weight—tens of thousands of tons—crashing into him, forcing Next to give ground.

In the midst of the flurry of attacks, Next’s hands shot out, seizing the beast’s claws in an iron grip!

“What?!”

Utterly horrified, the beast found it could not break free no matter how hard it struggled. It looked up to see Next’s calm, virtuous gaze just inches away.

White steam rose from Next’s chest as Qiao Zhe’s tranquil voice sounded: “This cat-scratch attack... Could it be—”

“Are you trying to tickle me? Well, even if you’re trying to please me, if you must die, you must die.”

The beast stared at Next, flabbergasted.

A sudden sense of humiliation surged up inside it.

“You bastard!!!”

Just as it was gathering energy in its mouth, ready to fire another Super Blaze Bomb—

Next’s fist crashed down on its snout, cutting the skill off.

At that moment, the Progenitor Aberrant Beast’s mind was still reeling when a silver hand gripped its head, slammed it down with force!

Boom!

“Too weak! Far too weak!” Qiao Zhe declared, as Next raised his silver foot.

The beast had only just been smashed into the ground when a heavy foot stomped down on its head—twice, with all his might.

The force was so great, the beast’s head was embedded deep into the earth.

Was it an illusion? At this moment, Next felt as if he himself looked like a villain.

But remembering Qiao Zhe’s earlier actions, and feeling the pure, righteous energy of light, Next refrained from taking back control of the body.

Someone willing to save a little girl couldn’t have a bad heart, could he?

Maybe his manner was a bit eccentric, but Next didn’t see any real problem. As for the faint trace of darkness in his aura, it hardly mattered.

Whoosh!

A barbed tail sliced through the air toward him!

“Muda! Muda!” Qiao Zhe blurted out Jojo catchphrases instinctively, as Next’s elbow blades gathered energy.

Crescent-shaped light blades shot forth!

The Progenitor Aberrant Beast’s attacking tail was sliced off, flopping on the ground like a lizard’s severed tail.

Before it could scramble to its feet, a silver fist streaked down, trailing afterimages!

Ripple Barrage!

“Muda, muda, muda, muda, muda!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Fists hammered into flesh in a relentless cascade of muffled explosions.

The attack was so fast, the beast seemed to be throttled—unable even to scream.

The nearby buildings shook as if rocked by an earthquake, dirt and stone flying in every direction, a massive crater forming in the earth.

Dust billowed everywhere.

When Next finally stopped, the Progenitor Aberrant Beast lay sprawled in the pit, eyes vacant and gazing skyward.

Its entire body was a bruised, battered mess, pain radiating from every inch—yet it could no longer make a sound.

Seeing his foe so silent, Qiao Zhe couldn’t help but admire the beast’s resilience.

“So you’d rather die than show weakness? In that case, let me grant your wish!”

With that, he clenched his fists, gathering energy.

The Progenitor Aberrant Beast: Damn you!