"Huh? Oh…" He stopped mid-sentence.
Just like one of those serialized novels that always cuts off at the most critical moment, leaving readers grinding their teeth in frustration.
Even Daigo, who held immense respect for Su Mo, couldn't help but be a little speechless.
Still, Su Mo was his superior. Orders were orders—he had no choice but to obey.
At that moment, the other members of the Victory Team arrived and stepped into the pyramid. They were greeted by the towering stone statues of the giants within.
Before anyone could even react in awe, an urgent message came in from HQ.
The monsters Golza and Melba had crossed half the globe and were now closing in on the pyramid!
The team quickly evacuated.
Just as they entered the Victory Swallow Jet, the two monsters appeared at the base of the pyramid.
Golza, using the horn on its head, unleashed a purple energy beam.
In a matter of moments, half the pyramid was reduced to rubble. The two giant statues inside were now fully exposed.
Shinjoh, Rena, and Horii took to the skies in their jet, circling above to try and divert the monsters' attention.
Meanwhile—
The other Victory Swallow Jet, which was supposed to carry both Daigo and Su Mo, remained grounded.
Su Mo had refused to board. Instead, he chose to stay hidden in the surrounding forest.
"Chief…"
Daigo tried to persuade him.
With monsters incoming, staying on the ground was extremely dangerous. One stray blast could easily cost Su Mo his life.
Sure, the jets weren't invincible, but at least they gave you a fighting chance.
"No need to convince me," Su Mo replied calmly. "My staying here is directly tied to awakening the giants."
That one sentence was enough to shut Daigo up.
Besides, Su Mo had absolutely no desire to be a passenger in a jet piloted by Daigo.
After all, in the original timeline, Daigo had crashed more Victory Swallow Jets than anyone—by the dozens.
If the cost of those jets weren't all covered by government funding, Daigo would be in debt for several lifetimes.
"…Alright."
With Su Mo resolute, Daigo had no choice but to comply.
He took to the skies alone in the Victory Swallow Jet.
By now, Golza had finished leveling the pyramid.
The two monsters, driven by a deep, burning hatred, were about to destroy the exposed stone statues once and for all.
Daigo's eyes went wide with fury as he witnessed the scene.
Then—
A sudden message crackled through his private comms, coming directly from Su Mo.
"Daigo. No matter what it takes… don't let those monsters destroy the statues!"
"Yes, sir!"
Daigo shouted his reply, immediately diving into action.
He fired off two laser blasts, both striking the monsters squarely and drawing their attention.
Boom!
Oddly enough, even though the monsters hadn't landed a hit yet, the tail of Daigo's jet suddenly exploded. Red warning lights flared across the cockpit's HUD.
Just as Daigo was preparing to eject, Su Mo's voice echoed again through the comms.
"The way to awaken the giant… is for Daigo to become the light!"
Daigo froze.
In the next instant, he felt it—an overwhelming wave of brilliance.
His body… it felt as though it was transforming into pure light.
Warm, radiant, transcendent.
And then—
That beam of light shot straight into the forehead of one of the stone giants.
A giant, bathed entirely in red, had awakened!
Seeing this, the Victory team members who had been worried about Daigo and Su Mo's safety couldn't help but cheer out loud.
Not far away, Su Mo wore a satisfied smile.
"As expected, for Daigo to transform into Ultraman, it looks like sacrificing a Victory Wing jet as an offering is necessary!"
He joked like that, then glanced over at Daigo's transformed Ultraman form.
"Hm, Daigo's Ultraman isn't as cool-looking as my Tiga."
Only Su Mo would care about something like that at a moment like this.
In truth, the malfunction with the GUTS Wing earlier was caused by Su Mo's magic.
He never intended for Daigo to risk his life. The monsters' beam attacks would certainly miss if Su Mo took control.
Better that way — safer for everyone.
Even if Daigo failed to transform, he could still bail out by parachute.
Thankfully, the plan worked perfectly. Daigo successfully transformed into Ultraman.
Judging by the colors, this new Ultraman was the kind Daigo loved most — the strong, red type.
Thinking about how Daigo often used the red power form of Tiga to fight, Su Mo felt maybe this new Ultraman form suited him even better.
After a brief moment of disorientation post-transformation, as expected, Daigo found himself the target of both monsters, taking a beating to protect the remaining statue.
And now, it was Su Mo's turn to step into the fight.
Bam!
Daigo's Ultraman was struck by Golza's attack, grimacing in pain.
"Damn it!"
Against these two monsters working together, Daigo had no strength left to retaliate.
To shield the statue behind him, he could only take hit after hit.
Ding dong, ding dong!
Even the timer on his chest flashed red.
As Melba circled in the sky, preparing to dive, and Golza charged up for another devastating beam attack aimed to finish Daigo off—
A silver, blinding beam streaked like lightning right past Daigo.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Golza, once a terrifying beast shaking the earth, was pierced directly through the chest by the silver light.
Then, it exploded into pieces, shattered to bits.
Just like when Ultraman Agul first appeared and instantly wiped out the enemies that Ultraman Gaia had been struggling with for so long.
Su Mo's grand entrance was perfectly timed and stylish to the max.
In the blink of an eye, the monster that Daigo couldn't stand up to was completely annihilated.
"Surprise attacks really are sweet," Su Mo thought to himself.
One big move, and the pesky monster was taken out effortlessly.