Ultraman: This Belial only wants to make money.

Chapter 44. To be or not to be, that is the question.

Abbass froze, clutching his forehead, trembling violently, his gaze darting left and right before finally settling on Raeder on the cross.

He seemed to understand everything, and a cry that sounded like a wail burst from his throat, as if he were about to vomit out his soul.

"Rayder...you bastard who betrayed Star Standel!"

Then, Abbas arched his body and shot towards the bound Redel like an arrow, the wind he created causing the corner of Boss Jin's clothes to flutter slightly.

However, the light from the outside was too intense. Even Abbas, an elite warrior, could not withstand it. The light from the white dragon was to Abbas what it was like for a human to be in boiling water. He only managed to dash a few dozen meters before collapsing to the ground.

The silver body emitted thick white smoke, yet it continued to move towards the cross, though it was more like wriggling than moving forward.

"Then you've really misunderstood Redell—he was the first to hear this theory, and his reaction was no less intense than yours."

A foot emerged from the shadows, followed by the entire body stepping out of the darkness. Jin Yi strolled leisurely toward the struggling Abbas.

"Then...how do you know...the coordinates of Standal?"

Abbas murmured, uttering only a few words as if he had used up all his strength, as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

"Because you are warriors, not suicide soldiers, and warriors always have to go home."

Jin Yi's face was covered by a mask, making it impossible to see his expression.

"We found Raeder's spaceship, which contained the coordinates of your home planet, Standel. We believe it's also on your spaceship. If you're so attached to your home, why kidnap Earthlings and force them to leave their home planet...?"

"Well……"

They lost, completely and utterly defeated, with no chance of a comeback.

Abbas's skin was scorched by the intense light, but his heart felt as if it had fallen into the icy seabed. It was not from the pain, but from the fear that made him tremble all over. Only now did he realize that he had failed before he even stepped into this place. Ironically, he only realized this now.

Pulling out the last bit of energy from his body, Abbas arched his body, but this time his target was not Redel on the cross, but Jin Yi, who was right in front of him.

Should he retaliate? Should he drag the person who insulted him down with him to hell?

No, it's not—

Abbas knelt on the ground, his two thick arms tightly hugging Jin Yi's calves. The strange posture resembled a child acting coquettishly towards his father. However, Abbas's size made the scene look particularly comical.

"I beg you, I beg you... please don't..."

"If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?"

Jin Yi sighed, trying to pull his legs out of Abbas's embrace.

"I'm willing to do anything I can... Please, have mercy on my hometown..."

"Willing to do anything? What kind of mindset led you to say such a thing? You're just a pawn at best; can you possibly bear the weight of a planet?"

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, this sentence completely shattered Abbas's linguistic nerves. He could only keep uttering "Forgive us, forgive us" from his mouth, raising and lowering his head like a kowtowing insect, losing his rationality and becoming nothing more than a mechanical action.

This scene is being transmitted simultaneously to all parts of the world via satellite.

All the Earthlings who witnessed this scene felt as if they were in a dream. Without firing a single shot, with just a few casual words, the invaders from distant outer space lowered their heads and begged for their master's forgiveness like dead dogs.

"Why do I feel like I'm dreaming? Who is the villain anyway?"

"Why do I feel a little sorry for this guy?"

"He's pitiful? The invaders are pitiful? Then let me ask you, are the invaders pitiful, or are the victims who are worried about their missing relatives and friends pitiful!"

"If you don't court death, you won't die. Why don't you understand? They brought this on themselves!"

"Ribbit! President White Dragon has insulted aliens! President White Dragon is invincible!"

"President Bailong, we love you so much!"

A flood of comments surged through cyberspace like an avalanche, ranging from attempts to tear aliens to praise President Jin Yi for boosting the prestige of Earthlings. Even Mavis, watching from the shadows, was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of opinions.

"As expected of the boss..."

Mavis stared at the Toei Company logo in the stadium. Jin Yi had surpassed the three years of hard work he had put into Lanmeng Company in just one night.

Looking at Abbas at his feet, Jin Yi understood that it was time for the grand show to come to an end.

"You should be glad that the crime you committed was only kidnapping, and did not endanger the lives of humans on Earth. Humans are magnanimous."

"Release all Earth's citizens, and get out of here with your crushed pride! Savor this devastating defeat, and remember—"

"You have failed because of humanity!"

Jin Yi's words were arrogant and sarcastic, but to Abbas's ears they sounded like heavenly music. The taut spring finally snapped, the mechanical movements stopped, Abbas's vision went black, and he collapsed onto the grass.

At the same time, the camera rises higher and higher, and Abbas's body gradually becomes an invisible dot. The perspective continues to rise until it freezes on the blue Earth.

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"Gurgle..."

Abbas awoke from the darkness.

I'm still alive?!

He tried to move his hands and feet, but even the slightest movement brought on a piercing pain. The pain originated from his skin, which was covered in scars, marking the utter defeat that had occurred.

But no matter what, surviving is a good thing. Abbas breathed a sigh of relief and began to look around at his surroundings.

Is this... inside a spaceship?

In the dim light, Abbas scanned his surroundings. This was not his spaceship, but familiar characters were engraved on the walls of the spaceship, seemingly... the language of Redel?

Have we gotten on a pirate ship?

Having just escaped one danger only to fall into another, his hair stood on end, and he raised his arm in a state of alert.

"Save your energy..."

The door opened silently, revealing Redell's figure.

"This is the darkest room on the spaceship, so please bear with it."

Raeder sighed and sat down directly on the ground, showing no trace of warrior's demeanor.

Abbas, his opponent, had also lost all his strength and slid down the wall.

The two sat facing each other, neither of them speaking.

They seemed to have forgotten each other's identities—not mortal enemies—and also their own identities—not warriors; there were only two weary people sitting there.

After a long while, a voice came from the darkness, and the two began to talk like old friends.

"I miss home." (Ending 1)

--------

"I miss home too."

Do you think our hometown will experience peace like the rest of the world?

"Maybe that day will come, but in any case, let's stop that foolish policy first—"

In any case, the act of sending slave ships to various planets without any concealment will inevitably arouse public anger. If it really offends any advanced civilization, whether it is Redel or Abobbas, when the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

Moreover, the trip to Earth did not only yield humiliation; the theories also inspired the two. If their essence were extracted and used to warn the rulers of both races, Stendel might not be unable to usher in peace, even if it was only temporary.

The two reached a tacit agreement, until the voice of a third person came from the spaceship.

Who is it?

The two looked around nervously, and suddenly a chair appeared in the corner of the room, with a stranger sitting on it.

"No need to be nervous, two warriors from Standel."

The stranger removed his top hat and tipped it to Raeder and Abbas in greeting.

"My name is Dark Lops, and I am a merchant of death weapons."

Boss Jin's alternate account has resurfaced.

"A name I've never heard of before, what's your purpose?"

Redell and Abbots remained vigilant. The person who had managed to board the spaceship without their knowledge was no ordinary individual. Both of them were in poor health, and a fight between them would likely end badly.

These two arch-enemies are now surprisingly sharing a sense of solidarity.

"Don't be nervous, gentlemen—as I said, I am merely a merchant, not an unreasonable robber."

The stranger showed no sign of tension in the face of the two men who had raised their cannons.

"A businessman? Ridiculous! What exactly is your purpose? Speak!"

The two did not believe a word the stranger said.

"Looks like I'll have to provide proof. Oh well... after all, the customer is king."

Darklops sighed, stood up from his chair, picked up his cane beside him, and spoke loudly.

"Then let me show you the Death Weapon Merchant's flagship product—the Dream Beast Squad!"

The cane drew a crack in the void, from which faint sounds and lights emanated. Suddenly, the crack widened, and the image was displayed directly in the eyes of Redel and Abbas.

"This is……"

On the desolate planet, the behemoth slowly opened its eyes, roared at the sky, and then slowly stood up. Its body was as huge as a mountain, and it charged directly at the real mountain peak!

Rocks were pulverized, mountains were smashed through, and sand and stones fell like raindrops. In the dust-swirling fog, the shadows of giant beasts appeared, not just one, but hundreds and thousands—hundreds and thousands of giant beasts, hundreds and thousands of mountains, moving like thunder, rushing towards the horizon, with nothing able to stop them!

"This is the product we, the Death Weapons Merchants, are proud of—the Dream Creator Beast Squad. Are you two satisfied?"

Jin Yi enthusiastically introduced the cloned Gakuma Legion in the video to the two of them. These were just some discarded products from the Mavis cloning experiment. They had lost their most important petrification ability, but their size had become larger and more ferocious. The scene of them charging across the wasteland was very visually impactful. They were very suitable as monster weapons and sold well in the new Ultraman universe.

"Terrifying power..."

Both of them swallowed hard.

This power was indeed beyond the comprehension of Redell and Abbas. While the two races on Standal Star did possess the ability to grow to enormous size, only a few elite warriors could accomplish it, and they were no match for the charge of the behemoth in the video.

"Earth is something that our Death Weapons merchants are determined to obtain. We have been observing it for a long time, and unfortunately, we have also seen your performance."

Darklops shrugged.

"Failure is not terrible, Standelians. You simply lack the right weapon—how about it? Shall we close this deal and take revenge on Earth?"

"Believe me, Earthlings are utterly incapable of withstanding the impact of the Dream Beast Squad. This power is more than enough to allow the Standelians to avenge their humiliation!"

"No--"

Before Abbas could speak, Redel spoke first.

Raeder was slightly luckier than Abbas. After landing on Earth, he met a kind Earthling who was like a mother to him. There was no real evil he committed, and Jin Yi did not make things too difficult for this alien. Hanging him on the cross was simply an overreaction by Raeder.

"We, Standal, have no enmity with Earth. This invasion is Standal's fault, and the so-called insult is only their own fault."

"Thank you very much for your kindness. Please leave, Darklops—"

Redel decisively rejected Jin Yi's suggestion, which disappointed Jin Yi somewhat, but he quickly thought of something, so he smiled and continued.

"In that case, forcing a sale is not the style of a good businessman. However, a good businessman will not miss any business opportunity."

"What does this mean? Didn't we already reject you?"

Abbas also made up his mind and replied in a gruff voice.

"I overlooked one point: the Standelians may not have any enmity with Earthlings, but what about the two of you?"

Jin Yi's eyes darted back and forth between Redel and Abbas, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"You two races seem to be sworn enemies! One is the race of day, the other the race of night. Do you think the hatred between you two races will be so easily extinguished?"

"Imagine, whether it's Redel or Abbas, once they possess the power of the Creation Beasts, annihilating the other side would be no difficult task at all. Isn't that why you came to Earth? To find powerful forces, powerful enough to destroy the enemy!"

"Shut up! Don't try to sow discord between us!"

"Yes... our purpose in returning home is to end the war, not to prolong it!"

The two refused in unison, but Jin Yi could detect a hint of insecurity in their conflicted words.

"Really? That's a real shame."

Darklops sighed.

"Forced sales are not the way of businessmen, but good businessmen will not miss any business opportunities."

Jin Yi snapped his fingers, and two white cards appeared at his fingertips.

Mind link.

"One failure doesn't mean anything. Perhaps your minds haven't recovered from the failure yet. When you two regain your senses, pick up the card, and the Death Weapon Merchant will complete the transaction on time."

The death weapon merchant known as Dark Lops vanished silently from the room, just as silently as he had arrived.

It all seemed like a dream; only the chair and the two business cards on it proved the visitor's presence.

In the dim light, the two people's breathing gradually became heavy.

To take it or not to take it?

Destroying the business card at the same time is choosing the path of peace.

If they pick up the business card at the same time, the war on Standal will rage even more fiercely.

But if one person takes it, but the other doesn't...

To be or not to be, It's a question.

(To be or not to be? That is the question.)

P.S. This chapter has an open ending.

PS2. In the original Kamen Rider series, the Death Weapon Merchant is actually an alternate name for Zaibatsu X.