Seeing this, Daigo and the other two hurriedly followed.
"Muzui! A Level 4 alert is now in effect. Dispatch a Guts Wing to the K1 district. Rena, pull up the feed from the K1 district," Megumi Iruma said the moment she stepped into the Command Center.
"Shinjo, please head to the K1 district."
Rena quickly stepped up to the console and brought the live feed of the K1 district up on the main screen.
Suddenly, a flash of white light burst from a building on screen. Instantly, all the windows shattered as violent flames surged outward, and with a deafening explosion, the entire building collapsed.
"Good grief, that's some serious firepower!" exclaimed Hori, who happened to witness the scene. The two of them had watched the explosion unfold right before their eyes.
"It looks like there were a lot of people inside that building. The casualties are going to be catastrophic!" Shinjo reported.
Everyone in the Command Room was stunned by the sight. Xiao Luuo knew the plot details, but seeing it happen in person still sent a shock through his heart.
"Muzui, use the surveillance satellites to trace the direction the attack came from," Megumi Iruma instructed, then lowered her head at her desk, looking deeply guilty. Seemingly struck by a sudden thought, she quickly left the Command Room.
Megumi Iruma returned to her private quarters, gently picked up a photograph bearing a cracked surface, and walked over to the fingerprint scanner. "Metropolitan Police, please verify this fingerprint," she said. Information on the owner appeared almost immediately.
————————————————
Just then, Yoshioka walked slowly into the Command Room, holding a folding fan, and looked at the Guts members. "What on earth caused the explosion? Have you figured it out yet?"
"We are currently investigating the enemy's attack pattern," Vice Captain Munakata replied immediately, his eyes locked firmly on him, clearly showing his disdain for Yoshioka's methods.
"You still have time to investigate patterns? If you don't launch a counterattack immediately, there will be even more casualties!" Yoshioka brushed past Munakata, snapping at them.
At that moment, Xiao Luuo slammed his hand on the table and stood up, glaring angrily at Yoshioka. "Give me a target, dammit, and I'll go take him down right now! You don't even know where the enemy is, what the hell are you planning to counterattack? The opponent is an alien, not an Earthling! If we don't investigate properly, we'll all end up dying. Use that pig brain of yours and think!"
Daigo rushed over to hold Xiao Luuo back, offering him a quiet word of comfort.
"Hah! So you're the so-called biologist? You have no right to lecture me!" Yoshioka sneered dismissively.
"Calm down, Xiao Luuo."
Just as he was about to retort, Xiao Luuo heard Munakata speak and saw him give a slight shake of his head, so he let the matter drop.
Yoshioka took that moment to leave the Command Room.
Shortly after he left, Xiao Luuo walked out as well.
"Where are you going?" Daigo asked in a hurry.
"Just clearing my head."
With that, he left the area. Naturally, knowing where Megumi Iruma was headed, Xiao Luuo went straight to stake out her destination.
Seeing this, Daigo followed after him.
By this time, Megumi Iruma had already arrived at the building where Mitsuo Tabata lived.
She checked the address from the records and headed straight upstairs.
Finding Mitsuo Tabata's apartment, she was surprised to find the door unlocked. After a moment of thought, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, holding her Hyper Gun. A thorough search of the place revealed no one was home.
She walked over to the computer, activated her ID on her communicator, and said, "Initialize system. TPC Code 00261, Guts Captain Megumi Iruma."
The computer terminal in front of her logged into the metropolitan security system.
"Welcome to the Metropolitan Security System."
"I want to know the whereabouts of this apartment's owner," Megumi Iruma asked directly.
"The apartment owner is Mitsuo Tabata. His records have not been updated in three years."
"Why?"
"Because his vital signs ceased three years ago!"
Megumi Iruma was startled by the revelation. At that exact moment, a noise sounded from behind her. She swiftly drew her weapon and spun around.
"Who's there?" Megumi Iruma demanded, gripping her Hyper Gun.
Standing before her was a shimmering blue, spectral figure!
"So you're a Cyriloid!" Megumi Iruma realized with a start.
A bolt of energy from the Cyriloid knocked the gun right out of Megumi Iruma's hand. Following up with a few more blasts that drove her back, the creature slammed her hard against the wall, holding her fast!
"Why did you target me?" Megumi Iruma gasped for air.
"Because you acknowledged that creature's existence!" the Cyriloid said as it shifted into human form.
"What creature?"
"We arrived on Earth long before him, yet he somehow became Earth's guardian deity," Mitsuo Tabata said, venting his anger by slamming his fists against the desk twice.
"Are you talking about Ultraman Tiga?"
"That's the one."
Before Mitsuo Tabata even finished speaking, a Hyper Gun blast struck him, though it had no effect whatsoever.
"Who's there?" Mitsuo Tabata glared toward the doorway.
Another beam from a Hyper Gun struck home. Mitsuo Tabata instantly transformed back into his blue Cyriloid form, raised a hand to deflect the blast, and vanished into thin air.
"Captain! Are you alright?" Xiao Luuo and Daigo rushed in together.
"Agent Daigo? Agent Xiao Luuo? Why are you here?" Megumi Iruma dropped to the floor as the force holding her dissipated.
"Didn't you say single-agent operations were forbidden?" Daigo asked.
"I will now deliver your final prophecy," echoed a voice from the air.
"Final?" Daigo demanded.
"That's right. The final prophecy you will ever live to hear. Sacred flames will burn away all impurities, and this place is next!"
Xiao Luuo helped Megumi Iruma to her feet while Daigo used the building's emergency broadcast system. "Attention residents, please evacuate immediately. This building is at high risk of an explosion."
After making the announcement, Daigo reported the situation to Munakata.
"Understood. I leave the Captain in your hands." Munakata then turned to Muzui. "How much of our equipment is still operational?"
"I'm not sure yet, but it looks like only electromagnetic waves can reach underground!"
"Hori, equip the microwave cannon onto Guts Wing 1. Shinjo, pilot Guts Wing 1. Rena and Hori, pilot Guts Wing 2 and provide backup for Shinjo!"
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, inside the building.
"Agent Daigo, go help evacuate the civilians. Leave the Captain to me," Xiao Luuo told Daigo.
"I'm counting on you to take care of the Captain!" With that, Daigo ran downstairs to start clearing out the residents.
In the aircraft, Shinjo received the enemy's coordinates from Hori.
"We only get one shot at this!" Hori warned.
"Daigo, I'm counting on you!" Shinjo muttered to himself. Since he was the one firing the weapon, naturally he was the most nervous of all.
"Evacuation complete!" Daigo reported over the communicator, completely forgetting that Megumi Iruma and Xiao Luuo were still inside the building.
"Awesome!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
At that moment, Xiao Luuo was supporting Megumi Iruma as they fled from the building—a scene Daigo happened to witness just in time.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One! Fire!"
At the very last second, Daigo transformed into Ultraman Tiga by a hair's breadth, scooped up Xiao Luuo and the Captain, and set them down safely to one side.
"Who is that person over there?" Hori asked, staring at the figure standing before Ultraman Tiga.
"Ultraman Tiga! I've been waiting for you! So you want to be the guardian deity of this Earth, do you? Don't you think that's laughable? Long before your giant body ever showed up, the people of this Earth were waiting for the Cyriloids to lead them! Your existence is completely unnecessary! Let me show you the true face of our wrath—the wrath of the Cyriloids!" With that, accompanied by a flash of red light, a gigantic figure appeared—none other than the Cyriloid!
The two combatants immediately locked in a fierce brawl!
Hori and the others landed their craft and ran over to the Captain's side, since the Guts Wing they were flying carried no weaponry this time.
"Captain!" The three of them rushed to Megumi Iruma and Xiao Luuo.
At that exact moment, a voice rang out in Xiao Luuo's mind.
"Ding! Defeated the three Cyriloid human forms. Reward: 100 points, one Ultraman lottery spin."
"Ding! Defeated the Cyriloid. Reward: 100 points, and an upgrade to the Battle Niser!"