Author: Matthew Williams | Banner: Dao Zang Moua

“Now tell me, my love,” Dr. Malik spoke to his wife, “Is this what you envisioned? You and I, relaxed as my creations do the work of what we have longed for?”

“Yes, it’s all I ever wanted,” Lucretia replied. “But what’s more important is that I’m happy to see you get what you desired.”

“And I bet McKenzie never knew what even hit him,” Malik chuckled as he sipped on his champagne, enjoying his time watching the screen that displayed the hidden underwater city, Latitude Zero.

As for what Malik had dreamt of, the city was put into his hands the moment a happenstance meteorite collided with the barrier that protected it, shattering it with immense force. The force field, under normal conditions, would have prevented anything from entering Latitude Zero and was the only thing that kept Dr. Malik from entering the hidden paradise. In addition, the weather in the sanctuary went from the usual warm, sunny day to an unexpected snowy blizzard. Nobody was able to give an explanation on why it was happening. Not expecting that such a fortune would fall in his favor and not wanting to question it, the good doctor took this opportunity to attack. He deployed the Black Shark to invade the peaceful city that held the knowledge and wealth he yearned for. The submarine sailed through the water’s surface and fired its laser cannon, easily decimating the longstanding structures. While precautionary measures were taken from within Latitude Zero, Malik ensured that nobody would be safe. The Black Shark released a huge swarm of the mad scientist’s hideous creations.

People were pounced and pinned to the concrete as they were horrifically gnawed on by oversized rats that were about as tall as the average person. Some of them were swooped into the air by Malik’s second most intelligent creation, the Bat People; heavily modified human hybrids with the fur, the muzzle, and the winged forelimbs of a bat. The deformed mammalian monstrosities carried anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in their talons, where they soon dropped them to their deaths. The mammalian horrors continued to follow Malik’s order: to kill anyone and anything that they saw in this paradise.

Then there was Malik’s ultimate monster servant, a creation that cost the life of Kroiga, the previous captain of the Black Shark. But the doctor had little interest in her and had many other henchmen worthy for piloting the submarine. But it was mostly for the better for his love relationship with Lucretia, who despised Kroiga for having romantic feelings for the man she cared for. With her disposed, Malik had used Kroiga’s brain to create an intelligent creature. One that had the body of a lion and the wings and legs of the largest condors he could capture. Derived from the kanji of Kroiga’s name, Malik called his griffon creation Black Moth.

A loud cry was heard from Black Moth as her wings glided her through the air. The chimera used her frontal talons when she slammed into a building, swiping at the structures as they crumbled away. The griffon glared at the civilians that cowered before her, pouncing on them as her forearms crushed them. She noticed some of the inhabitants in golden suits flying toward her with their jetpacks, where they bravely tried to fend her off by using their glove-mounted weapons that ranged from flamethrowers to lasers. Although she backed away at first, Black Moth swiped each one out of the sky, with several of the bat people swooping in to assist.

As the horrible beings savagely slaughtered Black Moth’s attackers, the griffon growled in fury. Not because of her savage nature or the sudden snowstorm that was blowing. While she appeared to be a beast, the mind and heart of Kroiga still remained. She had done everything for Malik, even with the strongest urge to marry him. But after what he did, her love for the doctor turned into a vengeful hatred to him. She hated everything about him, but she loathed Lucretia even more. If she were standing there, Kroiga would have ensured her death would be slow and terrifying. But the good doctor figured she would try to revolt against them. During the operation, he surgically inserted a communication device that doubled as shock treatment should she ever try to defy her creator’s commands. Kroiga learned this the hard way when she tried to murder Lucretia, which almost cost her life after barely surviving the powerful shocks. With no way to have her vengeance without risking death, the reincarnated Kroiga was doomed to being an abused pet for the madman that turned her into a monster, a tool to crush those who stood in Malik’s way.

Craig McKenzie was siding with Ken Tashiro and Jules Masson, where they too were in their golden suits to combat the invaders.

“How many of these things did Malik create? And not even the snow is slowing them down!” Tashiro cried out, spraying flames out of his fingertips at the swarm of rats.

Before either McKenzie or Jules could say anything, Black Moth landed on the ground near them with a heavy thud. They looked up at the tall griffon that stood over them, who gave the loudest roar of a lion that could have been heard. They all quickly activated their jetpack to fly straight up, just in the nick of time before Black Moth could crush the three with her talons.

A loud growl, from a different source, was heard from afar that caught Black Moth’s attention. McKenzie look at the direction that she was looking at and saw the large facility breaking apart as another large creature emerged. It was one that he was most familiar with. A creature he had found abandoned and had built a large enclosure facility to raise him.

“Daigoro! He’s escaped!” Jules shouted.

Daigoro shivered up and sneezed. He too was feeling cold from this snowy weather. But unlike everyone else, sans Malik’s creations, he wasn’t bothered that much by the low temperatures. He marched his way toward Black Moth as he began to hop up and down in a childish manner to try to look tougher than the feral animal that he was facing against. Even as an adolescent, he tried to intimidate Black Moth. If this led to a fight, then he would be confident to do so. The winged lion gave another loud roar again, which made Daigoro whimper and cower a little. But that didn’t last long as the giant mammalian responded with a rumbling growl.

“We have to go, it’s not gonna be safe if they’re gonna fight!” ordered McKenzie.

“But what about Daigoro? He doesn’t even know how to fight!” Jules said concerned, worried about what was going to happen. But he had no other choice but to fly away with them when they noticed several bat people flying toward them.

“That’s by far the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen,” said Lucretia in disgust by Daigoro’s appearance. It reminded her of hippos, her most hated animal.

“Well by the looks of it, it doesn’t seem to have a clue of how to fight in properly,” said Malik, having another sip of his champagne. “Think we should give our pet a test to see how powerful she is, darling?”

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t,” Lucretia answered, grinning along with her husband, who then gave his pet her next order.

“Sick’em, Black Moth.”

Black Moth roared again when she charged, running on all fours, then lashed out with her talons. Daigoro shrieked when he felt the sharp talons raking across his soft hide as he backed away. Kroiga snarled when she slashed again, but the hippopotamus-like beast struck back by punching her nostrils, having her back away. Daigoro growled as he began pummeling the lion with his fists, striking her as hard as he could. This only annoyed Black Moth as she quickly snapped at the adolescent’s right wrist. Daigoro squealed when he tried to unhinge the jaws with his other hand, but this made the chimera shake her head to tear the arm like a rabid dog. Daigoro’s remaining hand scooped up a pile of snow, grunting when he slammed it on the griffon’s eye, which did the trick as she released his wrist.

Black Moth shook her head as she howled loudly, rubbing the snow off her eye. Daigoro’s bitten wrist bled out a little as he felt it numb ever so slightly, but thankfully it was in good condition. Pounding on his bloated belly, Daigoro moved closer to grab Kroiga’s neck and tugged on her mane. The wings of man-made griffon flapped as she slashed the leg of Latitude Zero’s only hope. Daigoro cried out when he let go, backing away as he fell on the snow, rubbing the bloody cut on his thigh. Black Moth lunged in for the attack, toppling on the mammalian as she cut into his soft hide.

Daigoro whimpered as he tried to defend himself, but the only thing he could protect was his own neck and face. He felt the lion viciously cutting his arms and belly, only to then grab Kroiga’s left forelimb. Malik’s pawn used her other claw to slash at the bipedal hippo, but Daigoro opened his maw and chomped down the moment it went straight for his jugular. Agonizing cries came out of the winged feline, even though her enemy had little to no experience in combat, the bite he gave was just as painful as hers. Daigoro managed to push his enemy off of him, standing up as he held onto his toothy grip. Black Moth struck him with the only thing that was free, her wing. Daigoro flinched from the gust he felt on his head, but he pushed the feline with his might, forcing Kroiga to strike him several times with her feathered forelimbs. Finally, after striking his head for the fourth time, she felt her frontal legs become free. Daigoro cried out as his head ached from the blows he took from the wings, and then felt a powerful swipe across his face when Black Moth made her next move.

Daigoro cried out when he staggered back. Not wanting to feel chicken, Daigoro cut his cowardice and slammed his foot down as he cried out a valorous growl. Kroiga used her wings to fly, making a beeline toward her prey. Daigoro’s bravery reverted back to cowardice when he saw the lion’s frightening expression. He accidentally tripped and fell flat on his bum, and could only watch as Black Moth flew by, passing over as her talons failed to reach him.

As Daigoro recovered, Black Moth circled him from a distance and waited for an opening to strike. The hippopotamus beast watched her movement carefully. This time, he would try not to let his fears best him. As he eyed on her, his nostrils flared. Kroiga made her move and flew directly at the young monster. Daigoro jumped high in the air, prepared to body slam against the flying lion. Instead, he missed and crashed against a tall building that toppled on him.

McKenzie, Tashiro, and Jules watched as the hungry kaiju cried out, pelted by falling debris that buried most of him. Only his head and limbs stuck out of the rubble.

“Damnit, I knew this wouldn’t turn out well!” Jules shouted as he saw Daigoro weakly pull himself to his feet.

“The poor thing has no experience in fighting…” Tashiro pitied, imagining how painful it was for the young kaiju.

Daigoro patted and shook the snow and dirt off of his body. He looked around and noticed the Black Shark to his right, situated at a spot where he was closer to the sea. Suddenly, Kroiga flew in from behind and slammed her frontal claws on the child from the left. Daigoro fell on the snow-covered ground again, pinned by the winged feline.

Malik and Lucretia watched the screen as Black Moth savagely slammed her frontal limbs on the pinned Daigoro. Neither of them felt any regret watching the child’s suffering, treating it as mere entertainment. With every successive strike, the infant’s thrashing slowed. Jules, watching from afar, covered his eyes; he couldn’t watch this sadistic violence any longer.

Black Moth growled as she stared at the battered Daigoro, who whimpered painfully as he tried to get up. But his muscles ached from the pain, his blood painted the snow from beneath. Deciding that enough was enough, Black Moth readied her claws, to slit her prey’s throat.

But she came to a halt when the freezing sea suddenly erupted. A silhouette burst out of it within seconds and flew in, catching Black Moth off guard. The figure collided with the beast, Black Moth barely getting the chance to get glimpse on whoever grabbed her. The two rolled across the pavement before they released her. The stranger was the first to recover on their feet in an instant. Kroiga shook her head as she slowly got up, growling at whoever her attacker was.

McKenzie, Tashiro, and Jules were able to glimpse at Daigoro’s savior amidst their conflict with the bat people and the giant rats; they appeared as a humanoid giant with red and silver streaks uniform to their body.

“Could it be…?” Jules uttered in disbelief. “That’s Ultraman!”

“You mean… one of the heroes that saved humanity from above?” McKenzie asked. Jules nodded to him in response.

“There’s something off about him. His head looks completely different, and I don’t remember those shoulder pads,” remarked Tashiro.

“But the question is, how did he discover the entry way to this place?” McKenzie wondered.

“That, I dunno how to answer. But what I do hope is that he’s here to save us all from Malik’s swarm,” Tashiro answered.

“But still, what about Daigoro?!” Jules questioned, still worried about the young hapless monster, lying in the snow covering his wounds.

“Unless this weather clears, he might freeze…” McKenzie replied.

“Ultraseven…” Malik growled. The smug face that he held began to deteriorate into a frown. He had heard the stories from above that the humans had been saved by two giants that they called Ultraman and Ultraseven. “Why is he here? To foil my chance to accomplish my goal?!”

“Take it easy there darling!” Lucretia worried. “Think about your blood pressure.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t go on an outburst in front of you,” Malik sighed, finishing his drink to ease the frustration.

“And besides, is it me? Or does Ultraseven look like he’s hurt?” Lucretia asked as her husband took a further look on the monitor that viewed the drenched Ultraseven facing Black Moth. The tall alien shivered. It was a minute detail that only those with keen eyes could pick up on. Ultraseven promptly struck a pose, ready to fight.

“He could be weakened from the cold. If that’s the case, then I still have a chance to beat him,” Malik smiled, reaching for his device to give his towering creation his next command. “Black Moth, kill Ultraseven!”

The griffon took flight, crying out as she readied her sharp talons that were quenched in blood. Ultraseven acted quickly when his hands caught the winged chimera’s palms. The strength of Black Moth was enough to push the red and silver giant backward as his soles raked through the concrete surface, but he held his footing and pressed against Kroiga’s forelimbs. Ultraseven yanked the winged feline downward, the lion cried out when her underside slammed against the cold snow. Ultraseven proceeded to hop on Black Moth’s back as he karate chopped the fur-covered neck. The engineered animal howled loudly, shaking wildly to get the alien hero off of her. Ultraseven’s left hand clenched on the mane as his other hand kept striking at the head. The griffon forced herself to her feet, pushing the humanoid giant off her as he landed on his back.

Ultraseven shuddered as he quickly pulled himself up. Before Black Moth had a chance to turn around, he grabbed and tugged on the lion’s tail. Kroiga felt the irritation run up her body, so she twisted around to swipe her claws at the red giant. Ultraseven yelled when he felt the talons of the lion rake his hide. Although no blood was drawn, he was not immune to the pain it delivered.

He released and jumped back when Kroiga tried to grab him. The lion growled, but immediately stepped back in shock when the ground in front of her was erupted by the Shakehand Ray that Ultraseven threw. The warrior from the Land of Light repeatedly threw five more energy shots like a ninja throwing his shurikens, creating miniature explosions around Malik’s pet. Black Moth roared in a panic and began hastily taking flight. But one of the small bullets detonated her right wing, with a terrified yelp to accompany her as she landed on her avian feet.

Black Moth screamed a frustrated roar as she dashed in on all fours, ignoring the energy bullets that pelted her. She slammed into Ultraseven, the hero staggered back for a moment before he countered by shoving Kroiga on her back. He then pinned the beast and continuously beat her head with his fists and karate chops, refusing to stop even if his muscles felt like they were stiffening from the harsh cold atmosphere. Malik kept telling his creation to fight back, even going as far as to activate the device’s tasers to enrage and urge her to fight. Black Moth cried out in agony as she lost her human side. Her uncontrollable rage had bested her, solely depending on her malicious instincts. She violently clawed the pavement and flapped her wings, but Ultraseven kept her down so that she wouldn’t have a chance.

Malik, who would rather play dirty against those who oppose him, gave his orders to his other spawns to ceasefire and assist Black Moth. The remaining bat people stopped attacking McKenzie and his men as they flew off to swarm Ultraseven, with the infested giant rats following behind. The winged humanoid freaks latched onto and slashed Ultraseven’s silver head, while the oversized rodents crawled onto his legs and gnawed on the hero’s crimson spandex. Although neither could tear his hide, they had at least managed to get the giant off of Black Moth. Ultraseven swung his arm to swat the bat men while he slammed his hand to crush the giant rats that were latched onto him.

With Ultraseven preoccupied with the hordes, the Black Shark took aim and fired its laser cannon at the crimson warrior’s back. Ultraseven yelled as the ray detonated against his spine, falling onto his knee as dozens of charred rats were blown away. He was struck again by another laser beam from Malik’s submarine, forcing him on his chest. Ultraseven groaned in pain when he moved his body to get back up. Black Moth’s snarl turned into another terrifying roar of a lion when she rose up to sprang forth, pouncing on Ultraseven to pin him on the cold ground.

The rats that managed to survive quickly scampered off of the laying hero, while the remaining bat people watched from afar. Black Moth opened her jaws and let loose another roar as she brought it down to chomp Ultraseven’s throat. The warrior caught Black Moth’s jaws, desperately pressing her head away to keep her teeth from ripping into his jugular. Kroiga bellowed when she tried to make her resisting target let go by scratching his face with her claws. Ultraseven held on as long as he could, but this struggle was starting to wear on him. The combination of the freezing atmosphere and the sharp talons that raked his head and arms were only accelerating it, indicated as his Beam Lamp started to flash.

“No! He’s losing!” Tashiro shouted as he was about to dash in to try and help Ultraseven. He was stopped dead in his tracks by McKenzie when he noticed the Black Shark’s cannon taking aim at the giant’s head.

“Don’t! You’ll get—” McKenzie shouted at him. Suddenly, a flash of light caught his attention as he looked back at the stationary submarine. It was swaying back and forth while a jet of water shot out of the sea.

The cannon fired, only to miss Ultraseven’s head when the meteorite, the one that destroyed the barrier, surfaced. The Black Shark was pushed aside when the space rock raked against its metallic hull. The meteor crumbled away, followed by a bellowing cry. A cold-looking monster emerged out of the tomb, resembling that of a blue lizard with a face akin to a rhinoceros with a unicorn spear and rows of teeth. It cried out again when he raised his gangly yet muscular arms as he reached out for the Black Shark. The crew tried to have its cannon aimed at the new monster, but the beast’s huge palms grabbed the vessel and hoisted it out of the ocean’s surface. Malik and Lucretia watched in disbelief as their beloved submarine was thrown from afar, where it made an explosive landing onto the snowy land, cutting off the video feed on the screen.

The monster grunted in satisfaction by the Black Shark’s destruction. He trudged his way through the bone-chilling ocean to reach dry land. He looked up, the horn on his head lit up a brief flash of light with volts crackling. Although no energy was unleashed, the snowy clouds that darkened Latitude Zero swiftly cleared up. The light of the artificial sun shined on the damaged city as everyone felt the warmth on their skins. The changing weather helped Ultraseven recover from a freezing demise, with his shoulder protectors already absorbing the sunlight, giving him the strength that he needed to shove Black Moth off of him. Daigoro’s nostrils snorted. He looked up and saw Kroiga recovering. He screamed in surprise when he saw the new and intimidating monster.

“Oh thank goodness, he’s still alive…” Jules sighed in relief.

“I guess we could thank the blue monster for changing the weather for us,” said Tashiro. “Thinking of calling it Goliath.”

“Impossible… everything was going according to my plan…” Malik growled, his mood turning from gleeful to frustration due to the loss of the Black Shark. He picked up the device. “Black Moth! Kill everything you see!”

Kroiga roared when she rushed toward Daigoro. The hippo-like beast covered his eyes, but Ultraseven intervened by grabbing the chimera’s tail. The crimson hero tugged as he spun around, eventually releasing the tail as he flung Black Moth. The griffon extended her wings to glide, but she noticed that she was heading directly toward the behemoth, who delivered a powerful smack to the face. Kroiga landed on her underbelly, shrieking painfully as Goliath kicked her face. The mammalian hybrid growled when she immediately stood up on her hind legs and latched onto the space monster with her frontal talons. Goliath pulled Black Moth away effortlessly, groaning in annoyance when he hurled the giant cat to the side.

With Goliath focusing his assaults on Kroiga, Ultraseven moved closer and offered Daigoro a hand. He wasn’t one to assist monsters on the spot, but much like his brothers, if he saw good intentions within a monster or an alien, he would gladly help or protect them. He saw that this bipedal hippopotamus was still a baby and hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no questioning that he was completely innocent. Daigoro took Ultraseven’s hand and was pulled up. Being helped out twice by this red giant gave the young monster courage. Daigoro felt he could beat the invaders, since he and Ultraseven both have one goal in common: save Latitude Zero.

Ultraseven took his stance; Daigoro slammed his foot and growled. Together, they both charged into fight, with Ultraseven leaping high up to perform a jump kick against Goliath while Daigoro slammed his belly against Black Moth.

Goliath tumbled down on the melting snow, bellowing lowly as he tried to get up. Ultraseven grabbed him by the horn, which made the reptile shriek as electricity crackled out of the hardened outgrowth, forcing the warrior release it. Goliath clenched his large hands when he got up and swung one of them at Ultraseven, knocking him to the side. Ultraseven grunted as he shook his head. He turned and immediately ducked when the space demon tried to land another punch. In an instant, the Ultra Warrior struck back by turning around to kick Goliath’s chest. The muscled reptile shrieked when he staggered back, but cried out when voltages discharged from the curved horn, releasing a powerful lightning bolt. The crimson hero cried out when he was struck in the chest, blasted backward and landing on a building that became flattened debris. Goliath moved closer as he grabbed a hold of Seven and followed up by tossing him afar.

As McKenzie, Tashiro, and Jules finished off the last row of mutant bats and rats, they all witnessed Ultraseven soaring over them and yelled as he crashed into the hard pavement. The warrior from the Land of Light shakily stood up, still holding the will to fight back. The behemoth marched ever closer as Seven’s rectangular eyes noticed McKenzie and company were close by. Goliath’s horn began to amplify, readying another bolt of lightning. But before he could fire it, Ultraseven crossed his fingers over the Beam Lamp and discharged an Emerium Ray. The laser and the volt collided to one another, setting off a powerful explosion. Thankfully, McKenzie and his men were unharmed, though their bones rattled in the wake of the explosion.

Goliath cried out when he leapt forth, soaring through the air as if he was gliding. Ultraseven rolled over, just in time and barely avoiding being crushed by the reptile. This was his chance. Ultraseven quickly crossed his arm from his chest and fired the Emerium Ray again, going for Goliath’s horn. The behemoth raised his long arm to block the beam, shielding his horn as he shrieked from the blast that sparked off his arm. Ultraseven charged in and tackled the recovering Goliath, wrestling with him as the beast threw him aside, landing near the observing humans. He looked at the three and ushered them to get out of this battle zone. Seven returned to his feet and continued his battle with Goliath.

“We better get out of here, he’ll take over this battle from here,” McKenzie issued. Tashiro and Jules nodded. They activated their jetpacks and flew away from the ensuing battle.

Flapping her feathered appendages, Black Moth wailed on Daigoro with her wings and forearms. The chubby monster couldn’t get back up, but he was determined to fight back, punching the lion’s face repeatedly. Next, Daigoro’s right arm wrapped around Kroiga’s neck and held her tight, mustering the strength to flip the tables and pin her to the wet ground. Malik’s griffon cried out as she struggled as her clawed feet scraped the pavement. But it was impossible to do so when her prey sat on top of her. Daigoro kept wailing on Black Moth’s head with his fists, beating her as hard as he possibly could.

But what caught Daigoro’s ears alerted him of the few bat people that survived. They swarmed the young monster and clung onto his head, sinking their teeth and claws into his tough hide. Daigoro cried out, swatting the fiendish humanoids off him, incidentally rolling off of Black Moth in the process.

McKenzie, Tashiro, and Jules looped around as they saw Daigoro’s struggle came to his aid. They carefully fired lasers from their suit’s fingertips, shooting down the bat people by the dozen. The others, clearly startled by this, detached and flew off the giant mammal.

Daigoro wouldn’t let them get away. He turned and faced them and what happened next was rather extraordinary. His nostrils flare as he felt burning heat build up from within, one he felt the urge to release. A huge stream of scorching fire burst out of the hippo’s wide maw as he let out an enraged scream. The bat people were engulfed in the flames, their scorched remains dropped down from the sky like flies.

“Woah! Didn’t expect him to suddenly breathe fire like a dragon!” Tashiro shouted, shocked by this sudden occurrence.

“Daigoro is something that I can call extraordinary, for I made the wisest choice of raising him,” McKenzie stated.

The flames ceased as he scratched in confusion, unaware of his newfound power. Perhaps this would be the key to defeating Black Moth? Daigoro turned to face the rising chimera, narrowing his eyes as the opposing feline roared with aggression. The hippopotamus slammed his fists on his belly, inhaling the air as he ready his flame breath again…

There was only a small poof of fire when he exhaled. He was even more confused as to why the flames didn’t come out this time. Black Moth leapt on him, ruthlessly slashing him with her claws.

“Why didn’t he spew fire like last time?!” exclaimed Jules in confusion.

“Maybe it takes too much energy to use it?” Tashiro pondered.

Ultraseven detached his Eye Slugger, but Goliath twirled and whipped the warrior’s wrist with his tail, knocking the blade out of his grasp. Ultraseven tried to reach for his throwing blade, but Goliath rushed in to tackle him. The Ultra Warrior staggered to the side, maintaining his balance. Just as he was ready to cross his arms to use the Wide Shot, he heard Daigoro’s cry for help. The young monster was struggling to push Black Moth away. Ultraseven looked at Kroiga for a moment before looking back at the approaching Goliath. The crimson hero gestured a taunt to the behemoth, trying to get him to attack by either lunging or firing his lightning bolt attack. Snarling in frustration, the bulky reptile let out a shriek when he sprang forth to ram into Ultraseven. The blue behemoth was surprised when the giant disappeared all the sudden. Goliath crashed into Black Moth as she shrieked when she was knocked off of Daigoro. The young infant managed to stand up, noticing Ultraseven reappearing next to his Eye Slugger. The red and silver warrior picked up his weapon and attached it back to his head.

Goliath groaned in exhaustion when he tried to get up, whereas Kroiga recovered and pounced on him, sinking her nails and teeth onto the reptile’s blue skin. Goliath reacted to the chimera’s assault by immediately discharging electric currents throughout his body. This gave Black Moth the worst shock treatment she had ever experienced.

A cry of agony came out of Kroiga as she felt her body frying from the currents. The voltages that coursed through her overheated and fried the command device. She shivered from the sizzling smoke on her fur, but now she was free from her strings. She could now have a chance to kill the mad doctor for what he did to her. Black Moth crawled and tried to use her wings to make a clean get away, but the electrocution had charred her feathers, unable to get them to flap.

Ultraseven shot off three Shakehand Rays that exploded in front of Kroiga, preventing her from getting away. The giant winged cat suddenly yowled when she felt a squeezing grip on her tail. Goliath raised her into the air, then violently slammed her down on the ground, churning dust and pavement. Black Moth cried in sheer agony as her back snapped under the immense pressure. Malik watched in disbelief as his creation became paralyzed, showing no signs of movement.

Goliath felt a little drained after expending his energy, with drowsiness settling in. But there was still business to take care of first.

Ultraseven nodded to Daigoro that it was about time that they finish this fight. Daigoro flailed his arms and dashed in, headbutting Goliath’s bumpy chest. The horned lizard clobbered the young hippo with his fists, but Daigoro didn’t back away as he shoved Goliath back. Ultraseven jumped and landed next to Goliath. He turned to deliver a roundhouse kick to the blue creature’s side, forcing him stumble uncontrollably as he collapsed onto his knee. Daigoro punched Goliath’s face several times until the behemoth retaliated with a sluggish punch on the bipedal mammal’s belly. The young monster yipped and backpedaled from the giant, trying to keep balance. Goliath’s horn released a ray of high voltage currents, aimed directly at Daigoro. But then, Ultraseven hastily stood in its path and swiftly activated his shield barrier, blocking the attack.

Concentrating his aim, Daigoro hopped high into the air and passed over Ultraseven. Daigoro’s soles smashed on Goliath’s swishing tail, eliciting a shriek from the space titan. The young kaiju grabbed the squirming tail, proceeding to bite down on it. Goliath tried to reach for the child, but Seven swooped in and landed a powerful blow with his fist, striking the nasal horn. While it didn’t snap off, the reptile screamed from the sensitivity of his horn. Having had enough of this, Goliath’s large hands reached out to grab Seven. The Ultra Warrior performed several backflips to get away from him as Goliath tried to go after him. Daigoro bit and tugged harder, ensuring that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. The horned giant turned to face the hippo again as he clasped his shoulders.

Realizing what would possible entail, Ultraseven crossed his arms in an L-style position and fired his Wide Shot. Goliath didn’t even have a chance to look behind as he felt the ray struck his brown, craggy back. A huge blast erupted; a painful shriek bellowed from the horned reptile as he released Daigoro. The blue behemoth toppled to the ground.

Goliath tried to push himself up, but his injuries were too great for him to move. He slumped onto his chest where eventually he slipped into unconsciousness.

“They did it…” McKenzie smiled. “Latitude Zero has been saved.”

Ultraseven walked over to Daigoro, reaching out to shake the youngster’s hand. He was appreciative for his help in the battle. Daigoro thanked him back by accepting the handshake. As they finished, Ultraseven gave a shout and took flight, diving into the ocean from where he came. He would return to the surface world, take flight into the void of space, and head back to Nebula M78.

“He must be heading back to his home, where I assume where other Ultramen live at,” Tashiro pointed out.

“He saved us. Even though our paradise has taken some serious damage and Malik is still out there, Latitude Zero is safe for now,” said McKenzie.

“And what about the two monsters that attacked us?” Jules questioned.

“Will probably build new enclosure containments like Daigoro’s, just to give them a place they can call home.” McKenzie replied, as he looked up to see Daigoro closing in, whimpering in curiosity. “And for you my friend, there’s a large meal waiting for you if you keep an eye on those two.”

Daigoro squealed in excitement and promptly did as McKenzie asked of him to do. Although he was injured, his wounds would heal in time. And it was thanks to him and Ultraseven that Latitude Zero would live to see another day. It would be rebuilt back to the paradise that held the technology and wealth that had been kept a secret from the world above.

Malik sat on his lofty chair, his eyes glued to the floor in disappointment. His wife offered wine to life his spirits, to little avail. He was still depressed from the major losses and casualties from the invasion. Not only that, he worried about how he will deal with not just McKenzie, but Black Moth as well. The beast was no longer a puppet of his, and she would most certainly not rest until the day she killed him and Lucretia.

“Don’t worry Malik, I know that you will come up with a new plan to exact revenge on McKenzie and those who foiled your plans,” said Lucretia, wanting to see her husband’s smile once more.

“Lucretia, you always try to find a way to lift my mood,” Malik responded, feeling a little better after hearing her words. “But as for now, we’ll have to stand down and build a new Black Shark.”

“And what about Kroiga and that hippo?” Lucretia questioned.

“Hmm… There is one way to turn the tables,” Malik answered as he got up. “Follow me.”

The mad doctor hasted to another facility that he kept highly secured, entering a complicated password on a keypad. Lucretia knew what he was thinking of the moment that he approached to the security door.

Malik moved closer to a containment tube that held an enigmatic entity, one that gave off a ghostly blue glow. Much like Ultraseven, the lifeform was found roaming in the hideout, appearing from nowhere. It was easily contained when high pitch screeches from Malik’s bat-humanoid creations and it had been kept securely for further study. Malik was aware that this entity could do many things, but was unsure of the entity’s full capabilities. With the stakes placed against him, he was willing to take the risk. He faced to his left, where he grinned at several enclosures that kept two of several species of animals that his henchmen abducted.

It would take a month or more to build a second Black Shark and create more horrific creations. This long wait could be made up since the mad doctor planned to study this entity when he wasn’t busy. It was best to see what this foreign creature was capable of.

Winner: Ultraseven, Daigoro