NCCnovel Chapter 297 Ember Feather Vermilion Bird - Xia Zha Ke
Chapter 297 Ember Feather Vermilion Bird - Xia Zha Ke
(I've modified the monster in this episode a bit, based on the "Suzaku" setting, and also polished some of the plot about Catherine to make her transformation less abrupt.)
A week has passed in the blink of an eye since the airing of episode 32.
In the post-production room of Light Chaser Animation Studios, Gu Nan was staring at the monitor in front of him, carefully checking the final cut of the thirty-third episode, which was about to be released online.
For the legendary monster Shazak that appears in this episode, Gu Nan made drastic changes to the suit and CG model.
In the original setting, Xia Zha Ke, as the representative of the Vermilion Bird among the "Four Divine Beasts", also participated in the final battle against the Demonic Insects summoned by Destruction.
However, his appearance is hard to describe.
There is absolutely no "Vermilion Bird" element to speak of.
Therefore, he overturned the original version of the monster, which was somewhat clumsy, covered in spikes, and resembled a hedgehog.
To better fit the theme of this episode, "Protecting Nature's Deities".
To give the monster a more divine quality, Gu Nan used the Suzaku monster Valgenes from "Ultraman Omega" as a reference for his design, giving Shazak a completely new look.
The current Xiazak has a streamlined body, with a pair of broad and majestic wings growing on his back, and his body is covered with mysterious dark red patterns that flow like lava.
Overall, it resembles a phoenix that has fallen into darkness.
Furthermore, these patterns contain special power; when a monster wants to attack or use its power, the holy marks on its body will surge like magma.
It is no longer like a simple wild beast, but truly possesses a legendary totem sense of sacredness and inviolability, like the "Vermilion Bird".
Everything is ready.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, the data on major video platforms was updated on time.
The 33rd episode of "Ultraman Gaia" has officially premiered!
Skip the familiar opening theme, and the main feature slowly lights up.
The episode doesn't start with a fierce battle; instead, it shifts the camera to a lush, pristine overseas forest—the Aber Forest.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated. An elderly local forest ranger, his face weathered by time, was patrolling the mountains with a hunting rifle on his back.
Suddenly, a low and long roar came from the depths of the dense forest not far away.
A pale red, semi-transparent figure appeared in the mountains.
The long cry seemed to resonate with the earth, startling flocks of birds into flight.
The scene shifts, and the camera cuts to a high point in the forest.
A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a smart trench coat, is lying on the rock.
Her name is Catherine.
At this moment, she was staring intently at the enormous monster that had just revealed itself below, through the scope of a specially made grenade launcher.
The monster's wings spread slightly, and the red patterns on its back were faintly visible in the sunlight.
Just as Catherine's eyes hardened and she was about to pull the trigger...
The monster's body in the scope suddenly twisted and disappeared into thin air as if it had merged into the air.
"Damn it!" Catherine gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the ground.
The comments section immediately sprang to life.
[Sniping monsters at the start?]
[This girl is so cool!]
[My new wife!]
[This monster is kind of cool-looking; it has wings on its back, and the red markings on its body look quite sophisticated.]
Still the dominant bird species? I predict Gaia is going to suffer a setback!
[How did he suddenly disappear? Did he use an invisibility skill?]
The scene cuts to a fighter jet speeding across the sea.
It's Goga and Georgie!
After a brief explanation of the plot, everyone learned that the two men were heading to the American-owned Arbor Forest to inspect something called the Primal Shield System.
The screen displayed information about the original shield system.
Di Cheng explained from the side, "The Primal Shield System is a natural circulation auxiliary system developed by Alchemy Star. Its function is to inhibit excessive deforestation and, to a certain extent, regulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in the region."
"I heard that the development team leader is a genius."
The group looked at the photo in the file with some surprise, "He's only just turned twenty?"
"Yes, her name is Catherine."
Driven by curiosity about this young female scientist, I dreamt and Georgie piloted their fighter jet across the ocean and arrived over the Aberlin region.
"Radar detected a massive biological reaction nearby," Georgie reported, looking at the instrument panel.
The two looked down through the porthole, but could see nothing in the vast forest.
In order to find out the truth, the two decided to land and hike into the forest to investigate.
At this point, the old forest ranger warned the two people who had entered the forest:
"Get out of here! Otherwise, Shazak will get angry!"
I didn't hear the old man's words clearly at first, so Georgie translated them for me.
They hadn't gone far when a long line of military trucks, fully loaded with armed soldiers, roared up and stopped at the forest entrance.
That was the local defense force.
The officer in charge jumped out of the vehicle, waved his hand menacingly, and a large number of soldiers, guns at the ready, were about to force their way into the forest.
"Stop! You can't go in!"
The old forest ranger who appeared at the beginning suddenly rushed out, spreading his arms wide to block the army.
Upon seeing this, I and Qiao Ji immediately ran forward to inquire about the situation.
"We're from the XIG air base. What happened?" Imu revealed his identity.
The officer in charge frowned and said, "A few days ago, a monster appeared in this forest. The local residents are terrified, so we were sent here to exterminate it. We are also here to find a missing person."
The old forest ranger was extremely agitated, pointing at the officer and yelling, "You fools! That's Shazak, the guardian spirit of the forest! You're going in with weapons; you'll anger the god! Get out of this forest!"
Just as the two sides were deadlocked and the atmosphere was tense,
A large grove of towering trees not far away suddenly seemed to be snapped in half by an invisible force!
"Snap! Snap!"
Trees fell in swathes, and the earth trembled. Although no physical form was visible, an oppressive sense of dread was rapidly approaching them.
The guns of ordinary defense forces were completely ineffective against this invisible behemoth.
"Georgie, take the old man and the others and get out of here first!" I Meng made a quick decision.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll distract it!"
Without the slightest hesitation, I turned and ran towards the direction where the trees had fallen, shouting as I ran, trying to draw the invisible monster's attention to myself.
Shazak was clearly enraged, and invisible footsteps followed closely behind my dream.
[My dream is starting to lure monsters with my physical body again.]
This invisible monster seems pretty difficult to deal with; the most dangerous enemies are the ones you can't see.
The regular defense force is really just a comedic element in the Ultraman universe.
I dream of running desperately through a dense jungle.
Xiazak pursued relentlessly.
In the end, my dream was forced to the edge of a steep cliff.
Ahead lies a bottomless abyss, and behind are invisible behemoths relentlessly closing in.
I gritted my teeth and reached into my pocket for the blue gem cone.
Unfortunately, before he could complete his transformation, a huge gust of air suddenly surged from the front.
A strong gust of wind from Xiazak blew my dream off the cliff.
Due to the loss of communication, XIG headquarters immediately dispatched the Falcon Team to the forest area for search and rescue.
However, I, who fell off the cliff, was not seriously injured because of the protection of the Earth's Light.
He slowly awoke by a stream, only to find that his communicator had been lost during his escape.
Just as he was searching for a way out, a woman named Catherine appeared before him.
Catherine recognized him immediately upon seeing the uniform on my dream.
"Someone from XIG? Perfect, do me a favor." Catherine's tone was cold, carrying an unyielding force.
"Where are you going?"
"Go and destroy that monster in this forest."
The two traveled together. During this time, Catherine told me about her past.
Her parents were both outstanding scientists who dedicated themselves to studying the ecology of this forest.
However, many years ago, they met with an accident in the forest and tragically died.
The local residents were incredibly ignorant. Instead of mourning the scientist's death, they unanimously believed that Catherine's parents had angered a legendary monster by conducting excessive research, thus incurring a "curse."
Catherine walked ahead, her machete slashing fiercely at the vines blocking her path.
Her inner world was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
The death of her parents is a wound in her heart that can never be healed.
She grew up under the strange gaze of others, listening to those vicious rumors about "curses".
If the parents were really killed by some vague and illusory curse, then what did their lifelong scientific beliefs amount to?
What about the scientific path she herself is now adhering to?
Catherine had no desire to understand nature, nor to revere legends.
She built the Original Shield system not just to protect the environment.
Her deepest obsession is to use the most advanced scientific power to shatter the legend that killed her parents and was worshipped as a god by the locals.
She wanted to prove to everyone that science could overcome all fear of the unknown. The monster wasn't a god, just a mass of carbon-based life that could be blown to pieces.
Only by killing Xiazha Ke could she prove that her parents' deaths were not deserved and that her scientific path was absolutely correct.
So that's how it is. His parents were murdered; no wonder he was so extreme.
[This girl is ruthless; she turned hatred into motivation for scientific research.]
However, viewing nature deities as one's father's killer is a dangerous idea.
She didn't hate the monster; she hated the rumors that said her parents deserved it. She desperately needed to prove herself.
The two followed the trail and finally arrived at the entrance to Xiazak's lair.
Based on the monster's previous behavior, I began to speculate on the monster's mechanics.
"This monster most likely exists within electromagnetic vectors invisible to the naked eye, or if we use infrared light..."
"So we need to get close to him as soon as possible and eliminate him completely!"
Catherine interrupted my dream without hesitation, pulled out a flare gun, and fired a powerful flare into the depths of the cave.
"You're crazy! You'll provoke it!" I exclaimed in my dream.
"Only anger can keep it in physical form!" Catherine said coldly.
The moment the words were spoken, the earth shook violently.
Completely disturbed from his sleep, Shazak burst violently out of the cave.
This time, it did not go invisible.
The long, powerful wings of the Vermilion Bird spread out behind it, and the dark red patterns on its body resembled burning flames, emitting a deafening roar.
"run!"
Catherine immediately jumped into a nearby SUV, floored the gas pedal, and sped off towards the designated location.
I almost got thrown off because I didn't understand what was going on, but luckily I managed to grab onto the back of the car at the last moment!
Shazak strode ahead, chasing frantically.
With each step it took, the ground cracked.
I dreamt I was sitting in the passenger seat, following Catherine's instructions, constantly throwing grenades backward.
Boom boom boom!!!
Sparks and lightning streaked all the way!
The flashes and roars of the explosion continued to irritate Shazak, preventing it from entering stealth mode due to its anger.
The car sped along the rugged mountain road, when suddenly the road ended, revealing a bottomless cliff.
"There's a cliff ahead! Stop the car!" I shouted.
"Is the monster following us?" Catherine gripped the steering wheel tightly, refusing to apply the brakes.
"We're catching up! But there really is no road ahead!"
"We're going to jump off the train there!" Catherine's eyes were filled with madness. "I'll count to three, and we'll all jump!"
"Three! Two! One! Jump!"
At the last moment before the off-road vehicle veered off the edge of the cliff, the two men jumped off and landed heavily on the grass at the cliff's edge.
Enraged, Xiazak paid no attention to the terrain ahead. Due to inertia, his massive body followed the off-road vehicle and plunged off the cliff, heading straight for the abyss!
However, as a flying monster, it would be impossible for it to fall into the valley so easily!
"Now!"
Catherine abruptly pressed the button on the detonator in her hand.
She had already planted tons of high explosives below the cliff.
It turns out that she used the valley's elevation difference to hide the explosives she had placed, preventing the monster from seeing them!
"Boom—!!!"
A series of earth-shattering explosions resounded from the bottom of the valley.
The towering flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed the monster's massive body.
The entire valley trembled from the shockwave of the explosion.
On the cliff, Catherine looked down at the raging sea of fire and exhaled a long breath.
She succeeded.
She used science and calculation to blast that invincible legendary monster into pieces.
"This boring legend has finally come to an end," Catherine murmured to herself, but there was little sense of satisfaction in her eyes, only a hint of emptiness.
However, just when she thought it was all over.
From the ruins at the bottom of the valley, a roar that was even more mournful and violent suddenly came!
Countless huge rocks were blown away.
Shazak flew up from the ruins, battered and bruised!
The high temperature of the explosives did not kill it; instead, it completely unleashed the power of the Vermilion Bird patterns on its surface.
With a sudden flap of its wings, it leaped directly from the bottom of the valley and landed heavily on the cliff, standing right in front of Catherine and my dream!
Looking at the lively, even more furious, monster before him.
Catherine's psychological defenses completely collapsed at this moment.
"Impossible... How could it not be killed? How could the power of science be defeated by this monster!"
She screamed hysterically, desperately raising the rocket launcher beside her, wanting to continue firing at the massive body.
"Stop! You're only provoking it more!" Imeng grabbed Catherine and pinned her to the ground.
"Let me go! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to prove it to my parents!" Catherine struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face.
"Science is a great power bestowed upon humanity, enabling it to survive in nature! Therefore, I absolutely cannot allow it to be negated by legends!"
The massive explosion sent the two flying!
However, I remained steadfast in my belief and shouted to Catherine, "I'm not fighting out of anger or hatred, I just... I just want to protect!"
Shazak's enormous foot had already been raised, carrying the power to destroy everything, and stomped down hard on the two of them.
At the critical moment.
I broke free from my dream and raised my right arm high.
"Gaia—!!!"
A dazzling red light shot into the sky.
As the earth trembled, Ultraman Gaia's massive body stood in front of Shazak, his hands firmly holding back the monster's stomping foot.
A giant of light in red and a legendary monster covered in red totems clashed head-on in this ancient forest!
Gaia has arrived! So cool!
[That monster is incredibly lucky; it survived all that explosives.]
[My Dream: Physics is no good, you'll have to face my iron fist of materialism!]
This Shazak is also very powerful; Gaia is going to have a tough time.
[The fight has finally started! I was so impatient!]
The comments on the screen were refreshing rapidly.
At first, Shazak was taken aback.
Why is the Earth's Light appearing?
However, it soon discovered that the red giant that had appeared in its territory was up to no good!
The pace of the battle was instantly accelerated.
Shazak let out a roar, and his wings flapped violently, unleashing a powerful storm that swept across the area.
Gaia braved the storm and strode forward, delivering a powerful punch to Shazak's chest.
However, the red patterns on Xiazak's body shimmered with an eerie light, and he actually withstood Gaia's attack.
Immediately afterwards, its massive body made a brutal charge, sending Gaia staggering backward.
On this ancient land it guards, Xiazak has demonstrated astonishing fighting prowess.
Two enormous creatures fought fiercely in the mountains and forests, each collision triggering a violent earthquake.
On the edge of the cliff, Catherine, who had just awakened from her coma, stared blankly at the massive battle before her, her eyes flashing with light. The seemingly indestructible fortress of "science" in her heart had begun to crack...