Chapter 146: Relics of Dreams

It was only then that Uncle Oda learned that his recurring dream was a trial orchestrated by the will of Noah to screen for potential Dynamis, a realm known as the "Dream Ruins."
The will of Noah broadcasts this dream to every living creature on a target planet. Normally, if the targeted creature is unsuitable, the dream remains entirely ordinary, slipping from their memory the moment they wake.
However, if the subject proves to be a suitable candidate, they will find themselves compelled—either actively or passively—to explore a mysterious forest within the dream, ultimately discovering the hidden shrine ruins of Noah. Within that sacred sanctuary lies "Power."
To attain it and accept it is to officially become a Dynamis, gaining the power to transform into Ultraman Nexus.

Uncle Oda was well aware of the name Noah. He was an undisputed deity, with legends echoing in every corner of the multiverse. Hearing what Hiroyuki and the others described—that Noah casts down dreams to screen for "Dynamis," selects the right individuals, and bestows power—sounded very much like Noah choosing a mortal creature on the planet to act as His proxy.
And that chosen proxy was none other than "Ultraman Nexus."

In short, even Uncle Oda, a member of the combat-frenzied Alien Nackle race, felt a sudden flutter of excitement. Could he have been chosen? Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, "This... Ultraman Nexus you speak of, is he strong?"

This phrasing touched upon a deeply embedded piece of DNA within Hiroyuki's core, causing him to suppress a chuckle. "It's not really a question of whether he's strong or not. He's just the kind of..."

Just how strong is Ultraman Nexus?
Hiroyuki forced down the urge to lean into memes and went straight to the point. "...His upper limit is Ultraman Noa. While the vast majority of Dynamis never reach that level, there are indeed those who actually achieved it."
"Of course, it probably had something to do with his opponent at the time—Zagi. If he hadn't ascended to become 'Ultraman Noa,' he probably wouldn't have beaten him."

Uncle Oda paid little attention to the latter half of Hiroyuki's sentence, as his heart was already blazing with fervent anticipation.
This was the proxy of a god they were talking about! The "Power" within the ruins must be the divine grace and blessings bestowed by Noah. To say Uncle Oda wasn't tempted would be a blatant lie. Yet, up until now, he had merely entered the dream—over and over again, in fact—without ever exploring that forest, perpetually standing still at the threshold.

Does this... mean he failed the selection? But if he failed, why did he keep having the dream?
Was he chosen or not? Someone needed to give him a straight answer. Standing around doing dream-detention every single night was no picnic.
Uncle Oda strongly suspected that before he ever acquired any powers, he would die of sleep deprivation and nervous exhaustion, arriving prematurely in the afterlife to meet the Great Deity Noah.

Twenty minutes into the meeting, Zero finally heard his name called, accompanied by a look of sheer astonishment from the Alien Nackle beside him. Zero never imagined this reaction stemmed from his formidable reputation for slaughter; he naively assumed it was due to his glorious battle record... well, alright, in forging such a glorious record, Ultraman Zero's fearsome reputation had inevitably spread far and wide.

"Setting the issue of the Dynamis aside for a moment, Noah's initiation of the Dynamis screening process is, in itself, an omen."

Much like how a human running a fever isn't merely experiencing an elevated body temperature, but rather signaling that something ominous is happening within the body. An infectious fever, for instance, is a sign of pathogen invasion—bacteria, viruses, fungi, spirochetes, parasites, and the like. Conversely, non-infectious fevers can stem from massive burns, internal hemorrhaging, tissue damage, hyperthyroidism, or heatstroke. In such moments, merely applying cooling measures treats the symptoms rather than the root cause, and might even end up aggravating the true illness.

When Noah sends dreams to select Dynamis on a given planet, it signifies that a troublesome breed of monsters has begun moving in the shadows—
The Space Beasts.

Also known as Space Beasts, they are hideous, malevolent, and dark cosmic entities. They are entirely different from the traditional monsters of the past that still retained traces of dinosaur lineage and could claim relation to Godzilla. Perhaps because they feed on negative emotions such as fear and hatred, they have evolved forms universally reviled by all living things, perfectly optimized for predation.
Furthermore, they possess staggering vitality. Even if shattered to pieces, as long as a single fragment remains, they regenerate rapidly, absorbing the lessons of past combat to become even more cunning and formidable.
One has to admit they are perfectly evolved organisms; as long as they are not completely eradicated, they will continuously evolve through battle and hunting.

If such monsters were to descend upon Earth to hunt, breed, and evolve, it wouldn't be long before super-monsters emerged—creatures even Ultraman would struggle to handle. After all, across countless films, television shows, and novels, this Earth was a materialistic world dripping with desires, where anything and everything was in short supply except for negative emotions. Heaven knows what kind of trauma those screenwriters had endured to portray their own homeworld in such a wretched light.
This planet contained unspeakable evils, yet it also held innocence, kindness, and beauty. But obviously, depicting evil and darkness was far more effective at eliciting empathy from audiences, whereas goodness and beauty—while yearned for by viewers—were invariably met with sneers, a profound societal split.

Based on these facts, as a planet featured in a television series, Hiroyuki had a crystal-clear understanding of the writers' malicious tendencies. All it took was a few strokes of the pen describing how miserable, discriminated against, ostracized, and bullied the indigenous people and aliens on this Earth were, and he could provide ample sustenance for any Space Beasts unfortunate enough to fall upon this globe.
The screenwriters were sleeper agents sent by the final boss to ruin us.
Hiroyuki gritted his teeth in bitter resentment.

Ultraman could vanquish monsters, but he could not solve social problems. The Tsuburaya of the past would occasionally resort to dark satire, mirroring societal issues, but rarely did they offer solutions; at best, they merely exposed the flaws.

"When was the first time you had this dream?" the captain asked.

Uncle Oda paused to reflect for a moment before answering, "A week ago."

A week of covert incubation. Under favorable conditions, that was already enough time for a thumb-sized Space Beast to grow to the size of a pony.

The captain's expression turned grave. "We must find it—or them—as soon as possible."

Hiroyuki nodded. "Space Beasts possess a distinct trait: while active, they emit a special fluctuation known as the 'Space Beast Vibration Wave.' It's somewhat similar to the waggle dance of worker bees, used to communicate with companions in the nest and share intelligence. The transmission range of this vibration wave is extraordinarily wide, covering at least a quarter of a planetary surface. Because of this, Space Beasts have a strong tendency to congregate. Once a single Space Beast discovers an area rich in food sources, it will call upon its peers, summoning all of its own kind."

Pouring one out in advance for Shinjuku City in the Nexus series.

"By monitoring this specific vibration wave, we can trace back the location of the Space Beasts... I believe we need to understand the exact characteristics of this wave."

Hiroyuki turned his gaze to Zero. "Could I trouble you to make a trip over to X's place? Daichi once monitored the 'Space Beast Vibration Wave.' You can ask him if he still retains the monitoring logs from back then. If possible, make a copy and bring it back."