Chapter 99: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [99]

Over the next two days, whenever he had free time, Rhodes would check on the progress of the work being done by Balt. Rhodes had extremely high expectations for Zetton! This most iconic villain in the Ultraman series, unrivaled in its status, was the first in history to kill an Ultraman, hailed as the strongest monster ever, and bestowed with countless titles. At noon on the third day, Rhodes and Balt stood together in the laboratory. Today was a very special day, as the embryo of Zetton had finally fully developed. Balt had created a terrifyingly massive incubation chamber in the lab, approximately 100 meters tall and 40 meters wide, in which a gigantic fleshy tumor had been cultivated. This tumor resembled the larval form of an insect, with two small antennae on it and some yellow crystals nearby. This enormous tumor was the larval stage of Zetton. The Zetton larva was continuously absorbing nutrients and growing at a rapid pace. "Master, the larval stage of Zetton has been born. In just over a month, it will grow to perfection," Balt proudly introduced his creation to Rhodes. "I am truly looking forward to it." "Master, please come here. Drop a single drop of your blood into this DNA extractor so that Zetton can be imprinted with your DNA while still in its larval stage. Once Zetton fully matures, it will recognize you as its master and obey your every command," Balt explained, guiding Rhodes to a machine with a circular extraction port designed to collect DNA samples. Nodding, Rhodes stepped forward and dropped a single drop of his blood. The blood was instantly extracted, analyzed, and converted into DNA, which was then injected into the developing Zetton larva. "That's all, Master! Zetton now recognizes your DNA. You are its supreme controller, and it will only follow your orders," Balt said with a nod after performing some operations on the electronic screen in front of him. The first Zetton was, of course, reserved for their master. When the second and third Zettons were created, Balt figured he could keep one for himself as a personal bodyguard. "Hmm. Balt, could you introduce me to your Zetton II?" Rhodes asked. "Of course, Master! Please take a look. The standard Zetton is generally 60 meters tall and weighs 30,000 tons. But don't be misled by Zetton's relatively lightweight—its close-combat abilities are unmatched and can overpower even Ultramen, pinning them down completely. Zetton's muscles are specially engineered biochemical muscles. With the same mass, Zetton's strength far exceeds that of other monsters. Moreover, Zetton's armor is deceptively light. It is covered in a hard chitinous exoskeleton, which boasts remarkable defensive capabilities. My Zetton II has even stronger defense capabilities, with some of my special enhancements. Its close-combat abilities are far superior to those of a typical Zetton, yet its weight hasn't increased, ensuring that its speed is unaffected. Zetton also possesses the ability to absorb energy beams. Whether it's the Spacium Ray, Emerium Beam, or Metallium Beam from the Ultra race, Zetton can absorb these beams and reflect them with ease." Rhodes nodded in approval. When Ultraman returned to face Zetton II in battle, he didn't dare to use any energy beam abilities at first, relying solely on close combat. In the end, Ultraman only managed to defeat Zetton II by sneaking up on and eliminating Balt, throwing Zetton II into confusion, and then using a whirlwind attack to hurl Zetton into the sky and destroy it. Like Bemstar, Zetton had a strong resistance to energy-based attacks. Unfortunately, however, the artificially created Zettons couldn't undergo kaiju enhancement. But they could be mass-produced into armies, which made them even more perfect. "In addition, Zetton can teleport. It takes about 1–2 seconds to prepare, making it an excellent tool for surprise attacks during battle. Zetton can also raise both hands to create a defensive barrier. This barrier is incredibly strong and can block any form of attack. Breaking through it is a nearly impossible task. Finally, Zetton possesses the 1 trillion-degree fireball ability. This skill is immensely powerful and can obliterate an entire city in one shot. It can also unleash Zetton's Ultimate Beam, which is even stronger than the Spacium Ray and can instantly kill an Ultraman." Balt passionately explained all of Zetton's special abilities. It could be said that Zetton was nearly a perfect war machine, with virtually no weaknesses. It was designed specifically to counter Ultramen and invade other planets—a super biological weapon. The 1 trillion-degree fireball of Zetton only showcased its true power in later Ultraman series with better special effects. In an earlier series, it just broke a few building windows. However, the power of this move was genuinely immense. Rhodes estimated it could even destroy an entire insectoid mothership with one strike. "Balt, can the Zetton you created have its parameters adjusted? For example, could its height and weight be increased, or could it be enhanced with abilities from other cosmic monsters?" "We need to make use of the information about the Yapool Ultra Beasts. Put your talents to work and modify Zetton. I believe with your skills, you can create a Zetton that's even more perfect than Zetton II," Rhodes said. "I'm looking forward to the day you create Kongmagia Zet Jet, EX Zetton, or even Hyper Zetton from the universe. But for now, simply tweaking some of Zetton's parameters would be a great improvement." "Master, modifying Zetton's body parameters is doable, but I think it's unnecessary. A height of 60 meters and a weight of 30,000 tons is a perfectly balanced standard. Increasing height and weight would affect Zetton's speed and wouldn't significantly enhance its close-combat capabilities," Balt said. "The 60-meter size is sufficient to handle enemies of all sizes. For smaller enemies, it's an overwhelming advantage, and for larger ones, Zetton can engage in close combat without being at a disadvantage. "If we increase its weight, it would only hinder Zetton's mobility since Zetton can't fly. To give Zetton flight capability, we'd need to add genetic traits from certain cosmic monsters so that the wings in its back shell could open up." "As for using the Yapool notes to modify Zetton, I'd like to do that too. However, that can only happen once Zetton is successfully cultivated. We need to first create a standard Zetton before we can obtain its body tissues. Then I can attempt to merge it with other cosmic monsters. There's still a risk of failure, so for now, we need to cultivate a few standard Zettons before proceeding with Ultra Beast enhancement experiments," Balt added. "Master! I'm even more eager than you to conduct Zetton modification experiments, but the amount of work you've given me is overwhelming. I still need to find time to research monster capsules, improve lower-level interstellar warriors, and even accompany you to another planet to repair a broken machine. I can't perform miracles!" "Balt, you're working so hard! Take it easy, there's no rush," Rhodes said, nodding in understanding. Balt's workload was indeed heavy, and Rhodes could sympathize. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Rhodes looked at Balt and said: "Balt, what if I bring in a Zettonian, a Pedan, or a Salomean to help you? Would that be useful?" Rhodes had previously obtained fragments of smaller cosmic beings, such as Zettonians, Pedans, and Salomeans. However, their combat abilities were mediocre, comparable to those of the Star Realm Army, and their size was that of an ordinary human. Because of this, Rhodes had never chosen to use them. Whenever these fragments appeared, he would immediately use them to synthesize other monsters. But thinking about it now, these smaller cosmic beings could still be useful—at least they were skilled in research. Although the fragments had already been used, Rhodes could spend 100,000 system coins to directly purchase them from the Intermediate System Store. This 100,000-coin purchase feature seemed tailor-made for these smaller cosmic beings. Rhodes had previously thought it wasn't worth it, but now it seemed like a good deal. "The Zettonians do have decent research capabilities, though they're still no match for us Baltans. However, they specialize in technological modifications. If you could bring one here as my assistant, it would indeed boost work efficiency. Pedans are also talented in scientific research, but these two races have both scientists and ordinary individuals, as well as combat soldiers. If you summon an ordinary one, it'd be useless—it has to be a top-tier scientist," Balt explained. His ideal partner and assistant would be a Yapool. He wondered when his master would summon a Yapool. If the two top-tier biologists in the universe worked together, they could surely create the most powerful monster. For now, however, a Zettonian or Pedan would suffice. "Got it. Wait a few more days, and I'll summon a Zettonian or Pedan for you," Rhodes said, nodding. He immediately checked the Intermediate System Store and found that the 100,000-coin cosmic being purchase option allowed him to choose specific types, such as technology scientists, biological scientists, or energy measurement scientists. This was perfect. The ability to select scientists made it worthwhile. Otherwise, spending 100,000 system coins to summon a cosmic being with the strength of a regular Star Realm soldier would be utterly useless. "That would be wonderful, Master!" Balt said. "Alright, Balt, set aside your current work. We need to go meet with the people from the Imperium," Rhodes said.