Silence.
The sudden silence left only the sound of waves rolling onto the shore and the cries of seabirds along the beach.
Airu's father did not speak. Airu wiped away her tears and looked at him, while Yuzhou stood quietly to the side, watching the scene unfold.
"Airu… are you saying that we didn't die?"
After a long pause, Airu's father was the first to speak.
"Yes, Father!" Airu nodded vigorously and said to him. "We all escaped from Planet Kushia. This place—this is Earth!"
"Earth…" A trace of confusion flashed through Airu's father's eyes. Then he said, "But I clearly saw Galactron's cannon fire explode right in front of me."
"Father, it was Yuzhou—no, it was Tiga—who saved you!"
As she spoke, Airu introduced Yuzhou to her father.
"Tiga?" Airu's father still looked bewildered as he turned to Yuzhou. "Are you an Earthling?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm from Earth. Just call me Yuzhou," Yuzhou said with a nod.
"Thank you so much. You may call me Saderuna," Airu's father said gratefully.
He stood up and attempted to bow to Yuzhou in thanks, but because his legs had been injured when they were crushed by falling rocks, he lost his balance and fell back to the ground.
"Mr. Saderuna, there's no need to be so polite," Yuzhou said, waving his hand.
As for the name, Yuzhou briefly considered that Saderuna was probably the family name shared by Airu and her father, rather than his given name.
In any case, it didn't really matter.
"This great kindness can never be repaid," Saderuna said excitedly even as he lay on the ground. "You saved us, and Red Steel did not fall into Gillvalis's hands. That means there is hope again to defeat Gillvalis!"
"Uh… about that…" Hearing this, Yuzhou scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. "If we're talking about Gillvalis, it's already been destroyed by me."
"Unless something completely unexpected happens, it won't be coming back to life."
"?"
Saderuna froze for a moment. Confusion followed—then shock.
"You're saying… Gillvalis has already been destroyed?" Saderuna widened his eyes. "Was it done using the Giga Finalizer?!"
Subconsciously, Saderuna believed that only the Giga Finalizer could possibly defeat Gillvalis.
So he naturally assumed that Yuzhou had used the Giga Finalizer to do it.
"The Giga Finalizer? Red Steel?" Yuzhou smiled and shook his head. "No. If we're talking about weapons, I only used the Giga Battlenizer."
"The Giga Battlenizer?!!"
The moment those words left Yuzhou's mouth, Saderuna was completely stunned.
The Giga Battlenizer had gone missing many years ago. Rumour had it that it had been seized by an evil alien race.
That was precisely why Planet Kushia had developed a new weapon—a new means to deal with Gillvalis: the Giga Finalizer.
One could say that these two divine weapons were meant to complement each other.
Yet this young man standing before him claimed that the Giga Battlenizer was in his possession.
"Yes," Yuzhou replied calmly, nodding in confirmation.
"If Gillvalis has been destroyed, then shouldn't Planet Kushia return to normal?" Saderuna suddenly thought of something and looked at Airu. "It hadn't completely virtualized Kushia yet!"
Hearing her father's question, Airu lowered her head sadly and shook it.
"What—is it possible that in such a short time, Gillvalis completely virtualized Planet Kushia?" Saderuna asked, understanding her reaction at once.
"No, Father," Airu said, shaking her head. "The time you are in now… is more than ten thousand years after Planet Kushia was devoured by Gillvalis."
"It was Yuzhou who travelled through time and went back to the past to save you."
She glanced at Yuzhou as she explained this to her father.
"T-ten thousand years?!"
Hearing those words, Saderuna was utterly dumbfounded.
"Mr. Saderuna," Yuzhou said, explaining patiently, "I saved you from the explosion and then crossed time itself to bring you to this time and place."
"As for Airu, she escaped Planet Kushia back then and came to Earth, where she has lived for over ten thousand years."
He explained the situation step by step, making sure everything was clear.
"So that's how it is…"
After the initial shock, Saderuna's thoughts churned for a moment before he finally accepted reality. He looked at Airu.
To think that his daughter had fled to Earth and lived in exile for more than ten thousand years—
while he himself had simply crossed time and arrived in the present.
"Airu… you've suffered so much all these years," Saderuna said as he embraced his daughter, his heart filled with sorrow.
Ten thousand years ago, Airu had only just come of age.
And yet, she had been forced to face so much.
Her homeland destroyed. Escaping alone…
This was the failure of him as a father.
…
After successfully rescuing Airu's father, Yuzhou did not disturb the reunion between father and daughter.
After saying his goodbyes, he left the area, summoned the portal to Nebula House, and arrived at Riku's base.
"Yuzhou-kun, you're here!"
Seeing Yuzhou step out of the portal, Riku greeted him enthusiastically.
Laiha simply smiled and nodded at Yuzhou.
"Now that everyone's gone, Nebula House feels so quiet," Riku said with a sigh after arranging a seat for Yuzhou.
In the past, Zero, Leito, and Yuzhou had often visited Nebula House.
But after Riku's father, Belial, was purified, Zero returned to the Land of Light, Leito focused on his job, and Yuzhou left this world.
Even when they finally had a chance to reunite, it ended all too quickly.
"Riku, don't you still have Mo and Laiha? How can that be called quiet?" Yuzhou teased. "Oh, right—Pega too."
Riku had female housemates and a childhood friend at his side. Calling that "quiet" was hardly convincing.
"Yuzhou-kun, what are you talking about?!"
Hearing this, Laiha blushed and drew her sword, pointing it at Yuzhou.
Yuzhou was speechless. A good girl being shy while pointing a blade at someone—what kind of situation was that?
"I'm here to say goodbye," Yuzhou said, no longer joking and getting straight to the point.
"Goodbye? Yuzhou-kun, are you leaving again?" Riku's mood immediately sank.
"Yes. I need to return to my own world," Yuzhou said, nodding.
"Can't you stay and hang around for three or five years?" Riku asked unwillingly.
"Kid, you're thinking a bit too much," Yuzhou replied with a laugh. "But you can go look for Airu. Red Steel is a piece of equipment that can greatly increase your strength."
"Try it more. Maybe you'll be able to fully control the power of Red Steel."