Yuzhou shook his head and turned to look at Ken, who stood there deep in thought.
"Ken—you saw it all, didn't you?"
Yuzhou did not waste words. He asked directly.
"Yes," Ken nodded. "Tartarus showed me what he called my future."
"In those memories, I alone became the commander of the Space Garrison. Together with Marie, I was granted the titles of Father of Ultra and Mother of Ultra…"
Ken calmly recounted everything he had seen, holding nothing back.
"Then tell me," Yuzhou said after listening, nodding slightly, "what is your true feeling?"
Ken thought for a moment before answering.
"Even if such a future exists… it is not the me of now."
Yuzhou smiled faintly.
"Good. Let's return to the Land of Light first. You need some rest."
In truth, Yuzhou admired Ken deeply.
Faced with Tartarus's temptation and confusion, Ken had held firm with remarkable clarity.
As expected of the Father of Ultra from the proper timeline.
Had it been Belial instead, Yuzhou knew the outcome would have been very different. Belial would not have withstood such temptation and would have fallen—becoming one of Tartarus's pawns.
That was precisely how events unfolded in the original timeline. Before being possessed by the Alien Reiblood, Belial had already been intercepted and taken away by Tartarus.
...
Yuzhou sent Ken back to the Land of Light, but he himself did not leave.
First, he wanted to see where Tartarus had gone.
Second—
"Do you hate the Land of Light?"
As Yuzhou searched the surface of the massive asteroid, a sudden spatial fluctuation appeared. A dark crimson shadow slowly manifested.
"Who's there?"
Yuzhou immediately went on guard, turning toward the voice.
A dark-red phantom floated in the air, exuding a blood-coloured aura of pure malice.
"I am Reiblood, the god who once ruled the entire universe—wait."
The phantom paused mid-sentence, clearly sensing something wrong.
"Who are you?"
Reiblood stared at Yuzhou, momentarily at a loss.
According to his calculations, a silver-and-red Ultraman with immense latent potential should have appeared here—one who had fallen out with the Land of Light and been exiled.
Reiblood had intended to possess that body.
But instead—
Who was this silver–purple–red Ultraman standing here?
Where was the silver-and-red one he was supposed to find?
"Oh? Alien Reiblood."
Yuzhou recognized him instantly.
By the original flow of history, Belial should have attempted to seize the Plasma Spark, been discovered, exiled, and landed on this very asteroid—only to be possessed by Reiblood.
But history had already been rewritten.
Belial was absent.
Yet Reiblood had still arrived.
"Who exactly are you?" Reiblood demanded coldly.
"Me?" Yuzhou replied casually. "Just a passing Ultraman."
He tilted his head slightly.
"For an 'ultimate lifeform,' you're in a pretty sorry state. Nothing but a soul left."
Compare that to Tartarus—full body intact, muscles brimming with power, freely traveling across time and space.
That was what an ultimate lifeform should look like.
Reiblood, on the other hand, was reduced to a wandering spirit.
"Hmph! If the intended vessel is gone, then I will merge with you instead!"
With that, Reiblood lunged forward, attempting to force himself into Yuzhou's body.
"Nice dream."
Yuzhou snapped his fingers.
The colours on his body seemed to drain away, fading rapidly into black. Even the golden lines on his chest turned silver.
Ultraman Tiga — Dark Form.
"Since you're delivering power to me," Yuzhou said calmly,
"I'll take it without complaint."
A terrifying force of absorption erupted from his body.
Reiblood had no time to stop himself. His soul slammed straight into Yuzhou's chest.
"No—! Who are you?!"
The moment he entered, Reiblood realized his mistake.
"My power! My darkness!"
"Give it back—!!!"
He struggled desperately, trying to escape, but it was useless.
The devouring force stripped away his dark power bit by bit.
At last, Reiblood's soul faded to near transparency, on the verge of complete annihilation.
"Disappear."
Yuzhou spoke softly and reached out.
With a single grasp, Reiblood's soul shattered completely, dissolving into the last remnants of dark energy that flowed into Yuzhou's body.
"Ah… satisfying. I'm full."
Yuzhou stretched slightly, feeling the abundant dark power within him, and nodded in satisfaction.
With a thought, the darkness shifted—transforming into intertwined hues of gold, purple, and crimson.
Colour returned to his body.
He reverted to his silver–purple–red Composite Form, the golden chest markings fully restored.
"All done. Time to wrap up."
After one final scan of the surroundings, Yuzhou detected no anomalies and flew back toward the Land of Light.
He bid farewell to Ken and Belial soon after.
Life in this timeline's Land of Light had been comfortable—but Yuzhou had no intention of staying.
The universe was vast.
There were many places yet to see.
Moreover, Tartarus was still roaming freely across time and space.
And Yuzhou had not forgotten his own Earth.
If necessary, he might even have to rally allies from across timelines to rebuild it.
Standing atop an asteroid, Yuzhou retrieved his suitcase and made a few adjustments. Following the residual spacetime fluctuations left by Tartarus, rings of white light spiralled outward, forming a spacetime wormhole.
"I'm heading out!"
Imitating Charija with deliberate flair, Yuzhou stepped into the portal together with his suitcase, beginning another journey.
...
After a dizzying transition, Yuzhou emerged from the white wormhole and landed firmly on solid ground.
Looking around, he realized he had arrived on a planet.
The environment was harsh, and the sound of combat echoed nearby.
"Hm? Ultraman Taro?"
In the distance, a red Ultraman was locked in fierce battle with a monster.
One of the Ultra Brothers—
Ultraman Taro.
(End of Chapter)