Reckless youth.
That was the verdict Belial passed on his counterpart from another universe.
And truthfully, it fit.
The alternate Belial was still young—far from the age and experience of the Belial of this world.
"You really think you can defeat me?"
The alternate Belial showed no intention of retreating. Instead, he raised his arms and assumed a combat stance, openly challenging his other self.
Having obtained power from Tartarus, his confidence had swelled enormously.
To him, even Glitter Tiga was no longer an untouchable existence—so how could another Belial frighten him?
But the Belial of this universe was no weakling.
After recreating a structure akin to the Plasma Spark on the Moon, he had absorbed light energy day after day. His power had grown by leaps and bounds.
The battle ignited instantly.
Their fists collided—
An invisible shockwave burst outward, rippling through the air in all directions.
With a casual sweep of his hand, Yuzhou released shimmering particles of light, dispersing the shockwave completely and preventing the surrounding city from being destroyed.
The local Belial glanced sideways at him, momentarily stunned.
He had not expected Yuzhou's control over power to have reached such a level.
Seizing that instant of distraction, the alternate Belial lunged forward, fingers clawed, slashing toward him.
"W—uh… be careful?"
Riku hesitantly raised a hand, only to freeze midway.
He suddenly realized a problem.
He had no idea which Belial was his father.
…No—technically, both were.
One was his father in this universe, the other from a parallel world.
Yuzhou shot him a flat look.
"The one being attacked—that's your dad."
"Oh! Right!"
Riku scratched his head, visibly embarrassed.
Facing the incoming claws, the local Belial answered with the same move—his own hand forming talons as he slashed forward.
If he was going to teach this reckless younger self a lesson, he would do it by overpowering him with identical techniques.
Shrrrk!
Their claws clashed violently.
Golden and white energy erupted, sparks flying as the collision triggered a small explosion midair.
As the flames dispersed, the alternate Belial burst through, arms crossed in an X.
"Deathcium Ray!"
The beam fired at point-blank range.
Riku stared, dumbfounded.
So this was how his father fought when he was young…
Point-blank beam attacks—exactly like me.
The local Belial remained utterly calm. His arms crossed just as swiftly.
"Deathcium Ray!"
BOOM—!!!!!
The two beams slammed into each other.
The alternate Belial was halted midair by the violent backlash, while the local Belial stood firm on the ground, steadily pouring power into his attack.
"Riku," Yuzhou said calmly, watching the beam struggle, "have I ever told you this?"
"Huh?" Riku blinked in confusion.
"In beam clashes," Yuzhou continued, pointing ahead, "the one on the left usually loses. Except in special cases."
Riku looked again.
"The alternate Belial is on the left… doesn't that mean he's doomed?"
The words had barely left his mouth when one Deathcium Ray was completely swallowed—
The victorious beam slammed straight into one Belial's chest.
"You're still too young," the local Belial said coldly, arms crossed, looking down at his counterpart who crashed into the ground.
"I'm not finished!"
The alternate Belial roared, forcing himself back to his feet despite the pain and charging forward again.
He was immediately kicked away.
His Colour Timer blinked furiously.
Energy. Stamina. Both were nearly exhausted.
No matter how this continued, he could not win.
"Riku," Yuzhou said quietly, "get ready."
"Ready? For what?" Riku asked, confused.
"Tartarus," Yuzhou replied.
"He's coming."
The alternate Belial had received immense power from Tartarus.
And Yuzhou knew one thing for certain—Tartarus would not abandon a pawn of this value.
Lesser subordinates might be discarded.
But Belial was different—one of the core pieces in Tartarus' schemes.
Otherwise, Tartarus would never have crossed multiple parallel worlds just to recruit him again after failing once.
As the local Belial stepped forward—
A golden vortex suddenly appeared.
Before anyone could react, it swallowed him whole.
"…?"
Yuzhou stared, momentarily stunned.
The alternate Belial, left behind, was just as dumbfounded.
"What just happened?" Riku asked.
"Move!" Yuzhou snapped, smacking Riku on the head.
"That was your father!"
Without hesitation, Yuzhou charged into the golden vortex.
Riku followed immediately after.
Even the exhausted alternate Belial, though confused, gritted his teeth and stepped in as well.
The vortex vanished.
On the battlefield, only Juggler remained—staring blankly at the empty sky.
"…What just happened?" he muttered.
"That golden vortex," he said grimly, "must be connected to Tartarus."
His fists clenched.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The vortex was gone.
The space around them twisted unnaturally.
"This… is Tartarus' lair?"
Yuzhou scanned the warped surroundings, instantly on guard.
In this place, even Zero's Ultimate Form struggled against Tartarus.
Riku looked around with wide-eyed curiosity.
Both Belials were present.
One's Colour Timer blinked violently.
The other radiated overwhelming energy.
"Where are we?" the local Belial asked.
"Ask him," Yuzhou said, pointing at the alternate Belial.
"Heh…"
The alternate Belial laughed, utterly unafraid.
"Entering this space willingly? You're already finished."
"Is that so?" Yuzhou replied calmly.