Silence blanketed the barren area where the previous battle had taken place.
A hollow wind swept over the shapeless rocks, carrying with it the faint scent of scorched plasma and cosmic dust.
The light in the sky was dim, hinting at how close this place was to the void of space.
At the center of it, Obspera lay in Hikari's arms, their body covered in wounds—dark-red energy resembling blood flowed out, heavy and slow like weightless cotton.
The energy dripped steadily, leaving glowing trails in the darkness.
Obspera understood the absolute price of their fall—they felt humiliated.
It was not just their body that had fallen, but their dignity, in front of the Ultras.
Geed stood beside them, his eyes fixed on Obspera's wounded form.
There was tension between concern and guilt.
"This is my fault… I should've protected them, not let things go this far."
Hikari held Obspera carefully, examining their condition with great detail.
"Obspera… please, show me a sign that you can hear me," his voice was gentle yet edged with urgency.
At a distance, Zero remained alert, his eyes still tense.
He didn't move aggressively, but his stare held back both the urge to attack and the urge to question the reason behind Obspera's uncharacteristic calm.
Meanwhile, Obspera's resolve slowly rose.
Their body moved faintly—when they drew in a breath, Hikari's shoulders shifted.
They refused to surrender.
Their 'blood' dripped more heavily, each drop creating small sparks of light upon touching the ground.
Hikari tightened his grip on their shoulder, trying to keep them down.
"Obspera... don't push yourself! You...-"
But his words died.
Obspera turned their head, wincing from the pain, and muttered,
"Save that for me later… Sensei-(先生)."
Their voice was low, laced with a quiet anger—silencing Hikari's attempt to protest further.
They brushed Hikari's hand aside with the remaining ragged strength they had, showing that they still wished to maintain control on their own terms.
Hikari, still kneeling, followed the motion with sharp eyes filled with concern.
"Why are you so stubborn…?" he whispered softly, barely audible, swallowed by the silence around them.
But Hikari was not the only one watching.
From afar, the other Ultras; Geed, Zero, X, Taiga, and Blu... watched with expressions they could no longer fully hide.
They had landed, their bodies still trembling from the earlier clash, but now all of their attention was fixed on one thing: Obspera, barely standing.
Geed clenched his hands tightly.
His voice was low, yet it trembled with deep worry.
"They shouldn't even be standing in a condition like that…"
Taiga glanced away for a moment, his face tense, jaw locked tight.
The leftover anger from before had faded, replaced by emotional uncertainty.
"…Why are they even trying to stand on their own?" he muttered, almost as if questioning himself.
X, far quieter, said nothing.
But his expression carried many questions.
He was assessing something... between the medical data he certainly understood, and the fact that this being before him continued to defy those statistics.
Blu stood by X's side.
Though still tense, he lowered his gaze slightly and murmured,
"Do they… not feel pain?"
Zero, farther behind, simply stared.
But unlike usual, the look was neither mocking nor suspicious.
It was heavy… complicated.
Zero's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Obspera's trembling form, he saw a shadow of someone from the past: Belial.
Yet there was something else.
Something that disordered his understanding.
"Idiot…" he growled under his breath. "Why are they forcing themselves…?"
Geed stepped forward cautiously, wanting to approach.
But Zero raised one hand, signaling him not to come closer. Not out of threat, but because he somehow knew: Obspera was not the kind of being one could touch in a state like this.
Silence settled over them all.
None of them spoke a full sentence.
Yet the wave of worry was unmistakably present.
Not only because of Obspera's wounds, but because they all understood:
A being who is injured yet silent… is someone holding back something far greater than pain.
A faint glow emerged from Obspera's chest; their fingers twitched weakly.
Suddenly, the Giga Battlenizer activated—rising from the center with a long surge of energy running along its ends, still connected to the Taiga Spark.
Obspera grasped it tightly.
They detached the Taiga Spark from the energy field gripping it, severing the code-signal that had linked their Taiga Spark to Taiga's all this time.
They fitted their own Taiga Spark firmly into their hand, as if unwilling to let the device leave them again.
Geed held his breath.
He wasn't angry, only gravely worried... Obspera's condition mattered more than any explanation.
Hikari inhaled deeply, while Zero stayed sharp, his gaze still calculating.
Obspera rested the Giga Battlenizer on their shoulder, stepping back slightly, their eyes staring into the empty dimension ahead.
They spoke firmly:
"Ai, reserve the 'children' for something else."
There appeared the Ultra Sign of Kaiser Belial...
In an instant, Belial's sigil ignited in the sky, glowing like a ghostly remnant of the past refusing to fade.
The terrifying aura emerging with it shook the air around them, as if reality itself was being forced to contain something that should never return.
Then the Imperial Army of Belial materialized.
Hundreds of units in a formation both orderly and menacing.
They made no sound, no movement. Only… waited.
The "children" Obspera referred to were this horrifying fleet that now hovered above them.
Dozens of Delust, each housing a full squadron of Darklops, lined up near the Emperor's sigil.
Zero's eyes widened.
"…Impossible…" he muttered stiffly.
He stepped forward, reflexively raising a defensive stance.
"All of this was destroyed long ago… how can it appear again?"
The thought raced through him.
His breath caught, as if he had been thrown back to that time—
The time when he had to destroy Malebrandes and Geed's biological father to prevent massive annihilatiosilence—"Malebrandes in its overwhelming form—like colossal iron claws ready to seize a world. With the Ultimate Zero Sword, Zero struck—the weapon blazing with white light as it carved through the ship's steel corridors, splitting its armored framework in two.
Zero, wielding the might of Final Ultimate Zero, destroyed Belial's power core; the massive emerald harbor that sustained the empire's fleet, and ended the Dark Emperor's revolution.
The massive explosion collapsed the ship from within. White light engulfed its entire structure before vanishing, leaving behind eternal ruins in interstellar space. Millions of metal shards scattered like dying stars. Malebrandes disappeared... if not completely annihilated, then shattered into fragments.". .
Zero drifted into his own thoughts, buried deep in the memories of that battle. Obspera, aware of it, did not disturb him.
Zero's eyes shifted; to Obspera… then to the Giga Battlenizer gripped in Obspera's hand.
"Don't tell me… they recreated all of this?" he thought, but kept it unspoken.
On the other side, Geed went still. Not in fear, but in emotional shock.
His mouth parted slightly, as if wanting to speak, but every word dissolved before forming.
For a moment, his entire figure trembled subtly.
Not because of the fleet itself… but because of the terror born from the possibility that his father; the shadow that haunted the universe, had left a remnant in this world through Obspera.
"That… belonged to my father…?" Geed whispered, barely audible.
Inside X's mind, questions spun one after another; not just about how the fleet had been restored, but also about the control systems and activation codes now connected to Obspera's A.I.
"It's impossible for this to be a hologram," X said, giving the others a matter-of-fact explanation.
"The energy they're emitting… it's real."
Obspera began to move.
The wounds across their body were still open, still spilling energy that drifted like strands of ether from another dimension.
But Obspera did not answer.
Instead, they took a slow breath and murmured...-
"Ai."
Just a name, but a command in itself.
In an instant, the Imperial Sign dimmed.
The emblem... which only moments ago stained the sky like a resurrected trauma, dissolved into mist.
Silent. Leaving nothing behind but the pressure lingering in their chests.
Ai said nothing.
Instead, the A.I. immediately ordered the army to retreat, then shut them down entirely, without further instruction.
Everything ended swiftly; no attack, only a suffocating suspension of power.
Obspera gripped their hand tight, breath shuddering.
Inside them, a single conviction pulsed: weakness would never be tolerated.
Zero could barely process what he'd witnessed.
"Not just summoned… but controlled…?"
His jaw tightened.
"They truly have become an Emperor."
He remembered how Belial had lost control of his own forces in darkness.
But Obspera... they showed no signs of instability.
That was what made them even more dangerous.
Geed stepped forward again, wanting to speak, but froze.
He looked at Obspera, guilt twisting into sympathy. Somewhere in his heart, he hoped Obspera wasn't merely a reflection of his father.
Hikari lowered his gaze and spoke softly, "Obspera…"
His voice was calm, yet filled with a depth of concern; a scientist confronting something far beyond understanding.
But Obspera only turned slightly.
Not toward Hikari, not toward Zero, not toward anyone.
They simply walked away, steps heavy.
Their shoulders stiffened, their wounds still dripping with energy like threads of silken light onto the ground.
And yet from behind, they still stood tall, though their body clearly wavered.
In the ruined, dim landscape, Obspera halted.
Their shoulders rose and fell with a strained rhythm of breath.
Their wounds remained open, energy continuing to spill from the cracked plating along their abdomen and sides.
But none of it was shown as weakness.
Obspera bowed their head, letting silence devour the moment.
The Ultras; Hikari who watched closely, Geed torn inside, Zero still wary, and Taiga, X, and Blu who had yet to recover from shock... had no idea that a decision had already been reached.
Slowly, Obspera lifted the Giga Battlenizer in their left hand.
Electric energy pulsed across the weapon, glowing faintly before suddenly surging in bright arcs.
Both ends of the Battlenizer blazed sharply as Obspera activated the Belial Whip; a special mode once used only by Belial in grand battles.
From the hilt, a flexible wave of energy burst forth; a whip-like shape, yet solid and lethal, made of warped light and spatial particles moving like a living creature.
Without a word, Obspera lashed the weapon toward them.
Lightning cracked through the air; spiraling, splitting into six luminous branches like roots of the underworld... each one striking and binding Hikari, X, Blu, Geed, Zero, and Taiga in a single motion.
Their bodies jerked upward, suspended inches above the ground.
"Wh—?!" Zero managed, but before he could finish, a violent pull from the obsidian whip dragged them forward, forcing them together in one tight knot.
They crashed down at Obspera's feet, thrown like discarded objects... still bound, unable to break free.
Behind Obspera, a portal opened.
A vast spiral of red-violet light expanded, its atmosphere dense and crushing, like gravity folding in on itself.
Obspera drew a quiet breath.
Their voice was a whisper, yet unmistakably final:
"That's enough…"
With one more swing, Obspera dragged the bound Ultras into the portal.
Their bodies lurched and floated, pulled violently through the dimensional corridor like weightless dolls.
Their eyes widened, none had the chance to resist.
Only the roar of dimensional wind and the pulse of the Giga Battlenizer filled the air.
One by one, they vanished.
When they were gone completely, Obspera slowly approached the portal's edge.
In their peripheral vision, Ai still hovered... silent, observing.
Without turning fully, Obspera spoke softly but firmly:
"Ai. Seal all entry points to Malebrandes. Guard this place until I return."
No response came.
None was needed.
Ai glowing faintly in its sphere-like form, accepted the command without pause.
Without hesitation, Obspera stepped into the dimensional vortex.
As their body touched the threshold, the last arc of light framed the silhouette of their wounded, calm face, before everything vanished in a single blink.
The portal closed.
And Malebrandes returned to silence.
The atmosphere at the Light's Land Ultra Space Port felt heavy, saturated with an unease that could be sensed by every soul present.
Zoffy stood firm, his gaze fixed far beyond the horizon, though a faint crease of worry rested on his face.
Beside him, Mebius held back the same anxiety, while the Minato siblings; Rosso and Grigio gathered in a silence filled with concern.
Z, usually lively, now had a furrowed brow and occasionally bit his lip, clearly burdened by thoughts of his friends' safety.
Grigio finally broke the silence, her voice trembling,
"Katsu-nii… I'm really worried about Isa-nii. He went to meet Obspera… That could be very dangerous."
Z, standing not far away, replied in a quiet yet steady tone,
"I'm worried about Master Zero too… I can't stop thinking about what he must be facing right now. His situation can't be easy."
Zoffy raised a hand, a gesture calling for calm.
"We must trust them," he said with deep conviction.
"Hikari, X, Blu, Zero, Taiga, and Geed. They are strong and well-trained Ultras. There is no reason to doubt their abilities."
Mebius nodded, his sharp eyes scanning the area.
"They're not alone. We're all supporting them. Remember that."
Before the atmosphere could settle, a massive portal suddenly burst open with a thunderous crash, shaking the entire port.
A surge of bright blue-reddish light spilled forth, radiating a crushing aura that made everyone freeze and hold their breath.
From the swirling light, one by one, Hikari, X, Blu, Zero, Taiga, and Geed fell to the ground, their bodies dragged and bound by the gleaming coils of Belial Whip... its shining bindings holding them tightly in place.
Rosso immediately leapt forward, catching Blu as he collapsed.
"Isami, are you alright? Don't you dare push yourself."
Blu groaned softly, trying to stand with Rosso's help.
"Relax, Katsu-nii… I'm… still fine… just a little sore."
Grigio quickly moved closer, her eyes fixed on the scrapes across Blu's armor.
"You need to be careful, Isa-nii."
Not far off, Z rushed toward Zero, who was clutching his side, breath unsteady.
"Master, let me help you," he said with earnest concern.
But Zero raised his hand, refusing the assistance.
"I can manage. Don't worry about me, Z."
Mebius crouched beside Hikari and Taiga, helping them rise.
"How are you two? Tell me what happened."
Hikari drew in a long breath, tension still clinging to his eyes.
"We held out, but Obspera… didn't attack. Even when we struck, they didn't fight back."
Grigio looked at Rosso with wide, puzzled eyes.
"Why didn't they fight? That's strange… isn't it, Katsu-nii?"
Rosso clenched his fist, holding back his emotions.
"We must stay cautious. Something's off."
Zoffy shifted everyone's attention.
"What exactly happened out there, Hikari? Tell us clearly."
Hikari exhaled, his voice steadier but serious.
"Obspera… showed no hostility. They let us hit them… as if they wanted us to understand something."
Blu turned to Rosso.
"Nee, Katsu-nii… do you get what they meant?"
Rosso shook his head.
"No idea, Isami… I'm confused too. But we can't drop our guard."
Z, still checking his teacher's condition, suddenly asked,
"Master Zero, where's your mantle? Didn't you leave with it?"
Zero frowned, then realized the absence.
"H-huh? Where did my mantle go?"
As everyone's attention remained on Zero, the portal opened once more... this time with a softer rumble.
From within, Obspera stepped out... slowly, but with a resolve that silenced the entire space.
Their body was battered.
Their right side split open, revealing a long wound that seeped dark fluid onto the ground, each step leaving a faint splash on the floor.
Their left shoulder hung low under the weight of something; Zero's cloak, held carefully in their arms, stained with dust and blood.
"I did not know this mantle could detach from its owner," Obspera said, coldly.
The Ultras instantly formed a defensive formation.
Taiga shifted forward half a step, bracing himself, while X instinctively pulled his shoulder ahead, shielding Geed behind him.
Zero's eyes sharpened.
"That…"
Hikari narrowed his gaze.
"Your mantle…"
Rosso stepped forward, grinding his teeth.
"They took it?"
Blu placed a hand on Grigio's shoulder, stopping her from stepping forward.
"Wait. Look closely…"
Obspera's steps slowed as they reached the center, beneath the beam of the energy pillar.
They stopped, then lifted their head, meeting the Ultras' eyes directly for the first time.
Not with hostility.
But with a silent gaze, as if the world no longer held any sound that could reach them.
Several Ultras exchanged glances, confusion and suspicion mixing in silence.
Geed, still seated but breathing heavily, tried to stand when he saw Zero's cloak in Obspera's hand.
"You… why are you holding that…?"
Obspera did not answer immediately.
Their injured hand gripped the cloak gently. As though it wasn't a trophy, nor a prize taken in victory… but something they happened to pick up, or even… protected.
Hikari stepped forward slowly, stopping beside Zero.
"Did you drop it during the fight?"
Zero stared straight at Obspera, whispering,
"No. It never fell…"
Mebius looked from Zero's body to the cloak in Obspera's hand.
"You mean — they removed it…?"
Z turned sharply.
"Wait...-why? Why would you do that?!"
Obspera finally spoke.
Their voice was low, deep, and almost emotionless.
"I did not steal it. It detached… after I stopped fighting."
Several Ultras stiffened.
Even Zoffy at the back furrowed his brows.
Zero narrowed his eyes.
"Are you saying… you allowed my mantle to come off?"
Obspera nodded slowly.
"I simply picked it up. Because you dropped it in a condition… unfit for a warrior of the Land of Light."
Z clenched his fists.
"Hey! Don't talk as if you're understand—!"
But Zero raised his hand, stopping him, and locked eyes with Obspera.
Obspera stepped closer.
Each footstep echoed with a heavy metallic tone, and though the Ultras braced themselves, there was no pressure; only wounds and slow, quiet steps carrying a deep, indescribable stillness.
They stopped before all of them,
lifted the cloak with both hands,
and bowed their head slightly... almost like a gesture of surrender, without humiliation, yet without pride.
"If it belongs to you, take it back."
Z accepted the cloak carefully, eyes flicking between the fabric and his teacher's face.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came.
Standing before him was a being meant to be their enemy—
yet displaying no intent to fight.
Behind him, Zero's shoulders tensed with emotion.
He wanted to snatch the cloak himself, but something about Obspera. Their empty gaze, the blood still dripping from their wounds... made him hesitate.
Something was different.
Something… not like before.
Grigio, who had been watching from beside Rosso and Blu, finally spoke.
"That wound… it's still open. You need treatment."
Obspera looked down briefly at the wound along their side.
The dark "blood" continued to drip, forming a faint trail that slowly spread across the floor.
Yet there was no panic. No complaint.
They lifted their head again, eyes shifting to Grigio.
"Grigio. Come with me. We are going to Clinic 78."
Grigio froze.
"W-what?"
Before she could take a step, Rosso immediately stood in front of her, shielding her in a defensive stance.
Blu followed on the left, raising an arm guardedly.
"It's not that simple," Rosso said flatly.
"You're not someone we can trust that easily," Blu added, his gaze sharp.
But Obspera remained unmoved.
They simply looked at the two brothers briefly, then turned away, starting to walk.
But before they could get far, Geed stepped forward, stopping Obspera with an outstretched hand.
"Wait!" he shouted.
"You can't just leave like that! Your wound— you can barely stand!"
Obspera stopped.
They turned their head, meeting Geed's eyes.
Geed held his ground, though his breath was still uneven.
For a moment, Obspera only stared.
Then, in a calm, deep tone, they spoke:
"Geed."
Geed blinked, startled by being addressed so directly.
"In what way can this wound be healed?" Obspera asked.
Geed froze.
The question struck him speechless.
He… had no answer.
Obspera stepped forward.
"I am not a being with pure Ultra gen. My DNA… is contaminated by Reionics. From Belial."
Silence engulfed everyone.
Zero held his breath, Hikari's eyes narrowed—realization beginning to take form.
"The Light of this land… no longer works on a body like mine," Obspera continued quietly.
"So don't waste time."
Mebius, who had been observing beside Hikari and Taiga, finally spoke.
"Then why did you ask Grigio to go to Clinic 78 with you?"
Obspera looked at him for a moment.
Then answered softly... without admonishment, without pressure:
"Because I'm not the only one who's injured."
The words echoed in all their minds.
Several Ultras exchanged confused glances.
Grigio froze, unsure how to respond.
X spoke up.
"What do you mean…?"
Obspera didn't answer directly.
They simply turned and walked toward Geed.
Every Ultra followed the movement with tense eyes.
With a light motion, Obspera lifted their Giga Battlenizer and pressed its tip gently against Geed's abdomen.
Zero, Rosso, and Blu stiffened; ready to strike.
But there was no threat.
The Battlenizer only nudged forward lightly, making Geed step back due to the gentle pressure.
Obspera pointed toward Geed's Color Timer.
"During your time in Malebrandes, you stayed in Ultra form too long… outside the reach of the Plasma Spark," they said.
"Even if your Color Timer didn't blink, your remaining energy still weakened."
Geed froze.
The words hit him deeper than any medical diagnosis.
He hadn't realized… and Obspera—
had been watching him?
Obspera slowly withdrew the Battlenizer, then shifted Geed aside by the waist with a gentle push.
"Go to the clinic with Grigio and see the Mother of Ultra," they said.
"Heal yourself… before it's too late."
.
.
.
Obspera walked away.
Grigio glanced at Geed, wanting to ask how he felt, but Geed didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed solely on Obspera's back—
on the blood dripping from their wounds as they walked.
But before they got far, Obspera's steps faltered.
"Obspera!" Geed shouted—
but it was too late.
Obspera collapsed.
Their dark blood spilled more freely, pooling across the floor in a black-violet smear.
Panic instantly erupted.
The Ultras rushed toward them at once.
________
*To be continued.