The fall of Odin in the Arctic Ocean marked the opening chapter of a new world order.
That day, Chu Zihang's sword, Lu Mingfei's eyes, and the countless other terrifying and chaotic abilities showed the world one undeniable truth.
The upper limit of the System Mall was the destruction of heaven and Earth itself.
New factions rose rapidly, each forming their own camps.
The Dragon Clan fractured from within.
The Secret Party, once bound together by shared Dragon Clan bloodlines, also split apart.
The God of Death faction, the Shadow faction, and the Pirate faction, along with many other power systems, each established their own alliances.
Those from the magic faction even discussed abducting the author Rowling to formally establish Hogwarts Academy.
As for the authors and publishers of the three major manga, they had long since been taken by the Sheqi Hachi Family, locked inside a dark room, and forced to rush out new manuscripts day and night.
The outside world was in chaos.
The entire world was in upheaval.
Yet none of this had anything to do with Uesugi Eriyi.
She continued to live in the same room as before.
Only now, the airtight blast proof vault doors outside her room were gone.
After becoming Ultraman, Eriyi transformed from a dangerous anomaly into a partner of justice.
Her brother no longer worried about her bloodline losing control.
The other Family Heads no longer observed her with hidden fear and suspicion.
She was no longer strictly guarded.
Instead, she carried a faint air reminiscent of Tsukuyomi herself.
Every day, unfamiliar subordinates would kneel respectfully outside her room to report matters to her.
Even when her gaze remained fixed on the Ultraman playing on the screen, those subordinates would carefully report every detail without omission.
But Eriyi did not care about any of it.
She did not understand the Sheqi Hachi Family, nor did she want to.
The only person who mattered to her in this building was her brother, Shuichi Gen.
Yet Shuichi Gen was capable and independent, someone who did not need her concern.
Moreover, on the day they returned from the Arctic Ocean, she overheard Shuichi Gen quietly persuading someone to go sell sunscreen on a beach in France.
That made Eriyi feel that her brother might leave soon.
If that happened, would it still be right for her to remain here?
Nervously, Eriyi opened the system interface. Her delicate posture straightened unconsciously.
She lifted her finger and tapped lightly.
Once again, she purchased "Rejedo Ultraman's Trial."
After confirming the purchase, the tension in her body eased slightly. She leaned back, her legs folding beneath her as she sat in a small, awkward duck seated posture.
Holding an Ultraman figurine tightly in her hands, she waited with a mix of anticipation and anxiety for Rejedo's arrival.
But this time, no beam of light descended.
No giant hand reached out to lift her.
Eriyi waited for a long while, unease creeping into her heart.
She suddenly realized something terrifying.
She did not know where to find Rejedo.
She did not even know whether the being who had lived within her for two years, who taught her how to run through city streets and buy five spice fried rice from roadside stalls, had any name other than Rejedo.
For the first time, the world felt unfamiliar to her.
Because she could no longer find the one who had shown her that world.
Eriyi hurriedly reopened the Rejedo Trial interface.
She clicked purchase again.
The room remained silent.
Sunlight poured gently through the window, illuminating the Ultraman and little monsters she had drawn on the glass with colored pens, all of them cheerful and adorable.
Yet the light she wished for never appeared.
She purchased again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
At first, her movements were slow and hesitant. Soon, her tapping became faster and faster, as if speed alone could change the outcome, just like when she played Samurai Shodown 2 and relied on fast hands to win.
The number in her system balance dropped sharply, decreasing by a thousand each time.
Only when the interface displayed [Insufficient Balance] did she finally stop.
Her arms slowly fell to her sides.
She sat quietly, staring at the screen where more than a hundred trial purchases were listed.
This had been her last way to reach Rejedo.
Her points were gone.
She had no other options.
Eriyi hugged the Rilakkuma beside her and waited in silence.
On the television, Tiga Ultraman was fighting Gatanothor.
In the past, when Eriyi saw children across the world turn into light to fight alongside Tiga, she felt the world was frightening.
Now, she herself was light.
Watching the radiant Tiga respond to the children's courage, she could even imagine raising her transformation device and joining the fight.
But the Rejedo she waited for still did not appear.
It was as if he had already left the Earth, abandoning her, his human host, all alone.
Eriyi tightened her arms around the Rilakkuma.
…
When Malrick crossed space itself and appeared before Eriyi, this was the scene he saw.
Eriyi sat with her head lowered, her vivid red hair spilling down like rain, covering both herself and the Rilakkuma. Her expression was empty and quiet.
Ultraman and monster figurines were scattered all around her.
Some were crammed into a small toy train, some sat in a circle around her, and others lay on the princess bed, Ultraman and monsters sharing the same blanket.
The ducks and Barbie dolls she once liked had been pushed far away.
For a human host, this scene was almost too immersive.
"With all these figurines together," Malrick said lightly, "you would not happen to dream about Ultraman and monsters living as one big family at night, would you, Eriyi?"
At his voice, Eriyi suddenly looked up.
The dullness vanished from her deep red eyes, replaced by a lively brilliance that sparkled like gemstones.
She stared at Malrick without saying a word.
Malrick looked back at her.
After a moment, he sighed helplessly.
"I am not merged with you right now, and I am not reading your mind. I cannot hear the hundred thoughts running through your head."
Eriyi nodded in understanding and slowly straightened herself.
She picked up a notebook from the table and began writing rapidly, then held it up for him to see.
"Rejedo, where did you go?"
"…I traveled around the Earth," Malrick replied.
Then he paused, frowning slightly.
"Wait, why are you writing again? You were already used to speaking during the trial. Why are you still using a notebook?"
Back in the illusion, he had guided her to gradually speak aloud.
Her voice was gentle and pleasant, but habits formed over more than ten years were not easily erased.
Eriyi nodded again and set the notebook aside.
She tilted her head, confusion in her expression.
"What is an illusion?"
"It is the place where you had your trial," Malrick explained. "A world created by my mind."
"So that place was fake?"
"You cannot say that," Malrick said calmly. "The illusion was created by me, but everything you experienced there was real."
Eriyi seemed to half understand.
"Then the other worlds you mentioned, Rejedo, are they fake too?"
"They are real," Malrick replied. "And I am about to go to the next one."
Light gathered at his fingertips.
"Alright, Eriyi. You bought too many trials. I cannot give you over a hundred Cosmos trials."
"So let us begin the true Rejedo Trial."
Malrick raised his hand, preparing to activate the illusion.
As long as Eriyi could pass this trial, letting her truly become Rejedo's human host would be acceptable.