The moment DarkLops Zero locked onto him, Geed braced himself, focusing entirely on evasion and survival.
The mechanical giant lunged forward, unleashing a powerful kick. Geed flipped backward, rolling across the ground to widen the distance, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.
Seizing the opening, Geed darted back in, trying to test his opponent with a kick of his own. His foot struck true—only to be countered by a brutal spinning kick from DarkLops Zero. The clash of metal against flesh sent Geed staggering in pain, while the robot didn't even flinch.
Capitalizing on Geed's moment of weakness, DarkLops Zero leapt high into the air and drove a massive punch downward. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Geed rolled desperately aside. The punch instead crashed into a building behind him, shattering it into a cascade of rubble and dust.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhou and the others had arrived near the battlefield, taking an elevator up from the underground base. The streets around them were chaos—panicked civilians fled in all directions while fragments of stone and metal rained down from the ongoing clash.
"If the story doesn't follow the original flow, then I'll have no choice but to step in myself," Yu Zhou muttered, eyes fixed on the sky.
The fight unfolded like a cruel game of eagle and chick. DarkLops Zero attacked relentlessly, while Geed focused only on dodging, refusing to engage head-on.
Even the mechanical lifeform began to grow agitated. No matter how it struck, Geed refused to meet it directly.
At last, DarkLops Zero pulled back. It raised its right hand before its face, drawing a surge of red energy, then fired a crimson beam from its head straight toward Geed.
But Geed was ready. He planted both palms forward, summoning an Ultra Barrier. The blazing red beam slammed into the shield and vanished as though swallowed whole.
As the energy faded, the barrier dissolved.
"My turn to fight back!" Riku roared from within Geed's body. He gathered his strength, forming the Cross Shoot, and hurled the golden beam toward the machine.
To his shock, DarkLops Zero countered instantly, releasing its own Dark Stream to clash with Geed's attack.
Yu Zhou's expression darkened.
"This is bad!"
"Huh?" Laiha glanced at him in confusion. "They're just starting a beam struggle. How can you say it's bad? The outcome isn't decided yet!"
Yu Zhou shook his head. "You don't understand."
"Understand what?" Laiha frowned, suspicious that he knew something she didn't.
Yu Zhou asked, "From your perspective, who's on the left, and who's on the right?"
"Geed's on the left, DarkLops Zero on the right. Why?"
"That's exactly it!" Yu Zhou pointed firmly at Geed. "Since ancient times, in beam struggles, the one on the left always loses. I've never once seen this law broken."
"…That's the weirdest superstition I've ever heard," Laiha muttered.
Yet even as they spoke, reality confirmed Yu Zhou's words. DarkLops Zero's beam overpowered the Cross Shoot, swallowing it whole before smashing into Geed.
Boom!
Geed crashed to the ground, clutching his chest in agony. The Color Timer on his chest began to blink red, signaling the critical limit.
"No way… he actually lost!" Laiha's eyes widened. The Cross Shoot had been strong enough to pierce Skull Gomora, yet it couldn't overcome DarkLops Zero's attack.
"Their beam is actually stronger…" she whispered.
From underground, Pega popped his head out, voice trembling. "This is bad—Riku doesn't have much time left!"
"Not much time?" Laiha asked.
Pega nodded quickly. "Laiha, remember what Lemps said? Riku's Ultraman form can only stay on Earth for about three minutes. When time or energy runs low, the Color Timer flashes red."
"Even Geed has the three-minute limit?" Yu Zhou murmured, surprised. In his own transformations across different worlds, time had never been a constraint—only energy.
"Looks like this restriction doesn't apply to me," he thought grimly.
On the battlefield, DarkLops Zero lifted the twin head-fins from its crown, brandishing them as blades. It advanced on the fallen Geed, ready to finish him off in a flurry of lethal slashes.
Just then, a streak of light tore across the sky, descending with a sharp whistle before slamming into the battlefield.
DarkLops Zero turned, raising its weapons as a new figure stood before it.
"Who's that?!" Pega gasped.
The newcomer looked almost identical to DarkLops Zero in shape, but its body gleamed in bright silver, blue, and crimson.
Yu Zhou's lips curved faintly.
"That's Zero—Ultraman Zero, son of Seven."
Relief washed over him. "As expected, he came. That means I don't need to intervene."
"Zero?!" Riku managed to lift his head weakly.
The newcomer clenched his fists, glaring at DarkLops Zero.
"You… How are you here?! Has Belial survived after all?!"
In Zero's mind, Belial had perished with the detonation of the Super Dimension Bomb. Yet the DarkLops units were unmistakably Belial's creations. If one stood here now, it meant Belial's shadow still lingered.
Originally, Zero had only intended to visit this universe, the one merged with the power of the Ultra King, to assess the King's condition. Instead, he had stumbled into Belial's schemes once again.
Though weakened from crossing space-time, Zero charged forward without hesitation. His fists and kicks landed solidly, each blow sending DarkLops Zero staggering back. Unlike Geed, Zero's strikes carried no recoil or pain—only power and precision.
From the ground, Geed pushed himself up slightly, awe in his eyes.
"So strong… This is the difference between us."
For the first time, he saw how wide the gulf truly was. His own strikes had only hurt himself, while Zero's attacks effortlessly dominated the machine.
Zero pressed the advantage, driving a fierce kick into DarkLops Zero and forcing it back several paces.
Realizing it couldn't win in close combat, DarkLops Zero unleashed another Dark Stream, the purple energy beam cutting across the battlefield.
Zero spread his arms, summoning his golden Zero Twin Shoot. The two beams collided in midair.
Yu Zhou leaned toward Laiha with a grin.
"Now tell me—who do you think wins this one?"
Laiha hesitated. "If Zero's on the right this time… then maybe…"
Before she could finish, the clash ended with a thunderous explosion. Zero's golden beam swallowed the Dark Stream whole, blasting into the robot and sending it reeling backward.
Seeing he was hopelessly outmatched, DarkLops Zero turned and took to the skies, fleeing the battlefield.
Zero watched it retreat but didn't give chase. His body was weakened from the journey; wasting energy now would be foolish. Instead, he turned to look at Geed, lying battered on the ground.