"Hey, are you okay?"
Zero turned his head toward Geed, who was half-kneeling on the ground.
But when his gaze met Geed's eyes, Zero suddenly froze.
"Wait… those eyes… Belial?!"
In an instant, Zero's mind flashed with the memory of Belial's piercing gaze. The eyes of this Ultraman before him were almost identical.
"No… that's impossible!"
Zero forced himself to think it through. This couldn't be Belial. Not only did his body not match, but if it really were Belial, how could he possibly be fighting against Darklops Zero?
"You are…"
Geed struggled to his feet, but at that moment, his transformation ended. His body dissolved into a cloud of shimmering particles of light, vanishing before Zero's eyes.
"Hey! Wait!"
Zero rushed forward, shouting. He still had so many questions, yet the stranger had just… disappeared.
As the light faded, Riku's figure reappeared on the ground. Laiha and Pega hurried over to help him up.
"Riku, are you alright?" Pega asked anxiously as he supported him.
"Riku, we should leave now," Laiha whispered. "Your father is Belial. That Ultraman could be one of his enemies. If he learns who you really are, it could put you in danger."
"She's right, Riku. Let's go!" Pega added nervously.
"…Alright, let's go." Riku nodded, realizing Laiha's words made sense. Then he frowned. "Wait, where's Yuzhou?"
"Huh?" Laiha blinked in confusion. "He was just here a moment ago… how did he disappear?"
The three of them, worried but pressed for time, quickly left the scene.
"He even has companions…" Zero muttered under his breath, staring at their retreating figures.
Meanwhile, Yuzhou was wandering leisurely along a nearby street.
Darklops Zero had already retreated, and the crowds who had been fleeing now began returning home.
That's when he noticed it: a lone banana peel, lying in plain sight on the pavement.
"Tch. People these days… no sense of public decency." Yuzhou bent down, picked it up, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
He scanned the area again. No more banana peels. Satisfied, he calmly sat down to wait.
As expected, the inertia of the plot was terrifyingly strong. Even with butterfly effects here and there, some events were destined to happen.
Sure enough, one of the damaged high-rises shuddered violently. Loose concrete and stone broke free from the top and came crashing down toward the street.
People screamed and pointed upward.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a gray suit and polished leather shoes dashed toward the falling debris.
A child stood directly beneath the danger, frozen in fear, staring up blankly.
The man sprinted desperately to save him—but his foot slipped on a loose pebble. He staggered off balance and veered into the road.
"Wait, what?!" Yuzhou's jaw nearly dropped. "I threw away the banana peel! How is this guy still tripping—on a stone?!"
In the original timeline, the man slipped on the banana peel, stumbled, and ended up in the street—only to be hit by a small truck.
Now, even with the banana peel gone, he still fell into the road.
And worse—
"…You've got to be kidding me. The truck got upgraded into a digger?!" Yuzhou stared, dumbfounded, as a construction excavator rolled past.
Thud!
The man was struck and sent flying. He landed hard on the asphalt, unconscious.
Yuzhou exhaled in relief when he saw Zero watching the whole incident unfold, just as in the original timeline.
Everything was still on track. This middle-aged salaryman, named Igaguri Leito, would soon end up in the hospital—where he would be chosen to become Zero's human host.
As for the boy under the falling rubble…
A shimmering blue barrier suddenly enveloped him, shattering the stone into dust before it could reach him.
The crowd gasped in awe.
The boy quickly bolted, slipping away from the scene before anyone could stop him.
"…So the Little Star is with that child."
Yuzhou quietly committed the boy's face to memory.
Moments later, an ambulance arrived. The injured office worker was loaded inside and rushed to the hospital. His name: Igaguri Leito. An ordinary man, who through this accident, would gain an extraordinary fate—becoming Ultraman Zero's host.
Later that day, Yuzhou stepped out of the elevator into the underground Nebula House. He greeted Laiha, who was still training, and Riku, who sat absorbed in a recruitment magazine.
He noticed Pega busy at the computer and left him undisturbed.
From the wall, the voice of RE.M., the AI orb, echoed:
"His name is Ultraman Geed. He is not humanity's enemy, but one who resists his own destiny."
"Riku, will this message suffice?"
"…Yes. That's good." Riku smiled faintly, eyes still on his book.
"Then I'll transmit this to the media." RE.M.'s light pulsed softly.
"Yuzhou, what do you think will happen once this message spreads?" Riku suddenly asked, turning to him.
Yuzhou thought for a moment. "It should help… at least a little."
"…That doesn't sound very reassuring," Riku muttered, crestfallen.
"Don't worry," Yuzhou said, patting his shoulder. "You're an Ultraman. You've saved humanity more than once already. I'm sure people won't judge you so harshly."
"I agree with Yuzhou," Laiha added, pausing her practice. "You've more than proven yourself."
Riku gave a small nod, though his expression was still uneasy.
"…Honestly, I'm more worried about Zero." He sighed. "The Ultras of the Land of Light all carry grudges against Belial. What if he comes after me?"
"That's nothing to worry about," Yuzhou said firmly. "Like I told you, they're reasonable. They won't take it out on you."
"…I hope you're right." Riku murmured, trusting Yuzhou's judgment. After all, Yuzhou had been to the Land of Light himself.
"By the way," Riku asked, "Zero must be much older than me, right?"
"Of course. You're only nineteen. Ultras are… well, ancient compared to humans," Yuzhou replied.
"Still feels weird," Riku muttered, scratching his head. "Last time, you even said I count as Zero's uncle. How am I supposed to process having a nephew who's older than me?"
The thought alone gave him a headache.
"Say, was the Impact Crisis really caused by their battle?" Laiha suddenly asked.
"That war nearly destroyed the entire universe," RE.M. answered, drawing everyone's attention.
"Then why does everything look normal now?" Laiha pressed.
"Because when the universe was collapsing, the Ultra King merged with it—becoming one with the cosmos. In doing so, he restored it and prevented total annihilation."
"…One with the cosmos?" Riku and Laiha both tilted their heads in confusion.
Yuzhou explained, "It's a special Ultra ability. An Ultraman can merge with another person, fusing their spirits. Once bonded, that person can use a transformation device to become Ultraman."
Both of them blinked in awe, as if the concept was too fantastical even in their world.