Although Golza was cloned from preserved cells, that didn't stop Charija from being fascinated by the beast.
For Charija, it didn't matter how a monster came into being—so long as it was a monster, it was worth something.
He and Yu Zhou followed Eri down into the basement of the research facility. There, in the very centre of the massive chamber, lay the colossal form of Golza.
This Golza was not yet awake. Its body was riddled with dozens of nutrient tubes, keeping the cells alive until the day it could fully awaken.
"Behold—our creation, the cloned Golza." Eri gestured proudly at the beast's hulking frame.
"Not bad… not bad at all." Charija smacked his lips, stepping closer to admire the creature up close.
"Charija, are you satisfied with what you see?" Eri asked knowingly. He could already tell the monster trader was hooked.
"If it truly is Golza, then yes, I'm very satisfied. But in this state…" Charija squinted, noticing the stillness of the beast. "It doesn't seem alive. Don't tell me it's already dead?"
"Of course not!" Eri barked, then waved his hand. "Activate Golza's life functions."
Several lab-coated researchers worked quickly at the control panels. Moments later, Yu Zhou felt the ground rumble faintly beneath his feet.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
A thunderous bellow shook the chamber. Golza's once-shut eyes snapped open, glowing with primal light. Crimson energy coursed through its veins as muscles rippled to life across its massive body.
"Excellent! Wonderful!" Charija's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Golza, walk forward two steps!" Eri ordered, holding a thumb-sized control orb in his hand.
Obediently, the monster stomped forward twice, shaking the floor with each step.
"Now, three steps to the left!"
Again, Golza followed the command.
"Fire your beam at the metal test wall!"
Purple energy gathered at Golza's head before it swung around and unleashed a blast. With a deafening boom, the reinforced wall shattered into fragments.
"Magnificent!" Charija exclaimed, thoroughly impressed. "Name your price. This monster is mine."
That was his creed: if he saw a monster he wanted, no matter the cost, he had to own it.
"The price isn't money," Eri said smoothly, his tone shifting like an old fox ready to pounce.
Yu Zhou frowned. As he suspected, these Ultra-Ancients weren't trading monsters for cash. The only thing they wanted from Charija was his time machine.
And he was right.
"I require only this: that you use your device to bring myself and my people back—to just over ten years ago," Eri said.
"As expected," Yu Zhou muttered inwardly. Of course, Eri wanted to return to the time before Gijera was destroyed—to retrieve its precious essence.
Charija, however, grinned wide. "Deal."
One use of his time machine in exchange for a powerful monster like Golza? It was the kind of bargain he lived for.
"We are offering you far more than generosity," Eri continued slyly. "This is no ordinary Golza."
"Oh? And how does it differ from the others?" Charija tilted his head.
"This is an upgraded form—Golza III."
Yu Zhou studied the creature carefully. Indeed, this Golza was more muscular and menacing than the magma-fused one he'd seen back in Ultraman Geed's world.
"…This design looks oddly familiar," Yu Zhou muttered, rubbing his chin. "But I've never actually fought a Golza like this before."
"Shall we depart now, Charija?" Eri pressed eagerly. If they could return before Gijera's end, the Ultra-Ancients could seize its essence once more—and prolong their lives.
"No problem."
Without hesitation, Charija placed his black suitcase on the ground and began tuning its settings.
Yu Zhou leaned closer, whispering, "You're not worried they'll just take your machine by force?"
Charija grinned slyly. "Isn't that why you're here?"
Yu Zhou's mouth twitched. So now I'm your bodyguard?
Still, he knew he couldn't let the time machine fall into the wrong hands. He silently prepared himself.
"By the way, Eri," Yu Zhou suddenly asked, "there's something I don't understand."
Eri blinked. "What is it?"
"Your Ultra-Ancient civilization is highly advanced. Even three million years ago, Yuzare, the former Earth Defence Force captain, possessed a time capsule that could cross time. Why is it that, in all these millennia, your people never developed a true time machine of your own?"
That was the question that had nagged Yu Zhou most of all.
Eri's face darkened. "Because our world was falling into chaos. Much of our knowledge was destroyed—our scientists killed, our data obliterated in the darkness. The research on time travel… every last trace of it was wiped out in a single night."
Yu Zhou fell silent. So that's it. In the face of apocalypse, even the greatest civilization crumbled.
"And even then, the time capsule you mentioned… it could only send someone into the future, never back to the past."
Yu Zhou nodded. "Of course. If it had been able to go backward, Yuzare would never have had to travel forward at all."
"All right then, everyone—let's go!"
With the device tuned, Charija waved his arm triumphantly. The air began to hum with the faint vibration of time itself bending.