"Everyone, listen to Mr. Charija's command. Get ready!"
At that moment, Eri spoke into the communicator strapped to his arm. Almost immediately, a squad of uniformed personnel rushed in through the research facility's entrance.
"Allow me to introduce them—these are the finest members of our Terra Defence Force!" Eri said proudly as the squad came to attention.
Yu Zhou studied them one by one. Each member radiated sharp discipline and a sense of pressure that far surpassed Earth's Victory Team. Even the Super Victory Team, for all their strength, lacked this kind of intimidating aura.
After all, the Super Victory Team were highly emotional people at heart—sometimes too emotional. Take Asuka, for instance. That guy constantly disobeyed orders. He was nothing like the stoic, serious Terra Defence Force standing before him now.
When the group formed up near Charija, Eri also stepped into line with them, standing tall as if awaiting inspection.
"Come on," Charija waved Yu Zhou over with a grin.
Yu Zhou sighed. "Alright then… I'll go with you one more time."
As he walked closer, Yu Zhou couldn't help but think: if they were going back to the time when Gijera appeared, then technically, he was already there once before. That meant when they arrived, there would be two versions of himself coexisting at the same point in history. Just like back then, when he hid in the Monster Graveyard and watched his own dark form clash with Belial.
At Charija's signal, the Terra Defence Force gathered tightly around him, ready for temporal transit.
"Mr. Charija," Eri suddenly raised his control sphere, pointed it toward Golza, and recalled the massive beast back into the sphere. "This Golza is entrusted to you."
"No problem," Charija said excitedly, stowing the orb away as though it were the most precious treasure in the world. Then, he led everyone straight into the wormhole that flared open like a luminous ring of light.
The world spun. A sharp rush of air.
Yu Zhou landed smoothly on a high plateau with a sharp "swish."
The others were not so graceful. Aside from Charija, even the hardened Terra Defence Force soldiers hit the ground hard, rolling and tumbling with painful groans.
"You really do have skill," Eri muttered in admiration as he dusted himself off, having barely picked himself up from the dirt.
"No, no… I'm just used to falling," Yu Zhou explained quickly.
"Used to… falling?" Eri blinked in confusion. Could it be that Yu Zhou travelled through time with Charija so often that he had crashed countless times and built-up resistance?
"Literal meaning. Nothing more…" Yu Zhou waved it off, embarrassed.
Still, he couldn't fault Eri for his respect. After all, Yu Zhou was an Ultraman. A giant of light having the ability to freely traverse time was no surprise—Ultramen were always like gods in human eyes.
They surveyed their surroundings. Nothing seemed abnormal. Just an ordinary plateau.
"By the way," Yu Zhou suddenly said, turning to Eri. "Before Gijera appears, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
Eri looked puzzled. But part of him had already guessed. After all, Gijera had been destroyed by Ultraman Tiga—more precisely, by Yu Zhou himself.
"You know Luk and his daughter, don't you?" Yu Zhou asked.
Because back then, Luk and his child died here, during Gijera's bloom. Yu Zhou and Daigo had unleashed their combined energy against Gijera, and Luk's ship had been too close to the roots when the blast struck. Both perished together.
"I know what you mean," Eri said solemnly. "Luk and his daughter died in the last bloom of Gijera."
"Do you know the exact cause of their deaths?" Yu Zhou pressed. In truth, he and Daigo had never meant for it to happen. But at least, when their souls departed, their expressions were peaceful. That had eased some of the guilt in his heart.
"I don't," Eri admitted, shaking his head. "I only know that they perished in that time. The details are unclear."
Yu Zhou hesitated, then gave a weary sigh. "Forget it. Never mind. But tell me this—if you see them this time… will you try to save them?"
That was what troubled him most. Luk and his daughter were supposed to have died. Yu Zhou had witnessed it with his own eyes. If Eri or the Terra Defence Force interfered and rescued them, would that cause the timeline itself to shift, altering his own memories of the past?
"You can rest assured," Eri answered after a long breath. "To maintain temporal stability, we won't interfere with Luk. Even though we dearly wish to save them, the risk is far too great."
Yu Zhou nodded slowly. That was a relief.
"Then what do you plan to do with Gijera?" he asked.
That was the key. If Eri and his people tried to capture Gijera and take it into the future, everything could unravel. After all, Gijera had been slain in front of countless witnesses, destroyed by the combined might of two Tigas. If that event was erased, the timeline itself might collapse.
"Don't worry," Eri said firmly. "We have no intention of bringing Gijera back. What we seek is only to study its roots and uncover its other special properties. By encoding its cellular structure, we may be able to cultivate a new Gijera in Terra's world."
He explained this at length, speaking so long that his throat grew dry.
"You people…" Yu Zhou shook his head. The ancient Earthlings had once been destroyed by darkness, their civilization swallowed whole. Gijera may have dulled their pain in its final bloom, but it hadn't prevented the inevitable fall.
And back then, while they indulged in Gijera's comfort, no one took responsibility. Only the Ultramen interfered—and for that, they were cursed, rejected, and cast aside. In the end, humanity had told the giants of light they were no longer needed. And so, the giants left in silence.
"Report!" A Terra Defence Force soldier jogged up to Eri, saluting smartly. "We've detected an ordinary Gijera bud."
Eri's face lit up with excitement. "So, it's here, at last! We've arrived at the perfect time!"
(End of Chapter)