With the advanced excavation technology from Planet Land, the operation progressed quickly.
It didn't take long—once the digging collectors cleared away a layer of soil and stone; they struck something massive: the thick roots of the Gijera.
"Report! We've uncovered the roots of Gijera!"
The Land Defence Troopers relayed the discovery to Eri.
This was to be expected. Gijera's root system spread deep and wide beneath the earth, and once near its true body, finding its roots became inevitable.
"Since we've already reached Gijera's roots, there's no need to dig all the way to its main body," Eri decided after a pause. "We'll extract the essence fluid from here."
At his command, the troopers brought out their extraction devices—sleek, needle-like instruments of high technology—and plunged them into the thick, pulsing roots.
From the punctures seeped a strange yellow fluid, viscous and alive, drawn steadily into the transparent tubes.
"So, this is Gijera's essence fluid…"
Yu Zhou peered into one of the collectors. The liquid looked uncannily like blood, golden and vital. Though Gijera was a plant, it possessed consciousness—and the fact that it bled was not so strange after all.
Soon, every container was filled with the glowing fluid.
Eri nodded with deep satisfaction. After so long searching, they finally had it—the essence of Gijera.
"Next, collect Gijera's plant cells."
The order startled Yu Zhou. Plant cells? Cloning? Of course—Land's advanced science could replicate a living organism if they had fresh samples.
"How do you collect that?" Yu Zhou asked curiously. In his mind, just scraping some tissue off the roots would do.
But instead of scalpels or tweezers, the troopers produced glowing blades. With two sharp swipes, an entire massive section of Gijera's root was hacked clean off and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
Yu Zhou: "…"
This was cell collection? Why not just admit you were taking the whole root?
As the severed section hit the earth, the cavern shook violently. A horrific cry, half in rage and half in agony, echoed from the depths.
"Damn—it was one of Gijera's main roots! It knows we cut it!"
Eri's expression darkened. Now he understood why. If the minor roots were like strands of hair, what they had just taken was a chunk of scalp. No being could tolerate that.
The plateau above rumbled. Suddenly, the ground cracked open with a deafening roar. From the fissure burst a gigantic sprout, encased in writhing roots that fed it power. Within moments, it grew higher, larger, more terrifying—becoming the very monstrosity that had once destroyed the Ultra-Ancient Civilization.
The Doomsday Flower, Gijera, had awakened!
From all directions, roots whipped through the cavern like endless serpents, striking at Yu Zhou and the others with merciless intent.
The Land Defence Troopers fought back, their energy blades flashing as they cut the roots apart, but for every tendril severed, two more surged forward.
Even Yu Zhou and Charija were forced onto the defensive.
Yu Zhou's hand instinctively reached for the Spark Lens, ready to transform—but he froze. No. If he became Ultraman now, history itself would collapse.
He gritted his teeth and dodged another lashing root. "Charija—it's on you!"
"What do you mean, on me?!" Charija shouted back in frustration, striking wildly with his staff to knock away the incoming roots. "Weren't you supposed to protect me?! When did our roles flip?!"
But his irritation quickly boiled into anger. Why was he being targeted when he hadn't even touched the roots or the fluid?
"Fine then! Go, Golza!"
With a snap, Charija hurled the capsule Eri had given him.
Yu Zhou blinked in shock. "Wait—what?!"
The cavern was enormous, but the monster inside the capsule was far bigger. How could it even fit? Had Charija lost his mind?
A streak of light burst forth, materializing into a hulking form. The walls trembled as the monster's massive head smashed against the low ceiling, wedging itself awkwardly in the earth.
"Rrroooar???"
Golza froze, utterly confused. It had meant to unleash a thunderous roar, but instead found itself crammed in darkness, unable to move properly.
"Golza, dig!" Charija commanded.
Despite its clumsy entrance, Golza obeyed. With colossal claws, it ripped into the soil. Being a monster born to shatter the earth, tunnelling was effortless for it.
Within moments, the cavern widened, Golza's head and shoulders breaking free into space.
"Good. Very good," Charija grinned. He had only just acquired Golza, yet it already obeyed without hesitation. It was more powerful than he had hoped.
Yu Zhou held his head in disbelief. "Charija, why did you even summon Golza here?!"
The alien simply shrugged. "I got it, I ran into a problem, and this was a perfect chance to test it."
The battle raged on. Roots lashed down in endless waves, but with Golza acting as a living wall, the troopers and Yu Zhou were shielded.
Roots struck Golza again and again, slamming into its body like whips—but the "Third Generation Golza" Eri had spoken of didn't falter. It grabbed one of the massive tendrils and yanked, locking it in a brutal tug-of-war.
"Golza, use your beam!" Charija shouted.
Purple light crackled at Golza's forehead, discharging in a devastating ray that seared through the roots. In an instant, they burned and crumbled to ash.
"Excellent! Well done, Golza!" Charija's eyes gleamed with pride. Of all the monsters he commanded, Golza was already proving itself one of the strongest.
"Now—charge and destroy Gijera's body!"
But before Golza could move, Yu Zhou stepped in front of Charija.
"No. You can't."
"What? Why not?!"
Yu Zhou's tone was grave. "Because in this timeline, when I fought Gijera, Golza never appeared. If you unleash it here, you'll shatter history."
Charija scowled, still brimming with anger. "Then how do you expect us to kill this damned thing?"
"Don't worry." Yu Zhou glanced upward, already sensing the shift in fate. "Give it a little time. Gijera's end is already written."
Somewhere, in this very moment, the Yu Zhou of this era was beginning his destined battle against Gijera.