Thirty million years ago—whether things like demons and gods truly existed, Yu Zhou didn't know.
But since such beings did exist, then their existence had its own logic.
Just as Ultraman and monsters had appeared before his very eyes—and even the fact that he himself was an Ultraman—these things that he once would never have believed had now unfolded right in front of him. That alone made them reasonable.
"Camearra, let's go back to R'lyeh."
At home, Yu Zhou turned to Camearra and spoke. Returning to R'lyeh served two purposes: one was to let Daigo and his family visit, and the other was that the appearance of the plasma cloud cluster had given Yu Zhou new inspiration.
If he brought these ideas to Masaki, perhaps Masaki's research into the artificial sun could take a leap forward.
"Alright."
Hearing his proposal, Camearra's heart lit up with joy, and she agreed immediately.
After staying in Yu Zhou's home for so long, Camearra had never treated herself as an outsider. She moved about as though she were the mistress of the house. Strangely enough, Yu Zhou had also grown accustomed to her presence, to the point that he too unconsciously felt she belonged here.
"Then I'll contact Daigo."
Yu Zhou nodded. If they were going to R'lyeh, then of course they needed to let Camearra know in advance. Otherwise, if he and Daigo visited while Camearra was still here at his home, it would feel awkward.
"Daigo?" Camearra tilted her head curiously. "He's going to R'lyeh too?"
Camearra no longer harboured other feelings toward Daigo. In her heart, she had already accepted that Yu Zhou was Tiga himself. And besides, Daigo was married now, with Rena and their daughter.
"Yes. Most likely Daigo will bring his whole family."
Yu Zhou answered. For Daigo, this was just a trip, and a trip meant bringing Rena and little Hikari. For a family, being together mattered most.
"Ah…"
For some reason, Camearra sighed at his words.
Look at Daigo—he already had a daughter old enough to tag along. And she? She had lived for more than thirty million years, yet had never borne a child.
Back then, though she and Tiga had been husband and wife in both name and reality, no child was born between them. Otherwise, by now she might already be a great-great-grandmother many times over.
"What are you sighing for?" Yu Zhou frowned slightly, puzzled. "Are you unhappy with how things are now?"
"Look at them," Camearra said softly, casting him a sidelong glance. "Other people already have children. And we…"
As she spoke, she threw him a playful, seductive look.
"We'll set out tomorrow morning!"
Realizing immediately where this was headed, Yu Zhou cut her off hastily, then hurried back to his own room and shut the door.
"When will we truly meet again as we once were…"
Camearra whispered with a sigh as she turned and headed for her own room.
It was obvious to her that Yu Zhou was only in his early twenties—he was not the same Tiga from thirty million years ago.
And yet… every word, every gesture of his overlapped perfectly with the shadow of the Tiga she had once loved. How could she not believe he was the same person?
"What reason could there be… for your memories to hold no trace of me?"
Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, Camearra murmured to herself.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhou too lay in his own room, gazing upward in silence.
"And what reason could there be… for you to mistake me for that Tiga of the past?"
Although Camearra insisted he resembled that ancient giant in every way, Yu Zhou knew he was not. He was truly only twenty-something, not a warrior from thirty million years ago.
"…I need to find a way to ask Charija to take me back."
He clenched his fists. Perhaps by using Charija's suitcase to return to the ancient era, he could discover the truth.
How did Tiga first appear? How had he met Camearra, and how had their love begun?
Where had the giants of light and darkness truly come from? And how had Gatanozoa and those other dark gods invaded Earth?
All these questions—if he went back—might finally be answered.
"But… can Charija's case really cross so vast a gulf of time?"
Yu Zhou rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Come to think of it, ever since returning to Earth with Yu Zhou, Charija had immediately gone shopping, stocking a warehouse full of sodas and snacks before heading off to R'lyeh. After all, a monster merchant was still a merchant—and R'lyeh was teeming with traders from across the globe. Surely, Charija thought, he could find something worthwhile there.
Most of all, Charija had heard from Yu Zhou that Zoiger was one of Camearra's beasts. He wanted to ask her personally about raising such a monster.
Unfortunately, Camearra was now living in Yu Zhou's house, not in R'lyeh, so Charija had to settle down there temporarily.
The next day came quickly.
Yu Zhou and Camearra arrived at the shore. When Daigo and his family joined them, Yu Zhou took a spacecraft out from his space-ring.
"This ship looks incredible!"
As a skilled pilot, Rena's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Yu Zhou to own an actual starship.
"Come aboard."
Yu Zhou called out. Daigo, carrying little Hikari in his arms, stepped inside without hesitation, with Rena following closely behind. Camearra naturally joined Yu Zhou as well—no need for her to transform and fly when there was a ship available.
"Yu Zhou-kun, did you also buy this on the Terraforming Star?"
Daigo asked as he looked around.
"That's right," Yu Zhou nodded.
"I remember… you couldn't even fly a fighter jet."
Rena said as she examined the interior curiously. Everyone in the Victory Team knew Yu Zhou wasn't a pilot. To suddenly be at the helm of a spaceship was suspicious—unless he had secretly learned over the years.
"I can't fly jets," Yu Zhou admitted with a grin. "But I can operate this ship."
As he spoke, he activated the ship's AI.
"Upload Earth's map."
He hadn't yet had time to sync Earth's data to the ship. Within seconds, however, the AI had pulled the maps from the internet and updated its database.
"Set course for R'lyeh."
The island, rebuilt, was already on the maps now, visible in the South Pacific.
At Yu Zhou's command, the ship rose smoothly into the air and shot southward.
"…So, this is what you mean by piloting?"
Daigo realized at once—the ship was fully voice-controlled. Yu Zhou wasn't flying it; the AI was.
"Exactly. With my voice, I can pilot it. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
Yu Zhou smirked.
"…I suppose that counts."
Daigo was left speechless. He wasn't wrong, though—voice control was still a form of piloting.
The starship was built for interstellar travel, so flying on Earth was nothing. In minutes, it streaked across the skies and descended toward R'lyeh.
Yu Zhou landed it on a secluded beach, and once everyone disembarked, he returned the vessel into his ring.
"Let's go."
Naturally, the Crystal Palace was their destination. Camearra had already prepared a residence there for Daigo's family.
"From above… I thought I saw a massive crystal palace," Daigo said in awe as they walked.
He wasn't mistaken. The palace was vast and dazzling, utterly unlike the battlefield ruins this place had once been.
"That's right," Yu Zhou nodded. "It was built with materials from the Land of Light."
"The Land of Light…?" Daigo's eyes widened again. No wonder it had looked familiar. He had been there before, with Yu Zhou, when Camearra and the others had been purified into giants of light.
At that time, he had been stunned to discover that the Ultramen lived ordinary lives much like humans: they had jobs, homes, families, wives, and children. Until then, he had thought Ultraman existed only to battle monsters.
"Is that the place you went, Daigo?" Rena asked quietly, intrigued. She had only heard of the Land of Light second-hand.
Daigo nodded. "Yes. A world filled with giants of light."
As the adults spoke, little Hikari squatted down on the sand to play happily, a novelty she had never experienced on Mars, which had no oceans or beaches.
But soon enough, Daigo scooped her up again, and they pressed onward toward the city gates of R'lyeh.
The towering castle-style gates gave the place a fairytale aura. Rena gasped softly—it felt like stepping into the stories she had read as a child.
"Look at the crowds," Daigo murmured. People of every kind were entering and leaving. The flow was so heavy it nearly caused a jam, though TPC kept a strict cap on daily visitors to prevent gridlock.
"R'lyeh has become a place where people from every corner of the world gather," Yu Zhou explained.
Daigo and Rena both nodded, still amazed by the transformation of this once-ruined battlefield.
While they explored, Yu Zhou and Camearra returned to the Crystal Palace to wait. Hours later, Daigo and his family finally arrived—arms laden with shopping bags, with Daigo carrying Hikari as well.
Yu Zhou stepped out to greet them, and when he saw Daigo weighed down so heavily, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Daigo, you tired?" he teased.
"He's not tired," Rena answered firmly before Daigo could speak.
"Yeah… I'm not tired," Daigo said with difficulty, forcing a nod.
"Good," Yu Zhou laughed, clapping his shoulder. "Because we'll walk another kilometre east. Masaki is treating us to dinner."
"…One kilometre?"
Daigo tightened the straps of the many bags on his back and trudged forward.
Little Hikari, now holding her mother's hand, turned and pumped her fist at him. "Go, Daddy, go!"
Daigo froze for a second, then grinned. With his daughter cheering him on, his steps grew light again.
"…Truly, becoming a father changes everything."
Watching from ahead, Yu Zhou smiled quietly to himself.
Daigo was a father now—without a doubt.