"Alright!"
The moment Charija heard the word monster, his spirit ignited. He leapt up from the beach with visible excitement.
"What kind of monster?"
His eyes shone with eagerness as he looked at Yu Zhou.
"I'm not entirely sure," Yu Zhou admitted with a shake of his head. "We'll find out once we get there."
Five thousand years ago—the same era in which the Revival of the Ancient Giant movie took place—Daigo's son, Madoka Tsubasa (also called Madoka Tsubasa), had travelled back carrying a dinosaur-like creature.
If Charija managed to capture anything in that time, it would likely only be that beast. The Dark Gods, after all, were summoned by Dark Messengers. Such beings couldn't be tamed.
"Then let's go now!" Charija said eagerly.
Without hesitation, he recalled King Guesra from the sea back into its capsule and placed his silver case on the ground.
"Five thousand years ago…" he muttered, crouching down and adjusting the controls. The machinery was ancient, and it took him quite a while to tune it properly.
"Where exactly?" he asked, glancing up at Yu Zhou.
"The Land of Tiga," Yu Zhou replied firmly.
The Land of Tiga—the very place where the ancient pyramid of the giants had once been discovered. In that distant era, a small village had stood within the region.
Strangely, this name had existed even before the Victory Team had uncovered Tiga's resting place. Perhaps it was the legend of the ancient Giant of Light that had led to the area being called the Tiga Region.
"The Land of Tiga?" Charija echoed in surprise. He pulled out a palm-sized scanner, searched for a moment, and then nodded once he had locked onto the coordinates.
"Alright. Come over here."
After finishing the adjustments, he beckoned Yu Zhou to stand by the case.
Yu Zhou nodded and stepped up, bracing himself for the wormhole.
"I'm setting off!"
Charija's familiar cry rang out as white rings of light spun into existence, weaving together into a brilliant corridor. A powerful pull erupted from within, dragging both Yu Zhou and Charija into the vortex.
This time, though, the journey felt different. Perhaps because they were traveling so far back—five thousand years—the passage seemed endless. They drifted through the twisting tunnel of time for what felt like an eternity.
At last, the barrier broke, and they were hurled out, landing with solid footing on the ground below.
Yu Zhou stood, brushing himself off, and surveyed their surroundings. They had landed in the mountains, though not on a peak, but rather on a relatively flat plain nestled among the ridges.
Charija also scanned the area, though he saw no sign of the monster Yu Zhou had mentioned.
"Charija, don't you think something feels off about the sky?" Yu Zhou asked suddenly, lifting his gaze.
Overhead, thick, churning clouds rolled across the heavens, dark and heavy, as if the world itself were on the verge of destruction.
The sight made Yu Zhou frown. It was eerily similar to that moment when Gatanozoa had once surfaced—when darkness spread over the entire Earth.
"Could it be… we've arrived at the time of Gatanozoa's descent?" Yu Zhou muttered. The thought sent a chill through him. That same scene had only ever occurred twice: once with Gatanozoa, and once in Ultraman Geed, when Belial appeared.
But in this world, there was no Belial. Which meant it could only be Gatanozoa.
As Yu Zhou wrestled with the possibility, faint screams echoed in the distance. Though quiet, the sheer terror in the voices was unmistakable.
"Let's go check it out."
Without another word, Yu Zhou sprinted toward the sound. Charija followed close behind.
Their path led them out of the mountain basin and toward a plain shaped by rivers flowing down from the heights. Such fertile lands, with fresh water and rich soil, were always the cradle of human settlements.
Sure enough, after some time running, a village came into view.
But its condition was dire.
Flames roared atop thatched huts, thick smoke choking the air. Cries of pain and fear filled the burning streets.
Yu Zhou's expression darkened. This village has been attacked.
"That's not right," he thought grimly. "In the original Revival of the Ancient Giant storyline, the village was never completely destroyed…"
Clearly, no Giant of Light had appeared to defend it this time.
In the original story, Daigo's son, Tsubasa, had transformed into Tiga, and Amui—the ancient successor of light—had awakened to defeat the invading foe.
But what if his presence here had triggered a butterfly effect?
Could it be that Tsubasa had never returned to the past, and thus the awakening of Amui had been delayed?
Or perhaps, by Yu Zhou's very existence in the future, the flow of history itself had already been altered.
Just then—Boom!
The ground shook violently. Yu Zhou froze, then looked up.
It was Degouf—the very Dark God they had just defeated in the future world!
So this was it: here, in the ancient era, there was no Giant of Light to stop him.
Yu Zhou hesitated. If he interfered now, wouldn't that cause even greater disruptions to the timeline? Maybe he should let things play out naturally.
But his thoughts shattered in an instant.
"Help me! Father!"
A young girl's desperate cry rang out from the village.
Yu Zhou's eyes snapped toward her. Degouf was raising his massive foot, ready to crush the child where she had fallen.
Her father's scream tore through the air, ragged with grief and helplessness.
"No!!! My daughter!!!"
Yu Zhou didn't think. He couldn't. He reached into his chest, pulled out the Sparklence and pressed the trigger.
In that moment, a beam of brilliant light split the darkness. Degouf staggered, struck by an overwhelming force that hurled him backward.
And there, standing tall before the girl and her father, was a giant clad in silver, purple, and crimson—his body glowing like a beacon in the night.
"The… the Giant of Light…"
The father's eyes widened, bloodshot and trembling, his voice breaking with awe and disbelief.