"Charija, wait here a moment. I need to ask around."
Yu Zhou glanced once more at the battered village. He wanted to confirm whether the boy named Amui existed here—and whether Daigo's son, Tsubasa, had crossed into this era like in the original timeline.
After leaving Charija with a quick word, Yu Zhou strode into the ruined settlement.
His modern clothing immediately drew the villagers' eyes. Some even gripped their farming tools tighter, bristling with suspicion.
"Greetings. I'm a traveller from afar," Yu Zhou said, smiling warmly in an attempt to ease their nerves.
But his friendly tone wasn't enough. The villagers had only just survived an attack by the Dark God. Their spirits were still taut as bowstrings, and they watched him warily.
"By chance I passed through this place," Yu Zhou continued, unfazed. "I only wish to ask a few questions."
An old man, leaning heavily on a cane, stepped out from among the crowd. "I am the village chief. If you have questions, ask me."
"Much appreciated." Yu Zhou bowed slightly, keeping his easy smile. "Tell me, do you know a youth named Amui?"
"Amui?" The chief frowned, searching his memory before shaking his head. "I've never heard that name. Have any of you?"
He turned, asking the other villagers. One by one, they shook their heads.
Yu Zhou frowned. "Then… has anyone dressed like me passed through here?"
Again, the chief shook his head. He eyed Yu Zhou up and down, his own brow furrowing. "No. In fact, you're the first I've seen dressed in such a way."
"…Eh?" Yu Zhou scratched his head. That wasn't right.
According to the original storyline, five thousand years ago in Tiga's age, there should have been a boy named Amui. But here—no Amui, no Tsubasa, nothing.
"Did we… mess up somehow?"
With no answers to be found, Yu Zhou simply thanked the chief, turned, and left the village. His thoughts swirled as he walked back toward Charija.
Just then, Charija approached, lugging his suitcase. His expression was awkward. "So… uh… we may have come to the wrong time."
Yu Zhou: "???"
"I mean, we were supposed to go back five thousand years," Charija explained, scratching his head. "But I might've… overshot a bit. We ended up even earlier."
"…You've got to be kidding me." Yu Zhou's eyes went wide.
If they had travelled further back than intended, then this Degouf might not have been a repeat appearance—it was his first.
And in history, Degouf's first appearance had ended with an unnamed Tiga annihilating him with a single kick.
Yu Zhou froze. Wait… I just kicked Degouf to pieces.
"…So that nameless Tiga—was me?!"
His jaw dropped. "No way…!"
He hadn't expected that his stylish flying kick would turn out to be the legendary scene of the past.
"What are you staring at?" Charija interrupted his stunned realization. "Are we leaving, or not?"
"Of course we're leaving," Yu Zhou said quickly, shaking off the daze. Surprising as this revelation was, they still needed to reach the correct time: five thousand years ago.
Charija set his suitcase down, fiddled with its settings, then stepped before it and shouted the activation phrase.
A vortex ripped open, and the two stepped into the wormhole together.
The mountains again. But this time, the sky was darker, heavy as night.
Yu Zhou and Charija landed on a rocky slope—just as the mountain ahead exploded, sending Charija stumbling in fright.
"What the hell?!" he yelped, covering his ears against the deafening blast.
Yu Zhou narrowed his eyes, staring at the landslide of stone.
And then, from the debris, a golden glow pierced through. A sharp, shining tip jutted out of the mountain.
"This is…"
Even with only a sliver revealed, Yu Zhou instantly recognized it. That golden light—it belonged to the pyramid that enshrined the stone statues of the Giants of Light.
ROAR!
A bestial bellow thundered across the mountainside.
Yu Zhou summoned his flying craft, leapt aboard, and soared upward. From above, he saw the truth: a dinosaur-like kaiju was tearing at the mountain, clawing stones aside to expose the pyramid within.
Moments later, the colossal pyramid stood in full view, grand and awe-inspiring.
"There's a monster down there!" Charija shouted, riding his black umbrella to Yu Zhou's side. His eyes darted nervously between the pyramid and the beast.
The kaiju let out another roar and slammed its claw down.
CRACK!
The blow left a jagged hole in the pyramid's wall. Through it, Yu Zhou glimpsed the silhouettes within—three towering stone statues, silent guardians awaiting their time.
At the river's edge nearby, a group of travellers ran forward, only to cower behind a massive boulder. They dared not approach further, their eyes wide with helplessness as the monster tore at the sacred pyramid.
"That must be the traveller who looks so much like Daigo's daughter—Mahoroba."
Yu Zhou remembered. In the movie's version of the story, Mahoroba was a young female traveller. She had once slain a monster at some ruins, and soon after, discovered the Bronze Spark.
"What a strange name…" Yu Zhou muttered, scratching his head. "I'd forget it if she weren't important to the plot."
His gaze swept the ground, searching. I wonder if Daigo's son, Tsubasa, crossed over to this time as well…
Suddenly, a massive shadow descended from the sky.
Yu Zhou's face darkened as the hulking form landed with a crash.
It was Degouf—the Dark God he had just destroyed in another time.
"Degouf! Destroy the Giants' statues! Hahahaha!"
A shrill voice rang out. Yu Zhou glanced down and spotted the source: a strange man in archaic robes, wearing a helmet that looked like a miner's cap. Clutching a wooden staff, he pointed it toward the pyramid and barked orders at the Dark God.
And with that command, Degouf roared and advanced on the sleeping giants.