BOOM!!!
In the original story, Reicubas had once been so arrogant that even Ultraman Dyna nearly fell into a desperate situation against it. Yet now, under the combined assault of Yu Zhou and Asuka, the beast was beaten down without mercy and exploded into fragments.
Meanwhile, out in space, Sufume—the giant squid—felt its link with Reicubas suddenly cut off. Panic gripped its heart.
Run!
The thought flashed in its mind. Immediately it tried to flee.
But Daigo had already gathered energy into a Rampart Beam and fired it straight at the squid.
Like Reicubas before it, Sufume's body crackled with electricity upon impact, unable to move.
At that exact moment, Masaki's Cain unleashed his finisher as well.
Two beams of light struck one after another. There was no suspense—this so-called being of "supreme cosmic intellect" was obliterated instantly, bursting apart in a grand explosion, scattering as dust in space.
With the squid eliminated, Daigo and Masaki exchanged a nod before parting ways.
Daigo returned to Earth. Masaki stayed behind to escort the artificial sun back into its proper orbit.
On the Antarctic ice, Yu Zhou and Asuka—having defeated Reicubas—also dispersed into shimmering particles of light.
With the battle settled, Yu Zhou said farewell to the others and headed back to R'lyeh.
Daigo, however, remained with the Super Victory Team—back to earning money for future baby milk powder.
From Antarctica to the South Pacific, the distance to R'lyeh wasn't far. Yu Zhou cruised leisurely on his flight device, enjoying the sea breeze.
After so many battles, sometimes it felt good to slow down and admire the ocean's beauty.
He didn't know how long he had been drifting like a salted fish when, just as R'lyeh came faintly into view, a monster suddenly burst from the waves.
By instinct, Yu Zhou's hand went to the Spark Lens—yet he paused halfway.
Because ahead of him, curled up in a black umbrella, was Charija, snoring away.
The monster that had surfaced was none other than Charija's King Guesra. Clearly, Charija had let it out to forage for food.
"Charija!"
Hovering over on his flyer, Yu Zhou shouted.
The sudden call startled Charija so much he nearly rolled out of his umbrella into the sea.
"W-who's there!?"
He spun around, disoriented, until Yu Zhou spoke again.
"Up here."
Sitting casually on his flight device, Yu Zhou looked down.
Charija tilted his head back and spotted him. Relaxing when he saw who it was, he recalled the King Guesra, then immediately released another one instead.
"Why not let them both out to eat together?" Yu Zhou asked curiously. "The ocean's huge—there's no need to take turns, right?"
Charija sighed. "That's their own choice. They can't face each other anymore."
One King Guesra had been obtained from the seas of a terrestrial world. The other, from a planet called Ocean Star.
When the two first met, they… grew feelings for one another. Nearly a pair.
But then Charija discovered the problem—both were male.
Once they realized they were the same sex, the awkwardness between them became unbearable. Even now, the two monsters refused to meet.
"…Why not just take one in for surgery?" Yu Zhou suggested suddenly. "Turn one of them female. Problem solved."
The King Guesra bobbing in the sea seemed to understand. It surfaced, imagining the possibility of the other becoming female. The thought filled it with a strange excitement.
"No way," Charija shook his head. "I've never heard of anyone performing gender-changing surgery on a kaiju.
"Of course… cutting things off is possible."
The King Guesra froze. A chill shot down its body. In an instant, its excitement died, and it plunged back into the depths to forage, unwilling to show its face again.
Yu Zhou laughed. "If it came to cutting, I doubt any King Guesra would volunteer."
"Exactly," Charija admitted, then added with a sigh, "and lately, the fish in these waters have been getting fewer. It's not enough for them anymore."
"You don't say—that's because your two King Guesras have been eating everything!" Yu Zhou retorted. "No wonder the price of fish in R'lyeh has skyrocketed."
He recalled how, just a few days ago, the market prices had doubled. Now he understood why.
"Looks like from now on, I'll have to feed them on Ocean Star," Charija mused. "Keeping them on Earth isn't working."
Not because the oceans were over-fished, but because even if Earth's seas were emptied, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy the pair.
"The sooner the better," Yu Zhou urged. "Otherwise, I might not be able to afford fish anymore."
"Can't do that just yet," Charija shook his head. "I've recently gotten into a game here on Earth—Monster Arena."
"…What??"
Yu Zhou was stunned. Charija? Participating in Earth's activities?
The name alone made him wary. Could there really be people raising kaiju on Earth, hosting battles between them?
It sounded almost like something out of Ultraman Taiga, where monsters were auctioned off for destruction on Earth.
"It is indeed monster battles," Charija confirmed, "but they take place in a virtual world."
His eyes lit up. "You humans have some amazing video games! I never expected to enjoy them this much."
He grew more animated, eager to drag Yu Zhou back with him to play Monster Arena.
"So, it's just a game…" Yu Zhou sighed, at a loss for words. He hadn't expected Charija of all beings to get hooked on video games.
Still… maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
Charija had always been obsessed with kaiju. A monster-themed game seemed perfect for keeping him occupied.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't played games in a long time either," Yu Zhou admitted, tempted by Charija's enthusiasm.
(End of Chapter)