That was right.
After Haruki became one with Z, Juggler appeared indifferent on the surface, but in truth, he was paying very close attention to Haruki's growth.
Becoming one in body and mind with Z brought tremendous benefits to Haruki—and even greater ones to Z himself.
Now that Juggler had become an Ultraman, he felt a clear sense of responsibility toward so-called "juniors."
Forging Haruki and Z into a truly powerful warrior was, in his view, something he ought to do.
"I'm going to the restroom for a bit," Juggler said casually to Yuka beside him, then turned and walked off.
However, once inside the restroom, Juggler transformed into the Magin form he had not used for a long time and vanished from the spot.
The Serpent Heart Sword slashed outward violently, as if tearing space itself apart, opening a crack in the void.
"From the darkness surging amid flickering starlight, grant me the power of darkness!"
"Let light become darkness, and darkness become light!"
After chanting words that sounded very much like an incantation, three streaks of purple light burst forth from the dark-red space within the rift and landed in his palm.
Those streaks of light transformed into three Monster Medals:
Magata no Orochi (Gamma Variant)ZettonPandon
"It's been a long time since my blood boiled like this," Juggler said with a grin.
Canceling his Magin form, he took out the Riser Yuzhou had given him and pulled the trigger.
A gate of dark space passed through Juggler's body, drawing him inside.
Immediately afterward, a Juggler Dark Identity Card appeared in his hand.
On the lower half of the card was Juggler himself; on the upper half was his Magin form.
With a wicked smile, Juggler inserted the card into the Riser.
"Hebikura, access granted."
The Riser read the data and opened authorization.
"Zetton-san!"
"Pandon-san!"
"Magata no Orochi!"
Juggler inserted the three medals and swung the Riser, initiating the scan.
"Zetton."
"Pandon."
"Magata no Orochi."
As the confirmation sounds echoed again, Juggler's eyes glowed green.
"Lend me your power of darkness!"
He raised the Riser high and pulled the trigger.
In an instant, the powers of the three monsters fused together.
A gigantic beast, radiating violent and oppressive dark energy, burst out of the dark tunnel.
"Zeppandon!"
After transforming into Zeppandon, Juggler immediately fired three fireballs, launching them toward Z, who was flying away in the sky.
Juggler's skill was, as expected, exceptional. A former elite warrior of O-50, his aim was precise—two fireballs missed, but the third struck Z dead-on.
"What—?!!"
Z and Haruki felt the attack from behind and were both shocked. After the explosion, Z was sent crashing down toward the ground.
Boom!
Z slammed into the earth once again, carving out yet another deep crater.
"The monster was already defeated… what is going on?"
Z muttered as he slowly stood up, his color timer finally beginning to blink.
As he rose, Z saw the monster standing before him.
Its body was interwoven with red and black, bearing the features of Pandon and Zetton, while behind it dragged the tail of Magata no Orochi.
"What kind of monster is that?"
Haruki asked in confusion from within Z.
"Hey, Haruki, don't ask me everything!"
Z snapped back. He clearly had no idea what Zeppandon really was either.
Before either of them could figure things out, Zeppandon launched another volley of fireballs toward them.
Z reacted quickly, aiming the Lance Arrow and pulling the trigger repeatedly.
Bolts of light shot from the weapon's muzzle, colliding with the incoming fireballs. Explosions erupted midair as the attacks cancelled each other out.
In the next instant, a strange purple glow flashed where Zeppandon stood—and it vanished.
Z stared at the empty space, gripping the Light Spear, unsure of what to do.
Just as Z assumed Zeppandon would appear behind him and began turning to strike—
Zeppandon appeared directly in front of him.
Before Z could react, two streaks of purple light struck his body, bursting into sparks.
Z was blown backward, his Light Spear knocked from his hand and embedded in the ground nearby.
"Juggler really does love playing around," Yuzhou said, shaking his head as he watched the scene unfold.
Z had been doing just fine—yet Juggler's hands had gotten itchy, and he decided to step in anyway.
Still, Yuzhou could roughly guess Juggler's intention.
The Light Spear had boosted Haruki's strength far too much in a short time.
Without proper training, that sudden power could easily lead to recklessness.
In the original timeline, this was exactly how things went—though in the end, Juggler had been blown apart by Haruki's Light Spear.
"That hurts!"
Z cried out as he was sent flying yet again. Haruki felt the pain directly and shouted from within.
"What an Ultra-infuriating bastard!"
Z growled as he forced himself back to his feet.
Zeppandon hooked a finger toward Z in open provocation, signalling him to attack.
Burning with anger, Z took the opening stance of Space Martial Arts and charged forward.
He leapt and launched a flying kick—
But in a flash of purple light, Zeppandon vanished once more.
Z froze in confusion, then forced himself to calm down and sense his surroundings.
In an instant, Zeppandon appeared on Z's left.
This time, Z reacted in time, swinging both fists toward it.
However, Zeppandon's strength far exceeded Z's. The punches did little damage. Instead, Z was shoved back and struck by several fireballs in quick succession.
Staggering backward, Z was then pounced on and slammed to the ground yet again.
Desperate, Z dropped to one knee and fired an uncharged Zestium Beam.
A green barrier appeared in front of Zeppandon, effortlessly blocking the beam.
Because his opponent was Haruki, Juggler's goal was not to defeat Z, but to train his subordinate.
Thus, the barrier merely absorbed the beam's energy—he did not counterattack with it.
"Juggler really does care about Haruki," Yuzhou murmured.
He could tell that Juggler was holding back—no, not just holding back, but going easy.
If Juggler truly intended to attack, Haruki would already have been forced out of transformation.
"This guy is strong…"
Z said, staring at Zeppandon, unsure how to deal with such an opponent.
"No," Haruki panted inside Z, sweat soaking his body.
"No matter how strong the enemy is, I won't give up."
"As an Ultraman, my mission is to fight monsters!"