"Yu… Yuzhou-san?!"
Riku stared at Yuzhou in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
"Riku, it has been a long time. I've missed you," Yuzhou said with a smile after settling the bill.
"It really has been a long time, but… why are you on Earth in this universe?"
Riku smiled back, then asked in confusion.
"Don't tell me you're also here because of the revived Gillvalis?"
"I'm just wandering around," Yuzhou replied calmly.
"I didn't expect to run into you like this."
"Huh? That's one heck of a coincidence."
Riku scratched his head.
"My father and I have been dealing with the Devil Splinters. We ran into the revived Gillvalis and chased it all the way here."
"I see."
Yuzhou nodded as if he had just understood—though in truth, he already knew everything.
Riku did not want anyone exploiting his father again, which was why he had taken it upon himself to deal with the Devil Splinters.
As for Belial, Yuzhou guessed there were two reasons: protecting Riku, and erasing the remnants of his own dark past.
Grrr—grrr—grrr…
Suddenly, Riku's stomach growled loudly.
"Geed! Why are you taking so long? Your old man is about to starve to death!"
A middle-aged man's voice rang out from the entrance of the convenience store.
It was unmistakably Belial.
"Let's go, Riku. Time for some instant noodles,"
Yuzhou said with a chuckle, picking up a bag of cup noodles and heading outside.
Riku grabbed another bag and hurried after him.
"Geed, you—huh? Wait… why is it you?"
Belial was about to complain when he saw Yuzhou step out of the store.
"It's me, Belial," Yuzhou nodded.
"How have you been lately?"
In this world, Belial had once regarded Yuzhou as a mortal enemy during his corrupted days.
But after Yuzhou purified him, everything changed.
Through Riku, Belial learned many truths. If Yuzhou had not proposed purifying him back then, Belial would likely have been destroyed long ago while still consumed by darkness.
Riku had also told Belial how much Yuzhou had helped him, which greatly improved Belial's impression of him.
"Barely getting by," Belial waved a hand casually as he took the cup noodles from Yuzhou.
Riku came out shortly after, using the hot water from the convenience store to prepare noodles for everyone.
The three of them sat at the tables outside the store and began eating.
It was not that Yuzhou was stingy—Riku simply liked instant noodles.
As they ate, the conversation flowed naturally from one topic to another.
Eventually, it turned to the name that had recently shaken the entire universe.
"Apparently, that guy called Tartarus even created a parallel version of me," Belial said, setting down his noodles.
From his tone, it was clear he would not mind fighting Tartarus face-to-face.
"That guy is way harder to deal with than Devil Splinters," Riku nodded in agreement.
Even if Tartarus was exploiting a Belial from another timeline, Riku would never let it slide.
"If you run into Tartarus, don't underestimate him," Yuzhou warned, seeing their eagerness.
"He's genuinely dangerous."
Geed was strong, and Belial was no weakling either—but against Tartarus, the outcome was far from certain.
After all, even Shining Ultimate Zero had failed to overpower Tartarus in a beam clash in the original timeline.
Though energy consumption played a role, the fact remained:
Tartarus was extremely powerful.
...
Within a dark, desolate space, golden light suddenly appeared out of thin air.
A wormhole expanded from within it.
A massive golden figure stepped out, gripping a grotesque, insect-like creature in his hand.
"Celebro. I pulled you back and dropped you here," the golden figure said coldly as he tossed the creature onto the ground.
"Don't disappoint me."
"Remember who I am."
"I am the Ultimate Lifeform."
"A warrior of the Absolutians."
"Absolute Tartarus."
The bizarre insect trembled violently upon hearing that name, instantly freezing in fear.
"Good," Tartarus nodded expressionlessly.
"Your mission is simple."
"Delay Tiga in this world."
With that, the golden Tartarus turned and walked back into the wormhole.
The golden light vanished along with it.
The strange insect's body convulsed violently, almost maniacally.
Whoosh.
It transformed into a streak of black light and shot out of the dark space.
...
Monster Research Facility.
"Just who was it that saved me that day…?"
Kaburagi—currently helping transport fragments of Gillvalis—scratched his head as he worked, recalling the incident from not long ago.
Back then, he had almost been attacked by that disgusting insect-like creature.
Fortunately, a mysterious man had appeared and saved him.
The man looked completely human, yet he could fire blades of light from his hands.
That was practically a superhero.
"Superhero… superhero… Ultraman?"
Kaburagi muttered the words aloud, suddenly realizing something.
Wasn't "superhero" just another way of saying Ultraman?
But that man was clearly human—there was no way he was an Ultraman.
Shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh, Hebikura returned to his work.
Suddenly, his vision went dark.
Something sticky latched onto his face.
He reached up to pull it off—but no matter how hard he tried, it would not budge.
"What is this thing?!"
Panic surged through him.
The sensation was horrifyingly familiar—identical to that disgusting insect that had attacked him before.
"Why me again?!"
Amid Hebikura's screams, the Celebro alien successfully parasitized his body.
One of Kaburagi's eyes turned blood-red.
"I feel… wonderful right now."
A twisted smile crept across his face.
...
Yuzhou was still chatting with Riku and Belial when he suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.
A faint yet unmistakable spatial fluctuation rippled through the air—then vanished without a trace.
"…Tartarus?"
Yuzhou narrowed his eyes and spoke the name under his breath.
He immediately took out Charija's Time Machine and began adjusting it.
Riku and Belial realized something was wrong and silently watched as Yuzhou worked.