"This... thank you." Marshal Stacker accepted the box without refusing. He needed this most right now—cancer had left him with little time.
This Mr. Albert had truly helped him greatly.
Albert nodded at him, adjusted his glasses, then his entire body vanished into thin air.
Simultaneously, a portion of this world's Space-Time Source Energy was taken away.
"How is it? Did it impact this world too much?" Natsuki asked Hikari—the genuine expert.
"It's fine."
"The Space-Time Source Energy he took wasn't much. This world's impact will naturally recover before long." Hikari said.
Albert hadn't lied to them. This guy genuinely wanted to leave the organization.
"However... technology for collecting Space-Time Source Energy is extremely rare in the universe, yet they can directly extract it from this world... I'm also very curious about the organization behind them."
"Who exactly would be using this energy?"
Hikari pondered, stroking his chin.
None of the organizations he could think of matched this operational style. To uncover their true identity still depended on Natsuki.
"Be extremely careful in future missions. If a truly unsolvable situation occurs, remember to contact me immediately."
"The energy for transport is already prepared in the bangle. You can activate it once you leave Earth."
After Hikari finished his final instructions, his entire projected form reverted to light points and returned inside the bangle.
Natsuki watched the bangle's crystal turn blue, understanding he should head to the next world with abnormal space-time fluctuations.
"Though my stay here was brief, this was an interesting journey for me." Natsuki lowered his wrist and smiled at Marshal Stacker.
Marshal Stacker looked at him, recalling these past days' experiences with considerable emotion.
"When I first met you, I was still wondering whether encountering you was good or bad for us."
"But now, I'm very clear—meeting you was our fortune."
"We'll never forget how the giant who emerged from the light saved us... saved this world."
His mind still clearly remembered that scene in Sitka when he first encountered the Ultraman.
"I hope Mr. Natsuki's future journey will be even smoother."
Marshal Stacker had wanted to keep Natsuki for the victory celebration, but knowing he had a mission, he couldn't insist. He could only offer this blessing.
"I'll take you up on that." Natsuki smiled at him, then walked toward one end of the corridor, his back carefree.
He walked all the way out of the Shatterdome.
Standing near the landing pad at the base entrance, evening had arrived. A setting sun cast its afterglow across the sea, and the salty sea breeze constantly blew open Natsuki's shirt.
"Wait!"
Just as Natsuki was about to depart, a familiar voice suddenly called from behind.
Natsuki turned around. It was Raleigh.
"You're leaving so quickly—I haven't properly thanked you yet." Raleigh approached from behind wearing a dark blue sweater, a smile on his face.
This was the first person Natsuki met in this world, and the first to show him kindness.
"No need to thank me. I was just completing my mission." Natsuki said.
"Come on."
"A person's words can deceive, but their actions can't." Raleigh had long seen the kindness in Natsuki's heart. "Without you, who knows what would've become of this world."
He came to Natsuki's side, looking toward the distant ocean.
"When someone suffers severe setbacks, they often choose to escape, like I did before."
"Making choices completely different from your former self, trying to use an opposite personality to mask your inner self—but we both know those are all fake."
"I don't know what you've experienced in the past, but I know the past you must have been a very good person. Of course, you still are now."
"You can surpass your past self, as long as you're willing to face your inner heart."
Raleigh spoke earnestly to Natsuki.
He too was someone with inner shadows, but he knew that to eliminate those shadows, you couldn't rely on escape—you had to actively face them.
"I understand." Natsuki listened, fell silent for several seconds, then finally let out a long sigh.
"I'll try my best."
The bangle had reactivated his body's potential, letting him see a glimmer of hope.
He also understood what the Commander had said before—the encounters between Ultra Warriors and humans were all miraculous meetings, and every warrior would grow from them. This applied to Natsuki as well.
Perhaps in the next world, he really could resolve his inner conflict.
Then Natsuki walked forward several steps and raised his arm high.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the red-and-silver giant flew toward the sky.
After a while, Marshal Stacker also emerged from the base.
He saw Raleigh still gazing at the sky.
"He left?" Marshal Stacker came to his side and asked.
"Yeah."
"Flew away." Raleigh said. "From now on, we'll have to protect this world ourselves."
The Ultraman had helped them solve problems they couldn't resolve with all their strength, but the remaining path still required them to walk it themselves.
This romantic encounter was destined to be recorded in their history.
In the vast universe, there weren't only invaders—there were also benevolent civilizations willing to extend a helping hand.
"The Precursors..." Marshal Stacker looked toward the sea, thinking of their enemy.
"They've had their eyes on Earth since two hundred million years ago."
"But they took no action for those two hundred million years, waiting until humans appeared and polluted Earth's environment before launching their invasion."
"Going forward... we must not only strengthen ourselves, but also treat this planet that sustains us with care."
Raleigh listened and nodded silently.
Perhaps in other universes, there were humans exactly like them, an Earth exactly like theirs.
If they recklessly continued destroying the planet they depended on for survival, perhaps one day... they too would encounter enemies like the Precursors?
Of course, that was all just fantasy.
Another world.
A fourteen-year-old boy with a tragic fate, driven by a phone call, arrived at Tokyo-3.
And his tragic destiny was about to encounter a turning point filled with passion and romance.
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