"Extraterrestrial anomaly detected. Traces of a massive Hetero-Energy eruption confirmed."
A synthesized female voice echoed within the spherical, green starship.
"Whoa! Master, I didn't know your Black Tortoise ship had its own artificial intelligence!"
Inside the vessel, Thales looked like a country bumpkin entering a grand palace for the first time, wide-eyed and touching everything within arm's reach. They were currently aboard a unique spacecraft named the Black Tortoise. Much like Master Wyatt himself, this vessel lacked any offensive weaponry, relying entirely on defensive barriers and spatial relocation capabilities.
"Of course it does," Master Wyatt said, stroking his long beard, his expression tinged with uncertainty.
If he recalled correctly, Zoran had left Earth moments ago and headed straight into deep space. The source of that massive Hetero-Energy spike wasn't hard to guess.
"It seems he made his move," Master Wyatt muttered to himself.
From beginning to end, Master Wyatt had remained remarkably composed regarding Zoran's decision to let Logan walk free with the Netherworld Key. Hades' resurrection was an inevitable turn of the wheel of reincarnation; he had long since prepared himself for it. The only difference now was the path taken to get there.
He tapped his staff against the deck and addressed Kino, Phoebe, and Thales. "Logan's vanguard fleet stationed in the First Parallel Universe has been completely eradicated. Even after his resurrection ritual succeeds, it will still take a few days for him to fully awaken..."
Master Wyatt's gaze swept over the three of them. "The sacred duty of the Ultra Beast warriors is to maintain the ultimate balance between the universes. We must depart immediately to stop Hades!"
"Understood!" Thales agreed instantly.
Kino, on the other hand, casually flicked his wrist. The ancient Energy Locker Logan had left behind was already securely fastened to his forearm. He shook his head with an air of theatrical disappointment. "What a shame. I thought I'd finally get a chance to show off my moves. Who knew those small-fry grunts would get wiped out before I could even warm up? Truly frustrating."
Thales leaned in close, flashing a smug grin. "Hey, Kino, how come you didn't say that to the powerhouse's face while he was still standing right in front of us?"
As best friends, exposing each other's bluffs was an essential daily ritual.
"Oh?" Kino arched an eyebrow. "Even if he were standing right here, I would express my views with the exact same confidence."
"Enough," Master Wyatt interrupted their bickering. He reached out and handed a green Energy Locker to Thales. "Little fatty, from this moment forward, I appoint you as the Captain of the Black Tortoise. Activate the systems immediately and set coordinates for the Second Parallel Universe!"
"Yes, sir!" Thales barked, throwing a mock salute before looking excitedly at the Energy Locker that now belonged to him.
As if drawn by a supernatural force, he slid into the pilot's seat. His hands moved like wildfire, dancing across the holographic interfaces with practiced ease. For some inexplicable reason, the operating protocols of the Black Tortoise flooded into his mind completely naturally, as if guided by pure instinct.
It was as though the memories of his past life hadn't been entirely washed away.
As his fingers flew across the console, a deep, resonant hum vibrated through the hull. The ancient-looking starship began to lift off, its core engines gathering immense power.
"Destination: the Second Parallel Universe. Launch!" Thales declared with a grand wave of his arm.
The grand reincarnation cycle that occurred once every hundred thousand years had officially commenced, and the cosmic barriers separating the Seven Parallel Universes had finally dissolved. Utilizing the Black Tortoise's energy core to breach the spatial thresholds, they could now leap across the dimensions via wormholes.
"Nearest wormhole located. Initiating spatial transit," Lisa, the Black Tortoise's onboard AI, announced.
A brilliant flash of light consumed the vessel, and the Black Tortoise vanished from its position. The surreal environment of the sub-space corridor instantly materialized on the viewscreen.
"Wow, so this is what a wormhole looks like," Kino marveled.
Looking out the primary viewport, the landscape on all sides was a distorted, swirling vortex of dark colors. Directly ahead lay a corridor-like conduit that seemed to stretch into infinity.
"Hey, Lisa," Thales called out. "How long is it going to take us to reach the Second Parallel Universe?"
"Rest assured, little fatty. It will be very quick," Lisa replied smoothly.
To the side, Master Wyatt continued to stroke his beard, a look of profound perplexity washing over his face. He muttered softly under his breath, "Why does it feel like the Black Tortoise's energy consumption is significantly lower than I remember?"
Even during the convergence period when travel between the Seven Parallel Universes became possible, tearing open a stable wormhole should theoretically require a monumental amount of energy. Yet, the Black Tortoise's power reserves had barely depleted.
Right then, Lisa issued a sudden alert:
"Warning. Unidentified lifeform detected directly ahead. Please take evasive maneuvers."
Every eye on the bridge instantly locked onto the main screen.
Within their field of vision, a dark silhouette was rapidly drawing closer, gradually resolving into a vaguely familiar back. The figure stood entirely unaided amidst the violent spatial currents of the wormhole corridor, looking completely relaxed and elegant.
"Wh… why does that back look so incredibly familiar?" Thales scratched his head.
Inside the wormhole corridor.
Zoran cast a glance over his shoulder at the approaching energy signature. The Black Tortoise was rapidly bearing down on his position. He required neither a starship nor armor; he was traversing the interdimensional void using nothing but his raw physical body.
The next second, his face filled the Black Tortoise's primary communication display.
"Unidentified lifeform is requesting a comms link," Lisa announced.
"Uh, can we reject it?" Kino shuddered slightly, a sudden realization dawning on him.
"Negative. Request cannot be denied."
"Then why did you even bother asking?!" Kino deadpanned, tilting his head.
"Because it is my protocol to inform you... Connection has been forcibly established."
Lisa's voice cut out, replaced immediately by Zoran's deep, resonant cadence.
"Don't you guys have a path of your own to walk?" His tone was laced with a light amusement and a heavy dose of playfulness.
The underlying meaning was painfully clear: This particular wormhole connecting the parallel universes was torn open by him in the first place.
"Uh, hello there, Uncle! What a crazy coincidence!" Thales waved at the screen, putting on his most innocent, well-behaved face.
In the next blink of an eye, the figure ahead vanished from the viewport. Master Wyatt gestured with his hand, and a soft teal radiance rippled across the Black Tortoise's hull. When Zoran materialized a moment later, he was already standing firmly in the center of the command deck.
"Since I'm the one who paved the road, I assume you won't mind giving me a lift," Zoran said, looking at the crew.
"Absolutely! It's our absolute honor!" Thales thumped his chest so hard it sounded like thunder. Then, he leaned over and whispered to Kino, "Hey, Kino, now's your chance. Say it."
"Say what?" Kino blinked, confused.
"Say that you're totally frustrated because this Uncle killed all your enemies and robbed you of your chance to show off," Thales instigated with a grin.
Kino's face instantly went rigid. He shoved Thales away and said with utmost gravity, "When did I ever say such a thing? Am I some sort of warmonger? Absolutely not."
Thales glued himself right back to Kino's side. "Wow, Kino. I didn't realize you were such a two-faced hypocrite."
Kino grabbed him by the collar, lowering his voice to a threatening whisper, "I'm warning you, fatty, don't you dare try to make a fool out of me!"
It was fine to boast when Zoran wasn't around, but now that the man was standing right here, and given how terrifyingly powerful he was, Kino possessed more than enough survival instinct to keep his mouth shut.
Zoran merely shook his head with a chuckle at the two comedic partners loudly plotting their "secret" conspiracy. He turned his attention back to Master Wyatt.
According to the original timeline, Master Wyatt should currently be trapped alongside Logan's vanguard fleet, passing the time "fishing" inside the Primordial Void. However, Zoran's arrival had thoroughly shattered that preordained script. With Logan's fleet completely obliterated, Master Wyatt had no reason to invoke Primordial Void Annihilation and trap himself.
"It seems," Master Wyatt said heavily, facing Zoran, "that you have something you wish to tell me."
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