After sealing the rift with ice and stone, Yu Zhou and Zero exchanged a glance, then nodded in silent agreement. Together, they streaked across the stars, heading back toward Earth.
But just after they left, a voice seeped from the other side of the sealed dimension.
"Ultraman Tiga… Ultraman Zero… you just wait. Soon, I will grasp a power beyond your imagination." Belial's tone dripped with venom, his hatred for them sharp and unmistakable.
"When that moment comes, you'll learn the true meaning of despair!"
The words had barely left his mouth when—
Zeperium Ray!
Composite Zero Beam!
Two devastating beams tore through the void, piercing the blocked rift and slamming straight into Belial's black silhouette on the other side.
"Belial, we've finally found you!" Zero shouted, pointing at the writhing figure blasted backward by their combined strike.
"What?! Didn't you two just leave?!" Belial was stunned. A second ago, he was certain they had flown toward Earth—how could they be back so soon?
"Yu Zhou, just like you predicted! Belial showed himself the moment we pretended to leave!" Zero gave a grin and a thumbs-up.
Not long ago, Yu Zhou had suggested turning back at the last moment. 'What if he appears after we're gone?' he had said. And sure enough, Belial had fallen for it.
"Villains really do get killed by talking too much," Yu Zhou said dryly, spreading his hands. "If he'd just kept quiet, he'd have been fine. But now? Not so much."
"Belial! Let's see where you run to this time!" Zero ripped the head fin from his crown and charged straight into the reopened rift.
Yu Zhou wasn't about to let him go in alone. If they could finish Belial here, nothing would be better. He dove in right after Zero.
"Zero… Tiga… mark my words!" Belial snarled as the two entered. But even as he spat his threats, he turned tail and fled, summoning a swarm of writhing tendrils to delay them.
Yu Zhou cursed under his breath. Belial's figure had already vanished, swallowed in the endless void, while the tentacles lashed toward them in waves. With no choice, he withdrew.
Zero slashed apart the tendrils with his flying head fin and also retreated.
"Damn. Looks like finding him won't be that easy." Zero shook his head, gazing at the vast dimensional rift. "This space is far too large. With just the two of us—"
"Three!" came Leito's voice from inside Zero's body, indignant.
"Fine, fine—three of us. Still doesn't change the fact that searching here is impossible," Zero replied with a shrug.
"Yeah… let's head back." Yu Zhou nodded in agreement.
Together, they once again piled meteors into the rift, sealing it tight with ice and light.
"It won't hold him forever, but at least it'll be a nuisance," Zero muttered, giving the blocked rift one last look before turning toward Earth.
Yu Zhou followed close, their twin trails of light cutting swiftly through the cosmos.
After a long flight, they finally returned to Earth—only to find devastation waiting for them. Entire swathes of the city lay in ruins.
"It's happened…" Zero hovered above the destruction, his expression grim.
"I'll check on Nebula House," Yu Zhou said. "I gave Riku a backup plan before leaving. Zero, you should let Leito return home for now. If anything happens, I'll contact him."
With that, Yu Zhou dissolved into a shower of light particles, descending toward the city. Zero also transformed into a comet-like glow and flew toward Leito's home.
Landing on the ground, Yu Zhou was about to summon the elevator to Nebula House when something nearby caught his eye—
A capsule, lying abandoned in the rubble.
He rushed over and picked it up. A Zetton capsule.
Pocketing it, Yu Zhou entered the Nebula House underground base.
Inside, Riku was already laying out the recovered capsules.
"Counting these, we've got eleven back," Riku reported. "Eight that were stolen, plus Tiga and Dyna's, and now King Joe's."
"I'm back."
Yu Zhou's voice drew everyone's attention. Riku's face lit up when he saw him.
"Yu Zhou, thank goodness! After you left, Fukude Kei really did come for us!"
"Oh? And then what happened?" Yu Zhou pulled up a chair and gestured for him to explain.
"He transformed into Pedanium Zetton, a fusion of King Joe and Zetton, and attacked."
Riku described the battle in detail. "I used a new form, combining the Father of Ultra and Zero capsules—'Magnificent Form.'"
On cue, RE.M. displayed footage of the fight on the big screen.
"Magnificent was powerful—I defeated Pedanium Zetton quickly. But then Fukude Kei threatened Asakura Riku's grandfather, forcing me to surrender the capsules."
Yu Zhou glanced at the table. "But the capsules are here now."
"I didn't want to hand them over," Riku admitted, "but he still managed to snatch them. Before that, I had already used Tiga and Dyna's capsules."
"You did?" Yu Zhou leaned forward, curious.
"Yes. The fusion gave me a new form—Aurora Form."
RE.M. switched the footage to show Geed's Aurora Form. Yu Zhou's eyes widened—the design clearly carried both Tiga's and Dyna's traits: the forehead crystal, golden chest armor, and bold color patterns.
Next came the sub-forms: the muscled, brute-force Strong Charge, and the slender, speed-focused Sky Miracle.
Yu Zhou couldn't help but chuckle. "This… is basically the Double Brawler Form! He reminds me of Ultraman Titus—just look at those muscles."
"And with the speedy version," he added, "your Solid Burning and Primitive forms are practically obsolete."
Riku scratched his head, embarrassed. "You might be right…"
"Anyway," Riku continued, "after defeating Pedanium Zetton, we recovered not only the stolen capsules but also a new one—King Joe. But Zetton's capsule was lost in the explosion."
"Zetton capsule?" Yu Zhou smiled and pulled it from his pocket, placing it on the table. "I found it on the way here."
Relieved to see Riku safe, Yu Zhou soon called Leito to reassure him as well.
Still, his mind lingered on Geed's new forms. Aurora Form carried Tiga's power…
Yet something bothered him. From the footage, Geed had unleashed freezing rays without switching into Sky Miracle.
"Strange…" Yu Zhou thought to himself. "Maybe the fusion forms manifest differently depending on the Ultraman's nature. That's the only explanation that fits."