Becoming an object of worship, the Dark King was venerated by the people of Earth—drawing strength from their prayers, their fear, and their despair.
Bit by bit, that power grew.
Faith itself had become his fuel.
In the vision before Yu Zhou's eyes, the ancient murals continued to move, the carved story unfolding in silent animation.
Time accelerated again. The darkness had long ruled this world, swallowing sunlight and hope alike. Under that eternal night, the Dark King's strength grew ever more immense.
Yet even that godlike being eventually fell into slumber within the very temple built in his honour.
But sleep did not mean peace.
Even as the Dark King lay dormant, the darkness he had cast upon the Earth did not fade.
Ages passed. Civilization after civilization rose and crumbled in the pitch-black world. Until one day, in the skies above the lifeless planet—light appeared.
Not divine light.
But fire.
Meteorites, blazing like falling stars, tore through the veil of darkness and crashed into the Earth.
The planet quaked. Continents shifted. The seas boiled and the sky burned. For the first time, the inhabitants of this darkened world faced their end.
To Yu Zhou, standing amidst this vision, it felt like watching a second Genesis—the rebirth of destruction.
Those who could not escape perished.
Those who burrowed underground… evolved.
Driven by survival, life twisted.
Some creatures adapted, their forms mutating under the pressure of the deep Earth.
Many failed, remaining small and fragile.
But a few—grew immense. Powerful. Eternal.
And so, the first Kaiju were born.
"So, this is how monsters came to be…" Yu Zhou murmured, watching those colossal forms rise from the depths. He was witnessing the origin of every creature humanity would one day call a 'beast.'
The vision continued.
The monsters roamed beneath the surface, carving their own world within the shadows. Some of them, wandering too far, stumbled upon the Dark King's buried temple—absorbing the remnants of his dark power.
Those that did became the first Dark Monsters.
Then the scene shifted again.
The Earth's surface reformed. The skies cleared. The world began anew.
More visitors arrived—this time, another wave of cosmic immigrants from distant star systems. The great meteor impacts had scattered the darkness, reshaped the continents into a single vast landmass surrounded by one endless ocean.
Thousands, tens of thousands, perhaps millions of years later, more settlers came.
But these… were different.
They were intelligent, organized, and creative.
"Are these… the Ancient Humans?" Yu Zhou thought aloud, recognizing their forms—so similar to modern humanity it was uncanny.
They adapted quickly, building temples, cities, and civilizations that glimmered in the sunlight. Their prosperity endured for countless generations.
And with that, the murals' story came to an end.
The images froze, the light in Yu Zhou's eyes faded, and the black mist that had allowed him to see the visions dissolved into nothing.
"Finished watching?"
The old man stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Yeah." Yu Zhou nodded. "It matches most of the records I've seen. But seeing it like this… it's a bit more vivid."
"Any impressions?" the old man asked with a teasing grin as they walked deeper into the temple.
Yu Zhou followed, shrugging.
"Yeah, one thing."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Basically," Yu Zhou said flatly, "everyone on Earth is an alien."
The old man froze mid-step.
For a moment, he looked utterly speechless.
He had expected something profound—perhaps a reflection on the power of faith or the cruelty of darkness.
Instead, this kid had boiled the entire creation myth down to a single irreverent line.
"…That's your takeaway?" he muttered.
Yu Zhou smirked. "What, you want me to write an essay on it? Sounds like a school assignment."
The old man sighed heavily. "You really are hopeless."
They continued through the vast corridors.
On both sides, carvings depicted bizarre beasts and grotesque figures—followers and servants of the Dark King. Yu Zhou even spotted one particularly massive carving taking up an entire wall: a coiled shell-like monstrosity with tendrils spreading in every direction.
"Gatanothor," Yu Zhou whispered. "That snail really does show up everywhere."
After what felt like ages, they reached the end of the corridor.
The old man stopped before a towering black stone gate.
"We've arrived," he said.
Yu Zhou blinked, recognizing it immediately.
"Wait, isn't that the same door I smashed open before? Why's it here again? And how the hell is it fixed?!"
He stepped closer, inspecting the faint triangular indentation at the gate's centre.
"That's where the key goes, right?"
"Indeed," the old man confirmed, raising his hand to unlock it—
Only for Yu Zhou to move first.
A burst of black light flared around him as he transformed into Dark Tiga, and before the old man could react—
BOOM!
Yu Zhou drove his fist straight into the centre of the door.
The entire chamber shook. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the stone. A heartbeat later, the massive gate shattered into pieces.
"What are you doing?!" the old man shouted, eyes bulging in disbelief.
"This is my temple door, you lunatic!"
"Relax," Yu Zhou said, brushing off his hands. "Look—it's open, isn't it?"
Indeed, where the gate had stood, a swirling ripple of darkness shimmered in the air, like the surface of a shadowy lake.
The old man fell to his knees, clutching a piece of broken stone. "My… my door…"
Yu Zhou scratched his head awkwardly. "Come on, it's not that serious."
After a long moment of mourning, the old man stood, exhaling deeply. "Fine. Just… replace it later."
"Sure," Yu Zhou said, already knowing he had no intention of doing that.
Without another word, the old man stepped into the black ripple and vanished.
Yu Zhou followed close behind.
The shattered gate hummed faintly, then fell silent once more.