Unlike Yu Zhou, who only needed enough energy to stay transformed on Earth, Geed had a limitation.
Having just fought a monster, Geed still had a twenty-hour cooldown before he could transform again. Right now, he was powerless.
"I could use the power of Cosmos to heal it… but I've already used today's three-minute transformation time." Riku frowned, clearly frustrated.
"Woof!"
Yu Zhou was about to suggest taking the injured black puppy back to Nebula House for treatment when the yellow puppy barked again. Its eyes shimmered with tears—then suddenly, its body released a powerful light.
"The Little Star!"
Everyone's eyes widened as they watched the glow pour from the yellow puppy's body.
Sure enough, the Little Star had been inside it all along.
With one final bark, the light separated from the puppy and flew into Yu Zhou's hand.
But what happened next stunned them even more.
The yellow puppy's body began to harden, petrifying as the light left it—until at last, it stood motionless, transformed into a stone statue.
"This…!"
Laiha gasped, speechless at the sight.
"Could it be that the light of the Little Star was what gave this puppy life in the first place?"
Riku shook his head sadly, crouching to stroke the stone figure. "Then that missing statue we saw at the temple earlier… it must have been this puppy's statue."
Leito quickly connected the dots as well. "No wonder RE.M. couldn't scan the Little Star before. It must have been hidden because the puppy was in its stone form."
"Right," Riku said softly. Then he turned to Yu Zhou. "So whose Ultra Capsule was inside it?"
Yu Zhou said nothing. Instead, he opened his hand and revealed the capsule he now held.
"It's… Tiga."
Laiha's voice trembled slightly.
"Tiga…" Leito's gaze shifted to Yu Zhou. The Capsule of Tiga had returned to Tiga himself. Was this coincidence… or destiny?
"The power of the Tiga Capsule must have been what allowed the puppy's statue to come alive," Laiha said, gently brushing the stone puppy. "It gave up its own life to entrust you with saving the black puppy."
"I will save it."
Yu Zhou exhaled softly.
He never imagined that his capsule's ability would be to resurrect a statue. The fact that this puppy had been chosen to carry Tiga's capsule felt like a bond of fate. Healing a puppy was hardly a burden.
"Let me try."
Yu Zhou raised the Spark Lens to his chest and transformed once more into Tiga.
Pressing his palm over the black puppy, he released a warm stream of energy that enveloped its frail body.
Moments later, warmth returned to the little dog. Its chest rose and fell, its black eyes fluttered open.
Startled at the crowd around it, the black puppy whimpered—but when it spotted the yellow puppy's statue nearby, it wagged its tail and barked.
"Woof!"
The black puppy circled the statue eagerly, tail swishing, barking in joy.
But the statue did not move.
"Woof…"
The puppy's excitement faded. It pressed against the cold stone, whimpering as if it understood—the yellow puppy would never run alongside it again.
The sight weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
"Why would the Tiga Capsule's power be something like this?" Riku murmured, sighing. He was a sensitive soul, easily moved by life's bonds.
"Since it was the Tiga Capsule that revived it, Yu Zhou… is there a way to bring the yellow puppy back?" Laiha asked quietly.
Yu Zhou's eyes lingered on the statue. "I'll try."
After all, the Tiga Capsule had been forged from his own energy. If he infused that same light back into the statue… perhaps…
He touched the Color Timer on his chest and guided his energy outward, channeling beams of light into the statue.
At first, nothing happened. But when the final ray entered, the stone surface began to glow.
Then, with a joyful bark, the yellow puppy leapt to life once more.
The black puppy barked wildly in response, wagging its tail so hard it nearly toppled over, bounding in circles around its partner.
Releasing his transformation, Yu Zhou felt relief warm his chest.
He hadn't expected he could bring a statue back to life. Did this mean he could revive other statues as well? The thought was staggering.
But he tempered his hope. Perhaps this miracle only worked because the Little Star had first given the yellow puppy life. Yu Zhou had merely reignited a fading flame.
He recalled Yuzare's words:
"There is only one way to revive the stone giants—Daigo must become light."
Maybe, just maybe…
Later, at Nebula House's underground base.
"Laiha, can I ask you something?" Riku's voice was tentative. "That time… why didn't you kill him?"
Laiha fell silent.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Riku lowered his head, realizing his insensitivity.
"I heard a voice," Laiha finally whispered.
"A voice?" Riku blinked in surprise. He hadn't heard anything.
"Stop. That is not for you to do."
She mimicked the weighty, commanding tone.
"The King of Ultra…" Yu Zhou muttered. His suspicion hardened. He had even more reason now to confront the Ultra King.
"But that was—"
"I know."
Riku wanted to argue that it had been their best chance to eliminate Fukude Kei, but Laiha cut him off.
"When I heard that voice, I couldn't move. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't strike."
The authority in that voice had paralyzed her will.
At that moment, RE.M.'s report came through: "No trace of the Little Star inside Laiha's body."
"No need to scan," Yu Zhou said flatly.
"Huh? You know something?" Riku pressed.
Yu Zhou nodded. "Yes. Laiha once held the Ultra King's Capsule. The voice she heard—that was the King of Ultra himself."
"What?!"
Riku and Pega were stunned. The Ultra King's Capsule had been inside Laiha? And he had personally intervened to stop her from killing Fukude Kei?
"But why? Why protect him?" Riku demanded.
That was the question gnawing at them all. The Ultra King surely knew Kei's threat. Why stop them?
"I don't know," Yu Zhou admitted. Then his eyes sharpened. "But Laiha, in a few days, you're coming with me. We'll confront the Ultra King face to face."
His voice rang with defiance.
"Either he truly wants Belial unleashed to destroy the world… or he stands for peace in this universe. We'll make him choose."