"At that time, it should've been the soul of a Reiblood invading Belial's body," Yu Zhou said, rubbing his chin in thought.
If that was the case… could the Reiblood soul be separated from him?
"But can this Strum organ really achieve that?" Yu Zhou frowned at the empty air where the King of Ultra's voice lingered. "Belial and the Reiblood's souls are practically one. The Strum organ can reverse energy, sure, but I doubt it can drive out a soul."
"This is only an attempt," the King of Ultra answered solemnly. "The exact outcome is something we will only know in time."
Truth be told, Yu Zhou wasn't convinced. The King of Ultra still wanted to save Belial? That seemed absurd.
From the beginning, Belial had been cast out of the Land of Light for the Plasma Spark incident. After being possessed by the Reiblood, he launched attack after attack against his own people. Every Ultra in the Land of Light dreamed of ending him once and for all.
"And yet… if they could accept Geed, maybe they could forgive Belial too—if he were restored."
Yu Zhou shook his head. It wasn't his quarrel. The grudges of the Land of Light were theirs to settle.
"By the way," he asked suddenly, "about the Little Star that vanished from Laiha's body… shouldn't you think of a way to pass your capsule to Geed?"
If Geed obtained the King's capsule, he might actually stand a chance against Belial. Of course, Yu Zhou wouldn't have minded keeping it himself.
"Not yet," the King replied with a grave shake of the head. "That capsule must only be given to him when the final battle against Belial comes."
Laiha, though puzzled about the disappearance of the Little Star inside her, understood after hearing this. It wasn't gone—it was being saved for the future.
When their questions were finished, Yu Zhou and Laiha left that place and returned to Nebula Manor.
The revelations they'd received from the King of Ultra were nothing short of shocking.
Laiha didn't fully understand the politics of the Land of Light. She only grasped that the King wanted to restore Belial.
Yu Zhou, however, mulled over the possibility more deeply. If Belial could truly be brought back to his original self… wouldn't that be something?
Of course, even restored, Belial could hardly return to the Land of Light. His crimes and the devastation he caused were too great, even if committed while under corruption.
"But if it worked… would Belial still want me dead?" Yu Zhou thought uneasily. "If so, I guess I'll just have to fight him all over again."
He sighed. "Really, it all comes down to the wrong timing of his birth."
If Belial had been born in this age, he wouldn't need the Plasma Spark's power. With all the advanced tech and upgrades the Land of Light now churned out—borrowed powers, genetic capsules, mass-produced weaponry—his strength could've skyrocketed without ever falling into darkness.
Belial was simply… born too early.
Even so, the King's idea had made Yu Zhou take things more seriously. In the original story, the King of Ultra had never shown any intention of restoring Belial. But maybe, over the years, the thought had occurred to someone in the Land of Light.
Yu Zhou first relayed this to Zero.
"Belial can… be restored?" Zero's eyes widened. After fighting the corrupted Belial for so long, this was the first he'd ever heard of such a possibility.
"That's right. The King of Ultra said it himself." Yu Zhou nodded, making it clear this was his family elder's idea.
Zero scowled. "Even if he could be restored… after all he's done, would his life really be any better?"
"True," Yu Zhou admitted. Then he smirked. "But you could always pin the blame on the Reiblood."
"…You know, that actually makes sense." Zero stroked his chin, nodding slightly.
"But I've also heard Belial was obsessed with power—and carried a deep grudge against the Land of Light for expelling him," Zero added. "If his heart stays the same after restoration, we'll have another problem."
"Zero, don't forget," Yu Zhou reminded him, "Belial back then was basically in the same position as you."
Zero sighed heavily. "Ah… youthful recklessness. If my father, Seven, hadn't stopped me, I'd probably have been cast out too."
"Not necessarily." Yu Zhou raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Belial touched the Plasma Spark and you didn't, but he had a record of victories. As I recall, during a war against the Emperor of Darkness, he… panicked? And from then on, he sought greater power to erase that stain."
Zero gaped at him. "How do you even know that?"
"I guessed." Yu Zhou shot him a look.
"And besides, it's not like the Plasma Spark is untouchable anymore. I touched it myself," he added with a grin.
"That was because you had no choice in Monster Graveyard—facing Belial," Zero retorted.
"Sure, but I also put my hand on it later, in the Land of Light." Yu Zhou shrugged.
"That was different. You'd rendered great service, and the Plasma Spark acknowledged you. That's why you weren't harmed."
"Fine, fine."
The truth was, without being Seven's son, Zero might not have gotten away with his past. The Ultra Brothers had likely spared him for his youth—and because of his father's prestige.
Of course, they hadn't let him off completely. They'd remembered how Leo once wept about Seven's brutal training methods… so they sent Zero to Leo, to suffer in turn.
Meanwhile, Riku's reaction to Yu Zhou's news was pure joy.
He had never wanted to believe his father, Belial, was nothing more than a cruel monster. Ever since Yu Zhou told him Belial had only fallen after being possessed by the Reiblood, he'd clung to the hope that his father could one day return.
Now the King of Ultra himself had confirmed it.
"This is amazing!"
Riku jumped straight up at the news, his excitement sending him crashing into the ceiling.
"Riku, don't get ahead of yourself." Yu Zhou raised a hand, cautioning him. "The chance of success is tiny. The Strum organ might not even work the way we hope. If it fails, Belial will still have to die."
Riku's grin faded. For a moment he stood in silence. Then his face hardened with resolve.
"If it fails… then I'll be the one to end him." His voice was low but firm. "He must have suffered in this state for so long. If I can't restore him as his son… then I'll release him from it with my own hands."
Yu Zhou saw the determination in his eyes and nodded silently. The boy had awakened his filial resolve.
If Belial couldn't be restored, then only Geed could fight his father—just as in the original tale, where Geed finished Belial inside a collapsing dimension with nothing more than his base form's Cross Ray.
For even a move that countless monsters could resist, when fueled by the will of a son… it was enough to end Belial.