After thorough research and discussion, the Time-Space Fortress was finally hidden somewhere on Earth.
Directly beneath it lay the city of R'lyeh.
Masaki, Hudra, and Darramb were stationed there to explore deeper functions of the fortress and its technology.
Gamu also accepted Masaki's invitation to join the ongoing research — particularly while working on the time-space shuttle project.
As fellow scientists, both shared a natural curiosity about such things.
Yu Zhou, however, had no intention of staying there. He returned to R'lyeh, resuming his peaceful, laid-back life.
Honestly, if the Time-Space Fortress — or this Earth itself — ever evolved into a "second Land of Light," Yu Zhou thought Masaki would definitely be this world's Hikari.
The Rise of Human Power
Humanity, as it turned out, was not without its own growing strength.
Not long after, Asuka found himself on the Moon — and to his frustration, a massive human-made warship appeared and stole his monster battle.
He was not happy about it.
"I never imagined that thing would vaporize the monster with a single shot!"
In R'lyeh's crystal palace, Asuka was practically spitting with excitement as he ranted to Yu Zhou about the incident.
"Hey, Asuka, calm down— you're getting spit all over my face!"
Yu Zhou wiped himself with a tissue, pressing one hand down on Asuka's head.
"You don't get it, senpai! We in Super GUTS have never even seen that battleship before! No idea where it came from!"
Asuka slipped away from Yu Zhou's grip and continued dramatically, waving his arms.
"And that cannon, oh man, that cannon—!"
Before he could finish, his communicator beeped sharply.
"Hold on— looks like a mission."
He quickly answered the call.
"Asuka, where are you? We're heading to Coreomeos Island — gather with the team!"
It was Ryo's voice on the other end, crisp and direct.
"Got it! You go ahead, I'll be right there!"
Asuka replied quickly, then tucked the communicator away and turned to Yu Zhou.
"Senpai, I'll be off!"
"Go on," Yu Zhou said with a wave. "Be careful out there."
After Asuka left, Yu Zhou returned to his room and quietly pulled out a phone.
Inside it was a treasure trove of data — profiles of Ultramen, monsters, incidents — all compiled from his own world.
"One shot turned a monster to dust… and Coreomeos Island…"
He muttered to himself as he scrolled through the files. "This sounds… familiar."
A moment later, he found the record he was looking for.
"So that's it," he said softly.
"The Starlight Warrior arc."
The battleship that had destroyed the monster was TPC's latest secret project — the Prometheus battleship, under development on Coreomeos Island.
But this so-called masterpiece was actually part of a trap — a plot by an alien species known as the Monera.
Given Earth's current technology, even with the powerful new "Neo-MAX" energy system, creating such a weapon capable of disintegrating kaiju in one shot was absurd.
There was only one explanation: alien involvement.
The Monera aliens had no good intentions. They built the Prometheus not to protect humanity — but to use it to destroy Earth's guardians.
The monster Asuka fought on the Moon was merely a test — a way for them to identify Earth's protector, Ultraman Dyna.
Now, calling the Super GUTS team to Coreomeos Island was their next step:
to eliminate Asuka and Dyna once and for all.
And after that, to bring about the extinction of humankind.
Yu Zhou sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Another suicidal bunch of aliens."
As he walked through the palace corridor, he muttered,
"These cosmic idiots really don't learn, do they? Always trying to destroy Earth like they're gods. I swear, they don't even know how weak they are."
"Eh?"
A voice piped up nearby — it was Himala, one of the palace attendants, who happened to overhear him while cleaning.
He quickly trotted after Yu Zhou.
"Wait, wait! Is there going to be a new member of the Crystal Palace?!"
His tone was both nervous and strangely excited.
Yu Zhou blinked. "What on Earth are you talking about?"
Himala's eyes were gleaming with hope.
He was way too eager to have a new resident join the Crystal Palace.
After all, every "new member" was usually some troublemaker who ended up captured… and put to work doing chores.
Yu Zhou waved a hand dismissively. "No, no. Not this time."
It wasn't that he didn't want to catch a Monera for labour — it was that Monera aliens didn't even have proper bodies to work with. They were amorphous creatures, useless for anything manual. The only sensible thing to do was to destroy them.
Still, based on what he remembered from the story, Asuka was heading straight into danger.
Since Yu Zhou had nothing better to do, he decided to go take a look.
"May as well watch how it unfolds," he murmured.
Leaving the palace, Yu Zhou strolled into R'lyeh's bustling district.
He found a shop and bought a long black robe, storing it in his spatial bracelet.
Then he made his way to the shore.
Donning the robe, Yu Zhou stepped onto his personal flight device and checked the coordinates for Coreomeos Island — before taking off into the skies.
Since the island was crawling with TPC personnel, it was better not to reveal his identity.
The robe would serve as a disguise — though wearing black in broad daylight might draw attention, it would at least keep him unrecognizable.
Coreomeos Island lay in the South Pacific — conveniently, the same region as R'lyeh.
Within a short time, Yu Zhou descended near the island's coast.
He stored his flight device away — it was far too conspicuous. On Earth, very few people had access to such technology.
Walking inland, Yu Zhou soon arrived near TPC's Weapons Development Factory — a massive complex where the organization's most powerful weapons were built and tested.
In fact, many of TPC's international conferences were held here as well.
It was said that former Director Sawai had even hosted the First World Peace Conference in this very facility.
Quietly, Yu Zhou approached the main gate.
Seeing that the guards were distracted, he slipped inside unnoticed and ducked into a corner.
No alarms. No signs of being spotted.
It seemed the island's security was far more relaxed than he expected — probably because it was such a remote location in the middle of the ocean.
After glancing around, Yu Zhou proceeded deeper into the complex.
Even if there were cameras, he wasn't worried.
The black robe completely concealed his form.