"Oh… a parallel universe, is it?"
As Yu Zhou watched the ongoing battle from space, a swirling vortex suddenly appeared nearby.
From within it, a dark silhouette slowly emerged.
Floating in the vacuum, the figure let out a low, sinister laugh before speaking in a cold, mocking tone.
"So, he's shown up here too, huh?"
The voice instantly drew Yu Zhou's attention.
When he turned and saw the figure clearly—a tall, broad being clad in black and crimson armour—Yu Zhou froze.
Belial.
The fallen Ultraman.
In Ultraman Geed's world, he had already returned to his true form as an Ultraman.
But here, he appeared once again as the corrupted "Old Black Belial."
"So, this is Belial from a world I haven't interfered with…"
In that moment, Yu Zhou understood how Belial had come to be here.
"Die!"
Before Yu Zhou could say anything more, Belial suddenly raised his arm and fired a beam crackling with red lightning straight at him.
"What the—?! You attack without a word?!"
Yu Zhou quickly twisted his body, narrowly dodging the red Cross Shoot that resembled Geed's attack.
"Belial! You and I have no feud—why are you attacking me?!"
He was genuinely baffled.
This Belial had come from a completely untouched universe—so why start a fight immediately?
"Oh… so you're not one of those Light Kingdom bastards," Belial sneered once he got a good look at Yu Zhou. "But I kill whoever I want. Do I need a reason?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Belial extended his hand.
From out of nowhere, the Giga Battlenizer materialized in his grasp.
"Wait—!" Yu Zhou raised a hand quickly. "I just want to know where you came from!"
"Save your breath."
Belial ignored him and swung the Giga Battle Nizer downward with full force.
Yu Zhou backflipped away, barely avoiding the crushing blow.
"Belial, if you still want revenge on the people of the Land of Light, then stop attacking for now!"
Yu Zhou wasn't eager to fight him—not when Gatanozoa and the Sphere were still raging nearby.
If he and Belial clashed here, there was no telling how long the fight would last.
Surprisingly, Belial halted his assault at Yu Zhou's shout.
"Fine. What are your last words, then?"
He sounded bored, but also curious—clearly wanting to hear what Yu Zhou was about to say.
"Belial, try using your power to open a rift through time and space. See if you can return to your original universe."
Yu Zhou exhaled in relief as Belial stopped fighting and spoke calmly.
"Of course I can," Belial said with disdain.
Still, his eyes flickered with doubt. He raised both hands, and dark red energy shot outward, twisting space into a glowing wormhole.
Yu Zhou blinked.
He hadn't expected a wormhole to open here—he thought this world's space-time was sealed.
If Belial could open one…
"Then maybe wormholes can be created here," Yu Zhou thought. "Which means… travel to the Ultraman worlds might be possible!"
Belial frowned.
"Hmm? This wormhole… it doesn't seem to have an end."
An endless wormhole—meaning anyone who entered would drift forever, lost in infinite space, eventually emerging who-knows-where.
"That's because this world's time and space have already become unstable," Yu Zhou explained. "Haven't you wondered why you suddenly appeared here?"
"So, this is your doing, huh?"
Belial's sharp crimson eyes glared at Yu Zhou as he raised the Giga Battle Nizer again.
"It's not me!" Yu Zhou shouted, dodging another slash.
"Then who?!"
Belial was desperate now—he had to find a way back.
If he remained stuck in this world, he could never fulfil his revenge on the Land of Light.
"It's… a little girl. Wearing a red dress."
Yu Zhou pointed with a finger after thinking for a moment.
"A little girl in a red dress?" Belial repeated, committing it to memory. "Then tell me—how do I get back?"
"If you remove all the other invading darkness from this world, the distortion will close, and you'll be able to return."
Thinking quickly, Yu Zhou gave his best bluff—if it worked, he might gain a powerful ally for free.
That would be perfect.
"Hah. You're trying to trick me into being your lackey," Belial sneered, narrowing his eyes.
Yu Zhou's hopeful expression froze.
He opened his mouth but no words came out.
"That's not it!" Yu Zhou said righteously. "I just believe that you, Belial Ultraman, are the true King of Darkness! That's why all darkness in this world should serve you, Lord Belial!"
"And by gathering that power, you'll be able to return to your universe… and crush the Land of Light!"
Belial smirked, claws scraping against his neck armour with a metallic screech.
"Now that's more like it. I am the King of Darkness. All dark forces should obey me!"
"Exactly!" Yu Zhou nodded eagerly. "When the time comes, you can lead these dark servants to attack the Land of Light yourself."
Yu Zhou couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for selling out the Land of Light like that—but it's not like anyone from there could hear him.
"Very good."
Belial's mood seemed to stabilize. He finally took a moment to study Yu Zhou closely.
"I think I know who you are… You're the ancient Ultraman—Tiga."
"That's right. It's me."
Yu Zhou replied calmly. Even if he wasn't the real Tiga, he was in Tiga's form now, so it was only natural to play the part.
Belial tilted his head.
"No… you're not the real Tiga. The Tiga who lived thirty million years ago wouldn't be this weak."
Yu Zhou: "…"
Seriously?!
He wasn't that weak!
It's not like he'd even gone all out just now—he'd been dodging, not fighting!
If he really fought Belial, he could probably last quite a while… maybe even win!
"Anyway," Yu Zhou said, quickly changing the topic, "look over there. Two potential subordinates waiting to be recruited."
He pointed toward the distance, where Gatanozoa and the Sphere Black Hole were still locked in combat.
"One's an ancient dark god; the other's a black hole that can devour galaxies."
Belial's eyes glimmered.
"Not bad… A dark god as my servant would be acceptable."
With that, Belial gripped his Giga Battle Nizer and flew straight toward the battlefield between Gatanozoa and the Sphere.
But before he could reach it, another spatial vortex opened nearby.
From within stepped a towering, regal figure—humanoid, cloaked in black, his entire body gleaming like blackened gold, covered in intricate markings.
Behind him flowed a long, dark cape that rippled like liquid shadow.
The Emperor of the Universe—Empera Alien.
"Empera Alien, huh…"
Belial stopped mid-flight, eyes narrowing as he tightened his grip on his weapon.
A cold, dangerous grin spread across his face.