"Send it into space?!"
The moment Director Kuriyama heard this, he panicked.
"It would be one thing if it remained dormant. But now that it's awakened, it will eventually come back to cause us trouble. It must be destroyed!"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire STORAGE hangar fell silent.
No one was willing to follow up.
"Hebikura," Kuriyama said with a frown, turning toward Juggler,
"deploy STORAGE immediately and eliminate Grigio Raiden!"
"Director," Juggler replied calmly, "our Special Airborne Mechs are not capable of combat in outer space."
"The King Joe Custom is nearly complete and can operate in space!"
Kuriyama snapped back.
"Deploying it before development is fully complete means sending the pilots into battle at the risk of their lives," Juggler said flatly, glancing at him.
"Battle always carries risk!" Kuriyama roared.
"That is their duty!"
"Operator Nakajima—Haruki… where is Haruki?!"
Kuriyama shouted, then waved his hand impatiently.
"Forget it. Nakajima, you'll pilot King Joe and sortie!"
But Yoko merely glanced at Juggler's calm expression—and ignored the order entirely.
Kuriyama's face turned livid with rage.
According to Juggler's report, Haruki and Z had already carried Grigio Raiden far beyond the Milky Way, preventing it from returning to Earth.
This decision was made because Grigio Raiden was the result of humanity's own mistakes.
Of course, if the monster ever returned to Earth and caused destruction, Haruki and Z would show no mercy.
One chance had been given.
Refuse it—and extermination would be the only option.
When Haruki returned to STORAGE, he was greeted by an atmosphere thick with tension.
Director Kuriyama had already stormed off, leaving the STORAGE members behind in silence.
Scratching his head, Haruki—unaware of everything that had just transpired—had no idea what to say.
Out in space, Grigio Raiden continued flying forward.
Having been thrown back into the cosmos by Z, it no longer intended to return to Earth. Instead, it sought a place suitable for survival.
However, upon passing through a certain region of space, Grigio Raiden suddenly became trapped in a temporal loop.
No matter how it flew, it repeatedly passed through the exact same stretch of space.
Exhausted at last, it was suddenly pulled into a vortex that appeared without warning.
Moments later, Grigio Raiden vanished entirely.
Shortly afterward, a massive, irregular red-and-blue sphere materialized—and began drifting toward Earth.
If Ultraman Zero were present, he would immediately recognize it.
It was the same creature that once dragged him into another dimension during his pursuit of Genegarg—
The four-dimensional monster, Bullton.
Back on Earth, Haruki and Juggler arrived at Yuzhou's residence together.
After learning what had happened inside STORAGE, Haruki found himself deeply conflicted.
Although he had acted according to his own convictions, he no longer felt like remaining with STORAGE.
This time, he was genuinely disappointed in the Defense Force's upper leadership.
He had never expected Director Kuriyama to insist on exterminating the monster.
"Juggler," Yuzhou said jokingly, "why don't you just take Haruki and overthrow the Defense Force? Rule the Earth yourselves."
"No interest," Juggler replied immediately, seeing through the joke.
Even if he had the power to do so, he would never choose that path.
Becoming STORAGE's captain was merely a way to experience life fighting for Earth as a human.
Besides, Haruki would never agree to such an idea—let alone Z.
"Senior, you're joking, right?!"
Haruki said after taking a sip of the green tea Yuzhou had prepared.
The idea of Ultraman Tiga telling him to rule Earth was absurd.
Suddenly—
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed from outside.
The three immediately stood and rushed over.
An irregular red-and-blue spherical object had slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater, while emitting a bell-like ringing sound.
"What is that…?"
Haruki stared at it in confusion.
It didn't resemble a monster—more like a bizarre meteor from beyond the universe.
"It's Bullton," Yuzhou said calmly.
In the original timeline, Bullton had been released by the Cerebro Alien. But Cerebro had already been dealt with—so even Yuzhou wasn't sure how Bullton had appeared here.
"A four-dimensional monster," Juggler added, crossing his arms.
"Alright! Then I'll handle this with Z!"
Haruki said energetically.
"Captain, Senior!"
He pulled out the Z Riser and pulled the trigger—
But at the exact moment he did, the bell-like sound rang out again.
The world distorted.
And suddenly—
Haruki found himself sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of green tea.
"Juggler, why don't you just take Haruki and overthrow the Defense Force—"
"No interest."
Haruki froze.
This was… familiar.
Before he could question it, the crash outside happened again.
Bullton appeared once more.
Placing the teacup down, Haruki—confused but somehow compelled—walked to the window with Yuzhou and Juggler, just like before.
After the same brief exchange, Haruki raised the Z Riser again.
Click.
The bell rang.
The world flashed—
And once again, he was back on the sofa, green tea in hand.
"What is going on?!"
Haruki wasn't the only one affected.
Yuzhou's vision had also reset.
He had been about to step back while Haruki transformed—but in an instant, he was sitting on the sofa again.
"A fourth-dimensional spatial distortion…"
Yuzhou remained calm.
Bullton's four-dimensional space could link directly to a person's consciousness, sending them to whatever place—or moment—they envisioned.
With strong enough mental control, one could choose where—and when—to go.
Repeating the same steps, Yuzhou walked to the window, then turned to leave—
And at that exact moment, his will shatter the illusion.
However, once the illusion broke—
He found himself trapped inside Haruki's mental loop.
Watching Haruki pull the trigger again, the scene flashed—
And both of them returned to the sofa.
Haruki was on the verge of collapse.
"Haruki, stay calm," Yuzhou said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Senior Yuzhou—thank goodness! You finally didn't repeat the same line!"
Haruki exclaimed in relief.
"Good. Keep your composure," Yuzhou said with a nod.
"As long as your will is strong enough, you can reach the place you want to go."