Ryan walked through the streets of Tokyo again.
People moved everywhere. Crowds flowed across sidewalks. Cars filled the roads. The city felt busy but peaceful.
Watching it all, Ryan felt a quiet pride.
After all… he was the one who defeated the monster.
He had saved these people.
Ryan climbed onto a bus and sat near the window. As the vehicle rolled forward, he watched the city slide past.
Some places looked strangely familiar.
Especially the Shinkansen lines.
After thinking about it, Ryan realized why.
He had seen them before in manga.
Speaking of manga…
He had never visited Akihabara yet.
The future capital of anime culture.
He wondered what it looked like in this era.
Anime probably existed already, right?
Ryan shrugged.
He didn't actually know much about that world.
He liked a few series, but he couldn't even name most of their authors.
The only ones he clearly remembered were
Fujiko F. Fujio
and
Toriyama Akira.
Ryan smirked to himself.
The talking black cat had mentioned time travelers.
If that were true…
Maybe one day he could visit the worlds of Doraemon or Dragon Ball.
Then he quickly shook his head.
"…Actually, Dragon Ball sounds terrifying."
"Young man."
A calm, elderly voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ryan turned his head.
An old man with snow-white hair sat beside him.
"You don't see many young people working hard at karate these days."
Ryan laughed awkwardly.
Walking around town in a training uniform probably did look strange.
"Don't misunderstand," the old man continued. "I didn't mean anything rude."
"It's just… I can sense something from you."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Sense what?"
"A will to protect."
The old man's eyes were sharp despite his gentle tone.
"Karate used to exist for that purpose."
"But over time, it changed."
"Now it's mostly exercise."
"I rarely see someone your age with that spirit."
Ryan studied him.
Weird old guy.
How could someone see something like that just by looking?
Still…
There was something about the man's eyes.
They were calm, but bright.
Ryan shrugged.
"Not everyone has to carry the job of protecting others."
The old man narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Are you part of the
Monster Attack Crew?"
Ryan shook his head.
"No."
The bus slowed to a stop.
Ryan stood up.
"This is my stop."
He nodded politely and stepped off the bus as soon as the doors opened.
The old man watched him leave.
"Such skill…"
A hint of regret crossed his face.
"What a shame."
"A talent like that… and MAC never recruited him."
Ryan didn't think much about the encounter.
Whether that man was strange or not didn't really matter.
As long as he wasn't a monster.
Ryan's focus was somewhere else.
He needed to see Commander Dan.
Only real strength mattered in this twisted world.
You couldn't rely on courage alone.
Dan had said it himself.
There was no room for mistakes.
One mistake meant death.
Ryan exhaled slowly.
This really was a lonely fight.
In the original story,
Ultraman Leo
had help.
His brother
Astra
appeared.
Other Ultramen helped.
Even after Leo was torn apart later in the story…
The
Ultraman King
brought him back to life.
Ryan looked up at the sky.
Would anyone come to help in this world?
He didn't dare rely on that.
For now, every crisis rested on his shoulders.
Still…
Maybe he wasn't completely alone.
Commander Dan was training him.
His friends were still alive.
Ryan smiled faintly.
He stood in front of the sports club entrance.
I'll protect them.
No more tragedies.
BOOM.
The ground shook violently.
Car alarms began screaming all over the street.
Ryan turned around.
"What was that?"
His eyes widened.
A massive blade sliced through a skyscraper.
The building split in half.
The upper section crashed into the street.
People ran in every direction.
Cars collided.
Chaos exploded across the road.
Ryan stared at the towering figure behind the destruction.
His lips trembled.
"…Zoruk."
Alien Zoruk
"ROOOAR!"
Buildings collapsed like cardboard under the monster's blade arms.
Debris rained down.
Some people didn't escape in time.
They vanished beneath falling concrete.
"Help!"
A giant billboard creaked high above the street.
People below watched in horror as its shadow swallowed them.
Children screamed.
Elderly people stumbled and fell.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Ryan's body trembled.
His fists clenched.
His knuckles cracked.
His eyes turned red.
Why?
Zoruk was dead.
Why was the monster back?
Ryan stared helplessly at the destruction.
Just one more day.
If he could wait one more day…
He would regain the ability to transform.
"001!"
The system responded immediately.
"Alien Zoruk has been corrupted by unknown dark energy."
"Target appears to be the host."
"Immediate evacuation recommended."
Ryan froze.
"…Me?"
He watched the monster carefully.
Even though it destroyed buildings randomly…
Its direction was clear.
It was coming straight toward him.
Ryan slowly turned.
Behind him, people from the club had rushed outside after hearing the explosion.
If Zoruk kept following him…
They would all be caught in the disaster.
"Ryu!"
Someone shouted.
"Why are you just standing there?! Run!"
"Ryu! Over here!"
Ryan didn't move.
If the monster was targeting him…
Staying with them would only put them in danger.
"You guys go first!" Ryan shouted.
"I'll catch up!"
His teeth clenched.
Lead it away.
Take it to the suburbs.
"Warning. Suburban risk level: one hundred percent."
"Doesn't matter!"
Ryan sprinted down the street.
As if responding to his movement, Zoruk suddenly stopped attacking the city.
Then it turned.
The monster began walking after Ryan.
Ignoring everything else.
The old man from the bus crawled out of the damaged vehicle nearby.
Dust covered his clothes.
He looked up just in time to see Zoruk leaving.
"…Strange."
His eyes narrowed.
"The monster…"
"It's chasing something."
Meanwhile, Ryan ran as fast as he could.
"Warning. Host has been locked by target."
"Extreme danger."
The alarm echoed in his ears again and again.
Ryan ignored it.
He could feel the monster behind him.
The ground trembled with every step Zoruk took.
He couldn't stop.
He couldn't slow down.
"001!"
"Stop repeating the warnings!"
"Tell me how to fix this!"
The system responded.
"Scanning target…"
"Scan complete."
"To escape target lock, the host must create a distance of one thousand meters."
"Then avoid detection for five minutes."
"The system will temporarily teleport the host into internal space."
Ryan almost tripped.
"You're kidding!"
"How am I supposed to do that?!"
He shouted in frustration.
"Why can't you just teleport me now?"
"Come on, 001. Be useful for once!"
"Unknown energy surrounds the target."
"Forced teleportation may expose the system."
"Unpredictable consequences may occur."
Ryan gritted his teeth.
"At this point, who cares about exposure?!"
The ground shook harder beneath his feet.
Zoruk was getting closer.
Ryan pushed himself faster.
"Is there any other way?!"
The system answered calmly.
"There is."