Great, we're doomed now!

There is an old wall lamp above my head, used for retro decoration. The light is dim and flickers from time to time.

A moth appeared out of nowhere and fluttered around the lampshade, its wings casting dappled shadows under the light. The flickering light and shadow fell on Masaki's face, revealing that his gaze was somewhat unfocused.

He took another sip of wine, and images began to surge uncontrollably in his mind—echoes that didn't belong to him, remnants buried deep in his genes thirty million years ago, that had been haunting Masaki ever since he was influenced by the demon god.

He saw the city collapse in flames, saw giant statues fall one after another, saw people laughing, crying, and embracing in a sea of ​​golden flowers, then closing their eyes and never opening them again, until they were swallowed by darkness…

"Well!"

Masaki covered his forehead, pressed his fingers hard against his temples, took several deep breaths, and tried to concentrate. The images slowly faded away... This feeling was worse than a hangover.

—In fact, Masaki has always been very self-disciplined, and he really doesn't know what a hangover feels like.

"If you can't drink, then don't drink so much."

A voice came from the side. The familiar feeling made Masaki look up. In the dim light, a person was standing in front of his table, holding a glass of milk in his hand, with a calm and unhurried expression.

The man was wearing a dark jacket with the collar turned up, covering half of his neck. His features were not particularly outstanding, and the black-rimmed glasses he wore made him look even more ordinary. But when Zheng Mu stared at him for two seconds, his brows suddenly relaxed, and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Kirino...why did you suddenly decide to look for me today?"

"Well, it was just a whim."

The psychic Kirino Makio sat down opposite him, placed the milk on the table, glanced at the half-empty glass of whiskey in front of Masaki, and shook his head.

"Drinking alone in a place like this isn't like you."

Masaki didn't reply. He glanced at the milk in Kirino's hand and let out a short, mocking laugh.

"Want to order this at the bar?"

"There is also oolong tea available."

Kirino didn't take it seriously; he never drank alcohol.

"But if the prescription is estimated to be over 70 or 80 degrees, let's forget about it."

"...Temperature?" Masaki was taken aback. "You mean oolong tea?"

It couldn't be the alcohol content, could it? This is an affiliated facility of TPC, how could they sell such high-proof spirits?

Director Sawai will definitely investigate if he finds out!

"Alcohol only numbs your brain and dulls your judgment. When you sober up, reality won't have changed." Kirino paused. "Since it doesn't work, why drink it?"

"That's easy for you to say!"

Masaki reached for the glass of whiskey, tilted his head back, and drank the rest in one gulp, saying with a bitter face.

"I don't know... I've never felt like this before, like something's missing, and I feel empty inside."

He looked up at Kirino, his eyes filled with something rarely seen on his face—a sense of powerlessness.

"Ever since I met that person, I've always been certain of what I was doing, and it turns out we've always been on the right track, but now..."

"What's going on now?"

"...I don't know what to do next."

"I see."

Kirino raised an eyebrow. For a top-tier psychic esper like him, he had already pretty much figured out Masaki's thoughts, but as his childhood friend, he naturally couldn't be too blunt.

"Because Kuze no Kami didn't give you any instructions this time—you're too reliant on him."

"I just followed the right person," Masaki said without denying it.

"What's wrong with that? For humanity to concentrate its efforts, it needs a core that guides everyone, including myself, in the same direction... Isn't that a more efficient way?"

Kirino didn't answer immediately, perhaps also considering his words: "In this kind of system, if the 'core' makes a mistake, it could affect the entire system, so we must be very careful when opening it...?"

Masaki remained silent.

“I’m not criticizing you.” Kirino’s tone softened a bit. “I just want to say that you’ve placed too much pressure on one person—Kusei Kami.”

"He's much stronger than me..."

“Just because he hasn’t made a mistake now doesn’t mean he won’t in the future,” Kirino said. “And I’m not talking about whether he will make a mistake or not; I’m talking about… your own decision.”

"This……"

Masaki opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back and changed the subject.

"Then tell me, why did Zigela wake up at this time? And why did Ye Shou's attitude suddenly change?"

He'd been pushing forward with all sorts of plans without ever procrastinating, so why is he doing absolutely nothing about this? So incredibly...passive!

“I don’t know what Ye Shou is thinking,” Kirino said calmly. “I’m just a superpowered person, not an omniscient and omnipotent god. His mind has never been open to me.”

He paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile: "But I do know a little about Zigela."

Masaki sat up straight instinctively: "Please speak."

"This flower only appears when Earth's civilization is on the verge of extinction. It is not a disaster itself, but a harbinger. And it does not appear casually. Only when humanity is in despair and truly needs it will the Zigera bloom."

"...That doesn't make sense."

Masaki questioned, "I remember now, I've seen a similar plant on an ancient monster before... That should also be a Zijera, only in the form of a vine."

Isn't it completely dominated by darkness? Why do you make it sound like it appeared to help humanity?

"That can't be helped. Zigela itself is just a plant, and the invasion of darkness is all-pervasive... Let's not talk about that now, but 30 million years ago, it was certainly not a follower of darkness."

"Hmm~"

"It's not an addictive drug that works on the body, but rather it relieves people of their worries on a spiritual level. Fear, anxiety, and despair all dissipate in the pollen of Zigera, replaced by beautiful, warm dreams that you don't want to wake up from."

Masaki's fist slowly clenched: "That's why things like this should be eliminated even more!"

In my opinion, this is a kind of poison! If it were to be widely distributed, the consequences would be unimaginable. Indeed... we cannot allow the tragedy of the ancient times to repeat itself!

Kirino neither refuted nor agreed; he simply stared coldly at Masaki, and after he finished speaking, asked softly:

"Have you considered another possibility? Perhaps for many people, choosing Zigela is not a bad thing."

"What are you talking about?" Masaki narrowed his eyes. "If it's just sophistry, there's no need to bring it up in front of me."

"It's just a plant," Kirino said calmly, unconcerned. "It doesn't feed on humans, nor does it rely on them to reproduce. In the ecosystem, it and humans are almost completely isolated from each other, with no competition for survival or resources... but its pollen has an extremely strong effect on humans."

"...What are you trying to say?"

Why is there such a wondrous evolution? Because it is the mercy of the Earth!

In times of despair, when all options lead to death... humanity needs a reason to leave this world without suffering.

“That’s just weakness,” Masaki said firmly, as steadfast as a talking stone.

“We must allow ‘weakness’ to exist,” Kirino immediately retorted. “A world without even a trace of weakness would be another kind of despair for humanity.”

Masaki opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words for a moment.

“Then let me ask you a question,” Kirino said.

"what?"

"Why, of all times, has a Qi Jie flower bloomed in front of you?"

Masaki frowned: "What do you mean?"

“What I mean is,” Kirino tapped his finger lightly on the table, “that flower didn’t appear in front of you by chance. It sensed your pain… perhaps your confusion, and those fears buried deep in your memory that you don’t want to face.”

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"They opened it early because they thought you needed it!"

"!"

Masaki stared at him, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and he closed his eyes in pain.

"I...Is this really how I am...As a giant of light, I'm so fragile. How shameful!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of worry flashed in Kirino's eyes:

Masaki Keigo is an extremely self-disciplined person with exceptional action-oriented abilities. Even if he hadn't become Ultraman's human form, he would definitely have achieved something in another field.

However, he was too much of a perfectionist, or rather, too strict with himself. For him, it was shameful to either go berserk and attack his companions or to expose his weaknesses to the enemy.

—Masaki cannot accept his own mediocrity and weakness!

That's exactly what Kirino was worried about...

Volume 11: To the Day of Destiny: Chapter 481: Alas, the Family of Origin (4K)

Ye Shou stood at the end of the gravel path, facing a neatly trimmed flowerbed. The garden of the Kuze Mansion was always particularly peaceful at dusk. Twilight spread from the walls, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and grass, as well as a faint sweet fragrance.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling into the depths of the flower bushes. Among several low shrubs, a flower bud, not yet fully open, was peeking out from between the leaves, its edges tinged with a pale orange-red, as if bathed in the setting sun.

...Has it grown this far already?

Ye Shou didn't know when they settled here, nor was he surprised. Once Qijiela opens up, it becomes global; no corner can escape it.

Ye Shou stared at the flower bud and remained silent for a long time.

Masaki Keigo only knew that this thing was related to the destruction of the ancient times, but he had never seen its "power" with his own eyes, nor did he know the significance of its appearance. Ye Shouze, on the other hand, began to worry because he had too much information.

First of all, the current living conditions of people on Earth are quite good. Technology is developing rapidly and bringing a lot of benefits. Whether at the societal level or for individuals, it is a wonderful era full of possibilities.

Even if monsters appear, people regard them as natural disasters and firmly believe that they can overcome these calamities.

Secondly, TPC is also in a stage of vigorous progress. As a truly behemoth organization, it has not yet begun to become sluggish or corrupt.

In general, humanity has never reached a point of "despair," which is quite different from the ancient civilizations of 30 million years ago.

But Zigela still showed up.

If it wasn't human despair that awakened it, then it implies another possibility:

The evil god Gatanothor is about to awaken!

It can be seen from some ancient monsters that over the long past, Zijera has been corrupted by darkness, but its fundamental nature as a plant has not changed.

Just as ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring, and small animals can sense an earthquake before it strikes, this creature was allowed to emerge from the ground before the evil god awoke, attempting to fulfill its "mission."

"Is the countdown about to begin...?" Ye Shou looked down at his hands and suddenly clenched his fist.

Power... He has now developed the Truth Mode, and has many helpers. The strength and awareness of the human side are far greater than in the original story...

As he thought about it, he smiled inexplicably.