Without the help of Cosmos and Dyna, he was able to transform directly into Ultraman Saga.
Although it was by gathering the light of the entire Land of Light, this feat alone was enough to prove Zero's own immense power.
"It seems Zero has grown quite a bit!"
And across the infinite dimensions, the audience outside the light curtain sighed with emotion.
As one of the protagonists of the third viewing, Zero had already been close to his complete form right from his debut.
Now, he had grown into one of the top-tier powerhouses in the entire Ultra Universe. At least among the characters who had appeared, no one besides Ultraman King and Noa could be his match.
Even the nearly invincible Absolutian Tartarus from the early stages would be no match for him now.
[Little Golden Man: "Ultraman Zero... is it? Having received the approval of that light, his threat level to my race has far surpassed that of Father of Ultra, second only to Ultraman King!"]
Father of Ultra... although he too was a powerhouse of the Ultra race, and even the core leader of the Land of Light, Tartarus was still confident he could defeat him, even Father of Ultra in his prime.
But Zero was different. His growth rate was too fast. From being no match for him at his debut, to now, a point where even that lord might not be able to achieve a one-hundred-percent victory against him.
Such an Ultra Warrior simply could not be measured by common sense.
Even if it meant putting the Kingdom's great cause on hold, it was a matter that had to be resolved! For the future of the Kingdom, they either had to find a way to deal with Zero, or recruit him. Diavolo and Titan had to be left behind for now...
---o---
[On the light curtain, under the power of the Sacred Light, Ultraman Saga's specialty was even stronger than before.]
[He had even reached the same level as Ultraman King and Noa.]
[In the cockpit, Zero took one last deep look at the Land of Light, then took the Astral Express and flew away.]
This farewell would have to last for a long time. If things went smoothly, it might be as short as a year before he could return to the Land of Light. If not, it could be a unit of ten thousand years.
But ten thousand years... Zero didn't know if Stelle could live that long. She was a Stellaron host, so it shouldn't be a problem, not to mention she had the light given by Noa in her body!
Zero shook his head, refusing to think about such things.
Under the blessing of countless rays of light, Ultraman Saga's body shone with a golden, radiant light, as if Tiga from next door had come over to turn on a hotspot.
With almost no resistance, Zero crossed through spacetime and arrived at the edge of the universe.
This speed had completely surpassed that of Ultraman King. In terms of spatial prowess, perhaps only the legendary Noa could surpass him.
The high-intensity spatial change instantly made the faces of everyone on the Astral Express turn pale, and they all took a deep breath.
Although the Astral Express also had a similar space-leap function, its leap was purely for travel. In terms of wind-up time and leap distance, it couldn't compare to Ultraman Saga's spacetime traversal.
And... they didn't know if it was just their imagination, but the people on the Astral Express all had a feeling that Ultraman Saga wasn't using his full power, as if this level of spacetime power was not yet his limit.
Could it be that the current Ultraman Saga had already completely mastered the power of time? Like Noa, who could pull people from the future, could Saga also travel through time himself... or pull people from the future and the past?
The more the crew of the Astral Express thought about it, the more shocked they became by Zero's current state.
"Zero... I really didn't expect that you would come with me."
On the train, looking at the brilliant and splendid outer cosmos, Stelle wasn't too surprised. She sighed with emotion at Zero.
Come to think of it... she had originally thought she would have to part with Zero in the end, but she never expected they would end up traveling together.
"Yeah, I never thought the old man would think so highly of me."
Zero scratched his nose, a little embarrassed, and seemed reluctant to dwell on the topic.
Thinking back to the situation before, the mere thought of being separated from Stelle gave him a stomach ache, like a child afraid of separation. Bringing it up now made him feel like a clown.
Fortunately, he had never told anyone his inner thoughts. Otherwise, it would have been a complete social death.
At this moment, Zero didn't know that his previous thoughts had already been seen by the audience outside the light curtain. He was still feeling lucky that he hadn't told Stelle his true feelings.
It wasn't his fault, really. How could he have known what Ultraman King and the Amber King had discussed?
The utterly simple Zero only knew that after the battle was over, Stelle would have to go home.
And since he didn't have the ability to cross universes, that was why he had become like that.
But one thing Zero didn't know was that he was too young and too bad at hiding his true feelings.
Stelle and Zero were one in mind and body. In this state, although they couldn't achieve a complete communion of thought, it was still easy to perceive subtle changes in the other's mood.
The Ultra race, because of their inner kindness and justice, rarely concealed themselves, let alone lied.
Therefore, Stelle had actually known Zero's true thoughts for a long time, and she also knew what had been troubling him these past few days.
It was only out of consideration for Zero's pride that she hadn't said it out loud.
After all, he was worrying because of her. Since she couldn't solve the problem, bringing it up would only add to his troubles.
But now it was different. Ultraman King's orders had them heading to the same universe together.
Although they couldn't maintain the state of being one in mind and body forever, connecting their feelings later on would be very convenient.
The whereabouts of the Astral Express were no secret. If Zero wanted to find the Astral Express later, it would be a piece of cake.
"Zero... any thoughts? Starting from scratch in a new land must be quite an experience." On the Astral Express, Stelle thought for a moment and said to Zero.
But Zero just shook his head and replied, "It's pretty much the same everywhere. As long as there's darkness and evil, I haven't gone to the wrong place. And..."
Zero didn't continue, but what was left unsaid was that Stelle was also here.
This was one of the reasons Zero fought, without a doubt... Being with Stelle allowed Zero to understand the meaning of his battles, and that was to protect!
To protect Stelle, to protect all kind and just people, to fight for a better world—this is what Zero must do.
Perhaps this was a bit of an exaggeration, but if he were to travel the universe with Stelle and visit all those dangerous places, Zero would probably awaken a whole new set of forms.
The Zero of that time would probably have grown into a state that even he wouldn't recognize.]
---o---
Across the infinite dimensions, watching the interaction between Stelle and Zero, countless viewers outside the light curtain were also actively discussing in the comment section.
The reasons for an Ultraman's battle were highly similar. To fight for peace and for justice was an ideal inherent to their race, and Zero had clearly inherited this trait.
However, the weight of Stelle in Zero's heart was too great.
Didn't you see that after he became Dark Zero and killed everyone, he only awakened when he was facing Stelle?
[Kurumi Tokisaki: "With Ultraman Zero like this... I can't even imagine what he'd become if Stelle died!"]
Watching Zero in the video, Kurumi licked her lips and smiled.
As the saying goes, "whitewashing weakens you by a third, blackening strengthens you tenfold." Forget Saga; if Zero's own power were to increase tenfold, he could walk sideways through the Land of Light without anything to fear.
[Coming at you in a jeep: "Blackening? Zero... he's not so fragile as to turn dark that easily!"]
Seeing Kurumi's words, Ultraman Seven frowned. As Zero's father, he would absolutely not believe that Zero would turn dark so easily.
But...
Seven glanced worriedly at Zero in the video. Others might not, but with Stelle... he was afraid that a single slip-up would make Zero lose his mind.
[All Riajū Should Explode: "Isn't this a good thing? With someone like this guarding Stelle, her safety is basically guaranteed. You have to know, with the information about the other universe, the IPC, even if they don't show it on the surface, they won't let the Astral Express go without spitting out all the information they know!"]
The Interastral Peace Corporation, how could they possibly let go of someone who had actually traveled to another universe, had close contact with the Ultra Warriors, and had even become an Ultraman?
If Stelle wasn't exposed, it would be fine. But once she was, even with the combat power of an Emanator-level Nexus, she would be no match for the Interastral Peace Corporation.
In that company that even the Amber King didn't take seriously, there were at least several Emanators of Preservation. Stelle alone would not be a match for a group of them.
Therefore, Zero's protection was a great benefit to Stelle. With the power of Ultraman Saga, unless the Amber King himself made a move, the IPC would be no match even if they were sold off.
---o---
[On the light curtain, at the moment Ultraman Saga arrived at the border of the universe, the legendary warrior, the ceiling of combat power among the Ultras, the strongest Ultra Warrior, Noa, also appeared.
"Oh? The source of calamity, the light of the Sacred Light has also chosen you. Not bad..."
Noa sensed the information from Ultraman Saga's body and spoke from the side.
The warrior he chose was indeed flawless.
"Well... Zero, your story is far from over!"
"Go, Ultraman Zero. Go to another universe and set forth on a new voyage..."
Noa's voice echoed softly. It was as if a gear had been turned, and the long-dormant gears of fate began to turn and combine in a pattern.
A vast and boundless void of space presented itself. This was the passage to another universe.
Ultraman Noa disappeared after a long time. It was he who was creating this drama!
He personally stood guard at the gate to another universe.
Ultraman Saga looked at Noa's back, nodded, and then flew into the gate.
Suddenly, the pressure from the special magnetic field around them increased sharply, like a fierce wind pulling at his body.
"So this is the danger the old man was talking about? Even in this state, I can feel pain. No wonder other aliens and normal Ultra Warriors aren't allowed to pass through now."
Letting his body be buffeted by the storm, Zero quickly broke free from the restraints and, carrying the Astral Express, arrived in the Star Rail universe...
"Who goes there!"
The moment Zero appeared, the members of the Interastral Peace Corporation on duty for the Amber King immediately exclaimed in surprise.
After all, how could they not be shocked when a giant over fifty meters tall suddenly appeared before them?
"Wait, that's... the Astral Express?"
Before the IPC combat units could arrive, someone with sharp eyes discovered the train in Zero's hand.
"It's the Astral Express, and... a visitor from another universe. The Amber King has given a revelation: the bringers of light may enter, but the bringers of darkness are to be killed on sight. Follow these instructions."
Not long after the information was uploaded, an order came down from the Board of Directors.
The Amber King had temporarily entrusted the affairs here to them, so the Corporation absolutely could not disappoint the Amber King.
Everything for the Amber King!
"They have a similar mechanism here? It seems they discussed this beforehand."
Aside from the initial moment, Zero encountered no other obstacles. The Astral Express was the same, not even facing a basic inquiry.
It seemed the Amber King was truly sincere. Without his order, the Corporation would surely have found ways to make something very simple very complicated.
"Zero, let's start here. What do you plan to do next? Aren't you going to establish the Ultimate Zero Garrison?"
After crossing the universal boundary, Stelle asked Zero.
Zero put down the Astral Express he was holding and said slowly, "First, I'll go find the Amber King and see if he can give me any support. I never really learned how to build a force back on K76."
"Is that so? Then this is where we part ways for now. The Astral Express still has its original journey to continue. We can only say... see you next time."
Stelle's slow farewell was for a better reunion. A long separation was not good.
Zero was stunned for a moment, then realized that she was saying goodbye.
"Mm... alright. Once I've handled things here, I'll come find you, Stelle!"
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."
Stelle nodded, watching Zero's departing back.
A new journey begins now.]
---