Chapter Eighty-Eight: Farewell, My Friend!

That graceful figure was Chiharu Miyaka herself.

Yue Longze stood frozen on the spot for a long while before it finally dawned on him that this must be Chiharu Miyaka of this parallel world.

"But why would Kirino be here?"

He steadied his feelings and strode forward.

"Kirino!"

"Brother Yue!"

Yue Longze smiled as he approached, his gaze drifting, almost unconsciously, to the young woman beside him.

"Let me introduce her first," Kirino said with a smile, taking Chiharu's small hand. "This is my girlfriend, Miss Chiharu."

Chiharu said nothing, only bowing slightly to Yue Longze.

"What..."

Yue Longze froze at once, his eyes blank with shock.

"Is something wrong, Brother Yue? Are you feeling unwell?"

Kirino held Chiharu's little hand, his face full of sincere concern.

"No... no, I'm fine!"

Yue Longze forced himself to calm down, reminding himself over and over that this was only Chiharu Miyaka from a parallel world.

"Ah, by the way, Kirino, why are you on Mount Sona?"

He deftly changed the subject, while also voicing the doubt in his heart.

"Heh."

Kirino smiled. "It seems Brother Yue has forgotten my psychic abilities."

At that, Yue Longze immediately understood. It seemed Kirino had used his precognitive gift to know that he would be leaving here today.

"I hope Brother Yue won't forget me after you leave."

Kirino gave Yue Longze's shoulder a heavy pat. Toward Yue Longze, his brotherly feeling was genuine and wholehearted.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely come back again!"

Yue Longze nodded emphatically, then suddenly had an idea and asked, "Kirino, can't you use your precognition to see whether I can come back again?"

Kirino gave a wry smile. "I only sensed last night that you would leave Mount Sona today. As for when Brother Yue will be able to return, I really don't have that kind of power."

"Well, all right then..."

Yue Longze scratched his head awkwardly, then looked again at this world's Chiharu Miyaka. He was puzzled that she had not said a single word from beginning to end.

As though reading his thoughts, Kirino continued, "My girlfriend is deaf and mute..."

"Ah... I see..."

Yue Longze answered at a loss, staring dazedly at Chiharu Miyaka. Perhaps sensing that someone was watching her, Chiharu also turned her head and curiously studied him.

"Cough, cough..."

Yue Longze cleared his throat a few times, feeling a little awkward under her gaze. He had already come back to himself now; after all, this was Chiharu Miyaka of a parallel world, and she did not belong to him.

"Kirino."

His voice suddenly grew solemn.

"Hm?"

"Promise me." Yue Longze placed both hands firmly on Kirino's shoulders. "Take good care of this girl. Be good to her."

Kirino was momentarily taken aback by Yue Longze's sudden seriousness, looking slightly dazed, but soon he recovered.

"Though I don't know why you would say this all of a sudden, Brother Yue, rest assured. I will take good care of her."

With that, Kirino looked tenderly at Chiharu Miyaka of this world as the two exchanged soft, loving glances, as if completely immersed in a sea of affection.

"That's good."

Yue Longze pressed his lips together, then gave Kirino's shoulder another heavy pat and said no more.

...

Judging by the time, Dagu and Masaki Keigo should be arriving soon.

"Kirino, take Miss Chiharu and leave quickly. There are some things she shouldn't see."

Kirino nodded. "All right. Actually, I quite want to personally watch you leave."

He then let out a helpless sigh. "But there are indeed some things that are not fit for my girlfriend to see."

"Since I can't watch you leave with my own eyes, I hope to witness the moment you return with my own eyes!"

Having said that, Kirino stepped forward and embraced Yue Longze tightly. "Take care, Brother Yue!"

Then he turned and left gradually, leading Chiharu Miyaka by her delicate jade-like hand.

Watching the two figures recede into the distance, Yue Longze thought again of the Chiharu Miyaka who belonged to him... and of the still-unclear relationship with Mihoko.

"Ah well, let things take their course."

That was all he could do to comfort himself.

...

Alone, enduring the biting wind, Yue Longze sat blankly on a nearby rock, idly turning the Dark Divine Light Rod in his hand.

About ten minutes later, Dagu and Masaki Keigo finally arrived late.

"At last, you're here!"

Seeing the two of them, Yue Longze suddenly perked up. After all, sitting here idly was truly freezing.

"Cut the nonsense. Let's begin. I still have to go look at a house afterward!"

Masaki Keigo had already taken out his transformation device before Dagu, his tone somewhat sharp.

Yue Longze looked oddly at Masaki. "Look at a house?"

"Masaki's villa in Tokyo was also affected by that battle that day," Dagu kindly explained from the side.

"Masaki, next time don't buy such a nice house!" Yue Longze teased after hearing Dagu's explanation. "After all, this is a period of frequent monster incidents. Even the finest house can be wrecked very easily by a monster!"

"Mind your own business, you brat!"

Masaki Keigo snapped back irritably, then immediately transformed into the silver giant, and Dagu followed suit.

Yue Longze also lifted the Dark Divine Light Rod high. Purple-black light flashed, and his body dissolved into countless tiny purple-black particles that spread outward. In the next instant, those particles gathered again with explosive force, multiplying and expanding into the form of a giant.

"Speak. What do you need us to do?" Masaki Keigo asked impatiently.

"Unleash our strongest energy toward that place!"

Yue Longze pointed with his silver finger. That spot was exactly where he had once fallen unconscious, and by his judgment the void there should be extremely unstable.

What they needed to do now was release overwhelming power into that region of space.

Dagu and Masaki nodded, and then their energy surged violently, forming layer upon layer of shockwaves that made the surrounding trees sway endlessly.

Yue Longze soon joined in, his energy bursting forth as well. In terms of raw power, he surpassed both Dagu and Masaki Keigo.

Of course, in terms of individual strength as well, he was stronger than them, though Dagu's Glittering Tiga form was automatically excluded from that comparison...

The entire Mount Sona became blurred, for the energy fluctuations were too intense. The boundless currents of power seemed to cover the whole mountain. And the place that Yue Longze and the others were focusing on became even more astonishing—the void itself began to ripple, as though space could be torn open at will!

Swish!

A vortex-shaped wormhole appeared at once before the three of them.

"That's enough!" Yue Longze called out.

"Then this world will be left to the two of you to protect!"

Yue Longze turned and said solemnly to Dagu and Masaki Keigo. "Remember, humanity can defeat darkness with its own strength!"

These words were spoken chiefly to Dagu.

When facing the final boss of this world, that evil deity, perhaps they would still have to rely on Dagu's transformation into Glittering Tiga to defeat it.

Surely it would not happen again as in that previous Tiga world, where two Ultramen somehow fused into one even stronger new Ultraman to overcome the evil god!

The odds of that were as close to zero as could be.

Dagu nodded heavily, deep in thought, while Masaki Keigo merely shrugged indifferently, who knew whether he had even listened.

"Well then, farewell, my friends!"

Without delay, Yue Longze turned and leaped away, vanishing before the eyes of Dagu and the others.