Chapter 1: A New Beginning
Tokyo, Shinjuku District.
Inside a café, a young man in a black overcoat sat with his legs crossed, flipping through a newspaper and glancing at the latest news reports. Broad-shouldered and tall, his figure was both slender and striking, his handsome features reminiscent of the stylized characters from the Jojo series.
This was his second reincarnation. If he died again, he couldn’t be sure if there would be another chance to start over.
His name was Jo Zhe—full name, Jo Zhe Joestar—a former member of the Joestar family. Like any transmigrator, he possessed a standard golden finger. In his previous life, he’d tried to rebel against fate and kill an ultimate boss ahead of schedule, only to be swiftly eliminated by the world’s destiny itself.
[Host: Jo Zhe Joestar]
[Race: Human/?]
[Factor of Light: 89%]
[Factor of Darkness: 8.9%]
[Skill: Ripple Rush]
[Cheat 1: Stand (Inactive)]
[Note: Each time a recognized world boss is defeated, an additional cheat is activated. Cheat 2 can be viewed after Cheat 1 is activated, and so on.]
His previous death and its circumstances were best left unspoken.
Now, his focus was set firmly on the present.
Upon arriving in this world, his panel displayed two new powers: the Factor of Light and the Factor of Darkness.
The Ripple Rush from the Jojo world had undergone some changes here.
When Jo Zhe first arrived, the panel showed neither the Factor of Light nor Darkness. It was only after he relearned Ripple Rush that these two power progress bars appeared.
The principle of Ripple deserved mention. It was tied to breathing and blood; blood carried oxygen from the lungs, which was related to cells, and cells equated to the body. Just as tossing a stone into water causes ripples, using a special breathing technique produced ripples within the body, granting immense strength.
This power mimicked the effects of sunlight.
Perhaps because of this trait, his body began to evolve, and Jo Zhe realized which world he was in.
As the Factor of Light increased, he became ever more extraordinary.
He also acquired a superpower suited for Ripple Rush: a reinforced body.
Now, he could withstand bullets and leap more than ten meters with ease.
As for the Factor of Darkness, Jo Zhe surmised it stemmed from the aggregation of his own darker human thoughts.
Humans were complex creatures.
He accepted this with self-awareness; after all, he wasn’t an Ultraman.
Of course, one couldn’t choose the wrong side.
In the world of Ultraman, any transmigrator with normal intelligence would never take the villain’s path.
Jo Zhe was no exception.
It was precisely this subjective choice that caused the disparity between the two powers.
For every 1% increase in the Factor of Light, the Factor of Darkness rose only 0.1%—still within his control.
The most pressing issue now was that the Factor of Light’s growth had slowed to a crawl.
A year’s worth of Ripple training had raised it by only 1%, as if he was stuck right before the breakthrough.
The human body had its limits. To surpass them, his genes would have to be completely replaced, a process that naturally required time.
Unless, of course, an Ultraman appeared and gifted him an Ultraman body, or merged with him.
But when would an Ultraman ever toss their own body around so casually? Isn’t that right, Tiga?
Jo Zhe didn’t expect such a miracle.
His main goal was to find an Ultraman to ask a few questions—to avoid mishaps during his evolution.
He finished reading the newspaper carefully.
Finding nothing relevant, he furrowed his brow: ‘Still no news about Ultraman. What kind of world is this?’
Ever since he’d gained the Light and Darkness Factors, Jo Zhe knew he was in the Ultraman universe.
So, from childhood, he’d kept an eye out for Ultraman-related news.
Yet, confusingly, this world had never seen an Ultraman, nor was there any report of a Special Defense Team.
If this was the Showa era, the technology seemed more like the 21st century. While people still used keypad phones, computers were gradually becoming widespread.
For now, the news was transmitted only via newspapers and television, so there were no clues online either.
He set the newspaper aside and leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window with a sigh.
“When will this tedious life end? I’ve had enough of this boredom.”
As a member of the Joestar family, even in a new world, the spirit of adventure still burned in his bones.
Moreover, he still bore the star-shaped birthmark on his back.
Strangely, even after crossing worlds, the mark remained, so he never bothered to change his name.
‘Come to think of it, what sort of monster qualifies as a world boss?’
Jo Zhe pondered idly.
Just then, the television in the café broadcast a news report.
“My current location is near the site in West Shinjuku, where last night a toxic gas incident occurred!”
“Details remain unclear, and several people are still missing in the underground tunnel.”
“Police and firefighters are searching…”
The male reporter’s voice echoed from the TV, prompting Jo Zhe to turn and look.
On the screen, police officers were raising a barricade behind the reporter, preventing the crowd from passing.
“This situation… Masaka!”
Jo Zhe’s eyes narrowed. He sprang to his feet—whatever the truth, he had to see it for himself!
...
West Shinjuku.
With the special alert broadcast, the area was being evacuated.
Camouflaged Special Forces soldiers armed with rifles surrounded the entrance to the underground tunnel, even bringing in tanks.
Civilians were urged to leave quickly, some pointing at the tanks in curiosity.
But since the soldiers carried real firearms, no one dared to question them.
When Jo Zhe arrived, the streets had already been cleared.
“Yare yare, looks like sneaking in won’t be easy.”
He eyed the soldiers, hiding at the corner of a building, recalling the Ultraman shows he’d seen.
He couldn’t remember any Special Defense Team wearing camouflage gear.
“Is this the Defense Force?”
Everyone knew that Earth’s Defense Force in Ultraman always performed operations that induced high blood pressure.
The thought made Jo Zhe squint—something wasn’t right.
“All right, it’s time for a Jojo-style infiltration!”
Of course, he wouldn’t be the tequila girl.
With his current speed, ordinary humans couldn’t react fast enough.
He flexed his arms, lowered his body to gather strength, his legs gleaming with faint golden arcs.
Ripple Quick Move!
In short—he ran.
Whoosh—
Like a huge black rat, he darted out in a flash.
The soldiers saw only a fleeting shadow.
“What was that?”
This same question flashed through their minds.
Before they could react, Jo Zhe had already slipped past them.
Just as he was about to enter the tunnel, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently!
Boom! Boom!
With the sound of explosions, a massive, ferocious head burst from the ground!
Jo Zhe was sent flying, spinning through the air: “Whoa! What is that!?”
His body was unharmed, and as he quickly adjusted midair, he looked at his opponent—a fifty-meter-tall monster roaring on the surface.
Two enormous horns sprouted from its back; its head was devilish, with two smaller, writhing heads on its shoulders and arms ending in long, sharp claws!
The Progenitor Alien Beast, The One!
Even though Jo Zhe was mentally prepared, the sight of this creature shocked him.
He landed with a thud, sliding far along his back, before scrambling up again.
He glanced at the monster lumbering between the buildings.
Immediately, Jo Zhe turned and ran!
“Give me a break—”
If it were an ordinary monster, he might have tried to fight, but against an Alien Beast…
Better to retreat for now!
As someone who’d died twice already, knowing when to retreat was crucial.
The Alien Beast opened its jaws, briefly gathered energy, and then unleashed a super fire blast at the building!
Boom!
A blue flame blast punched a hole through the building, cracks spreading like molten rock, and the structure was on the verge of collapse.
Below, a little girl had fallen, crying loudly amid the rubble.
A classic Ultraman scenario.
A red backpack, red plaid skirt—surrounded by ruins.
Jo Zhe’s fleeing steps faltered...