Chapter 17: Belia: If I Were There, I Could Do It Too

Father of Ultra felt a vague, phantom pain that made him uncomfortable. Yet his thoughts soon drifted back to what had happened in that mysterious realm. Believing that Qiao Zhe had truly died, a deep sense of guilt welled up inside him. The experience had felt so real, he was convinced it had actually occurred. Admittedly, Qiao Zhe’s final attack had been underhanded, but the boy was already dead—what more could be said? The guilt of having personally killed a young Ultra weighed so heavily on Father of Ultra that he had no mind for such grievances. If only he knew the truth, his thoughts would surely be very different.

But then, how had he entered that space in the first place? Reflecting on his entire life, Father of Ultra could not recall anyone with the power to silently draw him into a strange dimension. Who could it be? The more he pondered, the more furious he became. Suddenly, he remembered a dark force that seemed to linger around Qiao Zhe. His gaze snapped upward, as if piercing through the very structure of the Land of Light, fixing upon the cosmic prison that floated above.

“Belial…” he muttered. He recalled how, in the past, Belial had always delighted in tormenting him—could it be? The odds seemed slim, but if anyone could mount such a stealthy assault now, it would only be Belial, locked away in the cosmic prison. The notion was far-fetched, yet who knew what new tricks Belial might have devised? Still, the prison had been personally constructed by the King, so it should have been impregnable.

Father of Ultra’s expression grew contemplative. With a determined flick of his Ultra cape, he strode outside, then soared high into the sky, heading straight for the cosmic prison. At that very moment, Belial, still embedded in the wall, was deep in slumber, entirely unaware that he was about to be blamed for something he knew nothing about.

When Belial had first been sealed away, he had not accepted his fate, shouting and raging day after day. But as time passed, resignation dulled his protests. No matter how much he struggled against the prison fashioned by the King, he could not move an inch. It was a mystery how, in the future, the Zarabians would break the seal with the Ultimate Battler—perhaps the King had neglected to reinforce the energy, and the prison had deteriorated over the ages. Or perhaps it was simply the terrifying power of the Ultimate Battler itself.

With a single strike, the device could defeat an Ultra Brother, and it had even forced Zoffy’s warning lights to flash in the healing springs—enough to show how formidable the enhancement was.

Though imprisoned, Belial’s senses were still keen. Sensing a familiar presence, his crimson, narrow eyes flared open, two slashes across his face, as he growled irritably, “Ken! Can’t you just leave me alone? Get lost!”

Ever since the King—an ancient relic who never managed affairs—had clapped his hands and sealed him in the cosmic prison, Belial had lived a wretched existence. But the prison itself was a peculiar place. With the Land of Light's crime rate nearly zero, even after thousands of years, Belial remained the only lonely inmate. It seemed unlikely that anyone new would join him, even after ten thousand more years.

Unable to move, his entire Ultra body fused with the wall, only his face exposed, forced to reflect endlessly. Anyone would go mad, but Belial refused to yield. Instead, he decided to sleep away the time.

Yet Father of Ultra still hoped to lead Belial back to the right path. Every so often, he would come to the cosmic prison to speak with him, reminiscing about old times, trying to rekindle the bond between them. But to Belial, ever irascible, Father of Ultra was nothing more than a bothersome fly, especially when he dredged up the past and extolled the latest achievements of the Land of Light.

Belial grew sickened by it all. Worst of all, Mary had had a child—with Ken! And the man had even come to ask what he thought of the name Taro. Damn it all—just die! From that day, Belial’s heart exploded with pain. Jealousy twisted his features—if he couldn’t have what he wanted, he would see it all destroyed.

The more he brooded, the more infuriated he became. “How many times do I have to tell you—”

“Belial!” Father of Ultra’s angry shout cut him off.

Standing before him now, Father of Ultra’s lamp-like eyes brimmed with accusation. “Was it you, working your tricks in the shadows?”

This uncharacteristic behavior left Belial momentarily stunned. Usually, Father of Ultra would plead and coax, but now he was unyielding—a change Belial found jarring. Still, with his temperament, Belial would never back down. “What’s wrong with you? Looking for a fight? Let me out if you dare!”

Father of Ultra studied him carefully. Seeing Belial’s apparent ignorance, his suspicion abated somewhat. After all, it hardly seemed possible. He stifled his doubts and replied sternly, “This is the King’s punishment, Belial. After all these years, why do you still refuse to repent?”

“Oh, this again.” Belial sneered, his voice filled with disgust. “Just you wait—I’ll settle the score with that old fossil!”

Even imprisoned, Belial’s ambition burned undiminished. He’d nearly succeeded before, only to be thwarted by the King’s sudden appearance in the Land of Light. Now, he’d learned his lesson—if he ever escaped, he would strike while the King was away, launching a lightning assault on the Land of Light.

Father of Ultra had no inkling of Belial’s inner machinations. Hearing these words from his former friend, disappointment clouded his gaze.

“Belial, have you truly forgotten the Ultra Heart?”

He could not understand why Belial had become so extreme.

“That thing? Tch.” Belial snorted, his tone brimming with contempt. “Only you would cling to such a relic.”

“Ken, what’s rightfully mine—I will take back, no matter what!”

Belial seemed more human than any Ultra, unable to let go of the past. In his mind, if only he had wielded the Ultimate Blade, he could have taken Ken’s place. The sting of rejection, the gulf in status, and the blow to his strength—all these had gradually poisoned him, turning bitterness into darkness, and convincing him that only power brought fulfillment.

Truly, had either Father of Ultra or Belial been a woman, so much misfortune might have been avoided.

Father of Ultra gazed deeply at Belial, his tone grave. “I will stop you.”

Belial could not even be bothered to respond. His scarlet eyes dimmed, shutting Father of Ultra out.

Realizing further words were useless, Father of Ultra sighed, disappointment heavy in his chest, and turned to leave.

Elsewhere—on Gaia, Earth.

After a period of deep slumber, Noah began to regain consciousness. When Qiao Zhe learned of this, he immediately hurried into subspace, unable to contain his excitement.