Chapter 303: 299 Kai and Gagura

There was still a short segment in the voice message, and its content left Qi Ming even more astonished.

"You've surely heard the saying, 'One day in heaven equals one year on earth'—in truth, the flow of time differs across every universe."

"You've fought here for three or four months, but only a week has passed in your original universe."

"The situation there is currently stable and under control; you have ample time to return before the crisis erupts."

"Fight on with the glory that belongs to you, push the Ultraman Arbitrary Key to its theoretical limit, then eradicate all evil and bring light to this world."

"My dear child, your mother will always bless you."

The sincere, affectionate tone of those final words made Qi Ming's skin crawl.

What the hell, what the hell!

I'm certain the mother who carried me for ten months and gave birth to me is Chen Yang—she never spoke like this or sounded like this.

I've never called anyone else mother, not in reality or in any game.

What's with "my dear child"? You dragged me into this hellish universe, handed me an Arbitrary Key, and now you want to adopt me as your son?

Should I just say, "Lü Bu, lend me your adopted son power"?

And that line about "pushing the Arbitrary Key to its limit" also troubled him deeply.

The Ultraman Arbitrary Key absorbed so many Star Gifts, stored countless genes, and unlocked the 【Perception】, 【Amplification】, and 【Fusion】 functions in sequence—it was all part of an upgrading process.

"If I push it to its limit, will I be able to destroy all evil?" Qi Ming thought to himself.

But what troubled him most was still the notion of "different time flow rates."

After listening to the voice message again, Qi Ming's tense nerves finally relaxed, his shoulders sinking naturally.

He exhaled slowly, as if expelling all the pressure of these past months.

"Only a week has passed? Then my parents probably haven't even realized I'm gone from that Earth—after all, I often just vanish without warning…" Qi Ming muttered, an unconscious smile tugging at his lips.

He had always feared that everything he knew and loved might already be burned to ashes, that his parents might have perished in the chaos unleashed by The-One.

Sometimes he woke in the night from nightmares—dreams where he returned to Earth only to find ruins, and within them, the stiffened bodies of familiar people…

Now he felt as if a great stone had been lifted from his chest.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Over the next two days, Qi Ming's mind gradually grew calm.

When he woke in the morning, he no longer leapt up as he used to; instead, he lay still for a while, listening to the unfamiliar birdsong outside the window.

Sunlight filtered through the curtain's gaps, casting warm patches on the ground. He reached out to touch those patches, feeling the warmth on his fingertips, and suddenly found that "Primordial Origin" wasn't so terrible after all.

"Softness and hardness in harmony, sun and moon shining together…" As anxiety faded from his heart, clarity and serenity filled its place, granting Qi Ming new space for thought.

Outside his tent, he began his stance slowly: feet shoulder-width apart, arms unfolding like embracing the moon, practicing Tai Chi.

When his right arm pushed forward, it seemed to carry a thousand jin of force—yet at the moment of release, it softened like a spring breeze brushing willow branches.

At that moment, the dizziness in his mind returned. Qi Ming nodded inwardly—he had reached six hours of wakefulness today; in another two or three days, he'd be fully recovered.

"Ah!" A scream came from afar.

Qi Ming spun around to see a ten-meter-tall 【Fly】 descending from the sky into the tent area, its crimson eyes fixed on the couple who had cared for him these past days.

It was the cosmic demon 【Baalzebub】—this thing had tracked him down!

Seeing the infamous cosmic demon, the couple froze in terror; their child trembled inside the tent.

The next instant, the poison stinger on Baalzebub's tail lashed toward them.

"Crash!" Just before the stinger pierced the husband's body, a massive rock flew from afar, striking the stinger and deflecting it.

Qi Ming shot forward like an arrow, grabbing the couple and rolling them behind a nearby boulder.

"It's dangerous here—take your child and go. I'll handle it." Qi Ming said without looking back, his gaze locked with Baalzebub's red eyes.

The couple gasped for breath, relieved—they believed they were saved. The Milakurians were right: those who dare to fight darkness are blessed by light.

But was he really going to fight that terrifying cosmic demon barehanded? Was this real?

"Let's run away together?" The child came over and tugged at Qi Ming's sleeve.

"Don't worry about me—if I can't beat it, I'll transform." Qi Ming patted his head.

Seeing Qi Ming's confident demeanor, the couple pulled the child and fled into the distance. Qi Ming stood facing Baalzebub, who made no move.

Someone unafraid of him? That surprised it greatly—it decided to observe a while longer.

Qi Ming launched the first attack.

Once he confirmed the family was far enough away, he stomped the ground with his right leg, leaping ten meters into the air, landing directly atop Baalzebub's head, aiming for its eyes.

"Whoosh!"

Baalzebub reacted swiftly, whipping its head sideways while its tail lashed out like a steel whip!

Mid-air with no footing, Qi Ming was struck hard, flung like a cannonball into the tent he'd lived in for days.

"Boom!"

The tent's frame snapped instantly; the canvas tore to shreds. Qi Ming crashed into a pile of supply crates, wood splintering, food and tools scattering everywhere. Dust rose in a cloud, the entire camp in chaos.

"Not bad—not too painful." Qi Ming rubbed his head and prepared to rise and fight again.

The next instant, two rapid footsteps approached from afar.

A man's voice spoke: "Don't rely solely on instinct—how could you possibly hear a cry for help out here in space?"

Another man replied: "During rescue missions, I've heard screams that shouldn't exist—they weren't sounds, but cries from the heart. Look, that's him!"

Qi Ming looked up to see two figures approaching, dressed in ancient attire.

These were—【Kai】 and Gagura from "Primordial Origin"!

At this moment, 【Kai】 was still youthful—he had only recently climbed to the 【Pinnacle of Warriors】 on Planet O50, chosen and blessed by the light, granted the power to transform into the Light Giant, Ultraman Orb.

Gagura's hair was streaked with purple; he was still 【Kai】's close friend, having climbed the Pinnacle of Warriors alongside 【Kai】 just recently—only to be rejected by the light.

Though deeply wounded, he still intended to help 【Kai】 complete O50's first mission.

Baalzebub attacked the family; 【Kai】 and Gagura heard the cry for help and came to rescue them.

This was the content of the first episode of "Primordial Origin"—the beginning of "Primordial Origin," and the start of Orb.

At this moment, 【Kai】 was still inexperienced, and Gagura had not yet committed the boundless atrocities that would turn him into 【Kai】's mortal enemy.

Everything could still be changed.

【Kai】 rushed forward, glanced at the dusty, battered Qi Ming, then at the monstrous Baalzebub—and instantly "understood."

"You were the one calling for help, weren't you? Holding on this long must have been exhausting—but you don't need to fear anymore!" 【Kai】 helped Qi Ming to his feet.

Qi Ming: "..."

Gagura glanced at Qi Ming, then turned to the menacing Baalzebub advancing toward them: "This thing is a cosmic demon—be careful not to get pierced by its stinger."

"I understand." Kai nodded, pulling out a miniature version of the Orb Sacred Sword, then swung it upward sharply.

The next instant, light blazed forth—a ten-meter-tall giant appeared.

A pointed head. A body of silver and red, with a circular energy core glowing blue on its chest.

Ultraman Orb—Initial Form—debut.

(End of Chapter)