In the endless void, Shirai Takeru opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.
All he could see was pitch-black darkness. No matter how hard he strained his eyes, it was nothing but black in every direction.
"Where the hell am I? Is this still Earth?"
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. All he'd done was stay up late playing a game. He didn't die or anything, so why did it feel like he'd been thrown into space?
But before he could think more about it, something caught his attention—his own hand.
"This is my hand… why is it gold? Looks like I'm wearing armor."
Shirai Takeru couldn't help blurting it out. That's when he noticed something even stranger.
It wasn't just his hand—his entire body felt off. He was covered in armor-like plating in gold, white, and black. But his senses told him it wasn't armor. This was his body now.
"Wait a second... why does this look so familiar?"
After a moment of thinking, especially when he saw his upward-curved toes, a name popped into his head.
Tartarus. The ultimate lifeform of the Absolutian race. The latest villain in the Ultraman series. He had the power to travel through time and space and could even summon defeated villains from alternate timelines. His appearance was similar to the Ultras, earning him the nickname "The Ultimate Lifeform."
"So basically... I didn't just transmigrate. I turned into Tartarus?"
He paused, then clapped his hands.
"Hell yeah, this is a win!"
He looked cool, had insane power, and could even go head-to-head with the Ultraman King. He could travel through time too. How could any guy say no to this?
As for whether the Inter Galactic Defence Force from the Land of Light would hunt him down, he didn't really care. Everyone knew the Ultras were all about truth, justice, and peace. Whether he became Tartarus or just fused with his power, as long as he promised to behave, they probably wouldn't even punish him.
"I wonder if I can go back to how I looked before."
Sure, Tartarus looked awesome, but he was still an Earth guy deep down. It felt weird. More importantly, he hadn't even had time to enjoy his handsome looks before getting transformed. It felt like such a waste.
Finally, after some random experimentation driven by sheer overthinking, Shirai Takeru's body lit up and rapidly shrank, becoming a fraction of its former size.
He turned back into a handsome teenage boy.
"Whew. Looks like I'm still the same as before."
He checked himself over and, after confirming that everything was still intact, he relaxed.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something glowing in the distance, slowly gliding toward him through the darkness.
His spirits lifted. After being stuck here for so long, finally something new.
Without hesitation, Shirai Takeru gave chase. He wasn't familiar with this Tartarus body and couldn't use any abilities yet, but the base speed of the ultimate lifeform was still fast. The glowing object wasn't moving quickly either, so he caught up to it in no time.
But just as he reached out to grab it, the thing vanished with a soft pop.
The world around him returned to complete darkness.
"What the hell? I touched it. Was it protected or something?"
He didn't understand what had happened. But then, without warning, strange messages appeared in his mind.
Shinobu Kocho: Looks like we've got a newcomer.
Shinobu Kocho: Hello! Welcome to the chat group.
Kirino Kosaka: For real? Another new sister?
Miko Yotsuya: Welcome, welcome! I wonder what kind of world our newbie's from?
Robin: You guys are way too eager.
Robin: We don't even know who this is. What if they're dangerous?
Kirino Kousaka: Eh? I don't think that would happen.
Miko Yotsuya: I feel like only good people can join the chat group.
Erina Nakiri: Don't assume the worst about people.
Erina Nakiri: Hello, newcomer. Want to try the dish I just made?
She sent a picture—a selfie holding a steaming, freshly cooked meal.
The food looked great, but what really caught his eye was Erina herself, wearing only a thin apron next to the plate.
Smooth. Stunning.
Without even thinking, Shirai Takeru immediately typed:
"Sorry!"