Chapter 39: The Cure and the Reunion
After a long and exhausting battle, Hikaru and his team finally returned to Earth. Their journey had been filled with hardships, but now they had something invaluable—the cure for the zombie virus. As the spaceship smoothly landed at the Thunder Center, everyone on board let out a sigh of relief. Their mission had been a success, but there was still work to be done.
The first priority was to release the cure. The team quickly got to work, carefully unloading the cublets—the miraculous cure they had retrieved from Planet Z. Hikaru, along with Leon and the others, activated the devices one by one, releasing a gas filled with oxygen. As the gas spread across different areas, the zombies that had once been mindless creatures started collapsing to the ground, their bodies undergoing a rapid transformation.
Five minutes passed, and slowly, one by one, they began to regain consciousness. Their skin, once pale and decayed, returned to its natural state. Their eyes, once lifeless, were filled with confusion. The virus was gone.
But there was still more to do. Hikaru wasted no time—using his teleportation abilities, he traveled across the world, releasing the cublets in every major zombie-infested area. Cities that had been lost to the undead were now slowly being restored to humanity. People embraced their loved ones, overwhelmed by relief and joy. Humanity had been given a second chance.
However, not everyone could be saved. Hikaru soon realized that those who had been turned into reptilian hybrids could not be cured. Unlike the zombies, the reptilians had undergone a much more profound transformation, one that was seemingly irreversible. This grim truth cast a shadow over their victory.
After completing the mission, Hikaru teleported to the Fire Center, where he was met by an old friend—Emi.
"Hey, Hikaru," Emi greeted him with a smirk. "Long time no see."
Hikaru gave a small smile. "Yeah, it's been a while."
Emi's eyes widened as she sensed something different about him. "Wait… What happened? You seem different."
Hikaru wasted no time in explaining. "We traveled to the alien planet, fought against the Hojo Clan, and found the cure for the zombie virus."
Emi's expression turned to pure shock. "Wait, WHAT?! You actually went to their home planet? That's insane!"
Before Hikaru could respond, another familiar face appeared—Ryo.
Ryo walked up with a confident smirk, his feet glowing with an intense aura. His entire presence radiated power, and it was clear that he had undergone serious training.
"Hey, Hikaru. Check out your glorious man," Ryo said, flexing his muscles playfully.
Hikaru chuckled but couldn't deny it—Ryo had changed. His energy was on a completely different level than before.
Moments later, Takeshi arrived, accompanied by an enormous water creature—a Cyclops. The beast's massive eye glowed with a strange energy, and it followed Takeshi closely.
"Hey, chick," Takeshi teased, addressing Hikaru with his usual playful tone.
Hikaru crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Who do you think you are, Cyclops?"
Takeshi laughed. "Ahh, Hikaru, no need to act tough. We've been training like crazy. With the blessings of Tatsuya, we've all grown stronger."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Tatsuya?"
"He's the one who trained us," Emi explained. "And trust me, he's no joke."
Hikaru nodded. "That's good. We're going to need all the strength we can get."
Then, his expression turned serious. "We found the cure for the zombies, but we still have a major problem—the reptilians. There's no cure for them."
The room fell silent. Even with all their progress, the reptilian threat still loomed over humanity.
"Well," Ryo said, breaking the tension, "I guess that just means we'll have to fight them."
Hikaru smirked. "Exactly."
But before anything else, he had one final task. Using his teleportation abilities, he traveled to all the remaining Sorcerer Centers, gathering every last student and warrior. One by one, he brought them all to the Thunder Center.
Within hours, everyone was reunited. Friends who hadn't seen each other in months embraced. Warriors who had once fought side by side stood together again. It was a moment of pure happiness and relief.
For the first time in a long while, humanity had hope.
But deep down, Hikaru knew—this was only the beginning.
The real battle was yet to come.