I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 396 [3 Chapters Combined into 1] What the hell is this trigger?!

"Hiss... Is this the power of the Trigger Memory? It feels much stronger than the Decade Belt... Wait, why is Death Goddess suddenly so small? And those hands, and that thing on her chest... it looks kind of familiar..."

"What the hell is this 'trigger'?!"

After the dazzling light disappeared, Riley was surprised to find that the powerful oppressive feeling emanating from the Goddess of Death, which had almost frozen and crushed his body and soul, had not disappeared, but had obviously weakened a lot.

This made Riley marvel and instinctively want to take a closer look at his new appearance.

But soon, Riley, whose face was beaming with joy, froze on the spot.

This was because, in his line of sight, not only had the Goddess of Death suddenly "shrunk," but the hand he stretched out in front of him was not the kind of armor with a distinct metallic texture like that of Kamen Rider.

Instead, it features arm armor with gold patterns on the wrists, and its entire body is covered with red, silver, and purple patterns. In the center of the gold breastplate on its chest, there is a deep blue rhombus-shaped "gem"...

That familiar figure is clearly...

Ultraman Trigger?!

Riley's consciousness cried out within the Giant of Light.

It wasn't until this moment that Riley belatedly realized why the Lost Driver, which should only have half the power of Kamen Rider W's normal form, was pulled out by a lucky guy like Tama!

Trigger Boy is still a "trigger," there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Just as Riley was so shocked by the surprise the system brought him that his brain went blank and he didn't know where to begin complaining.

The goddess of death's reaction is also worth pondering.

As the embodiment of death, who holds the power of life and death and can easily determine the fate of all things in the universe, it appears much "smaller" and like an ant in front of the giant of light, which is over 50 meters tall.

Of course, this is only the visual relative size.

The concept of "death" that she represents has no inherent size.

If she wanted to, she could erase such a size difference in no time, or even directly suppress Triga.

But the accelerated flickering of the flames rising from her empty eye sockets as her pale skull tilted slightly was enough to show the solemnity of her moment.

After her earlier, somewhat annoyed, fatal attack was blocked by the classic transformation invincibility animation, the Goddess of Death did not immediately attack Triga. Instead, she carefully scanned the suddenly appearing Titan before her, who, like Riley, clearly came from another universe, with a scrutinizing and inquisitive gaze.

"Life was born from the primordial light... but it is more than that."

The ethereal voice of the Goddess of Death resounded directly in Riley's consciousness. Gone was the previous playfulness and indifference; replaced by a more tangible sense of vigilance.

"There's a very peculiar aura about you... I'm curious, why would you break through the barriers of space to shelter an anomaly that recklessly tramples on the rules and disrupts the balance and order of the universe? Could it be that this is an order given to you by the will of your universe?"

Riley's heart skipped a beat.

From the few words spoken by the Goddess of Death, Riley realized that what the Goddess of Death feared was not Ultraman Triga's own fighting power.

Although Triga in his composite form possesses astonishing power, enough to split mountains and manipulate light energy, and according to the Ultraman lore, destroying a planet is not a difficult task for an Ultraman going all out.

However, for the Goddess of Death, who wields one of the ultimate laws of the universe, this level of physical destructive power is insufficient to pose a substantial threat to her.

What she feared was something deeper that Triga represented.

Leaving aside the question of what the so-called will of the universe means...

If Riley remembers correctly, the fragment of the "Eternal Core" possessed by Triga has already touched upon the level of the universe's origin. The power contained within, if not equal to that of the Goddess of Death, is at least comparable to that of the Infinity Stones.

More importantly, as the most sinister element in Ultraman, Ultraman Triga, the parallel universe counterpart of Ultraman Old Man, especially his Shining Form activated by the Eternal Core Fragment, contains a strong tendency toward a positive cosmic will that is opposed to "death" and "end," such as "hope," "future," and "possibility."

This tendency itself provides a certain degree of natural resistance to and counteracts the power of the goddess of death.

This might explain why Riley felt a significant reduction in pressure after transforming.

It wasn't that the Goddess of Death had become weaker, but rather that the presence of Triga, to a certain extent, neutralized the corrosive aura of death that filled the entire space at that moment.

Of course, these are just Riley's conjectures, and the specific reasons still need to be studied.

But right now, Riley knew that even if he transformed into Ultraman, he might not be a match for the Goddess of Death. What was even more worrying was that Ultraman's active time was generally only three minutes, so Riley couldn't afford to dwell on it any longer. Instead, he forced himself to shift his attention and began to organize his thoughts in his mind, thinking about how to respond to the Goddess of Death's questioning.

Taking advantage of the Goddess of Death's feigned hesitation, they forcefully retorted...

Or should we try to negotiate peacefully with the Goddess of Death before the transformation ends?

"No, Dad didn't force me to come. I just answered his call."

However, just as Riley was about to speak out...

A voice completely different from Riley's, full of passion and unwavering conviction, came out of Riley... or rather, Ultraman Triga without warning.

"The belief that I will defy fate and do everything in my power to protect the smiles of others is the reason I have fought until now! How could I possibly stand by and watch him die at your hands!"

As these declarations were spoken, something even more shocking happened to Riley!

Even though he didn't actively control it at all, and his mind was completely blank and in a state of shutdown, the Ultraman Triga he transformed into suddenly burst out with an incredibly warm and dazzling seven-colored light!

Under this light, Triga's figure underwent a magnificent and swift transformation.

More sacred and magnificent golden-white patterns rapidly spread across the body's surface, and the single color timer on the chest transformed into a triangular crystal representing the unification of the three basic forms. Even the light emanating from the color timer's surface constantly sowed the radiance of creation and hope into this space filled with the aura of death!

Shining Triga Eternal, right under Riley's nose, completed its transformation on its own!

It was from this moment on that Riley, who had been thinking about how to maximize Triga's power, belatedly realized...

It seems that the initiative to control this dazzling body was "transferred" from Riley the moment the transformation was completed.

Rather than calling Riley a shapeshifter.

It's more like a passenger who's in the cockpit but has no operational authority whatsoever, forced to watch helplessly as the aircraft's AI takes over.

Clearly, this is not just as simple as transforming into Ultraman...

This is like bringing in Ultraman Triga himself to fight in his place, giving him a huge sense of security and a powerful ally!

That's why, when Riley realized that after transforming, he had completely lost control of his body, he felt no panic or unease whatsoever. Instead, bathed in the dazzling light, he felt an indescribable sense of relaxation. He even wanted to grab some fries right then and there and just lie down and watch the show.

Ultimately, knowing full well that even if he played all his cards, he was still no match for the Goddess of Death...

What could be more reassuring than seeing a super big shot with an obviously high status and seemingly biased towards you suddenly step in and take your place?

"Phew... thankfully, Dad chose a smart person, so they won't end up with a dark history like Zero."

Meanwhile, Triga... or rather, Kenjiro, who seemed to be constantly on guard against the Goddess of Death but was actually distracted and quietly keeping an eye on Riley, breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Riley had completely relaxed and relinquished control of his body.

After all, Kenshin, who was new to the area, had no chemistry with Riley, let alone a deep bond.

Not to mention that the original function of this trigger memory was simply to allow Riley to transform and wear a "Mobile Ultraman" armor modeled after Triga.

The reason why they were able to bring Kengo Shinichi over was essentially because Riley was facing a life-or-death crisis, which triggered the system's protection mechanism.

In other words, this is a temporary and rather fragile connection state.

If, after the initial shock, Riley, driven by distrust, panic, or simply a desire for control, instinctively struggles fiercely, attempting to wrest control of this body from Kengo Shinnaka...

So even if the real Kengo is Ultraman Triga, whose power in all aspects far surpasses that of Riley now, he will inevitably find himself in an awkward situation in the end.

Power cannot flow smoothly, thoughts interfere with each other, movements may become distorted, and various flaws will be revealed due to the internal "incoordination." This can even lead to a significant reduction in activity time, or even the abrupt termination of the transformation state...

That kind of situation is a headache just to think about.

Furthermore, although Kensuke Shinichi did not personally experience the wondrous feeling of vying for control of his body with his human host...

But I've also seen similar "negative examples" in my dad's collection of embarrassing stories.

Just like...

A senior who knew it was a trap and was unwilling to transform into a freeloader, was forced to transform into a freeloader because his human form lost his mind and threatened to jump off a building to commit suicide.

Or perhaps, because the human host wanted to show off, he deliberately threw away his transformation device when the monster attacked, thus giving the prince no chance to appear at all.

And then there's the arrogant rabbit who constantly spouts "You're still 20,000 years too early!" He seems incredibly cool and imposing, but during a past operation, his human host's prejudice and dislike of Ultraman severely limited his powers. Even a normal transformation is a luxury. He had to be coaxed and tricked into putting the transformation device on his human host, and when he finally managed to transform, he couldn't fully unleash his power, making him a laughingstock among the children…

Yes, just imagining that scene always makes Kengo's lips curl up involuntarily.

Moreover, given Kengo Shin's understanding of his father, he must have arrived in this universe the moment he transformed, secretly observing and trying to capture the moment he made a fool of himself... oops, I mean, to cover for him.

Therefore, Kengo Shinnaka absolutely did not want his first collaboration with Riley to turn into such a troublesome "internal strife" drama! And then be recorded and used as "negative material" to educate his juniors!

It was precisely for this reason that Kensuke Shinaka was able to openly state his purpose when confronted by the Goddess of Death. He conveyed his goodwill to Riley in the most direct way.

In retrospect, his judgment was correct.

Riley not only understood, but accepted it with remarkable ease, even appearing... a little too "comfortable"?

This allowed Kengo Shinaka to finally breathe a sigh of relief, enabling him to refocus his attention on the formidable enemy before him.

Of course, thankfully...

Even the slightest lapse in concentration when facing a formidable foe like the Goddess of Death could lead to defeat...

However, the Goddess of Death clearly had some reservations and was unwilling to directly break ties with Kengo Shinjū.

Secondly, the unique "little black room" in the Okupen, with its different time flow from the outside world, made the time spent on Riley's change of attitude seem insignificant to outsiders.

Therefore, when Zhen Zhongjian Wu regained his composure, the Goddess of Death did not notice this abnormality and remained in a state of deep contemplation and silence.

This silence lasted a little longer, with the pale flames burning steadily in the empty eye sockets, as if conducting an extremely complex and macroscopic weighing of things.

What she was considering was clearly not just Riley's personal overstepping of bounds, but the existence of this Giant of Light and the power system it represented, and the far-reaching disturbances that it might cause to the universe.

"Since you've chosen to protect him, then for your sake, I can let him off this time..."

After a long silence, the Goddess of Death spoke again, her voice becoming even more profound, like an echo from the very depths of the universe's rules.

After agreeing to let Riley go, which relieved both Kenjiro and Riley, the Goddess of Death changed the subject and brought up additional conditions.

"But death is no child's play. I need to establish a contract beforehand to limit this anomaly and ensure that his actions do not affect the survival of the entire universe."

"...Tell me your conditions first."

Upon hearing this, Kengo Shinjū only pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.

Just as the Goddess of Death was unwilling to break ties with Kenshin.

Even though he's jokingly called "General Te," he's done his fair share of high-intensity dungeons...

But that was all forced upon him, and it doesn't mean that Shinju Kengo himself is a battle maniac like Dagon.

If the situation can be resolved peacefully, avoiding "overtime" [crossed out] and preventing further escalation, that would be ideal.

"The conditions are very simple."

Seeing that Kenshin didn't directly refuse, the Goddess of Death breathed a sigh of relief. She then pressed her advantage, stating her conditions clearly and firmly.

"Contract One: Restricting the Anomaly, Riley Parker's Abilities."

As she spoke, her "gaze" seemed to penetrate the body of light and lock onto Riley's consciousness, causing Riley, who had already given up and given up, to feel a chill run down his spine and shiver.

"From this moment forward, unless faced with an absolute crisis that threatens the stability of the multiverse or the continuation of civilization in this universe, it is forbidden to use any ability to engage in time travel or direct intervention in life and death for the purpose of 'personal will' or 'making amends.' Its activities in this universe should prioritize addressing the threats that are emerging now and guiding the natural development of life, rather than repeatedly weaving illusions of the past. This is to ensure the stability of the timeline of this universe and to prevent unexpected variables and disasters from arising due to personal will."

In her words, the conditions proposed by the Goddess of Death clearly prohibited Riley's kind of "interest-driven" or "emotion-driven" spacetime intervention, leaving only a very narrow exemption for "major crises," which almost completely locked up his ability in this area.

But, I wonder if it's just the goddess of death's imagination...

When she mentioned "the stability of the timeline," she seemed to vaguely hear a dismissive sneer in her ear.

But this sneer came and went quickly, and it clearly didn't belong to Riley or Kenjiro Shinnosuke.

Therefore, after briefly sensing and confirming that only the three of them existed in this special space, the Goddess of Death assumed that she was hallucinating and uttered the more crucial second request, which better reflected her true concerns.

"Contract Two: Restrict interference from external forces."

Her voice turned to Shining Trigger, with a solemnity befitting someone facing a potential source of equal influence.

"Although you claim that your actions are solely to protect the smiles of others, your power already poses a potential threat to the vast majority of intelligent life forms. Frequent occurrences of this power could severely disrupt the order and stability of the universe."

She paused briefly, allowing the weight of this consideration to fully permeate the room.

"Therefore, unless this universe faces a major crisis that could destroy it, a calamity that its original forces cannot withstand, or unless it receives a clear request for assistance and permission from the creator god, you are not allowed to appear in this universe. This response to the call can be considered an exception. This clause aims to maintain the independence and originality of the universe's laws and ecosystem, and to prevent unpredictable changes or dependence on the rules caused by the routine intervention of high-level forces from other realms. Of course, this does not mean that I do not welcome your arrival, but rather that, in my view, there should be an appropriate 'distance' and 'respect' between different universes."

The second requirement sounded significantly more complicated, and the tone, intentionally or unintentionally, softened a bit.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Kengo Shinichi immediately realized the true intentions of the Goddess of Death!

What do you mean by worrying that Riley's actions will disrupt the stability of the timeline...?

Bullshit!

The one the Goddess of Death truly fears is not Riley, who is currently weak and far from posing any threat to her.

Instead, it's Ultraman Triga...

Or, to be more precise, it is out of fear of the mature and powerful Land of Light behind Ultraman Triga, and its "ideological output" and "rule radiation" to this universe!

So much so that the Goddess of Death was unaware that...

This second contract, which seems to impose even stricter restrictions, is actually exactly what Kengo Shinjū wanted!

Ultimately, crossing dimensional barriers to arrive in this special universe is just an exception.

Thinking of this, Kengo Shinjū couldn't help but recall the conversation that took place when his father was about to leave after the crisis was over.

……

"Dad..."

Looking at the figure in front of him, dressed casually and humming a tune as he packed his luggage, Jianwu hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been lingering in his heart for a long time.

"I've never really understood... You possess such immense power, and it's like you have precognitive abilities, able to know the enemy's secrets and even their schemes in advance... So why don't you personally intervene and eliminate those crises before they even begin to emerge, or before they can be implemented? Wouldn't that save a lot of trouble?"

Upon hearing Kengo Shinichi's question, the old father paused slightly in his actions.

He turned around, looking at Kengo Shinjū with gentle eyes, and instead of answering directly, asked a question in return.

"Kengoku, do you remember some of the games I took you to play when you were little... well, in Earth terms, what we'd call 'role-playing games'?"

"A game?" Jian Wu paused for a moment, then nodded. "I remember... but what's the connection?"

"Don't rush. Imagine this: if we consider reality as a game... what if, in a game designed to provide players with a sense of growth, challenge, and a grand story, there was a fully leveled and omniscient 'administrator' account at the start, clearing out all the monsters, obstacles, and even the branching paths on the map for new players..."

"So, for a short time, the game world does indeed seem 'peaceful,' and the protagonist's journey will become smooth sailing, saving a lot of time."

"But then what? What's left for that newbie player to do?"

"He doesn't need to learn combat skills, think about strategies, make choices in difficult situations, or learn from failures."

"All his 'experience points,' 'skill tree,' 'equipment acquisition,' and even 'story experience' were completely stripped away due to the excessive interference of the 'administrator.'"

"As a result, when he faces a new enemy that suddenly appears, even one that should not have posed a threat to him before, he will feel helpless."

"But as the 'administrator,' I can't be online forever, stay in that 'game world' forever, and I certainly can't be by the protagonist's side 24/7."

"Once I leave, what I'll leave behind is a 'player' who shows no signs of growth and may even suffer a mental breakdown due to the sudden loss of the 'strongman' they've always relied on. And a 'game world' that, lacking a reliable guardian, is unable to save itself from crises and is gradually heading towards destruction."

"Now, do you still think this approach is good for the 'protagonist,' you silly boy?"