After everyone had received their cans, the crowd quickly dispersed, each person hurrying back to their respective survivor zones to hide away—
terrified that someone might discover they were carrying canned luncheon meat.
"Cough… cough… cough…"
Collapsed on the ground, Kano Okaji coughed nonstop. His face was badly swollen, and his entire body ached from the beating.
He wasn't even sure whether his bones were still in place.
"Oh? Hurt already?" Yuzhou squatted beside him, his tone mercilessly mocking. "Why don't you go pray to your precious shrine? See if it can save you."
"Go on. Turn into Ultraman Dyna. Aren't you supposed to be amazing?"
"Y-you… just you wait…" Kano mumbled through swollen lips, his eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Yuzhou.
"Heh. I'll remember it," Yuzhou replied indifferently, standing up to leave. "If you're unhappy, that's perfect. I'm quite satisfied."
Just as Yuzhou turned away, a strange, piercing bird cry echoed from the sky.
It was abnormally loud—unnatural.
"T-that is—!"
Kano lay facing the sky. When he saw the owner of that cry, his bruised eyes widened in shock.
Yuzhou also looked up.
A gigantic bird-shaped monster was flapping its wings, flying straight toward them.
When it reached the top of the Tsuburaya building, it landed briefly, as if pausing to rest.
Moments later, the monster noticed the two figures standing on the platform at the entrance.
"It's Birdon," Yuzhou said calmly.
The very same monster once infamous for earning Zoffy the nickname 'Flaming Head'.
Not only was its beak poisonous—it could also spew scorching flames.
Since Birdon had appeared here, Yuzhou decided to deal with it while he was at it.
After glancing around, he headed toward a corner where no one was nearby.
"H-hey! Where are you going?!" Kano panicked the moment he saw Yuzhou leaving.
He was beaten to the point where he could barely move. If this Huaxia man left now, he was truly finished.
"Where I go is none of your business," Yuzhou shot back, continuing forward.
"Don't go! Don't leave me here!" Kano shouted desperately.
"Save me!"
"Please, save me!"
"I'll never visit those shrines again!"
"I swear I'll love peace from now on!"
"I admit it—I'm not Shin Asuka!"
"I was too arrogant!"
"..."
Kano shouted hoarsely, despair flooding his heart.
Unfortunately, his cries only drew Birdon's attention.
With a sharp screech, the monster dove straight toward them.
"No—NO!!!"
Watching the massive bird descend, Kano screamed in terror.
So this was it.
His life was ending right here.
Yuzhou truly wanted to kick this idiot to death. If not for all the shouting, Birdon wouldn't have charged down so quickly.
But now the monster was already upon them.
There was no avoiding it.
Yuzhou took the Sparklence from his chest, held it horizontally at a forty-five-degree angle, and pressed the transformation button.
Brilliant light erupted from the platform in front of the Tsuburaya building, radiating outward in waves.
A silvery chime—like bells echoing through spacetime—rang across the sky.
Kano stood frozen within the light.
"Light…?"
"Did I become light?"
"Did I really turn into Dyna?!"
"Hahahaha—I became Dyna!!!"
"Haha—huh?"
Before his laughter could finish, a colossal figure appeared before him.
Silver, purple, and red intertwined across the giant's body, golden patterns glowing on its chest.
Kano fell silent.
"T… Tiga?"
The man who had thought he'd transformed into Ultraman Dyna stared at Ultraman Tiga, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.
"That Huaxia man… he's actually Tiga?!"
Recalling the scene just now, Kano realized he had indeed seen the Sparklence.
"Why… why is he Ultraman?"
"Why is he Tiga?"
"Why… is Ultraman a Huaxia person?"
Questions, disbelief, and confusion flooded his mind.
He had come here hoping to reclaim the transformation device used during the filming of Ultraman Dyna—
thinking that if he had it, he might truly become Dyna.
Yuzhou didn't spare Kano even a glance.
After transforming, he immediately grabbed the charging Birdon, clamping its beak shut with one hand.
With the other hand gripping its wing, he kicked off the ground—
and carried Birdon straight into the sky.
Sparks leaked from Birdon's beak. Heat spread through Yuzhou's palm, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
Birdon flailed wildly, its other wing beating furiously.
The struggle began to affect Yuzhou's grip.
Just as Birdon was about to break free—
The crystal on Yuzhou's forehead flashed.
His body shifted into a silver-and-purple form.
A pale blue light emerged from the hand gripping Birdon's beak.
"Breathing fire, huh? Calm down."
The blue light burst outward, icy energy instantly wrapping around Birdon's beak.
Frost spread rapidly.
Yuzhou released the beak, flipped his body, and landed atop Birdon's back, then let go entirely.
Birdon attempted to breathe fire—
but the flames vanished before forming.
Its beak was completely frozen shut.
With its strongest attack sealed, Birdon could only flap its wings helplessly.
Yuzhou did not stay mounted for long.
He leapt away lightly, then swiftly condensed a Lampart Light Bullet.
With a flick of his hand, the beam shot straight into Birdon.
Mid-flight, Birdon's body stiffened.
Its wings stopped moving.
Before it could hit the ground—
BOOM!
The monster exploded into fragments of light and fire, dispersing in the sky.
After dealing with Birdon, Yuzhou clapped his hands and transformed back into a beam of light, returning to the front of the Tsuburaya building.
Kano still stared blankly at the sky, his expression one of complete existential collapse.
"You saw everything just now, didn't you?" Yuzhou said calmly as he walked up.
"Y-you… you're actually Tiga…" Kano murmured.
"Why… why is Ultraman Huaxia?"
Even now, he couldn't accept it.
"You really are a person begging to be beaten," Yuzhou said, shaking his head.