"What are you talking about? What 'Father of Ultra'?! I am Ultraman Ken!"
Ken forced himself upright and shouted at Tartarus, his voice filled with defiance.
"Ridiculous," Tartarus sneered. "Then allow me to show you the future that was meant to be yours."
As he spoke, Tartarus brought his hands together. A crimson glow burst forth, followed by a streak of golden light that shot straight into Ken's mind.
Ken's consciousness wavered.
Scene after scene unfolded before his eyes—like stories buried deep within slumbering memories, now dragged into the light.
He saw himself obtaining the Ultimate Blade.
Driving back Alien Empera.
Forming a bond with Marie.
Becoming the commander of the Space Garrison.
Ascending as the Father of Ultra.
He even saw a son—Taro.
And beyond that, a grandson—Taiga.
Each image felt astonishingly real, as though he had lived through them personally.
"This… are these things truly real?!"
After witnessing these visions, Ken fell into deep self-doubt.
Ever since the Ultra War, everything Tartarus showed him diverged from what he knew.
First—there was no Tiga.
Second—the one who defeated Alien Empera was himself, wielding the Ultimate Blade.
And together with Marie, he earned the titles of Father and Mother of Ultra.
If all of that were real…
Then what, exactly, was the reality he was living in now?
"What you are experiencing now," Tartarus said calmly, "is a history altered by Tiga's interference."
He had clearly seen through Ken's confusion.
"Tiga…" Ken shook his head forcefully, casting aside the implanted memories. "But everything Tiga did was right."
"He helped the Land of Light. He defeated Alien Empera. And he handed leadership of the Space Garrison to Belial and me."
Ken raised his head and stared directly at Tartarus.
"Tiga did nothing wrong!"
"Tartarus, I don't know whether the memories you showed me are real or false—but I will not go with you!"
With that, Ken firmly rejected him. He straightened his stance, clenched his fists, and assumed a combat posture.
"Stubborn to the very end—just as expected of the future Father of Ultra," Tartarus sighed. "But tell me… do you truly feel nothing for Marie? Your future wife?"
"When Belial and I first met Marie, we were strangers," Ken retorted sharply.
"Belial nearly lost his life protecting her. Marie developing feelings for him is only natural!"
"In the future you showed me, perhaps I had a wonderful life with Marie—but that Ken is not me!"
"Even if such a future exists, it belongs to a parallel world—parallel Ken and parallel Marie. Their story has nothing to do with me!"
"I really shouldn't have come looking for you."
At that point, Tartarus truly conceded—if only mentally.
Of all beings, this was the one he respected most: the future Father of Ultra.
Ken's reasoning sounded self-defeating at first—but on closer thought, it was airtight.
Ken from another world was not the same Ken as this one.
If two Kens from different timelines stood together with only one Marie, they would probably end up fighting.
Their futures were never meant to intersect.
"In that case," Tartarus said coldly, shaking his head, "you have no further value."
He clenched his right hand before his chest, compressing immense energy, then hurled it forward.
Countless bolts of golden lightning erupted, surging toward Ken.
"Lampart Light Bomb!"
A purple energy projectile suddenly shot down from the sky, slamming head-on into the golden lightning.
Boom!
The collision detonated in front of Ken, flooding space with fire and light.
"Hm?!"
Tartarus looked up sharply.
Above him stood a silver-and-purple Ultraman, one arm extended in a firing stance.
Ultraman Tiga—Sky Type.
"Tartarus," Yuzhou said coldly, "I finally found you."
Leaving behind an afterimage, Yuzhou flashed between Ken and Tartarus, placing himself firmly in front of Ken.
"Ultraman Tiga," Tartarus said in a low voice, eyes locked onto him.
"I am the Ultimate Lifeform!"
"A warrior of the Absolutians!"
"Absolute Tartarus!"
Rather than attacking immediately, Tartarus spread his arms and began his familiar self-introduction.
"All right, all right—I know," Yuzhou waved his hand impatiently.
"Self-introducing alien."
Tartarus had an irritating habit: whenever someone present didn't know him, he had to deliver his long-winded introduction—Ultimate Lifeform this, Absolute that.
"Hmph. I don't know how you gained the power to traverse time and space," Tartarus said coldly, "but today, you will remain here forever!"
Golden light surged between his hands, crackling with violent arcs of lightning.
"Absolute Destruction!"
An overwhelming torrent of golden energy blasted toward Yuzhou and Ken without hesitation.
"Seriously?"
The instant Tartarus shouted the technique's name, Yuzhou raised multiple Ultra Barriers in front of himself.
One by one, the barriers shattered under the onslaught—reduced to nothing.
The golden energy swallowed Yuzhou whole.
As the light faded, Tartarus—convinced the battle was over—froze.
Standing before him was Shining Tiga, his entire body wrapped in radiant brilliance.
Behind him, Ken was completely unharmed.
"What?!"
Tartarus stared in disbelief.
"Shining Zeperion Ray!"
Without hesitation, Yuzhou unleashed the fully charged beam straight at Tartarus.
But Tartarus reacted instantly—opening a golden wormhole and diving into it.
As the portal snapped shut, the Shining Zeperion Ray slammed into a massive passing asteroid, blasting it into fragments.
"Fast runner," Yuzhou muttered, reverting from Shining Form back to his standard Multi Type.
He reached into the air, fingers curling.
Familiar spacetime energy coiled around his hand.
Tartarus had escaped—by direct time-space traversal.
"No surprise there," Yuzhou said with a regretful shake of his head.
That was Tartarus for you.
Finish the introduction, then flee at ridiculous speed.
"At least exchange a few blows next time," Yuzhou sighed.
"You ran before I even touched you."
(t/s: Spoiler alert, that tartar guy is still alive even after 200 plus chapters, I'm like, wth kind of cockroaches bastard is this)