Taiga suddenly opened his eyes, realization dawning in his mind.
But it was already too late.
The Zero Glasses snapped directly onto Taiga's eyes. In the next instant, his arms spread uncontrollably as his body spiralled upward into the sky.
Everyone stared in astonishment and instinctively looked up.
Amid dazzling light, an Ultraman—only eight meters tall, silver-red-and-blue in colour—appeared before them.
With a loud boom, he landed on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
"So that kid really is an Ultraman."
One of the Earth Defense Force women muttered in surprise.
After all, Asuka had once been here, and these women already knew that Asuka was Ultraman Dyna. When they encountered Taiga wearing the Super GUTS uniform, some had already suspected that he might also be an Ultraman.
"Zero, Taiga hasn't truly become one with you yet," Yuzhou reminded calmly as he stood before Zero.
"You're in a half-baked state right now."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Zero froze, then looked down at himself.
…Good grief.
He was only about eight meters tall.
"Taiga! This is all because you refused to fight together with me!"
Zero shouted angrily at Taiga inside his body.
"You tricked me first, and you still dare talk like that?!"
Taiga snapped back, sounding completely justified.
"…Fine, I get it!"
Zero sighed helplessly, but he did not give up.
"Then I'll fight like this!"
With that, Zero flew toward the battlefield.
Even at only eight meters tall, he joined Ultraman Cosmos in battling the two monsters.
"If both of them are Ultramen… then could it be that you are one too?"
With Ultramen handling the monsters, the women of the Earth Defense Force relaxed and turned their attention to Yuzhou.
"Yes," Yuzhou nodded honestly.
"I am indeed an Ultraman. But due to special circumstances, I cannot transform right now."
He paused, then added calmly:
"However, if things become dangerous, I will act."
"Yuzhou… you're an Ultraman too?!"
Anna felt as though she had just grabbed hold of a lifeline.
Zetton was powerful.
Alien Bat was terrifying.
One Ultraman was not enough.
Two Ultramen struggled.
But three Ultramen…
Perhaps—just perhaps—there was still hope for Earth.
If there were only Musashi and Taiga, Anna would not have wanted them to risk their lives.
But now, with three Ultramen present, Earth finally seemed to have a chance.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, the battle between Zero and Cosmos reached its conclusion.
Although Zero's body was small, his combat skill was exceptional. Fighting two monsters was difficult, but he still played a decisive supporting role.
Once the two monsters were completely exhausted, Cosmos raised his arms and released the Full Moon Wave.
Soft light washed over the battlefield.
Gradually, the monsters emerged from their berserk state, their emotions calming once more.
Gomess—the ancient dinosaur-like monster—even reached out and gently patted Gubila's head, appearing almost affectionate.
Zero had no intention of remaining in such an incomplete form. Once Cosmos finished purifying the monsters, Zero released the transformation, returning Taiga to the ground.
"We can't keep getting lucky like this!"
Taiga panted heavily, sweat beading on his forehead.
After all, once he transformed into Zero, their stamina was shared.
Almost the moment Taiga finished speaking, space itself twisted.
A black disc appeared in the sky.
Two crimson lightning arcs shot down, instantly blasting the purified monsters into fragments.
Cosmos extended one hand, staring in disbelief.
From the black disc, Alien Bat's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Newly arrived Ultramen."
"This is a warning."
"Get out of my experimental ground."
"Leave now—while you still can."
Cosmos clenched his fists tightly, powerless to stop it. His energy was nearly depleted, and the red warning light on his chest began flashing.
Taiga stood up, glaring at the disc with burning anger.
This was the culprit.
The one who had turned Earth into an experimental site.
The one who had reduced the planet to an empty shell.
"Taiga," Yuzhou said as he walked up behind him, "if you want to defeat it, you must truly become one with Zero."
"Senior…"
Taiga turned to Yuzhou, his expression conflicted.
"I… I can't do it."
"Why?"
Zero finally voiced his confusion.
"What exactly makes you hate fighting together with me so much?"
"Taiga," Yuzhou said quietly,
"I know. Dyna arrived too late back then. That's why your parents died at the hands of monsters."
"Senior—how do you know that?!"
Taiga was completely stunned.
He had never told anyone about this.
Did Yuzhou possess mind-reading abilities?
"But Taiga," Yuzhou continued calmly, ignoring his shock, "you've heard of Tiga, haven't you?"
"I know Tiga!"
Zero answered immediately from inside the bracelet.
"He's an Ultraman from another universe!"
"…Yes. I know."
Taiga nodded.
When he was a child, it was Dyna who protected Earth—but the legend of Ultraman Tiga had never faded.
When darkness threatened to swallow the world, Tiga never lost courage. He charged forward and challenged the Ruler of Darkness itself.
Even in defeat, he continued to struggle, refusing to abandon humanity.
"My parents once told me…"
Taiga exhaled slowly, his eyes filled with memory.
"They told me… that they once became light."
"When darkness covered Earth, when the Ruler of Darkness defeated Tiga, humanity fell into despair."
"My parents said that they were still young back then—but they believed in Ultraman. They believed in Tiga."
"They believed that Tiga would defeat the darkness and save humanity."
"To them… Tiga was hope itself."
As Taiga spoke, his consciousness seemed to drift into those memories.
A colossal evil beast loomed over raging seas, waves crashing endlessly against its blackened body.
Its roar—like thunder and the bellow of a monstrous bull—drowned the world in despair.
Worst of all was the black fog that blotted out the sky.
"So this… is the Ruler of Darkness…"
Taiga stared in awe.
What kind of era had his parents lived through?
A silver-and-red giant fought against the embodiment of darkness.
Even when his energy was exhausted, he continued to fight with fists and kicks alone.
Dark beams pierced his body.
Stone crept across his form.
And yet—he still tried to rise.
Because he was the hope of all humanity.