"Light in the heart…"
Captain Megumi walked slowly down the corridor, replaying Yuzhou's words in her mind.
Before long, the two turned a corner—only to catch a glimpse of a woman rushing past.
She wore a gray robe, her hair as long as Megumi's, yet her steps made no sound at all.
Megumi frowned. "I don't recognize her."
Without hesitation, she hurried after the figure, Yuzhou keeping close behind.
The woman led them deliberately, as if guiding them, to the very end of the corridor. There she stopped, her back to them.
"Who are you?" Megumi demanded.
The robed woman turned slowly—revealing a face identical to Megumi's own.
Megumi's eyes widened in shock but quickly steadied. Yuzhou, however, had already guessed the truth. A woman who looked like Megumi, here in the base… the only answer was Yuzhou's suspicion: Yuzare, the leader of the Ancient Earth Defense Force, preserved in the time capsule.
"Zog has awakened," the woman said in a flat, distant voice. "The accursed demon bird that scorches the earth. It brings endless darkness… it will swallow this land whole."
"Darkness…?" Megumi thought of Yuzhou's earlier warning in the command hall. She was already certain who this woman was.
"It is the herald of terror, ruin, and sorrow—an emissary that reduces all to nothing."
"Is this a memory of the past… or a prophecy of the future, Commander of the Ancient Defense Force?" Megumi pressed.
The woman's form shimmered with light, her dark hair turning snow-white, her features aging in an instant. She stood revealed as Yuzare.
"I am only a program," Yuzare replied softly. "I cannot foresee the future."
Her gaze shifted toward Yuzhou. For a moment, her lifeless eyes flickered with recognition.
"I do not know who you are… but on you, I sense something familiar—the aura of light."
Yuzhou only gave a faint smile. Daigo's inherited light had already drawn Yuzare's notice; of course she would feel the same from him.
"Light…?" Megumi murmured, her conviction deepening.
Yuzhou took the chance. "Commander Yuzare… thirty million years ago, when the Giants of Light returned to their homeland—where was that homeland?"
But Yuzare did not answer. She dissolved into motes of white light, fading silently into the corridor.
The two exchanged a glance, then returned to the main hall.
Soon after, Daigo and Rena came back to the base, preparing to sortie again in their new fighter. Director Sawai and Bureau Chief Jigoku arrived as well, listening as Horii explained Zog's nesting behavior and the danger of the Lulue ruins rising from the sea.
From Yuzhou, they learned the truth of humanity's ancient fall: from the monster Golza, to the dark vanguard Zog, to the final resurrection of the evil god Gatanozoa.
With the threat confirmed, Sawai urgently ordered all TPC branches to prepare evacuations and defensive measures.
This time, unlike the original course of events, Horii and Shinjo did not sortie in Dolphin. Instead, they joined Munakata aboard the Victory Swallow. Meanwhile, Rena and Daigo launched in the newly modified Snow White, tasked with engaging the first Zog.
On the Snow White, Rena clenched the controls, her eyes locked on the azure sky above.
"Higher. Just a little higher."
"Rena, what's wrong with you? Tell me!" Daigo demanded, exasperated.
"Why… why didn't you tell me?" Her voice trembled, pain in her eyes. "Why do you insist on carrying this burden alone?"
Daigo froze. From her words—and her reckless actions—he realized: Rena already knew he was Tiga.
"Does Ultraman have to fight alone? Is it his duty to protect the Earth with no one at his side?" Her voice cracked, tears glimmering. "Daigo… don't you think that's unfair? You've always fought by yourself. You've always suffered in silence."
Daigo felt a warmth in his chest, mixed with helplessness.
"If I could," Rena whispered, "I'd become light too. I'd fight alongside you. I'd fly even higher."
"This isn't obligation," Daigo answered gently, shaking his head. His eyes softened. "I am human. I'm only doing… what I can."
Rena bit her lip. "Then don't hold back. Not anymore. Show me—show everyone. You can be light, Daigo. You can."
Daigo raised the Spark Lens. With a firm press, a clear chime rang out like silver bells.
The Snow White was engulfed in dazzling radiance, scattering halos of light across the sky. And there—above the clouds—the giant of light descended once more.