Yu Zhou did not answer Masaki's question—he merely nodded.
Masaki was startled for a moment. No wonder Yu Zhou had a Spark Prism of his own. So… he, too, was a Giant of Light!
"Since that's the case," Masaki said firmly, "let's not waste time. We need to move."
He lowered his colossal hand to the ground, signaling Yu Zhou to climb aboard. Yu Zhou didn't hesitate. He leapt onto the giant's palm, ready to depart.
For now, Masaki would lead the charge, carrying him forward. Yu Zhou had another role to play—summoning the original Ultraman with the Ultra Star. Only after that would he transform himself.
"Yu Zhou, Masaki-san… please, I beg you—bring Daigo back!" Rena called from nearby, her face filled with desperate pleading.
"We will," Yu Zhou reassured her with a nod. "We'll make sure Daigo returns safely."
"Let's go."
With those final words, Masaki's giant form took off with Yu Zhou in hand, soaring across the sea.
On the deck of the Artdesis, the others watched the sight in awe.
"I never imagined it," Director Jigang muttered, "that the Giants only awaken through fusing with humans."
"And I never thought Masaki Keigo would truly become one of them," Hori said, still stunned. Until today, Masaki had been nothing but an antagonist in their eyes.
"But… what's Yu Zhou doing with him?" Shinjo voiced the question that lingered in everyone's minds. Was Yu Zhou simply there to observe Gatanozoa up close?
"Speaking of names…" Hori added, "Tiga has his own. Shouldn't Masaki's giant also have one?"
"Of course. Every hero needs a name," Shinjo agreed.
"How about… Super Giant Mountain Crusher?" Munakata suggested solemnly.
Everyone turned toward him with the same look.
"Commander," Yayoi said slowly, "wasn't that the exact name you tried to give Tiga back then?"
"Oh! No wonder it sounded familiar," Hori exclaimed.
"Commander, you seem oddly attached to that name…" Shinjo sighed.
Munakata: "..."
High above the ocean, Masaki's giant form streaked across the waves with Yu Zhou perched in his hand.
"Masaki," Yu Zhou said, "after transforming, you should have felt information flow into your mind—combat techniques, energy skills, things like that."
Masaki nodded. "Yes. I received them during my first transformation."
"Then tell me," Yu Zhou asked with curiosity, "what's this Giant's true name?"
After all, in the official records, he was only ever called 'Evil Tiga.'
"Gai Ying," Masaki replied at once. "That's his name."
"Gai Ying…" Yu Zhou repeated under his breath. The pronunciation—"Cain." In biblical lore, Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the third human to walk the earth.
It was almost poetic. Tiga's name derived from the Indonesian word for three. Cain, the third human… names bound by echoes of myth.
Yu Zhou chuckled to himself. "Fitting. If his beast companion is called Gaidi, then its master being Gai Ying makes sense. Like a parent and child… no different from Seven and Zero."
Soon, the ruins of R'lyeh came into view. Tiga's petrified body was gone, swallowed beneath the sea.
With a heavy crash, Gai Ying landed upon the ruins. Water surged to his knees, waves crashing against his frame.
Gatanozoa roared, its massive body trembling at the sight of another Giant of Light.
In the underground city, despair had consumed the people after Tiga's defeat. Cries of anguish filled the halls.
But then—
"Look! On the screen!"
"What's there to see? Tiga's gone. The world is finished."
"No, wait—another Ultraman has appeared!"
"What?!"
The children and adults pressed close to the monitors. When they saw Gai Ying, hope that had been extinguished suddenly reignited. The underground chambers, once filled with wails, now buzzed with desperate anticipation.
On the Artdesis, the crew's eyes fixed on the screens.
"Yu Zhou and Masaki have reached the ruins," Yayoi reported.
"They have to win," Captain Megumi whispered, her eyes firm with resolve.
Upon landing, Gai Ying didn't attack right away. Instead, he stretched out his massive hand.
Standing in his palm, Yu Zhou held up a blazing crimson gem—the Ultra Star.
"Ultraman," Yu Zhou called, voice ringing with faith, "the Earth faces its hour of destruction. Please… come to our aid!"
The Ultra Star blazed with radiant light, lifting from his hand. Circling once above the ruins, it released a sound like an echo rolling through a canyon, before bursting into blinding brilliance.
When the light cleared, a towering figure stood on the ruins—broad shoulders, silver and red body gleaming, muscles taut, and a sapphire-colored timer shining at his chest.
The First Ultraman.
Everyone watching was stunned.
"Another Ultraman—one we've never seen before!" gasps erupted within the Artdesis.
In the underground city, the people cried out in joy: "Another Ultraman! We're saved!" Hope surged like a tidal wave.
Masaki stared in awe. "Who is he…?"
"He's a friend from the Land of Light," Yu Zhou explained. "His name is Ultraman—though we often call him simply 'the First.'"
Masaki nodded, astonished. This world held not only ancient Earthly warriors, but also extraterrestrial Giants of Light.
With the First summoned, Yu Zhou finally drew his Spark Prism. Pressing the switch, his body was bathed in descending radiance.
A familiar silver-and-red figure emerged once more—Tiga had returned.
"Wait… how?"
In the Artdesis, the crew gasped.
"Wasn't Tiga turned into stone?" Yayoi whispered.
"Unless…" Munakata recalled the battle with Gigelra, when two Tigas appeared at once. "It's true. There really are two of them!"
"Yes! Back then, we thought it was a clone technique. But this… this proves it!" Hori exclaimed.
Shinjo's eyes widened. "If Daigo is Tiga… then this Tiga must be…"
The realization struck them all at once. Yu Zhou.
"That Tiga… is Yu Zhou," Munakata muttered, his expression frozen in shock.
"So that's it," Kirino murmured, his voice heavy with emotion. "No wonder his heart has always been touched by the light."
"Look, everyone—it's Tiga again!" In the underground shelters, the crowds burst into cries of joy.
"Tiga isn't dead! He's alive!"
Unaware of the truth, the people believed their hero had risen once more. Hope blazed brighter than ever.