After finishing his words, Yuzhou stepped into the light-firing zone. He drew both arms back, then spread them wide to the sides, gathering energy for the Zeperion Beam.
A brilliant white ray burst forth from his L-shaped arms, blasting into the floating virtual screens. Crack—crack—crack! Several of the monster-projected screens shattered instantly under the sweeping beam.
Nearby, young Ultramen who had been practicing their own light rays turned to look at him, their eyes wide with awe. It was the kind of look one reserved for a true master.
Yuzhou scratched his head after finishing the attack. "Huh. The defense on those monsters in the virtual screens isn't that great, is it?"
"Of course not," Mebius chuckled at Yuzhou's casual tone. "They're training targets for rookies. To you, they don't even count as practice."
Hearing that, Yuzhou suddenly felt… pretty impressive.
But then again, wasn't he technically still a young Ultra himself? Barely in his twenties by human reckoning. Yet the eyes of those rookies burned with reverence, as if silently chanting Boss! Boss!
"No, no—don't lose yourself in their worship." He shook his head quickly and stepped out of the training zone.
After bidding farewell to Ultraman Taro, Yuzhou left the combat arena with Mebius.
As they walked, curiosity tugged at Yuzhou. "Mebius, you all seem to know something about the ancient warrior Tiga?"
Mebius thought for a moment. "Not much detail. After all, Tiga is from another world. All I know is—he was once a Dark Ultraman, but later turned into a warrior of light."
He then turned to Yuzhou with suspicion. "But wait—you are Tiga. Shouldn't you know this better than me? Why ask?"
"I just wanted to understand how the Land of Light views Tiga," Yuzhou explained calmly.
"Ah, I see." Mebius nodded, and they continued strolling.
Soon, a blue Ultraman emerged from a towering building. He looked somewhat similar to Mebius but carried a medal on his chest—a mark of great merit.
"Hikari!" Mebius waved.
"Oh, Mebius." The blue figure nodded, then looked at Yuzhou. "And… the ancient warrior, Tiga?"
"I'll introduce you," Mebius said. "This is Hikari, scientist of the Land of Light. And this—my friend Yuzhou, also known as Tiga."
"Hello, Hikari." Yuzhou gave a casual greeting. "Call me Yuzhou or Tiga, either is fine."
Hikari studied him carefully. "So… the Tiga who is both light and human."
Yuzhou nodded. That phrasing was pretty accurate.
Then, out of nowhere, Hikari asked: "Tiga, can you give me a little of your light?"
"…Huh?" Yuzhou blinked, stunned. What kind of request is that? Doesn't the Land of Light already have light everywhere?
Seeing his confusion, Hikari explained, "I'm developing Ultra Capsules. They require energy drawn from the light of different Ultramen. With it, we can create all sorts of capsules."
"Ultra Capsules?" Yuzhou thought for a moment. Wait a second… isn't that the cheat system the new generation used? This guy's already manufacturing plug-ins at this time?
As if reading his thoughts, Hikari quickly added, "Of course, I won't take your light for free. In exchange, I'll give you an item."
Yuzhou could almost hear him whisper in his ear: Friend, want a cheat buff?
"Of course I want it!" he answered without hesitation. Just a little light in exchange for a new toy? Pure profit.
Since Yuzhou agreed, Hikari led him and Mebius to his laboratory.
The place was massive—filled with strange machinery and odd devices scattered everywhere. Other blue Ultras moved busily between stations; clearly Hikari's assistants and colleagues.
At a crystal table lay a pile of capsules. Most were blank, but Yuzhou spotted images of Ultraman Original and Ultraseven among them. It looked like production was only just beginning.
Hikari handed Yuzhou a blank capsule and carefully taught him how to channel energy into it.
Following the instructions, Yuzhou drew a bit of light from the Color Timer gem in his chest and slowly infused it into the capsule.
A golden flash lit up the capsule—and Tiga's image appeared upon it.
"You succeeded on the first try?!" Hikari exclaimed, snatching it up in amazement.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuzhou asked suspiciously.
"The transfer rate isn't usually so high," Hikari explained. "For example, Ultraseven had to attempt over a hundred times before his capsule stabilized."
"Over a hundred times? Wouldn't that drain him completely?!" Yuzhou's jaw dropped.
"Not quite," Hikari shook his head. "The Land of Light has abundant energy. Even if depleted, it replenishes quickly."
"I see…" Yuzhou checked himself, and sure enough, the energy he'd used was already restored.
Then Hikari asked eagerly, "By the way, what kind of item do you prefer? I'll craft something suitable."
Hearing that, Yuzhou's pulse quickened. The buff is real! But what should I ask for…?
"Do you have combat weapons?" he asked. "Something like what Seven, Zero, or Max carry?"
"Of course. What kind?"
"A sword," Yuzhou said firmly. Back in X's world, he'd wanted one badly but never got the chance.
"No problem." Hikari stepped into a storage room and returned holding a crimson crystal longsword.
"This blade was forged from Light Crystals unique to our world, combined with Flame Crystals harvested from within a burning star," Hikari explained. "It has incredible armor-piercing power, and every strike carries fire damage."
He handed the sword to Yuzhou. Heavy, but solid in his grip.
"It doesn't have a name yet," Hikari added. "As its new owner, you should name it."
"Yeah, name it," Mebius chimed in with a smile.
Yuzhou thought for a moment. "Since it's a flame longsword made from Light Crystals… let's call it the 'Sword of Radiance.'"
Both Hikari and Mebius froze, staring at him strangely.
"…What kind of name is that?" Hikari muttered. Mebius also looked like he'd just realized Yuzhou had zero talent for naming.
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Yuzhou waved it off, embarrassed. "Let's call it the Zeperion Flame Sword."
"Now that," Mebius nodded approvingly, "sounds right."
Hikari smiled. "It also has a secondary function. With your will, it can transform into a bracelet."
Yuzhou tried it. At a thought, the sword vanished, replaced by a crimson bracelet on his wrist. Another thought, and the sword re-formed in his hand.
"Not bad… it's almost like Jack's bracelet." Yuzhou grinned, pleased with the versatility.