Blocking the four bolts of yellow lightning, Tiga flung the Ultimate Battler onto the ground. Without hesitation, he soared high into the sky, then dove like a black comet—his entire body cloaked in darkness. With terrifying momentum, he crashed straight into Belial at the top of Beryudora.
Boom!
The impact sent Belial hurtling down into the monster's massive body, swallowed up by its bulk.
On the ground, Rei immediately seized the opportunity. Seeing the Ultimate Battler abandoned on the battlefield, he sprinted over and managed to wrest control of the hundred kaiju composing Beryudora. Piece by piece, the stitched-together giant began to unravel, its monstrous components breaking free from Belial's domination.
Meanwhile, Tiga floated before Beryudora, both hands sweeping out to his sides. From every corner of the Monster Graveyard, streams of black energy gathered, converging toward him.
A colossal orb of darkness—fifty meters across—formed in front of his chest. Even from the ground, the other Ultras could feel the violent, unstable energy within it.
Realizing the attack was coming, Zero and the Leo Brothers raised their arms. Together, they added their own finishing beams, all striking toward the same target.
Wrapped in shadows, Tiga hurled the sphere.
BOOOOOOM!
Beryudora shrieked, its many mouths howling as the black sphere smashed into its body. Fire erupted in chains across its surface, explosions racing from its chest out to its countless limbs.
The titanic form convulsed, then finally burst apart in a blazing cataclysm. Flames roared skyward, blindingly hot and impossible to face head-on.
At that same instant, the Ultimate Battler began to glow. Like a failsafe, it self-destructed, detonating in tandem with Beryudora's demise.
Tiga was flung to the ground by the shockwave. His chest timer, once purple, flickered briefly blue before turning to a desperate red flash. His milk-white eyes dimmed to gray, lifeless.
"Senior!" Dyna rushed forward, catching him as he collapsed. Tiga's eyes no longer glowed, his body limp and unconscious—the only sign of life was the blinking red timer on his chest.
The other Ultras stood silent, hearts heavy.
No one had foreseen this outcome. No one expected Belial's cruel gambit. No one expected Tiga to be twisted into Dark Tiga. And certainly, no one expected Belial to be destroyed… by the very darkness he had created.
However one looked at it, this victory belonged to Tiga.
When Yu Zhou awoke, he found himself lying on a crystalline bed, dozens of eyes fixed intently on him.
"Hngh… what happened to me?"
He rubbed his aching head. His memories were a haze, the events leading up to this point broken and unclear.
"Tiga's back to normal!" a Blue Tribe Ultra at his bedside exclaimed with relief.
The others surrounding him let out long-held breaths. At last, the weight in their chests was lifted.
"Senior!" Dyna grabbed Yu Zhou's arm with unrestrained joy. "You're awake!"
Yu Zhou blinked at his junior's excitement. From shows and stories, he had always thought of Dyna as a hot-blooded, courageous fighter. Seeing him so emotional—clutching his arm like this—felt oddly embarrassing.
"Wait a second…" Yu Zhou froze. He raised his hand in front of his face.
It was silver and black.
"What the hell?! Why is my arm this color?!"
Looking down, he realized his entire body was clad in Dark Tiga's hues.
"No way… did I…?" A spike of pain lanced through his skull, fragments of memory returning. The Plasma Spark… his reckless attempt to force its energy into his body… and then—nothing.
Hadn't he… claimed a son? No, wait—that was wrong.
But one thing was certain: this form was Dark Tiga.
"Dyna," Yu Zhou turned, bewildered. "What exactly happened while I was out?"
Dyna nodded gravely. "So it's true… you were fighting without consciousness."
He explained everything—how Yu Zhou collapsed under the Spark's power, how Belial stripped away his light, how he rampaged as Dark Tiga, nearly striking down Rei and his team… and how, against all odds, he destroyed Belial in that state.
Yu Zhou's jaw dropped.
"Belial stole my light? I tried to kill Rei? I finished Belial off?!"
Holy crap… I'm that strong?
And I don't even remember it?!
"Regardless," said the Original Ultraman solemnly, "Tiga, you've saved the Land of Light. Your deed is beyond measure."
"Even if you are not one of us," added Seven with a nod, "you will be honored as such."
Zoffy stepped forward. "Ultraman King himself has promised—he will help you reclaim your light."
"My… light?"
Yu Zhou scratched his head. To be honest, after hearing he soloed Belial in Dark Tiga form, he wasn't sure he even wanted the Composite Type anymore. Darkness that strong—why go back?
But the illusion shattered as soon as he tried testing his abilities. He attempted flight. Weak. Tried gripping with his hands. Mediocre. Tried a kick. Underwhelming.
"…There's no way I beat Belial like this," he muttered, baffled.
In truth, even he couldn't reconcile the fact. By all data he'd ever read, Dark Tiga was a mess—its stats unimpressive. Yet somehow, he had pulled it off.
"Well, whatever," Yu Zhou sighed. "Guess I'll see what the King can do to change me back."
He turned to Hikari. "By the way, about my weapon… the Zeperion Flame Sword I just got? Belial destroyed it."
He held out the broken bracelet. "Think you can repair it?"
Hikari examined the remains and shook his head. "Not this one. But I'll forge you a new weapon."
For the savior of the Land of Light, refusal was unthinkable.
Yu Zhou grinned. "Thanks! I'll be counting on you."
Soon after, a messenger arrived. Ultraman King summoned Tiga to the Plasma Spark Tower—to attempt restoring his light.
Yu Zhou already knew how the "Final Odyssey" story played out. Daigo's Dark Tiga had regained light by absorbing the power of three Dark Giants—but that was painful and far from ideal. Better to hear what the King had in mind.
So, surrounded by a group of Ultras, he made his way toward the tower.
"…Wait. Why are you guys coming too?" Yu Zhou raised an eyebrow at Dyna, Mebius, and the others trailing him.
"I want to see it for myself," Mebius said earnestly. "How you'll transform back into light."