"Did it work?!"
Onboard the Artdessei, Munakata blurted out the words in a daze—then instantly clamped a hand over his mouth.
More than ten years ago, during Tiga's battle with Gatanozoa, his words of overconfidence had jinxed the fight, and Gatanozoa had survived.
"It should have worked," Horii said beside him, analysing calmly. "That light beam carried immense energy and had such wide coverage. You saw the sparks bursting from that evil god's head—it's the clearest sign."
"Basically, whenever a monster is about to go down, it always sputters with sparks before it finally collapses and explodes."
Munakata: "…"
…That actually made perfect sense. He had no way to argue.
Shaking off his hesitation, Munakata snapped back to focus, firing at one of the white, flat worm-like Yuggs streaking into the sky.
Boom! The laser struck its mark, and the creature exploded midair.
It wasn't just Munakata and Horii. The rest of the Victory Team had also piloted their Victory fighters to the battle zone.
Laser fire rained down in volleys, shredding one Yugg after another as they broke the ocean's surface, sending chunks of mutated flesh tumbling back into the waves.
This time, only the Victory Team came as reinforcements. The Super Victory Team, meanwhile, had been dispatched on another mission—to Jupiter, to retrieve the artificial sun.
As for Ythogtha, this so-called evil god wasn't about to be defeated by a single strike from Yu Zhou's beam.
Sparks erupted violently across its massive head. Many of its tentacles were gone, burned away—but not all.
If its countless tentacles were its "hair," then after Yu Zhou's attack, Ythogtha now looked like Sanmao—the three-haired child.
"It didn't go down in one shot."
"What a shame."
"I thought it'd be finished."
"Hey, come on. It's still an evil god. Tough opponents are to be expected."
"Right. Remember, back in the day, it took transforming into light itself to beat Gatanozoa."
"Same here."
"Same here."
"Same here."
"..."
All over the world, viewers of the live broadcast buzzed with chatter. While some were disappointed Yu Zhou's overwhelming strike hadn't finished the job, others admitted it was only natural. After all, if a so-called evil god could really be felled in one shot, it wouldn't be much of one.
"Alright, let's go!"
Seeing Ythogtha's tentacles nearly wiped out and its black mist scattered, Daigo seized the chance. Now was the perfect moment for close combat. He charged in without hesitation.
Hot on his heels was Asuka. Both shifted into their Power Types—brute strength was the best way to fight up close.
Cain soon followed, also eager to join the fray.
Camearra, Darramb, and Hudra looked instead to Yu Zhou, waiting for his decision.
"Go."
With that single word, Yu Zhou surged forward alongside them.
This was indeed the time for close quarters. With the mist cleared and tentacles thinned, there was nothing left to hinder them.
Relying only on beams wasn't ideal—the energy drain would come too quickly. In fact, Daigo, Asuka, and Masaki had all already unleashed one big attack each. If they fired again, their Colour Timers would likely start flashing red.
When it came to fighting gigantic enemies, Yu Zhou actually had some experience.
True, encounters with such colossal foes were rare—but he'd faced a few.
The berserk Gigel.
Beryudora, the fusion of Belial and a hundred monsters.
Gatanozoa.
And even the first major boss he'd seen—the one from Ultraman Mobius & the Ultra Brothers.
"I'll take the head!" Daigo shouted, ramming straight for Ythogtha's skull.
"I'll handle the left arm!" Asuka yelled, veering to its side.
"I'll take the right!" Masaki fired a small beam and dived at its other arm.
"I'll cover the left leg!" Darramb dove beneath the waves, striking at its submerged limb.
"I'll deal with the right leg!" Hudra, armed with his crossbow, also plunged into the sea.
Camearra said nothing, but lashed her whip across Ythogtha's chest, claiming that spot.
"And me…"
Yu Zhou scanned Ythogtha's massive body. Head, arms, legs, chest—every major part was already being handled. That left only one area…
His gaze fell on Ythogtha's crotch.
"…That's just cruel."
He shook his head. No, he couldn't. With a sigh, he dove into the sea.
"Huh?"
Daigo and the others were confused but pressed on, too busy fighting to question Yu Zhou's choice.
"What's left for Tiga then?"
"Look, he seems to be thinking."
"Head, arms, legs, chest—everything's taken… that only leaves…"
"Ehhh—?!"
"Wait, he dove into the ocean!"
"Both legs are already being handled underwater, though!"
"Then why'd Tiga go down there?"
"..."
The chat exploded with speculation, the audience baffled by Yu Zhou's move.
But before anyone could settle on an explanation, a great splash erupted from the sea. Yu Zhou burst forth, holding something massive overhead.
"Look! Tiga's back!"
"I see him! Wait… is he carrying a huge rock?!"
"Where the heck did, he even find that?!"
"No idea!"
"Me neither!"
Even the other Ultras froze in mid-battle, staring blankly. Yu Zhou had gone into the sea just to fetch a giant boulder? What for?
"I'm throwing it!!"
Yu Zhou roared, hefting the massive rock high—and hurled it straight down at Ythogtha's crotch.
BOOOOOM!!!
"—HISSSSS!!!"
"Holy—!"
"HHhhhhhsssss—!!"
"OH MY GOD!"
"WHAT IS THIS MOVE?!"
"I can't breathe—!"
"Me neither—!!"
"..."
Every viewer watching the livestream went utterly speechless. A boulder, smashing into the evil god's groin?! Who could possibly endure that?
Even the Ultras themselves froze mid-action, stunned into silence by Yu Zhou's brutality. Only Hudra and Darramb, still underwater, missed the sight and kept fighting.
ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!
Ythogtha's crimson eye bulged in shock. Feeling the crushing impact below, it let out a bellow that shook the ocean.
It wasn't clear whether it was rage—or sheer agony.
With a violent sweep of its legs, it kicked both Hudra and Darramb out of the sea.
Seeing the danger, Daigo, Asuka, and Masaki quickly broke away. Camearra too retreated to Yu Zhou's side, watching carefully.
"If only Gatanozoa had a crotch back then," Yu Zhou muttered, remembering the brutal struggle of that battle.