"This…"
Masaki blinked in shock as Camearra and her two companions departed without hesitation.
The true power of Dark Tiga was something he had never seen for himself.
And not just him—Daigo too had only ever heard rumours of Dark Tiga's deeds in the Ultra-Ancient Era, never having witnessed his real strength.
Asuka was even more bewildered.
"Senpai, why did you turn black?!"
Yu Zhou: "…"
"Because right now, I no longer have light," Yu Zhou explained to him calmly. "To defeat darkness… I must wield darkness."
"But… can that really work?" Asuka couldn't hide his worry. This senpai had treated him kindly—he didn't want to watch him fall.
"Asuka, remember this. No matter what hardships you face, never be afraid. That… is what it means to be an Ultra."
It was the first time Asuka had ever seen Dark Tiga. And it would not be the last—he would encounter this form again one day, in the world of Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends.
Yu Zhou mused inwardly. So that's why, back then, Dyna wasn't overly surprised when he saw me in the darkness—it's because he had already seen me like this, right here.
"I understand!"
Asuka nodded firmly. Then, together with Daigo and Shinjou, he turned and flew toward R'lyeh.
Across the world, those watching the broadcast were stunned.
All the other Ultras had left?
Only a silver-and-black Tiga remained?
Dark Tiga?
Using darkness to fight darkness?
The audience didn't know what to think—but Ythogtha was far from dead. The beast bellowed and launched its counterattack.
Thick black mists burst from its body, wrapping toward Yu Zhou from every direction.
Yu Zhou didn't flinch. He charged straight into the suffocating fog, ramming headlong toward Ythogtha.
"Look! Tiga's been swallowed by the black mist!"
"What do we do now?!"
"Is Tiga finished?!"
"No way!"
"I believe in Tiga—after all, I once became the light too!"
"…Wake up. He's Dark Tiga right now. Why are you talking about becoming light?"
"Oh? Right…"
"…."
Ythogtha stared, momentarily dumbfounded, as Yu Zhou hurled himself into the dark mist.
But with only one giant eye, the monster quickly realized what had happened. This was no bravery—it was foolishness. Its prey had walked right into its net.
How laughable!
How delicious!
The Evil God roared, a guttural mix of dragon's howl and beast's bellow, already forgetting the pain in its loins.
But suddenly—before its massive eye, a silver fist grew larger and larger until—BAM!
The punch smashed squarely into its eye.
Ythogtha let out an even louder scream of pain.
Though its eye wasn't destroyed, the agony was unbearable.
"Awesome!"
"Hell yeah!"
"I knew Tiga wouldn't be swallowed so easily!"
"But even after that punch, its eye isn't blind… this Evil God's body is terrifyingly strong."
"Yeah…"
Around the globe, cheers erupted. The moment the Ultras gained even the slightest advantage, hope blazed anew.
Yu Zhou didn't waste time. After that punch, he immediately pulled back to open distance. Against such a colossal monster, just landing a blow on its eye was already remarkable.
After all, with all the earlier beam attacks, surely some had struck its eye too. And yet it still stood unharmed.
That alone proved Ythogtha's defences were every bit as terrifying as Gatanothor's.
Gatanothor had its snail-like shell for protection—but Ythogtha's flesh alone was resisting all this punishment.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, a crimson beam lanced from Ythogtha's eye, streaking straight at Yu Zhou.
Too close. No time for a barrier. Yu Zhou clenched his fist and met the beam head-on.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the sea. Darkness surged around his fist, clashing with the ray. The sheer impact hurled Yu Zhou's body backwards through the air.
"Dark… Zeperion Beam!"
Even as he tumbled, he thrust his arms into an L-shape, unleashing a torrent of dark-violet energy.
BANG!
The beam struck Ythogtha's single eye again, making the beast roar in pain.
But Yu Zhou himself crashed down into the ocean, sending water splashing high.
Beneath the waves, he immediately found himself surrounded. From every direction, pale-white worms surged toward him.
They were the Yugg. And they had chosen this moment to strike.
"Heh…"
Yu Zhou steadied himself. Dark power swirled around his body, heat radiating outward.
Like Tiga's Heat Ray attack, he ignited the very waters around him.
Within seconds, the sea boiled for a hundred meters in every direction.
Bubbles exploded upward, churning the surface.
Blub-blub-blub-blub…
Any fish unlucky enough to stray into the radius were instantly cooked alive. Steam and bubbles burst to the surface in thick clouds.
Mindless, the Yugg hurled themselves into the scalding waters. One after another, they were boiled alive, their corpses floating lifeless around Yu Zhou.
Even the mutated sea beasts, warped by Yugg's spines, charged in ferociously—only to be boiled to death in the same way.
Yu Zhou ignored the swarming fodder and shot back out of the sea, intent on resuming the battle with Ythogtha.
But more Yugg poured from the depths, launching volleys of deadly spines.
Whip-whip!
Yu Zhou fired two dark-violet palm beams, blasting two Yugg apart.
Glancing behind him, he sighed in irritation.
Weak as they are, there are just too many of them… like a swarm of mosquitoes trying to jab me with needles.
Before his annoyance could grow further, a cry echoed across the sky—birds, beasts, a chorus of shrieks.
Yu Zhou looked up.
A flock of creatures was diving down.
Dark-winged, shrieking monsters.
Zoiger.
Small-scale Zoiger, to be precise.
Yu Zhou narrowed his eyes. At present, only Camearra was known to command them.
Gatanothor had once commanded the mature form of Zoiger—the Dark Vanguards—but Gatan was dust now. So, these had to be hers.
Sure enough, the Zoiger pack dove straight at the Yugg swarm.
Black against white. The two armies collided at once, tearing into each other above the ocean.
Corpses rained into the water, drifting lifeless on the waves.
Zoiger bodies. Yugg bodies.
But more Yugg fell than Zoiger. The white worms were simply too frail.
Yu Zhou didn't linger to spectate. He turned back toward Ythogtha, ready to strike again—
But then, something caught his eye.
One of the small Zoiger swooped down, swallowed a Yugg whole—
And its body suddenly flared with a brilliant purple light.