"That's right, I'm Gamu."
Although Gaia didn't know why Ultraman Tiga recognized him, he still nodded firmly.
"Let's go together!"
"Right!"
"Charge!"
After exchanging their signature Ultraman nods, the three of them — Tiga, Gaia, and Max — rushed straight toward Etelgar.
At that moment, Etelgar was holding Arena in his hand. Seeing the three Ultramen charging, and Tiga shifting back into his silver-and-blue Power Type to prepare a beam attack, Etelgar quickly retreated into the Time-Space Fortress, layering powerful barriers around himself.
Fighting three Ultramen at once wasn't impossible for him,
but that black hole from earlier had truly been a headache.
Still, as a Hyperdimensional Demon God, escaping from a black hole was only troublesome — not impossible.
"Let's make things easier for myself," he muttered.
Before entering the fortress, Etelgar cast a glance at Yu Zhou and the others, then raised his hand. Countless purple energy spheres shot out, streaking toward Earth like a rain of meteors.
"Come forth — humanity's most terrifying nemesis!"
Yu Zhou and the others realized what was happening, but it was already too late.
The purple spheres rained down upon Earth, and soon, dark mist began to rise from the surface — swirling and condensing in outer space into an enormous cloud of blackness.
"This is…" Max frowned, staring solemnly at the dark fog forming beyond Earth's orbit.
Moments later, the mist condensed into a solid form — a dark, towering figure emerging before them.
"Dark Lugiel."
That black armour, crimson eyes, and two shadowy horns — Yu Zhou recognized it immediately.
Dark Lugiel, a puppet created by Etelgar!
In the original story, Dark Lugiel was defeated only after Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Victory fused their powers.
But now, with neither Ginga nor Victory present — it would fall to Yu Zhou, Gaia, and Max to handle it.
"Let's finish this quickly," Yu Zhou said.
Max and Gaia nodded. Yu Zhou transformed into his Power Type, his body radiating fierce energy, and charged. Gaia elevated into his Supreme Form, reinforcing himself before flying forward as well. Max followed, drawing his Maxium Sword, holding it like a blade.
Bang! Bang!
Yu Zhou's Power Type and Gaia's Supreme Form both landed heavy punches on Dark Lugiel, sending the puppet hurtling backward.
Max swung his sword, slicing through the puppet's body in several sharp flashes.
"It's just a puppet — not very strong. Let's end this fast," Yu Zhou called out.
The others agreed. There was no point wasting time on a puppet; their true goal was Etelgar.
"Delacium Light Stream!"
"Maxium Cannon!"
"Quantum Stream!"
Three radiant beams shot out simultaneously, merging into one colossal ray of light that engulfed Dark Lugiel.
A deafening boom echoed through space as the puppet was blasted away — and in an instant, exploded into a magnificent burst of light.
The infamous Dark Lugiel was completely obliterated by their combined attack.
Of course, this was only a puppet — nothing like the true Dark Lugiel.
If the original had appeared, the battle would've been far tougher.
"Etelgar," Yu Zhou looked toward the fortress and taunted, "Is that all you've got?"
"Hmmph."
Etelgar's expression darkened. Watching his puppet destroyed so easily didn't sit well with him. Yet, instead of staying angry, he lifted his hand again — releasing dark red mist that condensed before the three Ultramen into another monstrous figure.
Five King — Puppet Version!
This version was a fusion of Golza, Melba, Super-C.O.V., Gan-Q, and Reicubas — a genuine Five King, unlike Charija's earlier "Digital Monster" version that fused Zoiger and King Guesra.
"Whoa, that monster—!" Yu Zhou was about to move when a familiar voice interrupted.
Turning around, he saw Charija.
Speak of the devil — and he appears.
"I'll take this one!" Charija shouted excitedly.
He immediately recognized the combined monster before him — the authentic Five King Yu Zhou had mentioned before. Seeing it in person made his eyes gleam with joy.
Without hesitation, Charija leapt forward on his black umbrella, tossing a capsule straight at the Five King's head.
Snap! The capsule hit and released a flash of light — sucking the puppetized Five King inside.
"What?!"
Etelgar was dumbfounded.
In an instant, the puppet he had just summoned was gone — the connection between them severed completely.
Then the capsule shimmered in the air, gave a crisp sound, and floated down gently into Charija's hand.
Yu Zhou, Gaia, and Max all stared in disbelief.
"That… actually worked?!" Yu Zhou muttered.
He was stunned that Charija had just captured such a powerful monster with a single capsule.
Max and Gaia, meanwhile, were even more confused — they had no idea who this plump man in a black suit was, let alone how he could casually neutralize a monster like that.
"Damn it," Etelgar cursed, realizing he had lost another creation. He turned away and vanished into the Time-Space Fortress without another word.
"Charija, nicely done," Yu Zhou said, giving him a thumb-up.
"This Five King was only a puppet," Charija replied, examining the capsule. "Capturing it was easy once I cut off its connection to the outside world."
"I see," Yu Zhou nodded. No wonder Charija had managed to capture it so effortlessly.
Back when they faced the berserk Digital Monster Five King, Charija had used countless capsules and still failed to contain it.
"Anyway," Yu Zhou said with a grin, "since you're here, why not lend a hand?"
"Help you with what?" Charija asked warily. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Come with us into the Time-Space Fortress — monster hunting!"
"No way!"
"Come on!"
"Goodbye!"
Charija glanced at Max — clearly uncomfortable with the presence of an Ultraman from the M78 Nebula — then stepped onto his umbrella and flew back toward Earth.
"Uh…" Yu Zhou scratched his head. That look said it all.
Charija clearly held a grudge against the Ultramen of M78.
Max, confused, rubbed the back of his neck. "What was that all about?"