"What did you do to Etelgar?!"
Before Yu Zhou and the others could even begin searching, Arena appeared from the shadows.
Seeing Etelgar vanish before her eyes, she shouted furiously at them.
"I'll seal all of you away!"
Raising the mirror in her hands, Arena unleashed a beam of violet-gold light straight toward Ultraman Max.
Having been sealed once before, Max instantly recognized that beam.
If it hit him, he'd once again be trapped inside that infernal mirror — with no way out.
Without hesitation, Max darted aside, evading the light.
The sealing beam missed its target and shot harmlessly into the distance.
Yu Zhou reverted to his Composite Form, descended from the sky, and landed in front of Arena.
Seeing this, Arena lifted the mirror again, ready to fire.
But before she could, a wave of golden light burst from Yu Zhou's body, enveloping him completely.
Purple mist began to pour out from the top of Arena's head, dispersing into the air — the remnants of Etelgar's control.
The purifying light from Yu Zhou cleansed her.
Arena clutched her head and fell to her knees, writhing in pain, but after a short while, her eyes regained clarity.
She had broken free from Etelgar's influence.
"Arena! Quickly — release the other Ultra Warriors!" Yu Zhou urged.
Having already freed them once before, Arena immediately understood what to do.
She raised her mirror, opening a dimensional rift in the Space-Time Fortress, and shards of countless mirrors floated outward.
Inside each mirror, the image of a trapped Ultra Warrior could be clearly seen.
But just then —
a spatial vortex tore open in front of them.
Yu Zhou, Max, and Gaia turned sharply toward it — only to see Etelgar charging back through!
"Arena, hurry!" Yu Zhou shouted, his voice tight with urgency.
He transformed into his Power Type and lunged toward Etelgar.
Max and Gaia didn't hesitate either. Knowing they had to stop Etelgar at all costs, both launched themselves forward.
"Out of my way!"
A surge of energy erupted from Etelgar's body.
Fuelled by his fury, he entered his Etel Hell Mode — a berserk, unyielding state of sheer power.
With a single swing of his hand, he sent Max crashing into the ground, sparks bursting from his armour.
Gaia punched him square in the chest, but Etelgar didn't even budge — he simply countered with a brutal kick that sent Gaia flying.
Yu Zhou, still in Power Type, slammed into him with all his might.
Boom!
Etelgar took half a step back — that was all.
Yu Zhou, on the other hand, was thrown back by the recoil, landing hard.
"Etel Hell Mode really is something…" Yu Zhou muttered, kneeling on one knee, staring at the glowing Etelgar ahead.
In the original timeline, Ultraman Cosmos had been defeated by this very form — Etelgar had endured Cosmos's strongest beam in Solar Corona form and forced him back into Lunar Mode.
A terrifying ability.
Even Tiga possessed something similar — his Shining Barrier, activated only in his Shining Form.
But Yu Zhou knew — it was far too soon for him to unleash that power.
Besides, to waste his light on a mere Etelgar… was hardly worth it.
"Yu Zhou-kun! We're here!"
A familiar voice called out from behind.
Everyone turned toward it — and saw four giants of light flying toward the battlefield, fragments of broken mirrors glittering behind them.
It was Daigo and his comrades — Tiga, Dyna, Cain, and Nexus!
"Daigo…"
Yu Zhou stood up once more, determination flaring.
With their arrival, the tide of battle had turned completely in their favour.
Two Tigas, Dyna, Cain, Gaia, Max, and Nexus — seven Ultras in total.
Against one Etelgar.
Even without the full "Ultra Ten Warriors," this lineup was more than enough.
Nexus, however, looked around in confusion.
"…Why are there two Tigas?"
No one bothered to answer — there was no time for questions. The priority was clear: defeat Etelgar.
"Someone's coming!"
Just as Nexus prepared to strike, he sensed movement below — someone was ascending from the lower levels of the fortress.
Everyone turned toward the upper entrance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures shot up into view, floating in midair —
a silver-and-red giant holding a shield,
a silver-and-purple one wielding a crossbow,
and a golden-silver female giant with a long whip.
Darramb, Hudra, and Camearra.
"It seems this battle has been going on for quite a while," Yu Zhou remarked.
He suddenly remembered — before leaving the Crystal Palace for space, he had instructed its lone attendant, Himala, that if he didn't return for a long time, she should inform Camearra of his whereabouts.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
As soon as she flew up, Camearra's eyes locked onto Yu Zhou.
She rushed over and, with genuine worry, wrapped her arm around his.
"I'm fine," Yu Zhou said, shaking his head.
To be honest, he felt a little embarrassed — there were so many people watching, and here she was, clinging to him in the middle of a war.
It felt… out of place.
But before he could say anything else, his Colour Timer began to blink.
Awkward.
After fighting for so long and burning through so much energy, Yu Zhou's reserves were finally running dry.
Camearra noticed instantly.
Without hesitation, she guided a stream of golden light from her own Colour Timer into Yu Zhou's chest, restoring his fading glow.
"…So, this is love," murmured one of the Ultras nearby.
The rest just stood there, dumbfounded — feeling like their own Colour Timers had been filled to the brim with dog food.
Who needed recharging after witnessing that?
Even Etelgar hesitated for a moment at the sight — but only briefly.
He quickly realized the situation had turned completely against him.
And then his eyes landed on Arena.
With a roar, Etelgar slammed his feet into the ground and lunged toward her.
"Stop him!"
Hudra, the swiftest among them, reacted instantly.
Her violet crossbow flashed — a bolt of purple light struck Etelgar square in the chest, staggering him for a moment.
Camearra followed up — her golden whip lashed forward, wrapping around Etelgar, trying to hold him in place.
"Princess Arena!"
But before she could restrain him completely, Etelgar once again released a surge of purple mist,
the corrupting aura sweeping violently toward Arena once more—
—to reclaim his control.