"Don't even think about it!"
Yu Zhou reacted instantly, unleashing a Purification Beam toward the purple mist that Etelgar had released.
The golden beam collided with the miasma, and the moment they met, the dark mist dissolved away like oil meeting detergent — purified and erased in an instant.
"What?!"
Etelgar was visibly shocked. His poisonous mist — his ultimate control — had been purified by this version of Tiga's light?
But according to his knowledge, only Ultraman Cosmos possessed such a power of purification!
He never expected that Tiga could use it as well.
"Increase power output!"
The colour timer on Yu Zhou's chest flashed, and the golden beam in his hands expanded in intensity, completely swallowing the purple mist before wrapping itself around Etelgar's body like chains of radiant light.
At the same time, Camearra's golden whip lashed forward, entangling Etelgar and further restricting his movement.
"He's trying to… purify Etelgar?"
Gamu (Ultraman Gaia) froze for a moment, staring in disbelief.
"Can Etelgar even be purified?" Ultraman Max muttered, equally confused. Both kept their eyes fixed on the struggling foe wrapped in gold.
"Heh… hehehehe!"
Etelgar, bound by light, let out an eerie laugh.
"Purify me? What a foolish dream."
His body trembled violently — and with a powerful surge, he shattered the golden bindings, even breaking Camearra's whip. Then, countless orbs of light appeared in the sky above like a torrential rain, descending upon the battlefield.
"Where are those light blasts coming from?"
Daigo looked up — and saw a storm of light bombs falling from the heavens, their source seeming to be the sky above the City of Spacetime itself.
"Doesn't matter! We defend first!"
From within Cain's body, Masaki called out.
He raised an Ultra Barrier, shielding himself.
Daigo and Asuka (Ultraman Dyna) nodded and followed suit, raising their own barriers to block the barrage.
Max, Gaia, Nexus, and Hudra joined in, erecting their shields.
Darramb raised a red energy shield of his own, standing firm.
In front of Yu Zhou, Camearra extended one hand, forming a golden protective dome around herself and Yu Zhou.
Inside the barrier, Yu Zhou prepared to counterattack with a light beam — but then he noticed Arena standing unprotected not far away.
Without hesitation, he flipped out of the barrier, swooped down to grab her in his arms, and backflipped again to safety within Camearra's shield. He set Arena gently on the ground.
Camearra blinked in surprise. Then, her expression darkened.
He actually cares that much about another woman?
Not only that — he bounced back and forth just to save her!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her hand slid over and pinched Yu Zhou's thigh hard.
"Hiss!"
Even in Ultraman form, Yu Zhou still felt the pain. He glanced down at Camearra's hand, then up at her face, baffled.
"What did I do wrong now…?"
From the way Camearra's eyes glared at him, even behind that emotionless mask, Yu Zhou could clearly read the message:
'You really don't know what you did wrong, do you?!'
Meanwhile, the rain of light bombs continued — though not particularly powerful, they seemed endless.
Yu Zhou looked between the endless storm above and the faint purple glow still flickering from Etelgar's body. A realization struck him.
The source of the bombardment… was Etelgar himself!
Yu Zhou drew both arms back, gathering silvery-white energy at his chest. Then he extended them into an L-shape — unleashing the Zeperion Beam.
A sizzling sound echoed as the beam struck Etelgar, tearing away the lingering purple light.
As the darkness dispersed, the raining light orbs ceased instantly.
All the Ultras lowered their barriers and regrouped beside Yu Zhou and Camearra, standing side by side in formation.
"Perfect — ten Ultras. Guess this makes us the New Ten Ultra Warriors," Yu Zhou murmured.
He counted silently. Ten of them — just like in the original story.
Although… the lineup was a little different.
Mebius, Cosmos, Zero, Ginga, and Victory weren't here.
Their places were taken by Camearra, Hudra, Darramb, Cain, and an extra Tiga — Yu Zhou himself.
"Damn you all!"
Etelgar roared, baring his fangs.
"No matter what timeline or world you come from… you will never defeat darkness!"
At that moment, Daigo stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"No matter what you are — you can never overcome the light!"
As he spoke, golden light erupted from his body — and before anyone realized it, Daigo transformed into Shining Tiga!
"What the—?!"
Yu Zhou's jaw dropped.
Daigo… had awakened the Shining form just by talking?!
Even Masaki, who knew the true method of awakening the Shining form — by uniting with the light of human hope — was stunned.
How could Daigo just say one line and instantly evolve?!
It was absurd… and yet it worked.
"Ultras never give up!"
Max shouted, raising his arms and charging energy for his own beam.
Yu Zhou and Masaki exchanged glances, still bewildered, but didn't hesitate. They too gathered light energy, preparing for the final strike.
The glow of Daigo's Shining Form spread to them all, coating every Ultra in golden brilliance.
"This guy makes it look too easy," Yu Zhou muttered enviously. "Would be nice if I could do that too someday…"
But even while grumbling, he finished charging his Golden Zeperion Beam and fired.
Ten golden beams combined in midair into a colossal pillar of light, roaring toward Etelgar.
Etelgar tried to open a dimensional wormhole to escape—
—but he was a second too late.
Before the portal could stabilize, the golden light consumed his entire body, erasing him completely from existence.