The appearance of both Ultraman and a monster in the real world—it sounded utterly absurd.
And yet, it was happening right before everyone's eyes.
No one knew why they had appeared.
Beyond the shock and curiosity, most people only wanted to get as far away from the scene as possible before they got caught in the chaos.
"Cha!"
Ultraman Tiga—Yu Zhou—raised his arm and struck Tiga's signature battle pose, shouting at Golza as he prepared for combat.
Golza roared back, the thunderous sound echoing through the city. The monster swung its massive claws and charged straight toward him.
Yu Zhou braced himself.
Both hands open like claws, he seized Golza's wrists as the monster lunged.
This Golza wasn't especially strong—it was just the original version, not an evolved one.
With his Multi Type power, Yu Zhou could easily overpower and restrain it.
But holding it like this made further moves difficult.
All around, countless people were still trapped nearby—some injured while fleeing, others too old to run.
And a few… simply stayed to watch, perhaps too stunned—or too brave—for their own good.
Yu Zhou even spotted a reporter standing amid the chaos, camera trembling in his hands as he filmed excitedly.
"This is going to shock the entire world…" Yu Zhou thought grimly.
The appearance of both a monster and Ultraman—figures that had only ever existed in fiction—would undoubtedly cause a worldwide sensation.
He glanced around at the fragile cityscape and sighed.
"It seems… I'll have to move this battle off the ground."
With no better choice, Yu Zhou tightened his grip, hoisting Golza high above his head.
Then, with a powerful burst of flight energy, he launched himself skyward, carrying the thrashing monster into the open sky.
Fighting on the ground would only endanger more lives.
This peaceful world had no training, no experience with sudden monster disasters like the worlds of Ultraman.
People here had never learned to evacuate swiftly—they hadn't needed to.
Until today.
Golza struggled wildly in his grasp, swinging its limbs and bellowing.
Yu Zhou frowned. "Honestly, I didn't even want to fight something this weak."
Fighting here, in the real world, would only draw attention—and trouble he didn't need.
So, with a deep breath, he hurled the struggling Golza high into the air.
Stretching both arms backward, Yu Zhou quickly gathered white energy particles, then swung his hands into an "L" formation.
A beam of brilliant light burst forth.
Zeperion Beam!
The beam struck Golza squarely in the chest.
A deafening explosion tore through the sky, and a blazing fireball bloomed high above the city.
The shockwave rolled across the clouds, followed by a searing gust of heat.
One attack.
Instant victory.
"Holy crap! He one-shotted it?!"
"That's insane!"
"It still feels unreal, but that beam looked way too real!"
"My god, seeing Ultraman fight for real—it's incredible!"
"That was the Zeperion Beam, right? I remember that move—I used to mimic it as a kid!"
"Same here! I used to do that pose all the time!"
"I still can't believe this is happening. Am I dreaming?"
"Me too… this feels impossible."
"I swear I saw something on the news this morning about a monster…"
The people who stayed behind to watch were all talking at once—half in disbelief, half in awe.
Everything they'd seen was beyond comprehension, like stepping into a fantasy.
Some even pinched each other to make sure they weren't dreaming.
And yet, it was all real.
High above, Yu Zhou hovered in the air for a moment, watching Golza's fiery explosion fade into drifting embers.
He didn't linger.
In the next second, a streak of light shot away into the horizon.
Moments later, that same streak slipped silently into a parked car—
—and Yu Zhou stepped out from the driver's seat as if nothing had happened.
Nearby, a man stood frozen, staring up at the sky, completely dazed.
He looked like a statue—mouth open, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Wait!" the man suddenly shouted, snapping out of his trance just as Yu Zhou was about to leave.
Yu Zhou stopped and turned around. "What is it?"
"You… you saw Ultraman Tiga too, right?!"
The man's face was flushed with excitement.
"Uh… yeah." Yu Zhou nodded slowly.
"It's real then…" the man muttered to himself. Then he looked back at Yu Zhou, eyes shining. "Can you… hit me?"
"What?" Yu Zhou blinked, stunned.
He'd never heard such a ridiculous request in his life.
"Hit me!" the man said again, pointing at his cheek. "Here! As hard as you can!"
Yu Zhou sighed. "If you say so…"
The man nodded eagerly.
SMACK!
The sound echoed sharply, drawing the attention of a few nearby people.
The man froze for a second, face reddening from the slap. Then, slowly, a crazed smile spread across his face.
"It's real… it's real! This isn't a dream!" he shouted. "Ultraman exists! Ultraman Tiga is real! And Golza—Golza too!"
"As a lifelong Ultraman fan… I can die happy!"
Yu Zhou could only shake his head, walking past him with an exasperated sigh. "Some people really get too excited…"
Most citizens had already evacuated safely, though a few remained on the plaza—including Yu Zhou's parents and Camearra, who had stayed by their side.
"Dad! Mom! Are you both okay?" Yu Zhou called out as he ran to them.
"You're asking if we're okay? What about Xiaomi?" his mother scolded immediately.
She had just recovered from the shock, but still found the strength to scold her son.
Honestly, she couldn't understand how a girl like Camearra had fallen for this clueless boy.
"Ah?" Yu Zhou blinked, then turned to Camearra with an awkward smile.
"Camearra, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Camearra smiled softly. She hadn't expected Yu Zhou's parents—who had only just met her—to already show such genuine concern.
"That's good," Yu Zhou sighed in relief. "As long as everyone's safe."
"What do you mean, 'that's good'? Where the hell did you run off to just now?" his father, Yu Xiasheng, rapped him on the head.
"We almost got stomped to death by that monster! If it weren't for that Ultraman showing up, we'd be dead!"
"But seriously," he added, frowning in confusion, "why would Ultraman appear in real life? Isn't that just from TV?"
Even Yu Zhou's parents, who weren't big fans, knew who Ultraman was.
But that was the extent of their knowledge—they never imagined he could be real.
"I got separated in the crowd," Yu Zhou said, scratching his head awkwardly.
He obviously couldn't tell them that he was Ultraman Tiga, so that excuse would have to do.