"I can't let him get away so easily!"
Yu Zhou had just seen Etelgar plummet into the cosmic abyss and was about to give chase, when Zog transformed into its second, monstrous form and charged at him.
He hadn't expected that a single punch from him would force Angel Zog into its true beast form.
Well, this worked out. Compared to the angelic form, Yu Zhou actually preferred the monstrous one—it looked more satisfying to fight.
"Annoying! You deal with that monster, and leave this one to me!"
Belial's Ultimate Battler suddenly slammed down, striking the charging Zog and sending it flying once more.
"Huh?"
Yu Zhou blinked, then turned to see Greeza, previously engaged with Belial.
Greeza flickered in and out of the void, appearing unpredictably across space, occasionally launching attacks toward this location.
It seemed even Belial couldn't reach this void monster.
Yu Zhou used his ring shield to block Greeza's attacks and prepared to engage directly. But before he could, Greeza flashed across space and headed straight toward Earth.
"Forget it, let's deal with the little yellow minion first."
Trailing streaks of light particles, Yu Zhou soared through space, chasing the direction Etelgar had fallen.
One boss was already eliminated, and another had fled. Yu Zhou felt a surge of satisfaction.
If he were alone, things would be far more difficult. Thankfully, Belial was around; otherwise, a single Empera would have been a prolonged battle.
Empera's strength was not to be underestimated. When it invaded the Land of Light, even Father of Ultra needed to gather Ultraman power to defeat it—and his waist had been seriously injured in the process.
Thus, when Belial invaded the Land of Light, a single strike from him could topple Father of Ultra.
Etelgar hadn't fled far before Yu Zhou caught up.
More importantly, during his escape, Etelgar repeatedly tried to open wormholes—but none could return him to his world.
It was as if some force was restraining him.
"Etelgar, stop struggling."
Yu Zhou pointed at him and spoke sternly.
"I haven't offended you. Why are you chasing me?"
Etelgar halted, realizing escape was futile.
"Because…"
Yu Zhou paused. He hadn't actually thought of a clear reason to kill Etelgar.
After all, this minion hadn't done anything but call for Belial and get smacked in return.
Yet, if left alive, perhaps he could still cause trouble on Earth.
No—it seemed he wouldn't. His goal had only been to seal Earth's Ultramen, not conquer the planet.
"I don't care," Yu Zhou said, locking eyes with Etelgar. "Since I provoked you, I can't leave you alive—otherwise, it will cause future problems."
Etelgar: …
He thought he'd seen shamelessness, but this Ultraman Tiga redefined it.
In Etelgar's mind, Yu Zhou instantly became a lifelong enemy.
Had it been another Ultraman from the Land of Light, perhaps reason could prevail.
"Judging by your expression, you've already decided I'm a lifelong enemy. Then I have no choice but to finish you."
Seeing Etelgar hesitate, Yu Zhou pressed further.
"You…"
Etelgar was nearly driven insane. At first, he hadn't considered this Tiga a mortal enemy. He had considered sealing him, yes, but hadn't acted—yet now, Yu Zhou forced him into life-or-death combat.
"Is that really your plan for me today?"
With no escape left, Etelgar said, his voice deep and tense.
"Enough talk."
Yu Zhou stretched both arms back, preparing another Shining Zeperion beam.
"Come out, the thing you fear most!"
Seeing Yu Zhou ready his beam, Etelgar exuded a black mist, activating his ultimate move:
Etelgar Mirror!
This ability manifests the thing the enemy fears most, creating a formidable opponent.
"Sorry," Yu Zhou said, gathering light energy. "I fear nothing."
"What?!"
Etelgar realized his black mist revealed nothing.
This meant the Tiga before him feared nothing.
Terrifying—or perhaps, utterly arrogant.
Etelgar had no time to react before Yu Zhou's golden beam struck.
Armor crumbled under the light, revealing his black body beneath.
The red scarf around his neck turned to ash.
Finally, his entire body erupted in a massive explosion, engulfing nearby meteorites.
With Etelgar dealt with, Yu Zhou flew back.
Belial was likely still battling Zog. Judging by Belial's strength, Zog shouldn't pose much of a challenge.
Yu Zhou's real concern was Greeza, the void monster, now heading for Earth.
Greeza had no consciousness—merely instinct-driven destruction.
Even worse, Greeza could devour other monsters.
With countless monsters already appearing on Earth, Greeza's arrival promised massive devouring and chaos.
In Ultraman X, Greeza had nearly reduced X to just his timer.
To fight Greeza, it had to be made corporeal.
But turning Greeza from void to physical form required either X's Rainbow Blade or Zeta's Belial Dusk—both Space Needles.
Thus, bringing X or Zeta to this universe wasn't an option.
Wormholes only transported darkness, not reinforcements.
Belial was the exception. He had nearly finished Zog and only needed a finishing move.
Yet, instead of firing a finishing beam, Belial used the Ultimate Battler to trap the exhausted Zog inside it.
A power of the Reiblood race: monster control.
Belial hadn't forgotten—his goal was to gather the dark army and return to his own world to strike the Land of Light.
Nearby, the battle between Gatanozoa and Sphere seemed to be nearing its climax.
Sphere generated a strong pull, attempting to swallow Gatanozoa into the black hole and assimilate it.
Gatanozoa, however, countered with black mist, charging at Sphere's black hole.