"SWOOSH!!!"
Just as Absolutian Tartarus was about to make his move, two streaks of green light slashed across his wrists, interrupting his attack.
"Hm?"
Before the Little Golden Man could react, a green laser shot straight for his face.
The ambushed Little Golden Man reacted quickly, raising his hands to block his face.
The emerald-colored Emerium Slash instantly struck Tartarus's hands, sending out sparks of lightning.
For Tartarus, however, an attack of this level was nowhere near enough to break through his defense.
Even so, the sudden assault still managed to hold him in place for about a second.
Seizing the opportunity, Ultraman Cosmos did a backflip, kicked Tartarus away, and successfully created distance between them.
"Zero, be careful! This guy… is incredibly strong!!"
His chest timer was flashing rapidly. The energy drain had left Cosmos barely able to stand, forcing him to kneel on one knee.
Seeing this, Zero immediately shielded Cosmos, pointing the blade of the Aegis of Palagye at Tartarus.
To save Ultraman Cosmos, Ultraman Zero had undoubtedly used his full power in that last attack.
Yet, not a single scratch could be seen on Tartarus's body.
"Ultraman Zero? The youngest and strongest warrior of the Land of Light. I didn't expect to run into you here."
After steadying himself, the unscathed Absolutian Tartarus spoke with considerable interest.
If nothing else, the fact that Zero could shatter the barrier of space to enter this dimension was enough to warrant his attention.
"You know me?" A flicker of doubt crossed Zero's eyes.
From the perspective of cosmic time, he hadn't been active for very long. His reputation hadn't fully spread yet, and Zero was certain he had never met Tartarus before.
As Zero observed Tartarus, Tartarus was observing him.
Given the Little Golden Man's cautious nature, he would not attack an opponent whose background he didn't know.
Evidently, the same was true for Zero. Tartarus only knew a little about Zero's history and strength.
Of course, the most important factor was the armor Zero was currently wearing—the Aegis of Palagye, a divine artifact rumored to have been created by Ultraman Noa.
Is Ultraman Noa watching him? Should I just back off?
Without waiting for Zero's reply, the Little Golden Man was actually quite flustered internally.
As the leader of the Kingdom and the most promising Ultimate Lifeform of his entire race, the Little Golden Man tended to overthink things.
Defeating Zero in a short amount of time was likely unrealistic. What if Justice or Noa showed up during the fight? That would be a huge problem.
He had just been through a major battle. He stood no chance against Noa or Legend.
"Hey, are you deaf?" Zero asked in a hostile tone, slightly confused about the Little Golden Man's origin and objective.
The Little Golden Man simply looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a chilling voice, "A little rat from the Land of Light who only knows how to pull off sneak attacks."
As he spoke, a ball of golden energy rapidly condensed in the Little Golden Man's hand and was hurled at Zero's face.
It was still too early to give up. With his teleportation portal, he wasn't afraid even if both Noa and Legend showed up. The Little Golden Man had plenty of confidence in his abilities, perhaps because he could traverse the cosmos at will.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Facing the sudden attack, Zero swiftly deployed a blue barrier, successfully blocking the golden energy wave.
Then, like a pouncing tiger, he slashed down with the blade in his hand, a trail of blue sword energy striking directly at the Little Golden Man's head.
With this strike, not even Tartarus would escape unscathed.
The entire sequence was incredibly fast, without a hint of hesitation. Facing the enemy before him, Zero didn't dare hold anything back.
Seeing this, the audience outside the screen grew excited. After all, the sword was already hanging over his head. No matter how strong Tartarus was, he couldn't possibly take this hit without a scratch.
However, just as Zero's blade was about to fall, a golden light erupted from Tartarus's body, in no way inferior to the light emanating from Zero.
BOOM~~~
A torrent of golden energy erupted with unstoppable might from Tartarus's hands like a beam cannon, sweeping towards Zero.
Everywhere it passed, the air itself was torn open. The dark golden energy, laced with golden lightning, boomed like a thunderstorm. The sheer visual was overwhelming.
This absolutely annihilating blow was like an attack from Nanook the Destruction. The sight of it sent a shiver down the spines of countless viewers, making their hair stand on end.
In that instant, Zero was stunned. Perhaps he never expected Tartarus to unleash such astonishing power in a split second.
However, his body still knew how to react to such a terrifying attack. The instincts honed from his battles with Leo made Zero decisively abandon his attack and dodge with swift agility.
From a distance, Cosmos witnessed this and was slightly taken aback. Tartarus's speed was incredible. Why was he so desperate to defeat Zero quickly, even at the cost of harming himself?
Before Cosmos could ponder further, the camera panned back. Zero was completely engulfed by the golden energy. That terrifying power seemed to want to drill directly into Stelle's body, sending Zero flying back hundreds of meters.
"Stelle!"
Relying on his body's instincts, Zero had dodged the attack that was intended to be a finisher. He then quickly made contact with Stelle inside him.
"HRAAAGH~~~!"
A silver-gray light instantly enveloped Zero's body as the power of the Path of Destruction manifested within him.
What was this form?
The sight of Destruction-Zero combined with the Aegis of Palagye made Tartarus's expression change, his heart filled with shock.
In order to find a way to defeat the Ultra clan, Tartarus's understanding of Ultramen was clearer than even some Ultramen themselves. But even so, Tartarus had no idea what kind of change had just occurred to Zero.
His power had doubled in the blink of an eye, and it seemed to be mixed with a power that did not belong to the Ultra clan.
When the golden lightning energy dissipated, Zero's unharmed body emerged, looking exceptionally brilliant against the golden backdrop.
"Damned Ultraman."
Seeing Zero completely unscathed, Tartarus gritted his teeth, staring at Zero with a chillingly fierce gaze. His white pupils quivered slightly, revealing endless vigilance and a hint of retreat.
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary
Witnessing Tartarus's combat prowess once again, the audience outside the screen couldn't help but gasp.
He almost… he was just one step away from finishing Zero in a single move.
And that was Zero equipped with the Aegis of Palagye, Zero who had been acknowledged by Noa. The Little Golden Man's combat strength was actually this ferocious!
[Madara Uchiha / The Uchiha Dancer]: "A beautiful dance. That explosive power and destructive force… even the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't be able to withstand that."
[Gensokyo's Public Morals Officer]: "Good thing Zero still has his Destruction form. With that buff stacked, he can still go a few rounds with the Little Golden Man."
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]: "The Little Golden Man is a breath of fresh air among villains in the Ultra universe. A cautious and intelligent villain is a rare sight these days."
[Jing Yuan]: "He's just a bit too cautious. If it weren't for his reluctance to let go of the Sacred Light that's almost within his grasp, he probably would have turned tail and run the moment Zero revealed his Destruction-Aegis form."
[The Cautious Hero]: "Too cautious? Are you kidding? You call that cautious? If it were me, I wouldn't have even entered Earth in the first place. It's best to stay far away from the Swarm King."
[Yukino Yukinoshita]: "Speaking of which, I don't know about Legend, but in Noa's case, with the power the Little Golden Man has shown so far, he's no match at all. Where does he get the confidence that he can beat Noa?"
[Himouto Umaru-chan]: "He's probably never seen him before. Didn't they mention earlier that Ultraman Noa travels through countless universes, elusive as a divine dragon? The Little Golden Man only knows that he's an Ultraman and that he's very strong, but he has no idea exactly how strong."
[Detective Conan]: "Exactly. The light curtain has already shown us the tip of the iceberg of Noa's power. You can ask the Little Golden Man if he still dares to go looking for trouble with Noa now."
[Absolutian Tartarus]: "..."
---o---
Light Curtain Footage
After Zero entered his new form, the power he displayed made the Little Golden Man feel a faint sense of threat.
"The Ultra clan… even after losing the core of the Plasma Spark Tower, they can still produce a warrior of this caliber?"
Tartarus exclaimed, but his eyes were filled with killing intent. "Just like Cosmos, you're too much of a threat to be left alive. I've changed my plans. Even if I don't get the information on the Sacred Light this time, I will leave you and Cosmos here forever!"
As he spoke, Tartarus took the initiative, relying on his martial arts skills to engage Zero in battle.
In response, Zero showed no weakness, raising his sword and clashing with his opponent.
At this time, Cosmos, who was watching from the sidelines, finally understood Tartarus's objective upon hearing his words.
The Sacred Light! His goal was actually the Sacred Light?
Was he trying to bait information about the Sacred Light's location from the Ultramen? He absolutely could not be allowed to succeed!
It must be said, Musashi was very intelligent, guessing Tartarus's objective from just a few words. However… this was also because Tartarus hadn't paid him any mind at all.
Meanwhile, under the onslaught of Zero's attacks filled with the power of the Path of Destruction, Tartarus's arms felt an unbearable pain, as if they were about to snap.
The Path of Destruction specialized in offense. Most Pathstriders who walked this Path possessed immense combat strength.
Combined with Zero's own energy, the power he displayed was even more astonishing. Nearly every blow had the force to one-shot an elite monster.
For a time, continuous roars echoed through the golden space, like the sound of metal exploding.
Under the terrifying destructive power of both combatants, the brilliant golden space constructed by the Little Golden Man was beginning to collapse. Sparks flew everywhere, and rubble scattered through the air.
Troublesome.
As troublesome as a madman. To Tartarus, Zero in this form was as difficult to deal with as a lunatic who had lost all reason.
A quick victory was impossible. And under the buffs from both the Path of Destruction and the Aegis of Palagye, the Little Golden Man once again had the thought of retreating.
He couldn't afford to get tied down fighting Zero here. The presence of Father of Ultra on Earth was a threat, even if he had lost his ability to fight.
"No choice, I'll have to withdraw for now."
Just as Tartarus steeled his resolve to retreat, he suddenly noticed that Zero's movements and the force behind them had become slower and weaker than before.
Seeing this, Tartarus continued to maintain his high-intensity attacks, using the golden energy imbued in his hands to strike the blade in Zero's hands.
And this time, Zero, in a moment of carelessness, revealed an opening and was knocked back by the golden energy.
At the same time, his breathing became heavier. Although the indicator on his chest was still blue, his slightly trembling shoulders proved that he was not in a good state.
Seeing this, Tartarus no longer wanted to run. A hint of joy flashed in his eyes as he asked, as if confirming something, "Ultraman Zero, it seems you've about reached your limit, haven't you?"
"What's wrong? You can't maintain that form for long, can you?"
It was no wonder he was clinging to him like a mad dog. It seemed Zero had not fully mastered the power in his hands.
Having confirmed this point, Tartarus crossed his hands in front of him and concentrated his energy. With this one blow, he would completely rob Zero of his ability to fight.
His palms shot forward, and a beam wrapped in golden lightning shot swiftly towards Zero's body.
Seeing this, the Aegis of Palagye on Zero's body instantly changed, transforming into the shape of a bow.
A blue energy body condensed on the bow and arrow, erupting with ferocious power as it shot towards Tartarus.
The golden radiance and the blue-white light collided, grinding against each other like two chainsaws, constantly throwing off sparks at the point of impact.
However, this state only lasted for a brief moment before the golden light gained the upper hand, forcing Zero back to his original form.
"Gah—"
Knocked back to his base form, Zero tumbled across the ground twice before being caught by the observing Cosmos.
"Zero, are you alright?"
The Color Timer on his chest still wasn't blinking. It seemed that Zero, with the Stellaron and the Aegis of Palagye, did not lack for energy; it was simply that his mind couldn't withstand such a high-intensity battle.
"Hmph, this guy… is pretty strong."
Pushing himself up from the golden ground, Zero said through the pain, his words carrying an acknowledgement of Tartarus's strength.
Although he didn't want to admit it, it was true that Tartarus was a bit stronger than him right now.
"Now, I can finally solve two major problems at once."
With the voice of a victor, Absolutian Tartarus slowly walked towards the two of them.