Newton's third law was merciless: every action had its reaction.
Geed had just kicked DarkLops Zero with all his strength, but instead of toppling the enemy, pain shot up his own leg. He staggered and fell flat on the ground—ironically dodging the massive punch that whistled past his head.
Meanwhile, under the bridge, Yuzhou and Laiha finally caught up to the boy. Yuzhou was just about to guide him to pray for Geed when another flash of purple light struck down beside the battlefield.
Another DarkLops Zero appeared.
"This is bad!" Laiha's face went pale. "Geed can't even handle one, let alone two!"
Before he could finish panicking, yet another purple flash split the air.
Laiha's voice cracked. "Don't tell me—another one?! That makes three! Geed is doomed!"
But when the third figure stepped forth, Laiha froze. "Wait… something's off."
Yuzhou narrowed his eyes, studying the silhouette carefully. The sight left his expression twisted in disbelief.
"It can't be…"
"Yuzhou, who is that?" Laiha demanded, anxiety mounting.
The giant revealed himself—his body clad in silver and gold, crimson eyes blazing, three silver streaks etched across his chest, and a gleaming crystal burning on his forehead.
Yuzhou's voice dropped low, tinged with shock.
"DarkLops… Tiga. Belial actually went as far as to create a DarkLops Tiga!"
So that was it. In Ultra Galaxy Legends, Yuzhou—Tiga—had once beaten Belial to a pulp. Apparently Belial had taken that grudge to heart… and made a mechanical copy of him.
"DarkLops Tiga?" Laiha echoed. "Like DarkLops Zero—another mechanical giant modeled after an Ultraman?"
"…Yes." Yuzhou exhaled heavily.
"Then why didn't you mention Tiga when you introduced the Ultras of the Land of Light? Surely he's strong enough."
"Because Tiga isn't from the Land of Light." Yuzhou's answer was calm, almost nostalgic. "He lived on Earth—three tens of millions of years ago. A warrior of the Ultra-Ancient Civilization."
"Thirty million years ago?!" Laiha nearly lost his footing. "That's… absurdly ancient!"
"But wait, Yuzhou," he pressed. "You said you only visited the Land of Light. How would you even know about another universe's Ultraman?"
Yuzhou coughed lightly and deflected without missing a beat. "Ah, well… Tiga just happened to be sightseeing in the Land of Light. I ran into him then."
Laiha stared at him, speechless.
On the battlefield, Geed's head was pounding. One DarkLops Zero had already been more than he could handle. Two made survival questionable. Now there was a third giant—different, but equally terrifying.
"How am I supposed to fight three of them?!"
"Laiha, who is that new one?!" Riku yelled into his Fusion Riser, panicked.
"DarkLops Tiga," Laiha's voice answered grimly.
BOOM!
A DarkLops Zero slammed a fist into Geed's chest, launching him backwards. Before he could recover, the second drove a crushing kick into his side, hurling him across the battlefield.
The third—DarkLops Tiga—caught him effortlessly, then hurled him into the center of the formation like a rag doll.
The two DarkLops Zero crossed their arms, drawing out swirling dark energy that condensed into black Emerium Slash beams. DarkLops Tiga followed suit, charging an ominous crimson ray, its glow nearly identical to Zepellion Ray.
The three beams struck together.
KAA-BOOM!!!
Geed was overwhelmed, his body smashed into the ground. His limbs twitched, consciousness fading, and the Color Timer on his chest began to blink red.
"Geed! Get up!"
"Come on, you can't lose!"
"Geed Ultraman!"
The little boy, horrified, shouted with all his might. His cries broke through the despair.
Yuzhou had been planning to coax him into praying—but now there was no need.
A golden light burst from the boy's chest, rising into the sky and streaking toward Geed like a star.
"That's…!" Laiha gasped. "The Little Star!"
The light sank into Geed's chest. His eyes flickered open.
The three giants immediately unleashed another volley of finishers, and once again an explosion consumed the battlefield, smoke rising in choking waves.
"It's over! Riku—he's finished!" Laiha's heart sank.
But Yuzhou only raised a hand, calm. "Relax. Don't you see all that smoke?"
"…And what about it?" Laiha demanded, half-panicked.
"Smoke means survival," Yuzhou said with a straight face. "If you're really dead, there's no smoke—only silence."
"…What kind of nonsense logic is that?!" Laiha barked back, though his eyes never left the smoke.
And then—through the drifting haze, a new figure emerged.
Geed had transformed, armored with the power of Seven and Leo. His body radiated strength, his stance unyielding. He looked reborn—like a completely different Ultraman. If not for his eyes, one could mistake him for a new warrior altogether.
Steam vented from his back as Riku clenched his fists, exhilarated.
"This power… it's like wearing armor! My body doesn't even feel pain anymore!"
A DarkLops Zero charged. Geed met it head-on, his arm igniting with flame, and drove a blazing fist straight into its chest—sending it flying like a meteor.
"Yes! Just like Yuzhou said—this form excels in close combat!"
The battered DarkLops retaliated, its chest core glowing as it fired a dimensional cannon. Geed crossed his fists, unleashing a brilliant blue shockwave from his chest.
The purple energy began to overwhelm his beam… until suddenly, Geed's light surged, tearing through and detonating the enemy in a blazing inferno.
One down.
The other DarkLops Zero drew dual head-fins and lunged. Geed answered in kind, pulling his own crest free and clashing steel against steel. Sparks flew as they dueled, blades ringing in rapid succession.
Finally, Geed struck twice across its chest, explosions blooming. The foe staggered, barely able to guard against his third strike—only for Geed to knock it back with brutal force.
He wasted no time. Slotting the head fin back into his leg port, he spun into a fiery somersault kick—
Boost Head Fin Kick!
The DarkLops exploded on impact.
Laiha gaped. "This form… Geed's strength has skyrocketed!"
Earlier, Geed's Primitive Form hadn't even scratched these enemies. Now, he'd annihilated two in a row.
But Yuzhou only sighed. "Don't celebrate yet."
Because the battlefield lit up once more.
Two more purple lights crashed down—DarkLops Tiga, replicated twice over.
Laiha's stomach dropped. "Not again! Three more—Geed's time limit won't last!"
Geed's transformation could only hold for three minutes. Against three more DarkLops, even this new power wouldn't be enough.
Yuzhou's eyes darkened. So this is Fukude Kei's real plan. Just like before—forcing Zero to appear.
But in the original timeline, Kei had only three DarkLops Zero capsules. Now he had DarkLops Tiga as well.
Yuzhou slipped a hand into his coat, prepared. If Zero doesn't show before Geed runs out of time… then I'll have to intervene myself.