The night was cloaked in silence, the empty streets lit only by dim streetlamps. Their glow barely illuminated the cracked pavement, just enough for one to walk.
Camearra had shifted from simply holding Yu Zhou's arm to wrapping herself around his shoulder, her gesture intimate, almost possessive.
"Camearra… could you loosen up a little?"
Yu Zhou, feeling the pressure of her tight embrace, asked cautiously.
"You didn't like me holding your arm. So, I'll just hold you closer."
Camearra smiled, a teasing glint in her eyes.
Yu Zhou: "???"
That wasn't what he meant. He wanted her to let go entirely, not cling even tighter. Clearly, Camearra understood, but she chose to act as though she didn't—and even tightened her grip further.
Resigned, Yu Zhou sighed and changed the subject.
"Can you describe to me… what Tiga looked like thirty million years ago?"
"The Tiga from thirty million years ago?"
Camearra tilted her head, the question striking her as oddly phrased. But knowing Yu Zhou's complicated situation, she didn't dwell on it.
"You looked a lot like Daigo back then," she said after a pause. "That's why I first mistook Daigo for you."
"What?!"
Yu Zhou froze mid-step, his entire body stiffening. "Tiga… actually looked like Daigo?"
It all made sense now—why Camearra initially believed Daigo was the ancient Tiga, even giving him the Black Spark Lens.
But if Daigo was the original Tiga, Yu Zhou found it hard to reconcile. After all, Daigo was a human of the new age, one who could transform into Tiga because he carried the genes of light. That much was certain.
From everything Yu Zhou had learned, the ancient humans were completely wiped out. The Earth had shifted through ages, continents had drifted, primitive life had evolved, and modern humans emerged independently—not as direct descendants of the super-ancients.
What carried on was Earth's will itself—the light of the ancients passed on to chosen humans of the new era. Daigo was one of them. So was Seiji Hokuto. Both bore the legacy of light, but neither were the original Tiga.
"It was only after seeing you that I knew Daigo wasn't him," Camearra said seriously. "You are."
"That's impossible." Yu Zhou shook his head firmly. "I know where I come from. I know what I am. I can't be the original Tiga."
Sometimes, when Camearra looked at him like that, Yu Zhou felt a sliver of doubt. But he always dismissed it quickly. He came from outside this world—he couldn't possibly be the ancient giant of light.
Above them, the cloudy night sky swallowed the faint starlight. With the darkness pressing down, only the dim streetlamps offered any visibility.
"…We're being watched."
Camearra suddenly stopped, her lips curving into a sly smile.
"Watched?" Yu Zhou tensed. "You mean that cold wind just now?"
"Something like that."
Camearra nodded calmly, unshaken. As an ancient giant from thirty million years ago, she feared nothing of such tricks.
"When did it start following us?" Yu Zhou asked.
"Since we passed that broken mirror."
"The shattered looking-glass?" Yu Zhou recalled the cracked mirror they had walked by earlier, but at the time, he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
"…My awareness really needs work."
He shook his head, realizing how far behind he was compared to Camearra's sharp instincts.
"It's here."
Camearra halted, focusing on the subtle disturbances around them.
Yu Zhou stopped beside her, scanning their surroundings.
Suddenly, a parked car nearby lurched into motion. As if pulled by some invisible magnet, it reversed at terrifying speed toward the pitch-black end of the street. Sparks flew as the vehicle scraped along a stone wall, briefly illuminating the terrified faces of a young couple trapped inside.
They screamed, struggling with the controls, but the car refused to stop—drawn inexorably toward the darkness ahead.
Yu Zhou and Camearra felt the same unseen force clawing at them, trying to drag their bodies into the void.
"…Courting death."
Camearra's voice turned cold, her eyes narrowing.
At the far end of the street, a massive shadow took shape in the sky. It was a monster—but not the kind that relied only on brute strength. Its glowing red eyes gleamed wickedly, its outline sharp and demonic.
"Bishumeru…" Yu Zhou muttered, recognizing it.
Bishumeru, the devil-like energy creature from another dimension. In disguise, it had once masqueraded as the principal of St. Mary's Girls' High School, feeding on hatred and despair.
But no matter its tricks, it was nothing before Yu Zhou and Camearra.
Without hesitation, Camearra raised a transformation device eerily similar to a Spark Lens. Yu Zhou pulled out his own, holding it across his chest.
Together, they pressed the triggers.
Two halos of light descended from the sky, the sound of ringing chimes echoing down the empty street.
Just as the car was about to vanish into the monster's shadow, a massive silver hand shot out, halting it in place.
"D-Diga Ultraman!"
The young man inside the car shouted, eyes wide with disbelief and relief.
"It's Tiga!"
The girl clutched his arm, her panic easing as she saw the silver, red, and purple giant standing before them.
Yu Zhou set their car safely down, nodding briefly at them before turning his gaze toward Bishumeru.
Shaken but alive, the couple scrambled out of the car, clinging to each other as they staggered away.
"Two Ultramen… they'll definitely defeat that monster!" the man encouraged.
His words gave the woman courage, and she nodded, looking back at the towering figures of Tiga and Camearra.
Yu Zhou wasted no time. He fired a hand beam straight at Bishumeru.
The monster, still half-formed, howled as the energy struck its shadowy body. Its form flickered—ready to retreat back into the dimensional void.
"Running away?!"
Camearra snapped her whip, lashing it around Bishumeru's fading outline and dragging it back into full solidity.
"Nice one!" Yu Zhou grinned. Switching to his Power Type, he charged forward, hands crackling with crimson arcs of energy. With a shove, he launched a barrage of red-light bolts.
The beams washed over Bishumeru, forcing its form fully into reality.
Now exposed, the monster shrieked as Camearra's whip lashed it again and again, sparks exploding with every strike.
Yu Zhou barrelled forward, fist cocked. "Eat this!"
BAM!
His punch smashed into Bishumeru's face, sending it crashing into the pavement. Cars nearby blared alarms as the ground caved beneath its weight.
Camearra wasted no time. She whipped the creature, bound it tight, and heaved it skyward before slamming it back into the street.
BOOM!
The pavement split apart.
And again. And again. She hurled it up and slammed it down over and over, ten times in a row, until the once-dreaded "demon beast" was barely conscious, its body shuddering and broken.
"…Brutal. Absolutely brutal."
Yu Zhou winced, shaking his head. "Remind me never to get on her bad side."
Bishumeru twitched weakly. Blue lightning crackled across its body, surging into the sky with a deafening rumble of thunder.
"…So, it's trying lightning magic now?" Yu Zhou muttered, shifting into Sky Type. Energy gathered in his hands, ready to unleash a freezing beam.
Electric arcs raced down Camearra's whip toward her hands—but she had already let go, anticipating the counterattack.
Freed from her restraint, Bishumeru staggered upright, panting as if relieved.
But before it could recover—
BOOM!
A freezing blast crashed down from above, shrouding the monster in biting cold.
The battle was far from over.
(To be continued…)