The sound of cracking ice echoed through the street as frost climbed over Bishumeru's body.
Crack… crack…
Within moments, the monster was completely frozen into a towering ice sculpture, unable to move.
Yu Zhou didn't waste a second. As soon as Bishumeru was immobilized, he gathered energy in his Sky Type form. Light swirled into his palms, forming the Lampart Light Bullet, which he hurled at the frozen beast.
Beside him, Camearra flicked her wrist, recalling her whip. The weapon glowed as energy poured into it, and with a snap, she lashed the whip against the icy statue.
BOOM!
The combined force of Yu Zhou's beam and Camearra's strike shattered Bishumeru into countless shards. Pieces of the frozen monster clattered onto the pavement.
Truth be told, Bishumeru was no weakling. In the original flow of events, it had given Ultraman Dyna a fierce battle. But this time, things were different.
Instead of appearing as a projection, Bishumeru had been dragged forcibly into reality by Yu Zhou and Camearra. Pulled out before it could reach its peak power, it was overwhelmed immediately, beaten down without mercy.
Even if Bishumeru had been at full strength, facing both Yu Zhou and Camearra together would have been a nightmare.
As its body disintegrated, streaks of light shot out from the remains and scattered across the street. When they landed, the lights revealed unconscious men and women—couples who had been devoured by the monster. Their conditions were poor; some had been trapped inside Bishumeru for days.
Yu Zhou and Camearra dissolved into particles of light, descending back into their human forms.
Overhead, the roar of engines broke the silence. Several fighter jets streaked across the sky, their insignia visible even in the dark. Yu Zhou recognized them at once.
"…The Super Victory Team."
Soon after, armoured vehicles pulled up to the scene. Doors swung open, and Shin Asuka and Ryo emerged.
"What's going on here?"
Asuka frowned as he surveyed the street littered with unconscious couples.
At the base, they had first received reports of a monster. On the way, they intercepted signals of two giants of light battling in the area. And when Asuka heard that the Ultramen in question were Tiga and Camearra, his worry had vanished. With two veterans like them present, no monster stood a chance.
But the sight before them was startling: dozens of young couples sprawled unconscious across the street.
"Their condition doesn't look good," Ryo muttered, kneeling to check on one of them.
Asuka was about to help when his sharp eyes caught sight of two figures at the corner of the street—Yu Zhou and Camearra, standing together. Camearra still had her arm looped through Yu Zhou's as if they were inseparable.
"…Ryo, contact headquarters. I'll check the impact site."
Without waiting, Asuka dashed off.
"Hey—wait!" Ryo called, but Asuka was already gone, leaving only his silhouette in the distance. Ryo sighed and shook his head, turning back to the task of contacting HQ.
Rounding the corner, Asuka slowed to a stop. He was greeted by the calm figures of Yu Zhou and Camearra, who were watching him with quiet eyes.
"Greetings, seniors!"
Asuka raised a hand in respect, a smile tugging at his lips.
"You arrived too late," Yu Zhou chuckled. "The monster's already been dealt with."
"Heh, I can tell." Asuka laughed sheepishly. "Judging by the state it's in, I'd say it picked the wrong targets to mess with."
"This monster came from another dimension," Yu Zhou explained. "It fed specifically on couples."
"Couples, huh…? Makes sense."
Asuka's gaze flicked to Camearra clinging to Yu Zhou's arm, then back to Yu Zhou. His knowing nod carried more weight than words.
Yu Zhou: "…"
He didn't need Asuka to say anything—he already knew exactly what was going through the younger man's head. Still, it wasn't as if he could explain himself. Camearra clung too tightly, and words would change nothing.
"So those unconscious men and women… they were the monster's captives?" Asuka asked.
"That's right," Yu Zhou nodded.
For a brief moment, he wondered aloud if Bishumeru had been part of the "FFF Brigade"—an imagined group dedicated to tormenting couples. The irony wasn't lost on him.
Thinking back, Bishumeru had first been summoned by a student at St. Mary's Girls' High School. The girl's heart had been clouded with jealousy, and her resentment toward couples had birthed the summoning ritual.
"You should investigate St. Mary's Girls' High School," Yu Zhou advised. "There's a connection between that place and this monster."
"Really?" Asuka blinked, startled. If Yu Zhou said so, it had to be true. The idea that a mere student could summon a creature like this was shocking enough.
"Look into the principal—and a student named Eriko," Yu Zhou added, recalling faintly. "The name might not be exact, but you'll find her. She's the one who performed the summoning ritual."
"I understand." Asuka nodded firmly.
After exchanging a few more words, Asuka excused himself, while Yu Zhou and Camearra continued walking down the quiet street.
To them, Bishumeru was nothing more than a fly—swatted and forgotten.
"Thirty million years ago, we were walking just like this, when a monster suddenly appeared," Camearra said softly, lost in memory. "Back then… I couldn't even transform into a giant."
"You couldn't?" Yu Zhou's eyes widened.
"That's right." Camearra's gaze lifted to the stars. "But you acted quickly—you destroyed it before it could harm anyone. I can still remember that moment as if it happened yesterday."
Yu Zhou looked at her, noting the starlight reflected in her eyes. Camearra's feelings for Tiga ran impossibly deep. Even after thirty million years sealed away, her heart clung to those memories of love.
And from her words, Yu Zhou now knew: in the beginning, neither Camearra, nor Hudra, nor Darramb could transform into giants. That power came later.
Late that night, Camearra did not return to R'lyeh. Instead, she stayed at Yu Zhou's home.
Fortunately, his place had more than one room, so there was no melodramatic "one bed" situation. Camearra reluctantly settled into her own room, though she clearly wanted otherwise.
Not just for the night—she brought shopping bags filled with women's clothes and everyday items, making it clear she had no intention of leaving.
"You really plan to stay here long-term…?" Yu Zhou asked helplessly, eyeing the bags.
"These clothes of the new era are so beautiful. I love them." Camearra smiled brightly, ignoring the question.
Yu Zhou sighed and handed her a spare key. "Fine. Here. Just… don't lose it."
"Of course not," Camearra beamed. "I'll take good care of our home."
Yu Zhou had no strength left to argue. No matter what he said, Camearra treated him as if he were truly the original Tiga. Explaining was pointless.
Meanwhile, the Super Victory Team had completed their investigation at St. Mary's.
Asuka later contacted Yu Zhou, confirming that the school's principal had indeed disappeared—because Bishumeru had taken its place. There was also a student named Eriko, whose classmates had witnessed her performing strange rituals. Everything pointed toward her being the summoner.
But then Asuka asked a question that made Yu Zhou pause.
"By the way, senior… you know Mayumi, right?"
"Mayumi?" Yu Zhou blinked. "Of course. She's Shinjo's younger sister. Used to be a TPC nurse—probably a head nurse now."
Why was Asuka bringing her up?
In Tiga's original history, Mayumi's boyfriend, Takuma, had died in a plane accident caused by the monster known as the Lightning Entity. Later, in Dyna's story, she had appeared again, haunted by dreams sent by Takuma, warning her of the creature's return.
"…Mayumi seems… off," Asuka said over the communicator. "And during a mission, I saw a monster with the head of a beautiful woman."
"Gu Huo Niao…" Yu Zhou whispered. The Nine-Headed Bird from Chinese myth, known as an omen of misfortune.
In this world, it was fused with the Lightning Entity.
Yes, it made sense. This world had always been full of phantoms and spirits: Sutnag the cursed demon, the soul of swordsman Juro Iida possessing others… even they had spoken of Tiga as the "Man of Light." Strange as it seemed, ghosts and Ultramen somehow coexisted.
"So, it really is the Kokakucho," Yu Zhou muttered. "Mayumi must be affected because of her connection to Takuma."
He also remembered that Norry had once shown some ambiguous feelings for Mayumi, though nothing ever came of it. Perhaps their paths diverged because Norry left for Jupiter—a love separated not just by distance, but by planets.
"Yes. What you saw was Gu Huo Niao, the Kokakucho," Yu Zhou confirmed. "It's tied to the same beings as the Lightning Entities we've fought before."
Asuka's eyes widened. "So, it's true…"
Indeed, the Super Victory Team had faced Lightning Entities before. For them to appear again, in this form, was alarming.
"I even went to check on Mayumi, to be sure I wasn't imagining things," Asuka admitted with a laugh. "But she looked like she'd just woken from a nightmare, saying strange things."
"Don't worry," Yu Zhou assured him. "Defeat Gu Huo Niao, and she'll recover."
Of course, Yu Zhou thought of Mayumi's brother, Shinjo. But Shinjo was still away on galactic exploration, far from Earth.
"One more thing," Asuka added. "Daigo returned from Mars. He's at HQ right now, talking with Captain Hibiki."
"…Daigo?" Yu Zhou's eyes lit up.
Perfect timing. He had promised Captain Hibiki to find a proper mentor for the Super Victory Team. With Daigo back on Earth, Yu Zhou knew just the person for the job.
(End of Chapter)