Darramb, naturally, did not linger in the air either. Just like Yuzhou, he released his transformation and walked to the side of the gladiatorial arena.
Although he very much wanted to fight Daigo—this Tiga—Darramb knew Daigo was not Yuzhou. He could not simply take on two opponents at once.
"Eh?"
At this moment, Himala, still holding her mop, dragged it across the floor as she arrived at the edge of the arena. When she saw the giant of light, Tiga, appear in the arena, she froze.
Clearly, Yuzhou was seated right beside the arena. So how had this giant suddenly appeared?
But Himala didn't bother to think too deeply about who the giant of light was. Anyway, it meant there was a show to watch, and so she simply sat down happily at the side.
He leaned her mop against the wall, sat herself down at one end of the arena, and prepared to enjoy the spectacle.
After transforming, Daigo instinctively raised his hand in a familiar opening stance toward Hudra.
Hudra had already fought a full battle with Yuzhou, and before that had trained against Darramb. By now, though not completely exhausted, fatigue was creeping in.
Still, Hudra knew very well that this Tiga, Daigo, was nowhere near as difficult to handle as Yuzhou. And truthfully, he was eager to vent some of his frustration on Daigo, after having been utterly crushed by Yuzhou earlier.
"Come on!"
Since this was not a death match, Hudra called out to Daigo before raising his wrist-mounted crossbow and firing a barrage.
Swish, swish— five violet bolts of light shot out in rapid succession, sealing off Daigo's surroundings, not aimed at his body directly but cutting off all avenues of movement.
Daigo realized it immediately. These arrows weren't meant to strike him head-on—they were meant to restrict him. So, he stood his ground calmly, not moving rashly.
Sure enough, Hudra wasn't firing blindly. The moment he pinned Daigo in; his body turned into a streak of violet light and charged in.
Bang!!!
Daigo could only meet the speed head-on. Planting his feet in a lunge, he thrust forward with both fists, colliding against Hudra's momentum.
The impact was brutal. Using acceleration as a weapon, Hudra had amplified his force dramatically, smashing into Daigo's fists with crushing power.
Daigo staggered back several steps under the blow, forced to retreat from the overwhelming strength behind it.
Hudra didn't press further. Instead, he shot skyward in a blur.
As a speed-type giant, his greatest advantage lay in the skies.
Steadying himself, Daigo looked up at Hudra, forming twin palm-light arrows in his hands and firing them upward.
But long-range attacks did not faze Hudra. With simple sidesteps and swift shifts, he evaded both shots with ease.
Seeing that his usual light arrows were useless against such speed, Daigo crossed his arms over his forehead and shifted into his silver-and-violet Sky Type.
With a powerful kick off the ground, he soared upward.
But unlike Yuzhou's Sky Type—where Yuzhou often relied on ranged beam techniques and only occasionally blended strength for close combat—Daigo's approach was different.
For Daigo, Sky Type was simply another Strong Type. Composite Type? Strong. Strong Type? Strong. Sky Type? Still strong.
So as soon as he reached Hudra's altitude, Daigo didn't unleash beams—he pounced straight at him.
Hudra blinked in shock. He had expected Daigo to act like Yuzhou, firing off skills and beams from above. He had even planned out how he'd counter them.
But instead, Daigo had simply lunged at him like a brawler. For a moment, Hudra didn't even know how to react.
In truth, Daigo had been inspired by Hudra's earlier assault.
If Hudra could use speed to magnify the impact of his melee strikes, then so could he.
Daigo's Sky Type granted him a burst of acceleration. Channelling that into a direct charge, his speed skyrocketed—and before Hudra could adapt, Daigo slammed into him.
Whoosh!
The two crashed from midair down into the arena floor. Since it was made of crystal, no dust was raised—but the position they landed in looked… questionable.
"Man on top of man."
Sitting by the sidelines, Yuzhou muttered under his breath.
Darramb: "…"
Yuzhou had expected this much. Daigo's style had always been straightforward—charge in and keep pressing until the job was done.
The two giants grappled on the ground, locked in a messy struggle. At times Daigo was on top, pinning Hudra down; at other times, Hudra twisted free and forced Daigo beneath him.
"This fight… really is spectacular!"
Himala's eyes gleamed with delight. Though it lacked the fiery intensity of Yuzhou's one-against-two battle earlier, this brawling match had its own flavour.
"What… exactly are they doing?"
Darramb scratched his head. Hudra had never fought him like this before.
"Good fight! Brilliant! Brilliant!"
Himala clapped her hands, cheering without fear of Hudra's wrath later.
"Hmm?"
Just then, a woman's voice of puzzlement came from behind Himala.
Turning, Himala's grin froze instantly. He straightened, growing solemn.
"Lady Camearra, your man is… wrestling another man."
He bent slightly at the waist, bowing with her mop in hand.
"He can fight like that too?"
Camearra's eyes widened slightly. Truth be told, she was surprised. She remembered how Yuzhou had crushed Hudra before, even handling both Hudra and Darramb at once with ease.
But this… rolling around on the ground? This was nothing like before.
"No… this Tiga isn't Yuzhou."
Her gaze swept the edges of the arena, soon landing on Yuzhou and Darramb seated quietly at the side.
"So, this one must be Daigo," she murmured, eyes returning to the two men grappling on the floor.
The ground-fight lasted for a while, until both began to tire. At last, they broke apart.
Daigo seized the chance, crossing his hands at his forehead and sliding them apart, shifting into his most beloved form—the Power Type.
Catching Hudra in his moment of fatigue, Daigo charged recklessly, intent on ending the fight in one strike.
"No, no! I surrender!"
Hudra waved his hands hastily.
Never before had he fought like this—rolling, grappling, sweating. It was exhausting and awkward, and honestly, more than a little indecent.
Seeing Hudra yield, Darramb stood eagerly. He too wanted a turn with Daigo.
Daigo's straightforward brawling spoke to his very soul. To Darramb, true combat was always fist against fist, body against body.
But just as he was about to transform, Daigo's Colour Timer began to flash.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong…
"Daigo's out of energy," Yuzhou said from the side.
Unlike him, Daigo had never been strengthened by the Plasma Spark. His physical qualities and his light reserves were both limited. His energy drained much faster.
"…Fine." Darramb lowered his hands, disappointed. "A shame. I really wanted to try that style of fighting today."
"Style of fighting?" Yuzhou blinked. "You mean… that man on man wrestling?"
"…Yes."
Darramb nodded solemnly after a moment's thought.
Yuzhou was left speechless. So Darramb truly was… a philosopher of fists.
"Why don't you try it with me instead?"
Darramb's eyes lit up with anticipation as he looked at Yuzhou.
Yuzhou: "???"
"Uh… I just remembered I have something to do. Gotta go."
There was no way he was agreeing to that. As a respectable young man, he would not stoop to such… indecorous activities.
Making his escape, he nearly ran straight into Camearra and Himala at the entrance.
"Tired from battle?"
Though she hadn't seen him fight, Camearra assumed he must have joined in.
"Not really," Yuzhou answered awkwardly.
"Tonight, I'll cook dinner for you myself."
Camearra's voice was soft as she glided away, gown trailing behind her.
"…Eh?"
Yuzhou froze. Camearra had been living in his house for so long, but never once cooked. He hadn't minded—she was a lady, after all.
But now she was offering to cook for him personally?
Darramb was just as stunned.
"Miss… knows how to cook???"
The moment he blurted it out, Camearra's departing back paused, and she turned her head slightly to glance at him.
Instantly, Darramb slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing his mistake.
"Miss knows how to cook?"
This time it was Himala, completely oblivious, repeating the same question in confusion.
After all, in the Crystal Palace, Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb had no need for food. At most they occasionally ate for pleasure, buying things outside.
Himala knew every corner of the palace from cleaning, and yes, there was a kitchen—though it had never once been used.
And the first to use it would be… Camearra?
"You're dead," Darramb muttered to Himala darkly.
"Eh?" Himala blinked, clueless.
"What are you all talking about?"
At this point, Hudra descended in a beam of light, reverting to his human form.
"It's Lady Camearra—she said she'll cook," Himala explained honestly.
"…Cook???"
Hudra's mind went blank. He was about to blurt something when Darramb quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, gesturing toward Camearra's silhouette in the distance.
Just then, Daigo landed as well, reverting from Tiga back to human form. He was panting, sweat beading on his brow—clearly exhausted.
As Masaki once explained, even though Daigo became Tiga, it was still his own stamina fuelling the fight.
So, his fatigue was only natural.
Yuzhou understood well. Whether one fought in unison or with their own body, the human and the Ultra were tied together—the stamina was always shared.
Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb, however, were true giants of light. They did not face this limitation.
"Daigo, how do you feel?"
Yuzhou helped steady him.
"I learned something from Hudra," Daigo said, catching his breath. Indeed, he had discovered how to use speed to amplify power, just as Hudra had.
It seemed the arena truly did provide valuable experience.
"Good. As long as you gained something," Yuzhou nodded.
"Daigo, you're done for today. Tomorrow, fight me."
Darramb's voice rang out, eyes alight with anticipation.
"…Alright."
Daigo nodded. If Hudra had taught him something, then surely Darramb would too.