After finishing off the group of fish-men soldiers, Yu Zhou and Asuka made no move to cancel their transformations.
Since they had already transformed, it was better to stay that way—if trouble came again, it would save them the effort of doing it twice.
Without pause, the two Ultramen advanced down the dim corridor.
Flashlights were unnecessary. Both Tiga and Dyna could see perfectly well in the dark. Even in these shadowy hallways, every corner of the facility was clear to their eyes.
But as they turned a corner, both abruptly stopped.
Scattered across the ground lay bodies—TPC staff, still in uniform. They had clearly fallen during the fish-men's invasion, dying in the line of duty.
"We were too late," Asuka muttered, his fists clenching. "There have already been casualties."
"Keep moving," Yu Zhou said firmly.
The dead were beyond saving. What mattered now were the survivors.
Asuka nodded, and together they sprinted deeper into the base.
Not long after, the echoes of screams pierced the darkness.
"Ahhh!"
"Help!"
"Save us!"
The cries grew louder as they neared the end of the passage.
It sounded like people cornered, overwhelmed.
Asuka's heart tightened. With a powerful kick off the ground, he launched himself forward, racing toward the source.
The air cracked with sporadic gunfire, laser bolts scattering against steel walls.
When Asuka burst into the factory-like chamber, he saw it: a swarm of fish-men soldiers lunging at several defenceless TPC staff.
"Hey!"
He couldn't bear to watch. With a roar, he charged straight in, smashing two, three of the creatures aside, planting himself as a shield before the terrified humans.
"Dyna… Ultraman Dyna!"
The TPC staff gasped in disbelief.
At the brink of death, when hope was gone, Dyna himself had appeared before them.
What shocked them even more was that this time, the mighty giant had come in human size.
"Thank you, Dyna!"
Breathless but alive, they poured out their gratitude.
Asuka didn't answer—he simply gave a firm Ultraman nod, then raised his guard once more.
The fish-men soldiers hissed and howled, claws extended. None of them backed down; instead, they threw themselves at Dyna in a wave of snarling bodies.
But before they reached him, more of the creatures suddenly toppled from behind.
"What—?"
The employees blinked, stunned, until they saw the figure who had appeared silently at the rear of the monsters.
"It's Tiga!"
"Ultraman Tiga is here too!"
Their cries turned to cheers.
Moments ago, they had feared Dyna alone might not hold out against so many foes. But with Tiga here as well—two Ultramen together—how could they possibly lose?
The fish-men slammed into Asuka, but he was ready. With sharp punches and powerful kicks, he sent them flying.
Yu Zhou followed up with precision, firing hand-light beams to finish off the creatures Asuka knocked down.
"Let's help too!"
One of the TPC staff shouted, raising his weapon.
Laser fire blazed down on the writhing fish-men. Others followed his lead, pouring their strength into the fight.
Within moments, the last of the monsters crumbled to ash.
The staff were left panting, shaken from the brink of death. In such a short span, they had endured terror, witnessed two Ultramen, and then helped achieve victory.
It was nothing less than survival against all odds.
Yu Zhou gestured toward the passage he had come from, wordlessly signalling them to retreat that way.
They understood immediately. With hurried thanks, the survivors fled down the corridor, leaving Tiga and Dyna to press onward.
The two Ultramen exchanged a glance, then continued deeper inside.
To Yu Zhou, it almost felt like a video game: clearing out waves of small enemies, rescuing survivors, and heading closer and closer to the boss at the end.
And then—
A voice drifted through the shadows.
A song.
High and clear, the voice of a little girl echoed hauntingly across the abandoned facility.
Yu Zhou froze for a moment. The melody was… the ending theme of Ultraman Dyna!
He remembered now—yes, in Dyna's original storyline, this very song had been sung more than once.
"How about it? I learn songs fast, don't I?"
The girl's voice rang out again, playful and eerie.
"Where's that coming from?" Asuka muttered, scanning the darkness.
"That voice," Yu Zhou said quietly, "belongs to the mastermind of this invasion. The one called Sufume."
"Sufume?" Asuka echoed, startled. It was the first time he had heard the name. "If you say so, Yu Zhou-senpai, then I'll believe it. But… why would she bother learning to sing?"
Yu Zhou shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then… after singing, what does she plan to do?" Asuka frowned. A being capable of infiltrating Ice Fortress Base clearly wasn't ordinary.
"Maybe… she'll learn dancing next. Or rap. Or basketball," Yu Zhou said, deadpan.
Asuka: "???"
"Truly disappointing," the little girl's voice sneered suddenly, sharp with contempt. "Humans are even lower beings than I thought. And yet you dream of space travel? Overreaching may be your only talent."
"Who are you? What do you want!"
A man's shout rang out not far ahead, cutting through the mockery.
"There's someone else up ahead," Yu Zhou said quickly.
Both he and Asuka moved cautiously toward the source of the voice.
"This facility has been a great hindrance to my plans. Goodbye now—hmm? Ah… so the great heroes have arrived."
The girl's voice returned, laced with amusement. It had noticed them at last.