"Darkness."
Masaki spoke slowly, his voice low and heavy.
"It's the same suffocating, crushing darkness as Gatanothor."
"What?" Yu Zhou was slightly shocked. "If you dreamed of it, then it's very possible this darkness really is about to descend."
"It seems…the records I researched might truly be real."
Yu Zhou fell silent for a moment, his mind sinking into thought.
According to the ancient data he had studied, there were many slumbering evil gods on Earth. Not all were of Gatanothor's level, but there were still plenty—terrifying entities whose power far exceeded most kaiju.
Now, perhaps one of them was about to awaken.
"But in the original Ultraman Dyna storyline, there was never any mention of another evil god's resurrection…" Yu Zhou frowned deeply. Something that was not supposed to happen in the "plot" was now unfolding before him.
That could only mean one thing—the butterfly effect of his arrival in this world.
The flutter of a butterfly's wings in one place could stir a storm across the ocean. And in this case, maybe it could even awaken gods of darkness long forgotten.
"Alright," Yu Zhou finally said, "I'll call Daigo. If darkness is really reviving, then he must have dreamed of it too."
"Good. I'll wait for your news," Masaki replied, then hung up.
He immediately returned to his laboratory, where in the centre stood a crystal tower. Inside, a half-finished artificial sun glowed faintly.
In truth, the artificial sun already launched into space contained enormous plasma energy—enough to sustain the power of a Giant of Light.
That was how it had been in the original timeline: when Dyna's colour timer was on the verge of going dark, he soared into the void and absorbed the artificial sun's energy, reversing the tide of battle and defeating Reicubas.
Yu Zhou tried to call Daigo, but the line was busy.
Just as he set his phone down, it rang again—the caller ID showed Daigo.
"This timing is too real," Yu Zhou muttered, then answered.
"Yu Zhou-kun! I had a dream!" Daigo's urgent voice came through at once.
"Was it of darkness rising again?" Yu Zhou asked. Truthfully, the moment Daigo said "dream," Yu Zhou had already guessed.
"That's right! You saw it too, didn't you?" Daigo pressed. "This darkness feels exactly the same as when Gatanothor appeared!"
"Masaki dreamed of it as well," Yu Zhou replied. "Daigo—be ready for battle."
"…I understand!"
Daigo's tone grew firm. After exchanging only that, the two hung up.
Yes, battle preparations had to be made.
If their opponent was truly on Gatanothor's level, then this would not be easy.
Still, Yu Zhou mentally counted his current lineup: Daigo, Masaki, Asuka, Hudra, Darramb, Camearra, and himself.
Seven Giants of Light.
The last time Gatanothor appeared, it had only been Masaki, Daigo, the Original Ultraman, and Yu Zhou—just four in total.
According to the records, Gatanothor was the strongest of all the evil gods. Which meant this one should not surpass it.
Seven against one—they should be able to prevail.
"First, we must alert Camearra and the others."
Yu Zhou turned toward the door—only to hear a knock.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Hudra."
Opening the door, Yu Zhou saw Hudra's expression was grave.
"There is a wave of darkness invading the seas near R'lyeh," Hudra reported.
"In R'lyeh…" Yu Zhou's heart sank. He quickly followed Hudra out.
They could not allow R'lyeh to fall into the clutches of an evil god. If that happened, all their rebuilding efforts would be for nothing.
Inside the crystal palace, Camearra sat upon the central throne while Darramb paced below.
"This opponent…is far stronger than any before," Camearra said the moment Yu Zhou arrived.
"I know." Yu Zhou nodded. "Thirty million years ago—did you ever encounter these evil gods?"
"We've heard of them, but…" Darramb stopped pacing and shook his head. "We never faced one directly."
"So even you three never truly saw them…" Yu Zhou stroked his chin, thoughts churning.
If not Camearra and her kind, then who had sealed those gods away? And what had broken that seal now?
According to the records of Ultraman Tiga, thirty million years ago, before Gatanothor appeared, the Giants of Light abandoned humanity after the rise of the Celestial Beings (Gijera). Humanity, entranced by false paradise, was swallowed whole by Gatanothor when it emerged.
But after that—did other evil gods appear? Nobody knew. Those who remained had either perished or departed.
And the question still gnawed at Yu Zhou: Who sealed away these dark gods of the ultra-ancient era?
Someone capable of imprisoning even Gatanothor's kin must have possessed unimaginable power.
If they could find this "sealer," then defeating the evil gods would be far easier.
But before Yu Zhou could follow that train of thought further, his phone rang again.
It was Asuka—Shin Asuka.
"Hello? Senpai! You're in R'lyeh, right?" Asuka's voice was urgent.
"Yes, I'm here," Yu Zhou replied calmly, already guessing what Asuka wanted to say.
"There's an unidentified energy mass moving across the sea toward R'lyeh. Please, be careful!"
"I know," Yu Zhou said firmly. It seemed TPC was watching closely too.
"Senpai, you must stay alert! That energy feels just like the darkness Gatanothor released more than ten years ago! I'm on my way there now!"
"Alright." Yu Zhou nodded, then hung up.
Moments later, two figures entered the palace—Daigo and Masaki.
"Well, Yu Zhou-kun," Daigo asked gravely, "do you know who this opponent is?"
Back when Gatanothor arose, Yu Zhou had explained its nature in detail. That was why Daigo assumed Yu Zhou would know something this time too.