Volume One, Chapter 73: Defeating Gatangea

The scene within the curtain of light startled Jack and Ace. But almost immediately, their attention was drawn to the boundless darkness beyond.

“What is that?”

“That’s the evil god, Gatanjeh.” The ring flickered, its voice tinged with gravity. “It seems that Zero Ultraman is facing no small trouble.”

“Evil god?” Jack and Ace exchanged glances, both thinking of the same person.

Evil god Tregia.

The name “evil god” was none other than Tregia’s moniker! Could it be that the enemy Zero encountered in that dimension was Tregia?

As this realization struck, the two Ultramen grew anxious.

But at that moment, a dazzling beam refracted from the light curtain.

Jack, Orb, and Ace instinctively shielded their eyes, unable to face it directly. Yet as beings born of light, through the haze, they managed to glimpse a figure.

He was radiant with golden brilliance, the light powerful and pure, rivaling even the glow emitted by the Plasma Spark Tower.

“That... that’s the light of hope for humanity!” Jack exclaimed in astonishment.

Having once carried out missions on Earth, he had formed indelible bonds with humans. The power before him was intimately familiar—light that only humans could unleash!

“It seems Zero and that human from Earth have resonated together.” Ace wore an expression befitting a warrior of the Land of Light, his eyes full of satisfaction.

“No, that’s not Zero.”

The light in the curtain faded, revealing a figure both familiar and strange, standing tall and proud.

“That’s Diga...”

The ring’s long, resonant tone stirred memories in Jack and Ace. At last, they recalled having seen this Ultraman during the Spark War.

After the shock, an incomparable excitement followed.

“This is wonderful!” Jack declared. “If we could bring this Ultraman to the Land of Light, our plans regarding the Plasma Galaxy would be far more certain.”

“Look, Zero is standing up too!”

Within the light curtain, Zero appeared bewildered, utterly clueless as to what had occurred. But seeing Diga shining with golden light, he figured something extraordinary must have happened.

The newly empowered Diga’s strength seemed to have soared, each attack eliciting a pained scream from Gatanjeh.

With every release of his light-based skills, a tremendous shockwave rippled outward, even pushing Zero back several steps.

“How is this possible? How did he gain such power?” Bareru, the observer, was horrified.

He had only blinked, yet Diga and Zero had returned to full strength?

Tregia remained silent, but the curve of his lips grew ever more pronounced. He was eager to see how the girl would react under these circumstances.

Diga raised both hands, gathering light at his chest, then crossed his arms and unleashed the most powerful beam he had ever generated.

Boom—

With deafening force, Gatanjeh’s shell cracked visibly, then the creature froze and shattered violently.

From the flames, a column of light shot skyward into the black clouds enveloping Earth.

Instantly, the clouds recoiled as if confronted by something terrifying, collapsing and dispersing madly.

Within seconds, the familiar radiance of humanity shone upon the land once more; the sky was clear and boundless.

The sea finally returned to calm.

Zero, regaining his composure, grinned. “Looks like you’re pretty strong after all.”

His goal had been to recruit allies, and the stronger they were, the happier he felt.

“Will you come with me to the Land of Light?” Zero extended his hand in invitation.

No sooner had he spoken than Diga vanished with a pop, dissolving into light and drifting gently back to earth.

Zero’s gaze followed, settling on Daigu.

Daigu held the Divine Light Rod, though it had already turned to stone.

A sea breeze swept by, carrying the petrified rod like sand, scattering it toward the ocean.

“...” Zero was stunned, asking in confusion, “No way, is this a joke?”

He sensed that the light within the human had faded.

Meaning, he could no longer transform into Ultraman...

Zero, a bit defeated, looked up, speechless.

He truly hadn’t expected the price of unleashing such power to be so severe.

Had he known... he would have called for help.

Even as the Divine Light Rod vanished, Daigu did not feel disheartened.

At least, in the final moments, he had resolved the crisis as a human.

Looking up at Zero, Daigu called out, “Ultraman, what is your name?”

“Me?” Zero lowered his gaze, striking his signature pose. “Remember this well—I am Zero, Zero Ultraman!”

“I’ll remember.” Daigu smiled softly and continued, “Will you keep protecting Earth in the future?”

In his mind, Ultraman still seemed to be a giant.

“Protecting, yes, I will...” Zero’s expression grew odd. “But I’m afraid I can’t come often, since the whole universe needs my protection.”

This was no exaggeration.

As the strongest warrior of the Space Defense Force, his responsibilities were immense.

“Is that so.” Daigu laughed as well, not minding, his gaze growing distant.

Within his sight, a flash of purple light appeared and vanished.

“What was that?”

Because the glow disappeared too quickly, Daigu didn’t catch it, thinking perhaps it was a trick of the eye.

Meanwhile, high above, Tregia’s aura suddenly surged, his hand reaching out forcefully.

Deep in the ocean, a faint purple orb drifted with the waves.

Even Gatanjeh’s explosion hadn’t harmed it at all.

The girl within remained with eyes closed, her body curled up.

Above her, a massive claw suddenly appeared, reaching for the orb.

But just then, a fissure opened beneath the orb, swallowing it in an instant.

Boom—

The claw struck the ground, crushing all surrounding rocks and coral to dust.

“...” Tregia’s expression darkened.

Even with Grimmd’s memories, he could not identify the nature of the girl’s power.

And that power could devour light... even darkness.

Yet it was not chaos.

It was a force he had never seen or heard of.

Bareru had witnessed the scene as well.

But seeing his master thwarted for once, he found no amusement—instead, he broke out in cold sweat.

After some thought, Bareru cautiously asked, “Master, should we keep waiting?”

Earlier, he had heard Tregia mention waiting for some dark element.

So far, only the monster had possessed a strong dark element.

But the beast had been defeated by the Ultraman, leaving him uncertain whether any remained.

Tregia’s gaze narrowed, his eyes squinting as he replied, “Return and keep watch on the Land of Light for me.”

Zero’s appearance here was no coincidence.

He did not wish, while absorbing the dark element, to suddenly face the King of Ultra.