"Again… the power of the King of Ultra."
Belial watched as Riku transformed into his Royal Megamaster form and quickly realized that he could not overpower the three opponents as he was.
Without hesitation, he activated two Ultra Capsules.
The Capsule of an Empera Alien and the Capsule of Dark Lugiel!
These two were the key ingredients for Belial's most terrifying transformation—Atrocious Belial.
Because Belial had escaped earlier, rather than being blown apart by Geed like in the original timeline, those Capsules remained in his possession. Now, stripped of the dark energy he once had through phase-reversal, he had no choice but to gamble on this form.
If any form could annihilate these three in one strike—it was this one.
Spectral projections of the Empera Alien and Dark Lugiel appeared at Belial's sides before fusing into his body.
A surge of purple light erupted. When it faded, Belial stood clad in silver-and-black armor, his entire body exuding oppressive power.
This was Atrocious Belial.
"Geed, Zero—be careful," Yu Zhou warned, his expression solemn.
He knew the history. The Empera Alien, the "Dark Emperor of the Universe," once commanded a vast army of monsters and nearly conquered the Land of Light. Only after Ultraman Father harnessed the combined strength of every Ultra warrior was the Empera defeated.
And Dark Lugiel… the final boss of Ultraman Ginga, who could reduce Ultras to powerless Spark Dolls.
Either one was terrifying on their own. Merged into Belial, they created a nightmare.
"My son," Belial growled, savoring the raw strength coursing through him. "Give me your power, and I will become even greater!"
"Dream on, Belial!" Geed roared back, clutching the Royal Megamaster staff as he charged in.
The clash between Atrocious Belial and Royal Megamaster Geed erupted instantly.
Meanwhile, the light of Planet Sturm had already faded, and Kei Fukuide's Sturm Organ had absorbed all the power it could.
Yu Zhou and Zero exchanged a glance, then launched themselves into the fray as well.
But Belial's new form was overwhelming. Even with Geed's strongest transformation and all three heroes together, they could not gain the upper hand.
"I have been drawing upon the King's power across the cosmos all this time!" Belial sneered, swatting Geed aside with his Giga Battlenizer. "You will never defeat me!"
Zero retaliated, summoning eight orbs of violet light that surrounded Belial. With a snap, they converged into searing beams.
"Eightfold Destruction Ray!"
Belial planted his Battlenizer before him, spinning it like a drill. The Eightfold Destruction struck and erupted into a storm of sparks—yet it was completely deflected.
"What?!" Zero's eyes widened in disbelief. That was Infinite Form's ultimate technique, and it had been neutralized as if it were nothing.
"Is that all?" Belial jeered, planting one hand on his hip and leveling the Battlenizer at Yu Zhou. "What about you, Tiga? Don't you have a Dark form? Why don't you bring it out? Or are you afraid?"
The taunt was venomous. Belial remembered all too well the humiliating defeat he suffered at the hands of Dark Tiga. Today, he craved vengeance—and validation of his supremacy.
"Dark form…" Geed muttered, struggling back to his feet. He glanced at Yu Zhou. He'd heard whispers from Hikari, even from Zero, that Yu Zhou could take such a form—that it had once been the key to defeating Belial. But he had never seen it himself.
So why wouldn't Yu Zhou use it now?
"Belial, don't get ahead of yourself!" Yu Zhou shot back.
He could transform into Dark Tiga, yes—even draw upon the sinister energy sealed in the jewel. But that form came with a price: loss of control. He had nearly gone berserk before.
And besides… he had another trump card—his Shining power, still stored within him. If truly pressed, he could unleash it and meet Belial head-on.
But both Dark and Shining had only one use each.
And the red-dressed girl's warning echoed in his mind: a great crisis will strike your world.
Yu Zhou knew all too well that his Earth was alone—no M78 Nebula, no Land of Light, no Ultra Brothers, no Space Garrison. If a foe like Gatanozoa—or something even worse—were to descend upon it, he would be the only one standing in its way.
That meant those trump cards must be preserved.
"Heh… still won't transform?" Belial mocked. "Then maybe I'll force it out of you with this Battlenizer!"
"You bastard…" Yu Zhou ground his teeth. Belial actually wanted him to go Dark just so he could crush him? That was a first.
Still, Yu Zhou wasn't without options.
"Zero and Geed both have weapons… fighting him bare-handed is putting me at a disadvantage," Yu Zhou muttered. His gaze locked on Belial's Battlenizer. "Maybe I can forge a weapon of my own with light energy…"
He gathered energy into his palm, shaping it, imagining the gleaming Light Sabers of Hikari, Mebius, even the graceful blade of Agul.
Slowly, a hilt began to take shape.
"A handle?" Yu Zhou blinked. Hikari and Mebius' weapons never had a handle like this—they just formed outright.
"Is Yu Zhou… creating his own weapon?" Geed muttered in awe.
"More power," Yu Zhou urged himself. He poured energy into the hilt until, with a sharp hum—light coalesced into a finished weapon.
"Yes! I did it! I forged a Light—" He stopped. "…Wait. Why is this a pot?!"
Yu Zhou stared, dumbstruck, at the shining cookware in his hand.
Geed blinked. Zero froze. Was Yu Zhou about to… cook Belial dinner?
"Damn it!" Yu Zhou cursed, dispelling the weapon instantly. If all he could summon was a pot, he might as well use his old one.
Light flared from his bracelet. In a flash, the Ultimate Light Pot materialized in his grip.
Belial, who had held back thinking Yu Zhou was preparing to unleash Dark Tiga, nearly fell over when he saw the cookware.
"Tiga… you really are a fool," Belial sneered. Then he swung the Battlenizer, launching volleys of violet blasts.
"Then watch closely!" Yu Zhou roared. "See what my Ultimate Light Pot can do!"
With a mighty swing, he batted the energy shots away, one by one, each exploding harmlessly across the battlefield.
Then, shifting into Multi-Type, Yu Zhou charged, weapon clashing against Belial's Battlenizer in a storm of sparks.
Steel rang against steel. Fireworks sprayed across the ruins as the battle escalated.
The Ultimate Light Pot, forged with fragments of the Battlenizer itself, was no ordinary weapon. It could stand toe-to-toe with Belial's own.
Why Belial's Battlenizer still existed after being shattered once before—Yu Zhou had no idea. But for now, he had no time to question it.
The fight had only just begun.