"Why must we fight? What are we even fighting for?"
Daigo's thoughts drifted back to his younger days. When he first carried the power of Tiga, that question had always weighed heavily on him.
To possess the strength of a Giant of Light… what was the purpose? Why throw one's life into battle?
Over the years, he had come to understand.
"It's all for one reason—to protect our home, to protect the people we love most."
Exhaling softly, Daigo's face showed relief. That question had long been answered for him.
"And me… why do I fight?"
Yu Zhou found himself asking the same question inwardly. All this time, he had crossed from world to world, watching events unfold almost like an observer.
Cities reduced to rubble, monsters wreaking havoc, innocent lives lost—none of it had ever been truly his burden. He was just a traveler, a passerby who fought battles in other worlds only to grow stronger.
But his true world… his own home… that was different.
"My battles… they're to protect my world. To protect the people I love, the ones closest to me."
The realization settled within him like a spark of fire. Every journey he took, every battle he survived—it was all training, all preparation for the looming crisis in his own world.
If that day came and he stood powerless as his family, his friends, everyone he cared for, perished… Yu Zhou knew he could never forgive himself.
He didn't need a grand cause like "saving the universe." It was enough that he fought for the people who mattered to him.
Meanwhile, Asuka returned with the Super Victory Team. Yu Zhou and Daigo also made their way back to Daigo's home. The new TPC director, Yuuki Fukamiya, had intended to return to Earth, and Yu Zhou had briefly considered tagging along.
But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to impose. Eight years had passed since his last time with TPC; he and Fukamiya weren't close. If he needed to, he could simply transform and fly back to Earth himself.
At the Ecological Botanical Garden, Daigo greeted his family.
"Rena, are you and Hikari safe?" Daigo asked anxiously.
"We're fine," Rena replied gently, nodding with the calm strength of someone who had once been a front-line fighter herself. As a former member of the Victory Team, she had faced monsters before—she knew how to protect her daughter.
With Daigo's arrangement, Yu Zhou stayed one night on Mars. But life there was dull, and by the next morning, he was already preparing to return to Earth. Flying back under his own power would be faster than waiting for a transport ship.
At that moment, the situation on Earth escalated.
"Captain, a monster has appeared near the geothermal energy facility!"
"What? So that's their plan… a diversion!"
Onboard the Super Victory Team's fighter, Captain Hibino Gousuke's expression darkened as he received the report.
While swarms of Sphere orbs had appeared near Mars, forcing the team to scramble into space to intercept them, Earth had been left vulnerable. The Sphere had lured their forces away, only to unleash a monster back on the planet.
"Reinforcements are already on their way. Until then, no matter what, you must hold the line!" Hibino ordered firmly.
At that moment, the communications screen flickered—connecting to Ryō and Asuka.
"Captain, I'll pilot the Gamma and head back to Earth," Ryō said.
"I'll go with him," Asuka added quickly.
Hibino studied their determined faces, then nodded. "Very well. We'll handle the Sphere out here. Earth's defense… I'm leaving it to you."
But soon after, a shout came from another team member, Soya.
"Captain! Several Sphere orbs are in pursuit of Ryō and Asuka's fighters!"
On their own screens, Ryō and Asuka also saw the glowing orbs chasing them relentlessly. They pushed their engines harder, but the pursuit only grew more dangerous.
"Ryō, you go on ahead to Earth. I'll hold them off here!" Asuka's voice came through the comms, steady but resolute.
"You're planning to fight them alone again?!" Ryō snapped, frustrated. The rookie had been reckless since the day he joined the team, always charging ahead without thinking. And yet… Ryō had been the one to recommend him for the team in the first place. That made it his responsibility to keep him in line.
But this time, Asuka's answer was different.
"No. I'm not just being reckless. I'm trusting you to protect Earth. That's why I'll fight here."
Ryō paused, caught off guard by the sincerity in his tone. After a moment, he sighed. "…All right. I'll trust you too. Don't die out here, Asuka."
Asuka's face lit with a smile at Ryō's words—the first time his senior had spoken to him like that.
The Gamma shot off toward Earth, while Asuka's fighter banked sharply, unleashing a volley of lasers at the pursuing Sphere. One after another, the orbs exploded into fragments of light.
"Ha! Did you see that? My grand performance!" Asuka shouted, exhilarated. Alone, he had wiped out several enemies—it felt like proof of his worth.
But before he could celebrate further, a barrage of beams slammed into his fighter's tail. Warning alarms blared. The engines sputtered out, and the machine drifted powerless in space.
Asuka slammed his fist against the console, panic in his eyes as more Sphere streaked past, chasing after Ryō.
"No… I can't let this happen. Please—grant me strength. I have to protect them!"
From his jacket, he pulled the Spark Lens, gripping it tightly as if in prayer.
The Lens pulsed with light, resonating with his desperate plea.
"No matter the reason—if I truly have the power to protect others, then I'll fight with everything I've got!"
With that vow, he pressed the trigger.
A burst of radiance filled the void. Blue beams shot outward, striking the Sphere in pursuit of Ryō. One by one, they burst apart in fiery detonations.
"What—?!"
Asuka—now transformed into Dyna—stared in disbelief. But then he turned, and what he saw made him freeze.
A familiar figure was flying toward him. Silver and purple, with crimson markings across his chest—Tiga.
"Ti… Tiga?!"
It was his second transformation, his second time as a Giant of Light—and already, he was standing face-to-face with the legendary warrior himself.
"Look—Tiga, and the new Giant of Light!"
Aboard the Gamma, Ryō's eyes widened as he witnessed the scene.
"One is the new giant, and the other… is Ultraman Tiga himself!"
"Captain!" Soya's voice broke through on the comms, relaying the report. "Another Giant of Light has appeared. And also… Tiga has returned!"
"Tiga… Ultraman Tiga?!"
Hibino's hands clenched into fists, his spirit ignited. Eight years had passed since Tiga last appeared. And now—today—he was back.
What connection did he share with this new warrior?
"Come on, rookie. Let's show them what we can do."
Yu Zhou, in Tiga's form, placed a hand on Dyna's shoulder, steady and reassuring.
"Ti… Tiga… senpai!"
Asuka's voice, trembling with awe, echoed from within Dyna.
"Let's go. Time to head back to Earth together."
Yu Zhou launched forward, a blazing comet in the void. Dyna hesitated for just a heartbeat—then spread his arms and followed.
By the time they arrived, Ryō had already engaged the monster near the geothermal facility. His shots had little effect, but his skillful maneuvers kept him alive, weaving between the creature's flames.
With precision, he released a cryo-missile. A burst of freezing gas enveloped the beast, ice crawling across its rocky hide. For a moment, it seemed to falter—
But then the ice shattered. The monster roared, breaking free with ease.
The cryo-attack had failed.
And the true battle was only about to begin.