Under Dack's expectant gaze, a figure wrapped in light emerged from the flames.
Yu Zhou looked a little weary; the Colour Timer on his chest blinked red.
Between the initial Scorching Impact, the large-scale Zeperion Beam, and another Scorching Impact, he had drained a huge amount of energy, triggering the Timer Flash. Even with his enhancements, this constant use of energy took its toll.
Still, it was worth it—the Gyabish horde had been completely annihilated.
"The Light Giant is safe, that's a relief!"
"Thank goodness!"
"Fantastic!"
The onlookers cheered as Tiga emerged from the explosion, exhilarated.
Yu Zhou gave a thumbs-up to the crowd, then transformed into particles of light, dispersing into the air.
He landed beside Dack and his colleagues, wrapped in a gentle glow.
"Tiga, you're incredible! Truly a Light Giant!" Dack said with a smile. "The Gyabish horde that plagued us for so long… with your help, they were completely wiped out!"
"It's nothing. Your planet's defenders also contributed greatly," Yu Zhou replied modestly. Though he had destroyed the horde, it was nothing compared to the feats of the original Ultraman. Back then, a single Specium Ray could wipe out an entire batch of Baltans—that was true power.
With the crisis on Dais Star resolved, Yu Zhou didn't rush back to Earth.
Having just arrived on this planet, he naturally wanted to explore a bit.
Under Dack's arrangements, he stayed for a while.
Dais Star was a futuristic, sci-fi world. Its inhabitants resembled Earth humans, though occasionally, people with elven ears could be seen.
A notable trait of the Dais people was that everyone seemed to have naturally tinted eyelids. Some even possessed innate spatial movement abilities—the elite of whom, like Dack and his colleagues, were recruited into the planet's defence force.
"Breaking news! The Gyabish horde in the Northern Wastes has been annihilated!"
"Yes! Those cursed monsters took so many lives!"
"Finally… after all this time, the Gyabish are gone!"
"I heard the Light Giant Tiga came to help us."
"The Light Giant? That's a legendary figure!"
"Any photos? I want to see him!"
"Yes, yes! Come look, he's amazing!"
Yu Zhou and Dack sat in a restaurant, enjoying local delicacies while listening to the chatter around them.
Yu Zhou hadn't expected that by merely participating in one battle, he would instantly become famous across the entire planet.
"Tiga, you're quite popular now," Dack said between bites. The Light Giant's heroic deeds had won instant admiration; the whole planet was talking about him.
"What's Tiga? Where is he?"
A nearby group approached Dack and Yu Zhou, curious.
"Ah, you misheard…" Dack hurriedly explained.
Yu Zhou sighed internally. His Tiga identity had become public—he never imagined he'd have fans.
"From now on, just call me Yu Zhou," he said.
"No problem," Dack replied, nodding. Calling him Tiga might attract too much attention.
"So… Yu Zhou, how do you like our planet's specialty foods?" Dack asked eagerly.
"Pretty good," Yu Zhou replied, tasting the local dishes. While slightly different from Earth cuisine, it was delicious and familiar in flavour.
After eating, Dack guided Yu Zhou around the city.
In one plaza, a statue of Tiga had already been erected.
"Isn't this a bit over the top?" Yu Zhou muttered. On Earth, Ultraman had never received a statue, yet here, they had built a fifty-meter-tall one.
"How did you make this so quickly?" he asked Dack. Only a day had passed since the Gyabish were destroyed.
"Our technology is advanced. We just input a photo of the subject, and the statue is created," Dack explained.
Yu Zhou nodded. Indeed, the planet's tech far exceeded Earth's.
"I wonder… if Hikari's energy-storing jewel didn't have dark energy, it could probably absorb a lot of light," he mused.
"By the way, Dack, have you ever heard of the ancient humans from Earth?" Yu Zhou asked suddenly.
He was curious about the super-ancient humans from thirty million years ago. Perhaps someone on this planet had information—or at least some clues.
After all, the planet was suitable for humans. Some ancient humans had left Earth in search of habitable worlds, like Luke and his daughter, who once appeared on Gijera.
"Super-ancient humans from Earth?" Dack thought for a moment. "I haven't heard of such a thing. Our planet's history is relatively short. We originally had only Dais Star. Later, for some unknown reason, two small orbiting planets appeared, providing light and warmth, nurturing life here."
"And the origin of humans on Dais Star?" Yu Zhou continued. Perhaps they were descendants of ancient Earth humans.
"As far as I know, Dais humans evolved gradually, like Earth humans. We simply evolved faster, especially mentally, which allowed our rapid development."
"I see, so there's no connection," Yu Zhou said, nodding thoughtfully. Maybe the super-ancients had visited, but the planet was not yet suitable for settlement.
Just then, a voice exclaimed:
"That statue… is Tiga?!"
A man in blue linen clothing stared at the plaza statue, astonished.
Yu Zhou immediately recognized his attire—like Luke and his daughter, whom he had met briefly on Gijera. Blue linen garments, blue headwrap, and no natural Dais eyelid markings.