"All right, I'll stay quiet then." Although he didn't understand why Yu Zhou wanted him to hold back, he figured there must be a reason. After all, Yu Zhou was Ultraman Tiga—a giant of light. Having special abilities wasn't surprising.
The journey through space was unusually quiet, and there was still no sign of the Dais starship.
"Asuka, land your fighter at the Mars base and come aboard our ship," Yu Zhou messaged as they passed Mars. If there was still no trace of the Dais ship, they would need to venture farther.
Asuka's fighter could travel through space for a long time, but it wasn't as fast as their ship, and getting lost would be dangerous.
"Understood!" Asuka replied, landing the fighter near the TPC Mars base. Yu Zhou then had Dack set down the ship as well.
The Mars base had no significant combat capabilities and could barely detect unknown spacecraft. Asuka parked her fighter and ran, wearing his space suit, toward Yu Zhou and Dack's ship.
"Senpai, this ship looks amazing!" Asuka exclaimed as she entered, scanning the interior.
The ship was spacious, with futuristic equipment that made even a top pilot like Asuka eager to try it out.
"Dack, can you teach me how to fly this ship?" he asked, smiling.
"You want to pilot it?" Dack blinked, surprised.
"There's an emergency now. Later, we'll let him try," Yu Zhou said, patting Asuka on the head.
"All right, senpai," he said, sitting beside Dack to observe and gain experience for future flights. For Asuka, Yu Zhou wasn't just a senior in the Victory Team—he was also a mentor as a giant of light.
Once the ship left Mars, they headed beyond the solar system. Yet even outside the solar system, there was still no sign of the Dais ship.
"Looks like something really might be wrong," Yu Zhou frowned. It seemed increasingly likely that the Dais delegation wouldn't reach Earth today.
Dack's tension grew. He steered the ship out of the galaxy and into a wormhole leading toward Dais.
"Senpai, where are we going?" Asuka asked, noticing the serious expressions on both Yu Zhou and Dack.
"To Dais," Yu Zhou replied. If they hadn't seen the ship en route, the most likely explanation was an internal emergency on Dais itself.
"Real interstellar travel?" Asuka was stunned for a moment, then excited. Adventure was exactly what he loved.
Through the wormhole, they entered the Bazu Star Cluster and then headed straight for Dais.
"This ship is incredibly fast!" Asuka shouted, watching celestial bodies zoom past outside the window. He imagined herself piloting such a ship in the future—it was thrilling!
In no time, they entered Dais' atmosphere and approached the central city.
But the usually peaceful city now looked wrong. People gathered in front of massive broadcast screens, many holding dolls or images resembling deities, praying fervently.
"Pray, and the god shall descend upon this beautiful world, becoming your faith!"
A sinister voice echoed across the planet. Every city's inhabitants seemed mesmerized, staring blankly at the screens.
"What is that?"
Asuka noticed a pitch-black cloud in the sky, lightning arcing constantly within it.
"Dack, approach and observe." Yu Zhou furrowed his brow. The cloud looked familiar, but he couldn't recall exactly where he had seen it before.
"Understood." Dack also frowned, shocked that Dais had fallen into such a state.
As their ship approached the dark cloud, Yu Zhou examined it closely—and recognized immediately.
"The Gate of Hell."
Inside the black cloud was the massive stone gate that had once appeared on Earth.
It was the Kyrieloid's Gate of Hell.
After abandoning Earth, the Kyrieloid had shifted their sights to Dais, a planet similar to Earth.
"I think I've read about this before!" Asuka exclaimed. "It appeared on Earth many years ago—it's the Kyrieloid's gate!"
"Kyrieloid?" Dack admitted he had never heard of this alien race before.
"They're relentless," Yu Zhou shook his head. "They've shifted their target to Dais. Asuka, this gate is yours."
Yu Zhou had experience with the Kyrieloid's gate. When he first arrived in Tiga's world, Daigo had fought the second-generation Kyrieloid and destroyed the Gate of Hell.
"Understood, senpai!" Asuka said, rushing to the ship's airlock. He drew her Flash Saber and transformed into Ultraman Dyna.
"What?!"
On the ground, citizens watching the screens gasped as a Kyrieloid assumed a humanoid form.
"This planet… has a giant of light!" the Kyrieloid said angrily.
Their carefully planned Earth invasion had failed thanks to Ultraman Tiga. Now their species had moved to Dais, only to encounter another giant of light.
"Damn it!"
The humanoid Kyrieloid cursed and transformed into a streak of purple light, flying skyward.
As it flew, its body grew larger, evolving into a full Kyrieloid.
"Huh?" Asuka noticed the purple streak heading his way, radiating hostility.
"Die, giant of light!"
The second-generation Kyrieloid charged at Dyna. Muscles bulging, a pair of black wings sprouted from its back—fully evolved.
Boom!
Dyna didn't flinch, colliding with the Kyrieloid midair. Their bodies tumbled together, crashing to the ground.
"Can Dyna handle a second-generation Kyrieloid?" Yu Zhou muttered as he observed the struggle.
He then glanced at the massive stone gate within the dark cloud.
"While the Kyrieloid is distracted, let's sneak into its lair."
Yu Zhou and Dack nodded. Yu Zhou pulled out his Spark Lense, pressed the transformation button, and streaked out of the ship in a beam of light.
"What?!!"
The Kyrieloid, grappling with Dyna, looked up in disbelief. Another giant of light had appeared—a Tiga who had once blocked them on Earth!
"Stop dawdling! Protect the gate!"
Realizing Tiga's intent, the Kyrieloid shouted, turning its attention skyward.
Yu Zhou spread his hands, drawing countless purple-white energy beams to his chest, forming an L-shape, and fired the Zeperion Beam at the Gate of Hell.
But halfway through the attack, a purple beam shot from the opposite side, clashing with Yu Zhou's.
"Another one?!"
Yu Zhou froze and looked toward the source of the beam—yet another Kyrieloid had appeared!