Hudra and Darramb each rode on a Zoiger. Yuzhou and Camearra sat on another.
The two massive Zoigers carried the four of them through the dark skies above the desolate wasteland.
"Tiga, you must take good care of the lady! Don't let her get hurt!"
Before take-off, Hudra and Darramb repeatedly reminded Yuzhou to protect Camearra.
"Alright, alright! I'm not a child—you don't need to fuss over me like that!"
Camearra sighed in mild irritation. She was already an adult—did they really still need to treat her this way?
"Miss, we promised the Island Master to protect you. If anything happens to you, how could we possibly face him?"
Darramb said earnestly, his tone simple but sincere.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she's safe,"
Yuzhou replied firmly.
As the two Zoigers flew, their vast wings beat rhythmically against the air.
Because they were both dark creatures, even with humans on their backs, no other monsters dared to attack.
Occasionally, other Zoigers passed by, letting out deep growls of greeting as they crossed paths.
The wasteland below stretched endlessly—far larger than Yuzhou had imagined.
From above, they could see countless monsters roaming the ground, some locked in fierce battles against each other.
"This place looks familiar… or maybe it doesn't,"
Hudra muttered, peering down from above with a puzzled look.
"This wasteland looks the same no matter where you go. How could you possibly tell?"
For once, Darramb sounded sharp, teasing Hudra.
"…You've got a point," Hudra admitted with a nod.
"But still, we came here from an island, right? Looking at how vast this wasteland is, there's no way it could fit inside an island."
Hudra frowned, sinking into thought.
Meanwhile, Yuzhou seemed calm. Camearra sat in front of him, and he sat behind her, keeping her steady so she wouldn't fall.
From what Yuzhou could tell, this barren world couldn't possibly exist on the island.
It had to be a separate dimension.
Alternate spaces weren't new to him—he'd seen something similar before, like Belial's dimensional hideout in the Geed world.
"Judging from that dark stone passage we passed earlier," Yuzhou said thoughtfully, "there should be large structures scattered throughout this dimension.
Those places might contain treasures… or dangerous monsters.
And somewhere in here," he added to himself, "is the Source of Darkness I'm searching for."
But then his expression softened.
"Right now, that doesn't matter. Camearra's safety comes first. Once she's safe, I can come back and search again."
He'd already saved the island's coordinates in his ship's system.
Even if he lost that record, the monsters under his command could lead him back here.
"I remember entering through a black stone forest on the island," Camearra said suddenly.
"Was that how you came here too, Tiga?"
"Not exactly," Yuzhou replied. "I reached the same stone forest, but I stepped on a mechanism—a huge stone gate appeared."
"When I shattered it, I ended up here."
He recalled how a wave of distortion spread through the air the moment he stepped in.
That had definitely been a dimensional shift.
"So, we entered in different ways then," Camearra said with a faint smile.
No one knew how long the Zoigers had been flying.
The sky above was eternally dark—there was no day, no night, just endless shadow.
Finally, they stopped before a massive stone gate.
"Another gate," Yuzhou murmured. He took out his scanner, flew up, and examined it closely.
"It feels just like the one I broke before."
"Could this be the exit?" Camearra asked.
"Most likely," Yuzhou nodded.
"Look," Hudra said as he jumped off the Zoiger, pointing at the gate.
"There's a triangular recess in the centre. That might be the key to opening it."
"How about we try to—"
BOOM!
Before Hudra could finish, a flash of silver and black light filled the air—
Ultraman Tiga appeared and punched the stone gate to pieces in a single blow.
Dust settled as Yuzhou reverted from his giant form, landing back behind Camearra on the Zoiger's back.
"Alright, let's keep going," he said calmly.
"…Maybe we could've found a switch instead," Hudra muttered, then sighed and said, "Never mind. Let's find something to eat."
"You're hungry already?" Darramb asked, pulling a large piece of flatbread from his spatial bracelet and handing it over.
"Mm." Hudra nodded blankly and took a bite.
As they passed through the shattered gate, Yuzhou again felt that strange sensation of crossing through space.
Behind them, when Hudra and Darramb's Zoiger entered, ripples shimmered through the air like waves.
There was no doubt now—this was indeed an independent dimension.
"Tiga," Camearra suddenly asked, "what does it feel like… to have such immense power?"
Yuzhou blinked in surprise. "What does it feel like?"
After a pause, he answered quietly:
"Having great power means being able to protect the ones you want to protect.
To make sure those you care about never get hurt.
To keep them by your side—always."
He almost reached out to embrace her again, but a cool breeze swept past, bringing him back to his senses.
Camearra smiled faintly.
"So, Tiga… you must truly care for the one you wish to protect."
She clearly realized that the person he referred to was the woman from his past—the one who looked so much like her.
"Yeah," Yuzhou admitted softly.
He wanted to say more, but before he could, the two Zoigers carried them into a familiar landscape—the black stone forest.
Then, suddenly, a brilliant beam of light pierced through the darkness.
The Zoigers roared and surged toward it.
A salty ocean breeze brushed against their faces.
When they opened their eyes again, the black void was gone—replaced by the clear blue skies above the sea.
They had escaped.