As Tartarus's words fell, one figure after another stepped out from the golden wormhole.
"What…?!"
The Ultramen clenched their fists instinctively, disbelief written across their faces.
Yuzhou turned around to face the newcomers, his heart sinking the moment he saw them.
"Tartarus," he said coldly, casting a sidelong glance at him, "you've been hiding quite a lot."
"Did you really think your time machine alone could stop me from forming an army across parallel worlds?" Tartarus laughed loudly. "Hahaha—how naïve!"
"There are countless parallel universes! Even if you stop me a few times, I can always take the people I want from other timelines."
"And you—how could you possibly chase me through every single one?"
With a casual wave of his hands, Tartarus mocked Yuzhou openly.
"You're not wrong," Yuzhou replied, nodding calmly. "With my power alone, I can't stop you from assembling your so-called army."
Indeed, even Yuzhou had not anticipated what was now stepping out of the wormhole.
Among them were Belial (Original Form) pulled from another timeline, Tregear (Original Form), the Super Hipporit Alien, Alien Empera's remnants, and numerous other notorious cosmic beings.
"Enjoy this battle," Tartarus said, folding his arms as though settling in to watch a performance.
"The real fight begins now."
Yet Yuzhou spoke a seemingly unrelated line in response.
"No. The real fight has already begun."
At that moment, light erupted from the remaining three "background Ultramen."
Their forms shifted—
Revealing Ultraman Zero, Ultraman Cosmos, and Ultraman Dyna.
"What—don't tell me…!"
A surge of dread shot through Tartarus.
The shock was even greater among the other Ultramen.
Because now—
There were two Zeros on the battlefield.
One was Zero from the Ultra League.
The other was Zero, transformed from the disguised Ultraman.
"How interesting," said the Ultra League's Zero as he looked at his counterpart. "So you're my parallel self."
"Judging by that aura… this must be that timeline. Which means Taiga—no, Daigo—should be sharing a single will with you right now."
"…Daigo. It's been a long time."
"Don't overthink it," the transformed Zero said, giving his counterpart a nod. "Let's fight together."
From within that Zero's body, Daigo's voice rang out.
Red light flared from Dyna.
Blue light shimmered from Cosmos.
A cyan glow burst from Zero himself.
The three lights intertwined, forming a surging tide of radiance that engulfed them completely.
An overwhelming presence emerged, forcing everyone to gasp.
"That is—!"
"The legendary Ultraman!"
"The Ultraman born of miracles!"
"Saga!!!"
BOOM!
Saga's colossal form descended upon the battlefield, sending dust and debris flying skyward.
His blue-to-red gradient body gleamed brilliantly, making it impossible to look away.
Even Zero himself stared in awe—this was the first time he had seen Saga manifest before his very eyes.
"Tartarus—surrender now!"
Yuzhou shouted as he kicked off the ground, charging straight toward Tartarus.
Saga vanished into a streak of multi-coloured light and reappeared behind Tartarus in an instant.
At the same time, the Ultramen of the Ultra League charged headlong into the army of cosmic beings Tartarus had summoned.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?!"
Tartarus snapped back, transforming into a blur of afterimages as he fled toward the wormhole he had just opened.
Despite his speed, Saga still grazed him—sparks exploded from Tartarus's shoulder.
"We'll meet again!"
With those words, Tartarus plunged into the wormhole.
Belial and Tregear, his parallel counterparts, reacted instantly and followed him without hesitation.
They had barely set foot on the battlefield before retreating completely.
The remaining cosmic beings froze in confusion.
They tried to follow—but the wormhole had already closed.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
Explosions erupted one after another as the Ultramen tore through the stranded invaders. Screams echoed across the battlefield.
Yuzhou and Saga could only watch as Tartarus escaped.
There was no helping it.
He was simply too fast.
"Saga," Yuzhou said suddenly, producing a blank Ultra Medal, "lend me some of your power."
Saga paused briefly, then nodded.
"No problem."
Five-coloured energy flowed into the medal.
Flash.
Saga's emblem appeared on its surface.
Even more striking—the medal's frame turned gold.
"So the strength of the power is reflected by the medal's frame," Yuzhou murmured, nodding in satisfaction.
In Z's original timeline, medals belonging to Arch-Belial, Limit-Breaker Zero, and Awakened Geed all bore golden frames.
With the medal complete, Saga surged forward like a divine beast among sheep, annihilating the remaining enemies.
Beams of light streaked across the battlefield, explosions roaring nonstop.
Before long, the cosmic army was wiped out completely.
Not a single survivor remained.
"Tartarus escaped again," Zero said with a sigh. "With his abilities, this won't be the last trouble he causes."
"The Devil Fragments still haven't been dealt with," Eddie added gravely, "and now this… it's getting harder and harder to manage."
"How about I chase him?" Zero said suddenly.
"With my Shining Form and the Ultimate Aegis, I can enter Tartarus's dimension!"
"Don't rush it, Zero," Yuzhou stopped him.
"Inside Tartarus's domain, he has the home-field advantage and an abundant energy supply."
"Your Shining Form consumes tremendous power. There's no guarantee you could finish him outright."
"…You're right."
Zero nodded after a moment's thought.
Just as they continued discussing their next move, an Ultra Sign suddenly appeared in the sky.
Zero looked up.
It was Hikari's.
"…Great," Yuzhou muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"I warned Hikari—and something still went wrong."
"Hikari says that Genegarg attacked the Space Science Bureau," Zero translated.
"It stole a number of Ultra Medals and Z-Risers."
"But," Zero added, pausing briefly, "Hikari also says that thanks to prior precautions…"
"He cut off one of its fins."