"X, let's go too!"
Though stunned for only a moment, Daichi quickly refocused. He upgraded X to Exceed X and charged forward, swinging the X Head Marker straight at Seagorath.
Seagorath roared in fury, whipping its massive tail around. The blow slammed directly into Exceed X, hurling him through the air before his weapon even grazed the monster.
"Tch. Looks like this thing's raw strength is ridiculous," Yuzhou muttered, watching X get tossed aside yet again.
Other than that one knee strike at the start, X hadn't managed a single clean hit.
Realising brute force would be needed, Yuzhou—now in Tiga's body—let the crystal on his forehead flash. Crossing his arms downward, his form shifted into Power Type, the red-and-silver giant charging forward with clenched fists.
"Let's see if this body can match you blow for blow."
Tiga's fist slammed into Seagorath's face just as the beast swung its spiked club-arm.
BANG!
Fist met mace with a thunderous impact. The two giants staggered back several steps, evenly matched.
Seagorath's small, cruel eyes narrowed. It realised this red giant's strength equalled its own—and immediately stopped testing him with melee.
Scarlet lightning surged across the spines on its back, while its maw gathered blood-red sparks like molten embers.
"…Already charging a finisher?" Yuzhou's face darkened.
For a split second, he considered it. Should I… try a beam clash?
The thought was instantly discarded. Nope. Since the dawn of tokusatsu, the guy on the left always loses beam struggles—and right now, from X's point of view, I'm on the left! Not risking that.
"Fine. If I can't clash, I'll block."
Tiga raised both hands, energy blooming outward into a shimmering rainbow barrier—Ultra Barrier.
Almost every Ultra warrior knew the trick. It was the standard defence against energy blasts.
Seagorath's attack is completed. Its jaws gaped wide, releasing a torrent of crimson light like a waterfall from the heavens.
But instead of firing at Tiga, the beam speared downward—straight at the exhausted Exceed X.
"Damn it!"
Tiga dispelled his barrier and dove to intercept, but it was already too late.
The hellish beam engulfed X, exploding rock and soil in every direction. The silver warrior screamed, his battered body unravelling into scattered data streams before collapsing entirely.
Daichi, wrapped in the last of X's energy, was safely deposited on the ground.
"…So it still came to this." Yuzhou exhaled, shaking his head. "Even with me here, history repeats itself."
In the original story, X's first battle with Seagorath had ended the same way—crushed and forced out of the fight.
Seizing the opening, Tiga drove a flying kick into Seagorath's back. The monster stumbled and toppled forward, and Tiga pounced, hammering him with a flurry of stomps.
But Seagorath suddenly lurched up, its spiked arm crashing into Tiga's chest. The impact sent the Power Type giant skidding across the ground in a cloud of dust.
Seagorath bellowed, crimson lightning coursing once again along its back. Its maw is filled with burning sparks.
"Not good—!"
The blood-red beam tore through where Tiga had just been, carving a smoking canyon into the earth.
"Yeah… no way my barrier would've survived that. Best case, I'd be half-dead."
The monster's energy seemed limitless. Again, it's back lit up, sparks danced in its mouth.
"…Alright. If I can't win head-on, then I'll outmanoeuvre you."
Tiga crossed his arms at his forehead, slicing downward into the Sky Type form. His body turned sleek and silver-purple before blasting into the sky.
Seagorath's beam shot after him but only struck the mountainside, blasting a gaping hole through solid rock.
Yuzhou had originally intended to retreat. But wait—Daichi's still down there.
He banked sharply, diving back. Mimicking Dagu's move against Silvergon in the Ultraman Tiga movie, he descended with a fist like a meteor, smashing Seagorath square in the jaw.
The damage was negligible, but Seagorath froze—not from pain, but shock. Did this guy seriously fly off, then come back just to punch me once?
Taking advantage of the monster's confusion, Tiga scooped Daichi from the ground and rocketed skyward.
Seagorath roared in outrage, lashing out with beams and strikes at the retreating giant. But Sky Type's speed left nothing but afterimages, vanishing beyond sight in seconds.
Ten minutes passed.
Seagorath still stood there, glaring at the sky, waiting for Tiga to return so it could crush him.
But Tiga never came back.
At last, the monster snarled in frustration, discharging its fury into the earth. Crimson light melted the ground into a glowing lake before Seagorath sank back beneath the soil.
A golden glow descended, depositing Yuzhou gently onto the ground.
"Yuzhou… you're Tiga?" Daichi stared at him, voice full of awe.
Yuzhou only grinned, flashing his teeth.
"No wonder you knew I was X's host," Daichi said, realisation dawning. All of Yuzhou's cryptic words and mysterious presence now made perfect sense.
"Honestly… this is the first time I've ever met an Ultra warrior with a Chinese human form," Daichi admitted, his wariness gone.
"Strictly speaking, I'm not a host like you," Yuzhou corrected. "You and X are two beings—you're you, he's him."
Daichi blinked. "Then… what are you?"
Yuzhou lifted his gaze to the sky.
"I am both light… and human."
The same words Yuzhou remembered Yuzare once telling Daigo. The truth of Tiga.
Unlike modern Ultras who bonded with human hosts, many of the ancient warriors had been Ultras in their own right. Daigo had simply inherited the spark of light within, allowing him to become one with Tiga.
And now, so had Yuzhou.