Chapter Thirteen: Rays of Darkness

The battle here had already concluded. Now, all that remained was to await the clash between Tiga and the God of Hyuranos. The scope of destruction that would result from these two beings confronting one another was vast; even Tetsuya dared only to watch from a great distance.

Facing the enormous figure of the God of Hyuranos, Tiga was not the least bit inferior. His hands were clenched tightly, surging energy enveloping his arms like purple-black flames, ultimately coalescing into a sphere of dark violet light upon his palms.

In the next instant, Tiga stepped forward. Darkness spread beneath his feet, and his towering form launched forth like a hunting panther. Midway through his charge, the orb of black-violet light sped towards the God of Hyuranos.

"Darkness: Palm Slash!"

Boom!

The purple-black ball of energy compressed the air, smashing fiercely into the many eyes of the God of Hyuranos. With a muffled thud, the deity roared viciously as blood and shredded flesh spilled down his massive form. The energy blast tore open his skin, forcing numerous eyes to shut tightly as fresh blood trickled out.

Tiga paused, then abruptly leaped upward. His body, inclined forward, streaked past the God of Hyuranos. At the instant they brushed by one another, his right hand chopped down fiercely, purple-black energy entwined around his fingers forming a sharp blade—without mercy, he struck at the God’s shoulder.

"Darkness: Hand Blade Slash!"

Unlike the Tiga born of Daigo's transformation, this was the true Tiga himself. His hand blade was far sharper and more powerful. As he passed by, the slicing light released from his hand cleanly severed the God of Hyuranos’s entire shoulder.

Thud!

A giant arm crashed to the ground with a deep sound, and the God of Hyuranos let out a wretched howl, bloodshot eyes barely opening as his enormous maw roared in fury:

"Ranger, do you truly mean to kill me?!"

Makoto sneered coldly. Tiga stomped his foot, sending black energy rippling from beneath him, creeping up to envelop his legs and then his entire body.

"I told you already—I intend to take your life! Furthermore, you may address me as Tiga!"

"Tiga!!!"

The God of Hyuranos howled furiously, his fleshy wings flapping behind him. From his gaping maw, a thick tongue shot forth, agile as a giant serpent, coiling tightly around Tiga’s body.

Suspended in mid-air, Tiga remained unmoved despite the immense force trying to drag him closer to the god. Though his legs hovered above the ground, it was as if they were rooted deep beneath the earth—not budging an inch.

Makoto let out a chilly laugh. Tiga lunged towards the God of Hyuranos, the enormous tongue winding around him again and again. Yet as he drew close, the dark energy within Tiga’s streamlined form began to boil, as though boundless explosive power had been stored inside him.

Black energy surged like a rushing stream, flooding into his energy timer. Suddenly, a flash of black-violet light erupted—Tiga broke free from the constricting tongue, shattering it into several chunks. The God of Hyuranos screamed in agony, his tongue now reduced to a mere stub, which he tried to retract but the pain was too great to bear.

As Tetsuya observed, he gradually began to discern Makoto’s fighting style: overwhelming strength, crushing his opponent head-on, leaving them powerless to resist. He saw Tiga raise his arm steadily, an intense wave of force forming around him, and then unleash a devastating punch.

"Darkness: Energy Fist!"

This was a technique that had appeared in the sixth episode of "Ultraman Tiga," where Tiga concentrated energy in his right fist and struck at Gazort, rendering him unconscious—though, in truth, Gazort had only feigned death. The move hadn’t been particularly remarkable then. But now, wielded by the true Tiga, its power and presence were far beyond what Daigo could manifest.

Tiga’s arm was like a spear drawn to its utmost tension; at point-blank range, he unleashed his full might. Black energy followed the punch in a blinding arc, shredding the air itself.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The God of Hyuranos’s massive body was punched clean through, a gaping wound at least ten meters wide boring straight through him. He finally collapsed backward, the devastating injury obliterating flesh and bone alike.

"Tiga... spare me..."

The God of Hyuranos was now utterly wretched, no trace of his earlier might remaining. His enormous tail had been severed, then his arm, his tongue, and now his torso was pierced by a ten-meter-wide hole. True terror finally seized him, his voice quavering with pleas for mercy.

Tiga looked down with utter disdain. He offered no reply, only began to move his arms slowly, energy swirling about him and bending to his command. His arms formed into an L-shape, the power surging like a landslide, purple-black light coalescing—an unmistakable signal of the God of Hyuranos's impending doom.

"Gwaaa!"

The god gave a guttural, desperate cry, his eyes filled with despair and hatred. His enormous wings beat furiously, whipping up a bizarre cyclone—but the wind was drawn towards the God of Hyuranos himself, as though the wings pulled rather than pushed the air. The sudden gust briefly disrupted Tiga’s gathering of the Zeperion Ray. In that moment, the god’s wounds began to heal, the massive cavity in his body closing rapidly. His maw gaped wide, sucking everything before him into its depths—a vortex that drew up debris and, with immense suction, pulled it all into his mouth.

"I’ll eat you!!!"

The monstrous jaws roared and swallowed Tiga whole in one gulp. An ugly grin of satisfaction twisted across his face.

"Is that evil god... dead?" Came Camilla’s voice beside Tetsuya, her gaze complex but her question direct.

"Don’t worry..." Tetsuya watched quietly and replied, "He may well be the most powerful giant of darkness yet..."

His words had barely fallen when the wind and clouds in the sky seemed to freeze. Tetsuya felt his own dark energy tremble involuntarily. On the distant battlefield, an overwhelming surge of power erupted.

Boom!

A deep, thunderous sound exploded in the air. Purple-black light burst forth with violent intensity. A shockwave rippled outward as if the air itself was shattered, an invisible force demolishing every structure within several kilometers. The destruction resembled the detonation of an atomic bomb—debris flying in all directions, a sweltering wave of pressure rolling forth.

Tetsuya shielded Camilla, eyes fixed on that mighty beam of purple-black light in the sky—a force that seemed capable of obliterating everything.

"Darkness: Zeperion Ray."