The moment the purple beam was about to strike him, Yu Zhou abruptly cancelled his Dark Zeperion Ray and flashed aside, vanishing from its path.
The deadly light blasted straight into the ground, piercing through the temple floor and plunging deep into the abyss below.
"Run!"
Yu Zhou dodged the strike, shouting urgently to Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb.
He grabbed Camearra's hand and sprinted toward the temple gates.
Hudra and Darramb exchanged a glance, then followed close behind, racing through the corridor.
A grotesque chuckle echoed behind them.
"You think you can escape?"
Cthulhu's eerie voice filled the hall as invisible ripples of power spread in every direction, wrapping the entire temple in a shimmering barrier.
Just as the group reached the great doors, an energy wall flared into existence before them.
Yu Zhou fired a condensed Dark Zeperion Ray at it — but the beam only sparked and fizzled, leaving the barrier untouched.
He and the other two giants struck it together, fists and blades flashing, yet their combined might couldn't shatter the obstruction.
"Stop struggling," came Cthulhu's low, resonant voice from the far end of the passage.
"You're not going anywhere."
His footsteps echoed heavily as he approached.
"Hold onto me!" Yu Zhou ordered sharply.
The three dark giants hesitated only a moment. In a battle like this, trust was absolute — they grabbed onto Yu Zhou's arms and shoulders without question.
The corridor trembled as Yu Zhou's body erupted with black light. Dark energy spiralled upward, forming a massive obsidian pillar that enveloped all four of them.
From afar, Cthulhu appeared at the end of the corridor, his countless eyes flickering with contempt.
Pointless struggling, he thought. The entire space was already sealed.
Even teleportation was useless unless he himself lifted the barrier.
Moments later, the black light faded — and to Yu Zhou's shock, they were still standing in the same place.
"It didn't work?"
He stared around in disbelief. The teleportation should've taken them out of the temple — but they hadn't moved an inch.
"It's useless," Cthulhu said as he stepped closer, each stride shaking the floor. "This entire temple has been locked down by me.
Neither light nor darkness can flee this place."
"Is that so…"
Yu Zhou narrowed his eyes, shielding Camearra and the others behind him. Their energy was nearly depleted — they could no longer fight.
If they pushed any further, they'd burn out completely.
He bent slightly, his right hand closing around a familiar weight — the Giga Battlenizer materialized in his grip.
Now it was all up to him.
Cthulhu's massive shadow loomed over them, his tentacles writhing like a sea of serpents.
"I had planned," the ancient being said coldly, "to make you one of my kin. But Tiga… you have disappointed me."
He leaned forward, his presence suffocating.
"This world shall have no light — not while I exist!"
Yu Zhou's lips curled into a half-smile. "Then stop talking and fight."
Honestly, it was already a battle to the death — what was the point of exchanging words?
…Unless, of course, villains really did die from talking too much.
"Actually," Yu Zhou added wryly, "go ahead. Talk a bit more."
Cthulhu froze. "…What?"
He immediately sensed Yu Zhou's intent. "What are you scheming?"
"This."
Yu Zhou suddenly leapt high, descending like a lightning bolt, swinging the Giga Battlenizer straight for Cthulhu's cephalopod head.
Cthulhu reacted fast — several thick tendrils shot upward, wrapping around the weapon before it could strike.
"Damn it!" Yu Zhou snarled, trying to yank it free — but the grip was unbreakable.
He channelled dark energy into the weapon, violet lightning crackling across its surface and racing up the constricting tendrils.
Smoke and the stench of burning flesh filled the air as the thunder scorched Cthulhu's limbs.
"If you don't let go," Yu Zhou growled, "I'll deep-fry your whole face next!"
He poured in even more energy — the lightning grew fiercer, arcing wildly.
But instead of retreating, Cthulhu tightened his hold. The tendrils sizzled, blackened, and finally burned to ash before snapping apart.
"…That's insane," Yu Zhou muttered, momentarily stunned. "He'd rather maim himself than let go."
Even the Dark Lord of the Abyss was brutal — to himself.
But at least Yu Zhou's weapon was free again.
He lunged behind Cthulhu and thrust the Giga Battlenizer into his spine with all his might.
Splurt.
The blade sank in effortlessly — almost too effortlessly — as though he'd stabbed into a swamp.
"What the—? His body's soft?"
Yu Zhou pulled the weapon back, but before his eyes, the wound closed completely, the flesh knitting as if nothing had ever struck it.
The severed tendrils regrew in seconds, stretching out again, whole and fresh.
"How the hell am I supposed to beat that?!"
He backed off quickly, returning to face his foe head-on.
No matter how he attacked, the creature healed instantly.
How could anyone win against such a monster?
Pressure mounted in his chest — until a sudden thought struck him.
Wait… he was from the future.
He'd already confirmed that he himself was the original Tiga.
That meant the events of the Ultra-Ancient Age — the ones yet to come — were destined to happen.
He couldn't die here.
None of them could — not Camearra, not Hudra, not Darramb.
History demanded their survival.
A slow grin spread across Yu Zhou's face.
Knowing the future was like holding an immortality card.
Even if the opponent was impossibly strong, even if victory was out of reach —
he couldn't die here.
Not yet.