In Z's hands was no longer just Ifrit's blade.

It was strength. It was spirit. It was faith—

And a promise, yet to be fulfilled.

Together with Haruki, Z charged straight at the Arbiter. No hesitation. No doubt. Every strike was a declaration:

We are no longer the protected. We are the heirs of those who fell. We are the flame carried forward.

Z fought like a living storm of fire. Every strike faster. Stronger. Sharper. The Arbiter smirked at first, dismissive.

But unlike before—Z did not waver. If anything, with every clash, the fire inside him only grew fiercer.

Strike after strike drove the Arbiter's grip to tremble—ever so slightly.

Z and Haruki roared, every ounce of resolve blazing through their voices. A soul ablaze. A heart refusing to be consumed.

The Arbiter froze.

For the first time, he realized: if this continued, Z would surpass him.

He would not allow it.

---

He lunged forward—swift as a shard of night tearing the heavens.

In the beat between Z's swings, the Arbiter's left hand shot out, seizing the sword, locking it in place like an iron snare.

Z's blade was trapped. His arm pinned.

The Arbiter's right arm arced upward, his own dark blade aimed straight for Z's chest.

It fell like an inevitable sentence.

But—

Z raised his bare hand and seized the blade, just as Ifrit once had.

No tremor. No hesitation.

The dark edge halted mere inches from Z's core, clamped between burning fingers that glowed with inner fire.

The Arbiter's eyes flared wide. Disbelief.

"This... this power—what is it?"

---

Z gave no answer.

Inside the synchronization chamber, Haruki gritted his teeth. Blood seeped from Haruki's palm—his pain echoing Z's, as if their wounds were one.

Z felt it instantly.

"Haruki—you're hurt."

Through ragged breaths, Haruki's voice pressed back:

"Z—don't lose focus.

I'll be fine. But you—

you cannot fall!"

---

Fire and shadow collided, grinding against each other. The dark sword shuddered in Z's grasp. A battle of willpower, unyielding on both sides.

And then—

From the left, plasma fire from STORAGE rained down, striking the Arbiter's arm. The impact broke his hold, forcing him back.

Z tore free, stumbling a step, smoke rising from his scorched hand. In the synchronization chamber, Haruki slumped forward, heart pounding like war drums inside his chest.

But neither of them fell.

Z tightened his grip on the sword. His eyes burned with something fierce—both merciless, and unbreakable.

Haruki forced himself upright, blood seeping through his palm.

His voice steady once more:

"Z... are you still standing?"

Z's reply thundered in Haruki's mind, a vow that could never be broken:

"As long as you don't fall. I'll keep standing."

Both hands gripped the hilt. One breath, drawn deep—ready for the next charge.

---

But before they could move—

A light descended, wrapping them like an embrace from another world.

"This energy..." Z gasped inwardly. "Haruki—it's her. Kiara is with us."

The light swelled, warm and radiant. Yet the Arbiter did not wait. He hurled a blade of darkness toward it.

Before it struck, the light soared skyward—

then descended like an arrow of dawn.

The impact exploded across the battlefield, hurling the Arbiter back. He staggered, eyes locked on the glow now unfurling.

Giant wings of fire spread wide, radiating waves of living heat. Ultraman Z's form emerged anew, flames of white, red, and gold woven together. Upon Z's chest, the color timer transformed — becoming a blazing phoenix, its wings unfurling in divine radiance.

This was no longer the Ultraman Z of before.

This was an Ultraman born from an eternal promise.

From a soul that refused to be forgotten.

From a heart that burned with strength, will, and love.

Ultraman Z—Eternal.

The sword in Z's hand transformed into a greatblade—vast, radiant, like the burning dawn.

With a roar, Z swung.

Each strike tore the ground apart in waves of flame. Each impact cracked the Arbiter's armor, fire clinging to wounds he could not heal.

And for the first time—he recoiled.

Afraid.

"...Impossible. This light—!"

He lunged again, but the fire barred his path,

burning his every step, devouring his killing intent.

---

Z raised the blade—

and it shifted, reshaping into a massive bow of flame.

A perfect arc of might and sorrow entwined.

Z drew the bow.

Inside the synchronization chamber, Haruki stood beside the same glowing bow, his hand firmly gripping the string of fire.

Haruki's fingers trembled. Not from battle's weight—

but from the ache of knowing this might be the last moment he would feel her presence.

And then—

A hand, warm and gentle, pressed over his. Familiar. Unmistakable.

"...Kiara."—Haruki whispered, his voice catching in his throat.

She stood beside him, radiant, smiling softly—her eyes tender in a way they had never been before.

"Let's end this, Haruki."

The three of them—Haruki, Z, Kiara—drew the bow together.

The Arbiter thrashed, roared, desperate to flee, to fight back—but he could not.

From Z's burning wings, countless sparks shot forth, piercing into him like flaming arrows. He screamed, staggered, trapped.

And then—

They released.

The great arrow of light pierced through him,

followed by the storm of a hundred burning shafts.

The fire devoured all he was—

body, will, and shadow.

The Arbiter dissolved.

No armor. No cry.

Only silence.

The skies cleared, the shroud of shadow burned away, revealing a world at peace once more.

---

Kiara and Haruki stood still, watching as the sun slowly rose beyond the veil of night. The first rays of dawn spilled across them—fragile, yet warm.

"It feels like..." Kiara's voice was quiet, trembling with a faint, wistful smile, "this is the first time we've watched the sunrise together, isn't it?"

Haruki turned toward her, his eyes rimmed with red, his voice catching in his throat. "Kiara... can't you stay?"

She didn't turn back right away. Her shoulders quivered. Her head dipped, as though she was hiding the words she hated most to say:
"...I suppose... this will be our farewell."

Then, slowly, Kiara turned to face him. Her gaze softened, bright and tender, carrying a smile so fragile it seemed ready to dissolve into the morning light. "Until we meet again."

Her body shimmered, fading into warm light. Before the glow vanished completely, her voice lingered:

"If there's a next time... find me a little sooner, Haruki."

A single droplet of light slid down her cheek—not clear whether it was a tear, or fire cooling to ash.

"Wait—" Haruki reached, but she was already gone. Before him, only drifting embers of her form remained.

Untouchable. Unreachable.

He lowered his hand, clenched his fist. He had finally understood that he had been too late.

And yet she smiled as she left—peaceful, content.

Z-Eternal's armor and bow dissolved into stardust, drifting skyward like the ashes of a sun that had burned itself out. Z bowed his head in silence, mourning a comrade... a family.

But not everything vanished.

One spark remained. A single feather, warm and luminous, drifting into Haruki's palm.

Haruki grasped it tight.

"Haruki..." Z's voice trembled. "That is...?"

Haruki smiled faintly, eyes still lifted to the fading light.

"...It's a promise."

---

-----------Epilogue: A Greeting from the Light-----------

Three years later.

Haruki and Z continued their duty—protecting Earth, and beyond. Every day, Haruki carried that feather.

An unfinished vow.

Until one day—

It shone.

Z stirred.

"Haruki... this energy. It's her."

The glow wasn't blinding. It was soft. Gentle. Alive—like a soul smiling inside his chest.

At that moment, STORAGE's intercom rang.

Not an alarm.

"A lifeform of pure energy is entering the atmosphere,"— the technician reported. "Shape resembles... a phoenix."

The control room stilled. Eyes lifted to the sky.

The Captain of STORAGE turned to Haruki. No smile. No jest. Just a steady look, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Haruki... this time, don't keep her waiting."

Haruki clenched the feather in his fist.

"...Yes, sir."

And he ran. No hesitation. No doubt.

"Haruki—I can feel it, she's—"

"I already know where she is," Haruki cut Z off. Certain. Unshakable.

His instincts guided him, carrying him to the place he knew she would be.

He stopped.

The cliffside. The place where they had first met.

And there—sat a girl.

Hair red as flame.

Looking out at the distant sky, as if she had never left.

Haruki's heart pounded. The feather in his hand dissolved into light, its purpose fulfilled—guiding her home.

She turned.

Her eyes gentle. Innocent.

No hatred. No grief.

But no memory of Haruki either.

"...You are...?"

The question struck like a blade. Nearly stopped his heart.

"She... could it be..." Z faltered.

Haruki wiped his tears quickly. His lips trembled—yet still, he smiled.

His voice came soft, honest, unwavering:

"Hello. I'm Haruki.

It's a pleasure to meet you."

---------End of The Greeting from The Light---------