The sun dipped to the ridge of the mountains.

The final rays of sunset filtered through the sky, illuminating the battlefield littered with scorched marks.

Z, Haruki, and Kiara had just defeated a Kaiju from outer space—a grotesque being covered in black moss and shattered stones, as if carrying the ruins of a decayed civilization.

It wasn't a natural creature.

It was an echo—a fragment of a decayed soul drifting from the Realm of Darkness.

Z immediately scanned the energy readings:

"Haruki, that thing... is synchronized with his frequency."

"It's a sign."

Z-Ignited finished it with a blazing slash that tore down the sky, reducing everything to ashes.

Silence slowly returned to the battlefield.

The glow of the sunset emerged from beneath gray smoke—like the world's final exhale before night fell.

The three prepared to return to STORAGE.

But then—

A faint, sharp sound sliced the air.

Not bright. Not loud. But impossible to ignore.

A purple scar ripped across the sky.

Just a still violet slash slicing through the clouds.

Z's voice flared in Haruki's mind: "This is bad... It's him. The gate to the Dark Realm. He's coming—"

Before Z could finish, a wave of darkness crashed down like a tsunami.

Haruki didn't say a word.

He lunged forward, shoving Kiara aside.

The sudden impact sent her stumbling to the ground.

She looked up — just in time to see the darkness close in, swallowing Haruki and Z whole.

It all happened so fast that when she rushed back, the space before her was nothing but a thick, suffocating silence.

Darkness engulfed all. The wind ceased. The final light snuffed out.

Kiara immediately transformed into Ultrawoman Ifrit. She surged forward, stripping all fire from her body, flapping her wings to shield against the strike.

But that darkness wasn't physical.

In an instant, she was thrown back like a leaf in a storm.

All of it happened in five seconds.

When the dust settled...

There was no Z.

No Haruki.

Only the hovering violet gate remained — and Kiara, standing still beneath it.

She didn't hesitate. Didn't call out.

She spread her wings and launched toward the portal.

But as soon as she was a few hundred meters away, an invisible wall of darkness sprung from the edge, flinging her back like a candle in a gale.

She staggered but immediately regained balance—and charged again.

The wall wasn't static. It shifted. It breathed.

Every time she approached, it reformed—like a defensive creature.

Ifrit roared, her body burning red. She drew her blade and slashed at the barrier.

Darkness cracked — but just as it weakened, black sparks surged from every angle, coiling around her like smoky serpents, forcing her back.

She rushed forward again and again.

But the darkness didn't just block—it bound, it taunted, it denied entry.

There was no way through.

She panted, ash covering her armor.

Then she stopped—not because she feared, but because she knew: alone, she wasn't enough.

She looked at the portal one last time, gripping her sword's hilt.

Her gaze still burned. But her steps turned away.

And for the first time...

Kiara walked back to STORAGE—not to demand help, but to ask for it.

Inside the portal: a dense void, with no up, down, left, or right.

No time. No form.

Only Haruki, collapsed and crumbling.

His body heavy as lead. His will drained dry.

A voice echoed: thin, deep, coming from nowhere, not sounding like words—but striking him in the chest:

"You are not an Ultraman."

"You have no right to stand beside them."

"You're a burden. Always have been."

He didn't deny it. No one needed to say those words—they were already inside him.

A normal human amidst beings of light.

No power. No flame.

Just a name and a worthless promise.

While Kiara and Z grew stronger each day... he stood still.

The farther he went, the more unworthy he felt.

Darkness wrapped him in layers.

Z was bound deep within his soul, unable to escape —

unless Haruki freed himself.

------

In STORAGE's command center, the purple portal hovered on the screen.

No drone or reconnaissance craft could approach—it was shredded at the edge of the rift.

Everyone stood silent.

Only Kiara... continued staring at the portal.

Her eyes no longer burned—only the brittle glow of someone who'd just lost what they hadn't yet held.

"I need three minutes. You just need to stall. I'll break the barrier." "Then... I'll go in."

The STORAGE commander clenched his fist.

"No. If it's taken Z and Haruki, then it's bait. If you go too... we'll be left with no one strong enough to protect this world."

Kiara turned, her eyes alight:

"My purpose from the start wasn't to protect—it was revenge."

"And I can't do this without them."

"If you refuse to help, I'll go alone."

"And if anyone tries to stop me—I'll incinerate this entire base."

The commander exhaled. He understood—the edge in her voice wasn't cruelty, but a mask layered over sorrow and worry. And he knew he couldn't stop her.

"Understood. We'll give you space."

His voice softer, as if placing a hand on the shoulder of a soldier choosing death:

"Please. Bring him back—and bring yourself back, too."

Kiara stood quietly.

She didn't nod. Didn't leave right away.

She stood—still—for a few seconds. As if she'd just heard something too close to... hope.

Her hand glowed faintly inside her coat.

Then she walked out of the command center.

Once alone—in the steel corridor leading to the launch bay—

She stopped.

Leaned against a cold metal wall.

Her throat tightened, as if choking on something held within.

She closed her eyes. For a long time.

When she opened them, she was no longer the warrior.

She was a child—calling out to names long asleep in memory:

"Mom... Dad...

If you can still hear me...

Please... give me strength. Just for once."

--------

STORAGE marshaled all forces around the portal's edge.

They unleashed continuous bombardment upon the dark tendrils.

Ultrawoman Ifrit appeared—her body burning like a star's flare.

Plasma cannons overloaded, firing one final blast that tore open a gap.

She gathered all her fire into her sword.

When it glowed with enough energy, she swung it—

A cross-shaped slash ripped through the night, creating a passage through the portal.

She entered at once—without hesitation.

Her flames were extinguished as soon as she crossed the threshold.

Every step into the void was pain—but she kept going.

Darkness clung to her limbs, dragging her, pulling nerve and will.

She screamed—not for pain.

But because she saw Haruki.

A slumped figure in the void's emptiness.

Head bowed. Utterly motionless.

A faint light in a collapsing universe.

"Haruki, wake up... get out."

She rushed forward—but the darkness thickened with each step.

Malice clawed at her, blocking her touch.

She stretched her hand. Her voice faltered.

Her legs were pinned. Her hand trembled.

"You promised to hold my hand if it ever trembled—"

"It's trembling now!"

"Don't break your promise... or I'll never forgive you!!!"

Darkness surged, swallowing her light, even her gaze—as if trying to snuff out the very flame within.

But her hand kept reaching for him—until her voice faded away:

"Please, Haruki... come back to me."

A small voice broke through the void.

Not loud. Not echoing. But deep enough to reach the heart.

A ray of light opened around him—not sure from where.

Then... a warm breath.

Z, sitting beside him.

"Haruki. I'm sorry... I never thought about how you felt. But please... trust me. You're not a burden."

"You're the reason Kiara's clinging to hope."

"You're what I risked my life for."

"You are the light."

"Now open your eyes—someone... is still waiting."

Haruki turned his head.

There stood Kiara.

Her hand trembled, but it was still extended.

"The promise you made to me."

"You haven't forgotten... have you?"

Haruki didn't hesitate.

He reached out—grasped her trembling hand.

"No. I would never forget."

---------

A burst of light exploded inside the portal.

Haruki awakened.

Z-Ignited flared like stormfire in the void.

He charged — grabbing Ultrawoman Ifrit's hand, pulling her from the shadows coiling to crush her.

Waves of darkness slammed into Z like tidal strikes —

But he held on.

The pain turned into roaring will.

Haruki, Z, and Kiara. Together. This time, none would be left behind.

Z roared, his body crackling with light.

Haruki nearly collapsed inside the synchronization chamber.

They pulled—draining their final strength—and then... Ifrit broke free like a fallen star escaping its orbit.

At that moment—Haruki saw Ifrit's Color Timer flicker red for the first time.

The fire around her waned. Her eyes, once blazing, were now like a dying ember in the night.

No longer Ultrawoman Ifrit.

Only a hollow warrior pulled from hell—her soul still trapped there.

Z formed a shield with his remaining power, protecting himself and her from the encroaching darkness.

He gasped:

"I'm holding her consciousness—by the last light I have. But I don't know how long I can keep it."

"Haruki — now's the time. Bring her back."

Haruki opened his eyes—

And realized he was no longer outside.

No battlefield. No pain.

Just a blinding white space—eerily silent.

The deepest part of Kiara's soul.

A final fragment of light clinging to the edges of identity.

In its center—stood her.

Kiara stood still, her gaze empty.

Haruki approached.

"Kiara...?"

She didn't respond. No movement.

Just stood like an empty shell.

Haruki moved closer. Reached out—touching her hand.

"Can you hear me...?"

No response.

Haruki clasped her hand tighter, voice breaking:

"...Kiara, our promise still hangs... do you remember?"

A breath. A moment of response.

Suddenly—Kiara's fingers twitched, then slowly curled in.

At first it was just a faint, hazy movement... but then they tightened, as if driven by some desperate instinct to hold on to something before it slipped away forever.

Haruki froze, heart pounding.

And as that warmth passed between them, Kiara's eyes stirred — like light breaking through a fog. Her voice returned, faint but unmistakable:

"Haruki...?"

Haruki gave a small smile, exhaling as if he'd just come back to life. He only nodded, clutching that moment with all the strength he had left.

"Don't give up..." Haruki whispered. "Because I will never let go."

Kiara glanced down at the hand he held so tightly.

But Kiara didn't pull away.

Only held on tighter.

"...You..." Kiara began,

But before she could continue, Haruki began to fade.

As if an unseen hand were lifting him away from her.

Cold. Distant. And unbearably painful.

"No... Don't go—"

Her voice cracked.

Her hand reached desperately, trying to hold on to anything.

Inside the dark void.

Light had returned to Ultrawoman Ifrit's eyes.

Before her was Haruki—floating, unconscious. Z's light had faded, returned to Haruki.

Darkness slithered closer—smoke-like tendrils eager to swallow them again.

Without thought. Without hesitation.

Ifrit surged forward—held him tight.

She would never let the darkness take him again.

Behind her —

Her wings ignited.

They blazed brighter than ever. Glowing tinges of white-gold—no longer flames of hatred, but the light of a promise across all boundaries.

From those wings, hundreds of small fiery arrows burst forth—burning the darkness away.

Each arrow held an unsaid emotion. Piercing the void, tearing through mist, pushing back blackness.

Ifrit ascended, reaching deep into her soul—not to fight, but to keep her promise.

And in that moment, her will carved a path through the collapsing abyss behind her.

She flew out of the portal. Haruki still lay unconscious but breathing.

And then...

She felt it.

For the first time, something other than fire awoke in her hand.

Energy that didn't burn nor scorch—but was warm. Pure. Gentle.

Light.

Not from O 50. Not from phoenix blood.

But from the heart that chose to fight for others.

She whispered: "Thank you..."

Ifrit lowered Haruki—and looked back at the purple portal, roaring behind her.

She raised her hand—not to strike. Not to burn.

But... to free.

From her outstretched arms—gleamed a white-gold flame.

Ifrit whispered—like naming an ancient power:

"Phoenix Flare—

...Kōsen."

A beam shot forward—like a final comet, burning away her last regrets... Shattering the darkness that had caged her.

The entire portal exploded.

Light burst forth—this time, from her.

---------

Inside the infirmary, subdued lighting cast shadows over Haruki's still face.

Kiara stood beside his bed, silent.

She softly lifted her hand—about to touch his face.

Her fingertips stopped just shy—hesitating. A flicker of hesitation. A moment of fear. She looked away.

Haruki stirred.

She immediately withdrew, as if caught confessing something she couldn't admit.

Haruki opened his eyes. Weak, but clear:

"I heard your voice... but I can't remember clearly. What did you say?"

Kiara paused, then replied softly:

"I said... if you died... I wouldn't have an ally left."

"And I need allies."

"Don't leave me to fight alone."

She turned away, voice low but steady:

"The final battle will be brutal.

I need both of you in the best condition possible.

So... rest. While you still can."

Kiara left the room. As the door closed behind her, she paused in the silent hallway.

She looked down at her hand—the same hand she almost touched Haruki with, now clenched tight.

She shook her head quietly.

A silent breath.

"...Not yet. Not now."

Then she turned and walked away, quietly but resolutely.

Z appeared in Haruki's mind. His voice soft, yet trembling slightly:

"Even now... she still can't be honest with her feelings."

Haruki smiled, eyes fixed above:

"That doesn't matter.

I heard everything I needed to hear."

Z was quiet a moment. Then asked,

"So... what about you?

Will you ever be honest with your own feelings?"

Haruki closed his eyes, smiling softly:

"Someday. But not today."

A breath. He tightened his hand.

Eyes opening — no longer the same boy who doubted himself:

"He's getting close.

This time... it's our turn to pull her back from the darkness."