Across the continent, the frequency of monster appearances was steadily increasing.
One after another, beasts tainted with the aura of darkness emerged in cities, unleashing chaos and destruction.
As the continent's foremost scientist, Keshiva had developed many anti-monster weapons. Yet even so, the casualties were countless.
Even the most skilled members of the Earth Defence Corps fell before the claws of these colossal beasts.
One day, the commander of the Defence Corps, Princess Yuzare, Prince Cain, and the princess herself met Keshiva in secret.
After that meeting, something within Keshiva seemed to awaken. Inspired—or perhaps enlightened—he devoted himself entirely to developing a new machine.
Days and nights blurred together in relentless research, countless experiments failed, until at last… he succeeded.
The Photon Converter—a device that removed the need for the Sparklence. It could directly transform a human into a Giant!
However, it required one condition: fusion with the light of Orion.
—R'lyeh.
Upon the same platform where Camearra had once turned into a Giant of Darkness, the new Photon Converter stood silently at its centre.
Eight luminous pillars encircled the core device, though unlike before, the platform now lacked the slot for a Sparklence.
Within the mechanism, Keshiva had embedded crystals harvested from the planet of the Plasma Spark Tower, aligning them in precise sequence. This modification allowed light conversion without a Sparklence.
"Let me be the one to try it."
Cain stepped forward, thumping his chest with determination.
"No, Your Highness! You cannot!" Keshiva cried, his voice trembling. "You are the crown prince—please wait until the experiment has proven safe!"
He was already risking his daughter's life once before. If anything were to happen to Cain, he would be branded a sinner across the entire continent.
Cain was the king's heir—if he died, even Princess Yuzare and His Majesty would never forgive him.
"Cain, you—" Yuzare began, but a woman in azure robes interrupted her.
"Go, Cain," the woman said softly, stepping forward. "As the prince of this land, you must command respect and awe. This is your chance to prove yourself."
A gentle cyan glow flowed from her hand, healing the dark wounds on Cain's body, ensuring no minor injury would interfere with the process.
"Thank you, Sister Iaso, for believing in me."
The woman—Iaso, eldest daughter of King Ord, elder sister to Yuzare and Cain—nodded. She had trained abroad, mastering the healing aspect of the Light's power. Since monsters began attacking cities, she had tirelessly used her gift to save the wounded.
Since the royal princess herself had spoken, Keshiva could only bow in silence.
Cain's eyes burned with resolve as he stepped into the centre of the Photon Converter.
If the process succeeded, he would become a Giant—a being of immense power, protector of the continent.
If it failed… the result would be unthinkable.
He stood there, waiting.
Keshiva activated the device.
The Converter whirred to life, drawing down the radiance of Orion. The light intertwined with the machine and enveloped Cain. He could feel the brilliance of Light seeping into his body—pure and comforting.
Photon particles swirled around him. Deep within, the light he'd inherited from Degel—his master—began to resonate in harmony with the photons around him.
The eight surrounding pillars blazed to life. Golden arcs of lightning crackled between them, dancing wildly across Cain's body.
Everyone gasped in terror; afraid he would be torn apart at any second.
But Cain stood firm, unfazed by the lightning that danced along his frame.
A burst of light erupted from his chest, so bright that no one could look directly at it.
A deep, ethereal chime rang through the air. In the next instant, Cain's form dissolved into pure light particles—vanishing.
Then—
A giant, wrapped in blinding radiance, appeared before them.
He stood roughly fifty meters tall, his body clad in silver, red, and black armour. His eyes shone with a serene blue light, a crystal gleamed upon his forehead, and a colour timer on his chest pulsed with a soft azure glow.
"It worked?!"
Keshiva cried out, half in joy, half in sorrow.
Joy—because Prince Cain had succeeded in becoming a Giant of Light.
Sorrow—because his own daughter, Camearra, had failed before him and fallen into darkness.
"Is that… Tiga?"
Among the Defence Corps officers present, someone murmured in disbelief.
"No," Yuzare said, shaking her head slowly.
She had seen Tiga countless times—she knew that face, that presence.
The one standing before them was not Tiga.
Cain raised his hand, releasing a soft beam of light that formed a reflective mirror before him.
He gazed at his reflection—and his eyes lit up in awe.
"I look just like Master!"
"I truly am his disciple!"
His form as a Giant of Light bore a striking resemblance to Tiga—his teacher. The resemblance filled him with pride.
In his imagination, he had always envisioned his future self—a hero as cool and stoic as Tiga.
Now, that dream had taken shape.
"It must be because of the light Master gave me," he murmured.
He remembered clearly—the Light he carried within him had once been entrusted to him by Tiga himself. During the fusion with Orion's radiance, that Light had resonated and merged completely.
No wonder his form now resembled his master's.
With a powerful leap, Cain soared into the sky.
It was his first time experiencing flight—true, effortless flight.
The exhilaration was indescribable.
"Now then… I should try firing a light beam, like Master does."
As he streaked through the clouds, he thought of the beam techniques that symbolized the Giants' might.
He still remembered vividly how Tiga could obliterate lines of monsters with a single dazzling blast.
"Though I shouldn't just copy him—I should have my own style."
Cain smiled beneath the light. He began picturing the stance and movement for his very own beam technique.
Then—
"Hm?"
A massive shadow passed overhead—a giant bird-like monster.
He focused his gaze.
Wrapped in tendrils of dark energy, it was Melba.
Yet this Melba was different—the patterns on its wings pulsed with the mark of dark corruption.
"A beast that shatters the heavens…" Cain's eyes narrowed.
"Perfect. Let me test my strength on you!"