Beneath a starlit sky, the battle was about to begin.
Cain accelerated, closing in on the massive bird-like monster ahead—Melba—who hadn't yet noticed him. With a sudden burst of speed, he kicked forward and landed squarely on its back.
The moment Cain's feet struck, Melba let out a startled screech. The added weight of a giant on its back threw off its balance, and it began plummeting helplessly toward the ground.
BOOM!
Like a falling meteor, both Cain and Melba slammed into a grassy plain below. The earth quaked, dust and dirt exploding into the air in rolling waves.
It was Cain's first real battle—and it showed. Even with Melba cushioning his fall, the impact left him sore all over.
Still, with a giant's body, such pain was barely worth noticing.
Brushing the dirt from his chest, Cain climbed out of the crater left by their impact and leapt aside.
When he turned back, Melba lay at the bottom of the pit, barely clinging to life.
Normally, a fall like that wouldn't faze a creature of Melba's durability—but with a fifty-meter-tall giant riding on its back? That was a different story. The combined force of Cain's weight and the crash had nearly crushed it flat.
Frankly, it was a miracle Melba wasn't a monster pancake.
The beast weakly shook its dazed head, groaning as it tried to rise. Its wings twitched—but when it tried to flap them, Melba froze.
Both wings… were broken.
Well, that's the end of that plan.
Lifting its head, Melba saw the giant standing over it, eyes locked, fists clenched, ready to strike. For the first time, the monster looked genuinely panicked.
"Surrender yourself!" Cain roared, striking a dramatic battle stance with his fists raised.
"Gyaa?"
To his utter astonishment, Melba actually lifted its claws—and clapped them together in surrender.
"…???"
Cain blinked.
Wait—seriously? That actually worked?
He'd just shouted the line for effect, and Melba had… obeyed?
Now what was he supposed to do—punch it anyway?
He hesitated—
—and in that instant, a destructive beam of energy lanced through the air, slamming directly into his chest.
CRACK! Sparks burst, smoke rising as Cain was thrown backward, tumbling across the ground.
"Coward! You dare attack me while pretending to surrender?!" he shouted furiously, clutching his chest as he stood.
He had actually been about to let the monster go—but Melba had deceived him, feigning surrender only to ambush him.
The darkened Melba shrieked again—this time with an unmistakable mocking tone.
"Fine then," Cain growled, narrowing his glowing blue eyes. "You've made your choice. No more mercy."
He crossed his arms, his stance mirroring Tiga's Zeperion Beam—but reversed.
Blue light began to swirl around him, condensing from every direction. Cain thrust his arms outward, snapping them into an L-shaped position.
"HYAAAH!"
A brilliant beam of light shot forth, striking Melba square in the chest.
Already grievously injured, drained from its earlier attack, Melba couldn't even dodge.
The blue beam tore through it, lightning arcing wildly across its body—then, with a thunderous BOOM, the monster erupted into a fiery explosion.
Flames and soil blasted high into the air, and when the dust finally settled, all that remained were scattered fragments of Melba's body raining down to the ground.
It was over.
His first battle as a Giant of Light—his first victory.
Cain couldn't help but feel a rush of pride.
Monsters—once humanity's greatest fear, the bringers of death and destruction—had fallen before him.
"I finally have the power to defeat them," he said, looking toward the distant horizon. "From this day on, I will protect this world!"
Beaming with confidence, he soared back toward R'lyeh.
He hadn't realized how far he'd flown—the battle had carried him all the way to the continent's vast grasslands. But now, he'd not only tested his flight… he'd also defeated a dark monster, Melba, in his very first outing.
Maybe monsters weren't that strong after all, he thought smugly.
If not for that surprise beam attack, he would've ended the fight even faster.
Soon, a streak of blue light descended upon R'lyeh.
On the plaza, everyone was still gathered around the Photon Converter, waiting anxiously for his return.
When they spotted the glowing figure descending from the sky, no one could look away.
BOOM!
Cain landed hard, the ground shattering beneath his feet. The shockwave nearly sent the Converter toppling.
Dust billowed everywhere; everyone coughed and shielded their faces.
"Ah—sorry! Sorry! I'm still getting used to being a Giant!" Cain said hastily, waving his hands.
"It's… quite all right, Your Highness," Keshiva managed between coughs.
"Then I'll change back for now. Moving around like this is… a bit inconvenient."
With a thought, Cain released the transformation. His giant body dissolved into glowing particles that spiralled downward, coalescing into his human form once more.
As the light faded, a single stream of photons remained in the air, descending gently into his hand. The particles solidified—forming a crystal rod.
It resembled Tiga's Sparklence, except the closed wings at its top were marked with crimson stripes.
"A transformation device… almost identical to Master's," Cain murmured, examining it closely.
He understood immediately—he wouldn't need the Photon Converter anymore. This rod alone would let him transform freely.
"Still, 'crystal rod' doesn't sound all that impressive. I should give it a proper name."
He paused, recalling a conversation with his teacher.
"Master once said his was called the Dark Sparklence, or Dark Spark Prism…"
After a moment of thought, Cain smiled.
"Then mine shall be called… the Cain Spark!"
He tucked the device into his chest pocket and approached Yuzare and the others.
"Cain, how do you feel?" Yuzare asked.
"Sister Yuzare, I feel amazing!" he said, barely able to contain his excitement.
Becoming a Giant of Light—it was a feeling so powerful he doubted he could sleep that night.
"It seems the experiment truly succeeded," Yuzare said softly. She showed little emotion outwardly, but inside, her heart surged with disbelief and awe.
The power of the Giants of Light… was no longer just a dream.
The darkness spreading across the continent would soon be driven back—
Perhaps even eradicated entirely.