"A heart of light… yet the light itself refuses to acknowledge it. How laughable."
Herau sat up on the grassy cliffside, tilting his head back to drink from his bottle of sake, his tone steeped in self-mockery.
Before them stretched the sprawling capital of R'lyeh, its brilliant city lights flickering like constellations. At the heart of it all stood the plaza — where the Light Particle Converter's experiments were still underway.
The two sat there in silence, watching the distant lights.
Then, without warning, a powerful beam of light erupted from the plaza, piercing the night sky. Within that radiance, a figure emerged — a giant, wrapped in brilliance, ascending toward the stars.
It was unmistakable.
The next experiment had succeeded.
Another Giant of Light was born.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
Herau exhaled softly, downing another mouthful of the cool sake. Achilles only shook his head, his expression dim.
"…Achilles," Herau said at last, his voice low. "Let's go."
"Go?" Achilles blinked, glancing over. "Go where?"
"Anywhere," Herau said, setting the empty bottle down beside him. "We'll wander the world — and find out why we weren't chosen to be Giants of Light."
Achilles hesitated, frowning slightly. "To search for a reason… I'm not sure it matters anymore."
"But think about it," Herau pressed. "From now on, the Earth Defense Corps will be full of Giants of Light. What place is there for us anymore?"
Achilles paused, then gave a small nod.
He wasn't obsessed with becoming a giant, but he knew what Herau meant. With so many new warriors born from the light, their roles would soon fade into irrelevance.
To stay would mean watching, mission after mission, as their comrades transformed — while they remained ordinary.
Herau grinned suddenly and clapped him on the back. "You're my brother, Achilles. That's enough for me!"
Achilles couldn't help but smile, the tension in his chest finally loosening.
Together, they finished the last of their sake, then rose to pack their things — ready to leave this place behind.
Back at the Light Particle Converter's platform, things were proceeding smoothly — almost suspiciously so.
Whether by fortune or fate, every subsequent transformation succeeded without a single error.
One after another, beams of light ascended skyward, each carrying a newly born Giant of Light.
These were the Corps' elite — individuals chosen for their unwavering devotion to humanity and the Earth itself. To become an elite, one had to pass the strictest of trials, especially the test of heart.
Because the light could never be allowed to fall into hands tainted by darkness.
"Mr. Keshiva," Yuzare said at last, breaking the long silence. "Have you noticed it too?"
"I have," Keshiva replied with a weary sigh. "You mean how every successful candidate manifested their heart of light during the process."
Yuzare nodded. "Exactly. Each one revealed the light within their heart as they transformed."
"Yes… the heart of light." Keshiva's gaze turned distant. "Camearra and the others once showed the same. If only the converter hadn't malfunctioned back then…"
He caught himself and gave a small, bitter smile. "But never mind that. Tell me, Princess — will you try it yourself? To become a Giant of Light?"
"I…" Yuzare hesitated, then shook her head. "Not yet. I don't intend to undergo the transformation."
Instead, she turned toward the woman beside her. "But my sister could. Princess Iaso — you should try."
Iaso raised an eyebrow but smiled faintly. "Then I'll give it a go."
She didn't quite understand why her younger sister refused, but she didn't question it either. She stepped calmly into the centre of the platform.
As Iaso entered the converter, Yuzare closed her eyes.
She could feel the flow of luminous energy all around her — threads of light that responded to her thoughts, waiting to be called forth, to become power.
But then… something stirred.
At the core of her chest, where her heart of light shone brightest, a faint blot of black appeared.
Darkness.
She didn't know when it had crept in — but it was there now, threading itself through her light.
By the time Yuzare realized it, it was too late.
That trace of darkness could only be purified through constant refinement of the heart — through the relentless burning of one's light.
"My will," Yuzare murmured inwardly, "has perhaps grown too… greedy."
She understood, now. The darkness hadn't invaded from outside.
It had formed within her.
When she learned that humans could become Giants of Light, wielding the same incredible, godlike power as Tiga — she had begun to desire it.
She had wanted the method of transformation.
She had wanted the crystal wand in Tiga's hand.
She had wanted the Plasma Spark itself.
But the most painful part was this — her intentions were pure. She wanted that power not for domination, but to protect Earth, to drive away the darkness.
And yet… was that still wrong?
"Once this is all over," she whispered, "I'll need to spend some time in quiet meditation."
She shook her head and forced the thought away.
The Giants of Light had been born.
The Corps now had its champions.
If the cost of that victory was a single speck of darkness within her heart — then so be it.
Across the world, cities fell under attack as dark monsters emerged one after another, destroying everything in their path.
But now, from the skies above every nation, Giants of Light descended, battling the darkness to protect humanity.
It was a new age — the dawn of light.
People everywhere rejoiced. In temples and shrines across the world, statues of ancient gods were quietly replaced with effigies of these radiant protectors.
Even Prince Cain had joined the frontlines.
Though of royal blood, he fought alongside his comrades, destroying the invading beasts.
The number of Giants was still limited — after all, even among the Defense Corps, only a select few were worthy.
"Your Highness!" a soldier called from below, as Cain blasted a Dark Golza into oblivion with a single beam of light. "The commander requests your presence at headquarters — there's to be a meeting about expanding the transformation project!"
Cain lowered his arm, his armour glinting gold under the fading rays. "No," he said simply. "Let my sister handle it. I'll keep hunting the remaining dark monsters."
He looked toward the distant horizon. "More and more of them have been emerging from underground lately… attacking cities without warning."
With that, he took a running start and leapt into the air, soaring into the heavens once more.
Even from above, it was difficult to spot where the next threat would rise.
Then, a thought struck him.
Wasn't all darkness born from a single source?
"The King of Darkness…" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "If I defeat him directly, won't this end much sooner?"