Cain knew that the Dark Realm could lead to R'lyeh, but he had no idea where the exit might be.
Now, there was no time to search. From the skies above the Abyss came piercing cries — the swarm of dead birds was drawing closer.
"Accelerate!"
Gripping Guardie, Cain shot off in the opposite direction from their original path.
At this point, he could only hope to find another way back.
Inside the Dark Temple:
Camearra held Yuzhou's hand as they sat together on the blackened throne. Hudra and Darramb stood at their sides.
Sensing a sudden surge of chaotic dark energy near the Temple, Yuzhou's chest timer turned fully purple. He let out a cold snort.
The residual dark energy in the Temple automatically condensed into dark orbs, shooting outward.
These orbs seemed to lock onto the Zoigers and Melbas flying near the Temple, relentlessly pursuing them.
The Zoigers and Melbas were chasing Cain when suddenly they sensed an overwhelmingly powerful dark aura behind them. Shocked, they sped up, pushing themselves to their limits.
"Crap… why are they suddenly accelerating?!"
Cain looked back to see the Melbas and Zoigers barrelling toward him, moving faster than ever.
"I'm already at my top speed!"
Surrounded by glowing energy, Cain reduced air friction to maximize his velocity, but even so, he had reached his limit. There was no more room to push faster.
"Woof!"
Guardie barked, as if cheering him on.
"There's no time for cheering now!" Cain muttered.
"What? They've caught up?!"
"Where are they? Where?!"
Panicking, Cain scanned the skies, even tempted to turn back. But then the shadow cast above him made him pause, and he glanced upward.
He saw the Zoigers overtaking the Melbas, flying ahead of Cain before he could push beyond his limits.
"???"
Three question marks popped into Cain's mind; Guardie looked just as confused.
Weren't these monsters chasing only him and Guardie? Why had they ignored them? And why were they now flying ahead?
"Woof!"
Guardie suddenly barked urgently, signalling Cain to look behind.
Before Cain could respond, several dark orbs, brimming with concentrated darkness, streaked past above his head and began pursuing the Zoigers and Melbas ahead.
Cain and Guardie stared in shock at the scene: dark orbs chasing the monsters that had been chasing them. They hovered midair above the Abyss, motionless.
"Are… we safe now?" Cain asked.
"Woof."
They floated in stunned silence for a minute. Cain finally realized — they were safe.
If that was the case, they could retrace their path back.
"Wait… which way is the original path?"
Regaining his composure, Cain realized that every direction in the Abyss had returned to chaos. Mist condensed again, making it impossible to identify the way back.
Cain's eyes glowed faint blue as he tried to pierce the veil, but no matter which way he looked, the result was the same.
"Guardie, do you know the way back?"
With no other choice, Cain relied on Guardie. As a Komainu-type creature, Guardie's sense of smell might guide them home.
Guardie sniffed the air, but the scents had become a single, chaotic mass due to the mist.
"Woof woof!"
Guardie barked twice, indicating that he too could not determine the direction.
"What should we do now?!"
Cain scratched his head, uncertain.
Given the circumstances, it seemed they had no choice but to pick a direction at random.
Acting decisively, Cain pointed a way forward and flew, Guardie beside him.
Time passed, slowly dripping by.
They had no way of knowing how long they had been flying.
Cain knew instinctively that they had chosen the wrong path.
Flight demanded energy. After so much fighting and constant flying, Cain was beginning to tire.
If he were at full strength, he could fly indefinitely. But since entering the Dark Realm, the battles and escapes had been relentless. His stamina was nearly depleted.
Ding ding ding…
Suspended above the Abyss, Cain's chest timer began flashing red.
"Woof?"
Guardie tilted his head, curious, and pawed at the timer. Cain did not stop him.
"This is a color-coded timer," Cain explained. "It flashes red when your energy or stamina runs low, as a warning."
"Ask Mr. Keshiva if he can make a replica for you later, so you'll know when you're running out of energy," Cain added.
"Woof."
"Flying any further like this, even if you still have some energy, you'll burn out eventually."
Cain looked up, contemplating their predicament. Would he fall into the Abyss because of exhaustion today?
"Huh?" He suddenly wondered aloud. "Guardie, is the sky of the Abyss also endless?"
"Woof."
Cain figured that, as a dog, Guardie didn't know either.
"Then… let's check it out!"
Determined, Cain and Guardie flew upward into the Abyss sky.
"If all directions are boundless, what if we go up?"
The higher they flew, the thicker the chaotic mist became.
Just as Cain was about to give up, a black barrier appeared overhead.
"This…!"
Cain's heart leapt. His persistence had paid off — he had likely found a new exit.
"So, the top of the Abyss is a barrier!"
"If I'm right, passing through it will allow us to leave this cursed place."
"Let's go, Guardie!"
Excited, Cain called to Guardie and plunged straight through the black barrier.
Passing through felt like breaking space itself. Their bodies were pressed by the sudden pressure, only to realize they were submerged in water.
They had entered the deep sea.
"We made it! We found a new exit!"
Overjoyed, Cain looked down — nothing but deep-sea sand. The black barrier was gone.
"No time to waste, let's go!"
Under the clear sky above R'lyeh, a massive splash erupted.
Cain and Guardie emerged, two towering figures rising above the azure ocean.