R'lyeh.
After the Light Particle Converter was installed at R'lyeh, the site officially became the headquarters of the Earth Garrison.
King Ord had also visited R'lyeh once, after the Light Particle Converter successfully enabled humans to gain the power of giants.
Although he was tempted to try it himself, Yuzare had warned Ord that the transformation still carried certain risks.
Using Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb as examples, Ord ultimately abandoned the idea of undergoing the transformation personally.
Yuzare did not mention that the current Light Particle Converter was an upgraded version—there was no need to.
As long as there was a reason to stop her father from transforming, that was enough.
Because during previous transformation experiments, Yuzare had discovered one crucial point:
Only those in whom a Heart of Light manifested during the process could succeed.
Among the many elite members of the Garrison, only Achilles and Herau failed the transformation—their chests never emitted light.
The Heart of Light was something most people could not perceive.
However, those who cultivated the power of light possessed it.
For example, Ammon, the lord of Fuhuo City.
Ammon also underwent the transformation beneath the Light Particle Converter, synchronizing with the light of Orion and becoming a Giant of Light.
After becoming a Giant of Light, Ammon roamed everywhere in search of Melba, hunting and killing them one by one.
The fall of Fuhuo City had been Melba's doing—if not for Tiga back then, Ammon himself would have perished.
Thus, Ammon's hatred for Melba ran bone-deep.
The departure of Achilles and Herau was something Yuzare had never anticipated.
It seemed the failure had dealt them a severe blow.
"Those who possess a Heart of Light share one core trait—kindness," Yuzare said as she stood on the shores of R'lyeh with Keshiva, analysing the characteristics of those with such hearts.
"Of course, kindness alone is not enough. They must also have the will to protect everything and to uphold peace."
"But whether the Heart of Light exists or not is fundamentally impossible to judge," Keshiva replied. "The elite members of the Garrison have all passed the highest trials. It wouldn't be strange for them to possess a Heart of Light."
"After all, they are warriors chosen one in ten thousand."
"When Cain returns, we'll proceed with the next stage of transformation," Yuzare said.
"Agreed."
Just as the two were speaking, two enormous figures suddenly appeared in the sky.
One of them was instantly recognizable—it was Cain.
The other looked like a monster.
"Confirm Cain's status. Prepare for combat!"
Yuzare issued orders without hesitation.
"Understood!"
Several elite Garrison members immediately took position on the beach, holding various transformation devices, ready to transform at any moment.
"I'm safe—do not attack!"
"This is my partner!"
Cain shouted down as he descended toward the beach.
Yuzare froze for a moment, then ordered the Garrison members to stand down.
Cain landed on the sand together with Guardie. With a heavy thud, sand exploded everywhere, covering Yuzare and the others from head to toe.
"Big Sister, I didn't mean to!"
Cain hurriedly explained when he realized what had happened.
"I know."
With a very kind smile, Yuzare replied.
She then examined the monster beside Cain, and after confirming the absence of any dark markings, she nodded in relief.
After all, Cain was not Tiga—taming dark monsters was far too difficult.
"Oh, right, Sister, let me introduce you. This is my new partner—Guardie!"
"Woof!"
Cain introduced Guardie, who obediently barked in response.
"Talking like this feels a bit inconvenient…"
Cain thought for a moment and released his transformation, returning to his human form.
To his surprise, Guardie also turned into a stream of light and landed on the beach.
Looking at the small yellow dog beside him, wagging its tail happily, Cain was stunned.
"Guardie?"
He called out tentatively.
Guardie immediately ran over, leapt onto Cain, and started licking him enthusiastically.
"It really is Guardie!"
Cain never imagined that the Komainu monster Guardie could appear in the form of a small dog.
And such an adorable one at that—an absolute heart-stealer.
Yuzare, seeing such a cute dog, honestly wanted to hug it, but as the commander of the Garrison, she had to maintain her authority.
Holding Guardie in his arms, Cain recounted everything that had happened during his journey.
He told Yuzare about encountering the long-vanished Yuzhou in the Dark Temple.
He also faithfully relayed everything Yuzhou had said to him.
The information shocked both Yuzare and Keshiva.
What shocked Yuzare most was the news that the Dark King had already been defeated by Tiga.
"So, the Dark King we struggled so hard to confront… was actually defeated by Tiga,"
Yuzare said, still stunned.
"But Master only defeated him," Cain reminded her. "The Dark King was not destroyed. Master said that the Dark King, Cthulhu, is controlling darkness from the shadows and invading Earth."
"No wonder dark monster incursions have increased recently," Yuzare nodded.
Keshiva's attention, however, was focused on the news Cain brought back about Camearra.
"So Camearra and the others… still fell into darkness."
Every time Camearra was mentioned, Keshiva sighed deeply, overwhelmed by guilt.
"I failed as a father…"
Staring out at the endless sea, Keshiva was left speechless.
"Mr. Keshiva, you don't need to worry too much," Cain tried to comfort him. "Camearra and the others are still safe for now—they just can't leave the temple."
Yuzare sort out the key points from Cain's report.
These were critically important to the Earth Garrison.
First: The Dark King Cthulhu was sealed within the Dark Temple due to stellar alignment, and Tiga and the others were unable to leave because of his dark power.
Second: Tiga and Camearra's group had fully become Dark Giants. Though they occasionally regained clarity, most of the time they were under the influence of darkness. Fortunately, they could not leave the temple.
Third: The two previous streaks of dark light were signals released by Cthulhu—this required serious attention.
Fourth: The apex of the Dark Domain's abyss connected to the sea near R'lyeh.
…And more.
"Cain, let's go," Yuzare said after organizing her thoughts. "We need more Giants of Light to resist the darkness invading Earth."
"A new round of Giant of Light transformations will begin tonight. To prevent accidents, we'll need you to stand guard."