Night fell.
The stars shimmered overhead, and the light of Orion, as if crossing time and space itself, poured down upon the platform plaza of R'lyeh.
The eight pillars of the Light Particle Converter emitted a faint glow, intertwining with the radiance arriving from the distant nebula.
Anyone who possessed even a rudimentary grasp of the power of light could sense it clearly—the fused light contained an overwhelming force.
A power capable of changing the world.
A large crowd had gathered around the Light Particle Converter.
In addition to Yuzare, Cain, Keshiva, and Grand General An Cheng, most of those present were members of the Earth Garrison.
There were also several researchers under Keshiva's command, as well as soldiers led by General An Cheng.
The researchers were responsible for recording all data during the Light Particle transformation process and, if necessary, taking immediate control of the Converter in case of abnormalities.
General An Cheng's soldiers were tasked with maintaining order, preventing unauthorized personnel or bystanders from approaching the site.
As for the Earth Garrison members, aside from those elite individuals who had already succeeded in transforming, the remaining participants were carefully selected by Yuzare as experimental candidates.
Tonight's transformation was prepared specifically for them.
"Come. Step forward and prepare for the transformation."
Yuzare called out the first Garrison member in line, instructing him to move to the centre of the Light Particle Converter.
The man was naturally thrilled.
Everyone had witnessed the power of the Giants of Light—he had never imagined that one day, he himself might be granted such strength.
Standing at the centre of the Converter, he was bathed in the light of Orion.
At Keshiva's activation command, the Light Particle Converter began to operate.
Free-floating light particles in the air fused with Orion's mysterious radiance and flowed into the Converter.
In an instant, the eight pillars blazed brilliantly, releasing golden arcs of energy that surged across the Garrison member's body.
There was no pain—no injury at all.
Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of wonder.
Lowering his head, he saw a glow emerge from his chest under the influence of the golden arcs, pulsing like a living heart.
The next moment, his body felt weightless.
Unbeknownst to him, his entire form had already dissolved into light particles, merging with the surrounding radiance as a new body began to take shape.
Before long, those particles coalesced into a towering figure.
Amid faint, bell-like chimes, a silver-and-red Giant of Light appeared before everyone.
"I succeeded!"
The newly transformed Garrison member was ecstatic.
He examined his giant hands and feet repeatedly, testing their movement, then kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
The sight left the remaining candidates filled with envy.
"Once you become a Giant of Light, the responsibility you bear will also grow heavier," Yuzare said solemnly as she observed their expressions. "This power exists to protect Earth—to protect humanity."
"Understood, Commander Yuzare!"
The Garrison members nodded seriously in unison.
Yet when they looked back up at the giant bathed in light in the sky, excitement and anticipation once again filled their eyes.
That Giant was their comrade.
"Good. Next."
After nodding to the Giant in the sky and allowing him to adapt to his new abilities, Yuzare signalled for the next candidate to step forward.
"Do all of them really possess a Heart of Light?"
Keshiva frowned slightly, puzzled.
If all elite Garrison members possessed it, that would already be a rare probability—but still acceptable.
After all, they were handpicked elites.
But now even ordinary Garrison members were succeeding.
That felt… excessive.
"No," Yuzare shook her head calmly.
Based on previous experimental results, those without a Heart of Light would inevitably fail.
Just like Achilles and Herau.
And yet, those two had been exceptional warriors—so exceptional that their lack of a Heart of Light had come as a shock.
As Keshiva activated the Converter once more, the second transformation began.
The member stepping into the centre was named Yaze.
Standing there, Yaze was overwhelmed with excitement.
Orion's light descended from the starry sky and merged once again with the Light Particle Converter.
Golden arcs burst forth, racing across Yaze's body.
Everyone watched silently.
But as time passed, nothing happened.
No light emerged from Yaze's chest.
Yuzare waited—but the sign never appeared.
"It seems… this one has failed," Keshiva said quietly.
The nearby researchers immediately began recording the results.
"This member, Yaze, does not possess a Heart of Light," Yuzare concluded with a nod.
As expected, those without a Heart of Light could not become Giants of Light.
"What's going on? Why didn't I become a Giant?"
Standing in the centre of the Converter with golden arcs still crackling around him, Yaze stared in disbelief.
"Is the machine broken? Check it again!"
"I don't believe this—I refuse to believe I failed!"
Clutching his head, Yaze looked toward Orion, utterly unable to accept reality.
The previous successful transformation had been his own comrade.
If that person could succeed, why not him?
"This is impossible!"
Pointing at Orion in the night sky, Yaze roared.
"Yaze, calm down!"
"Yaze, get down from there!"
"If you don't step down, the commander is going to be angry!"
His fellow Garrison members called out urgently.
They, too, were shocked—but seeing Yaze descend into near hysteria, they tried to stop him.
Yuzare's expression darkened.
When Achilles and Herau had failed, neither of them had reacted like this.
Pointing at Orion and shouting in defiance—this was unprecedented.
Yaze ignored everyone, continuing to scream from the centre of the Converter.
"Enough. Get down. Now."
Yuzare had given him time—but her patience had run out.
Yaze froze for a moment when he heard her harsh command.
Just as he was about to turn around—
A sudden mutation occurred.