An Cheng shook his head and did not give the order to pursue.
Having only just become Dark Giants, although their numbers now exceeded those of the Giants of Light who had already been transformed, they had yet to adapt to their newfound power. Pursuit at this moment would be unwise.
…
Cain and the other Giants of Light sped through the sky, glancing back at R'lyeh below.
Centred on the Light Particle Conversion Device at the platform plaza, darkness was spreading outward in all directions.
Judging by its momentum, it was attempting to engulf the entire island of R'lyeh.
"No—if this continues, everyone on R'lyeh will be transformed into Dark Giants!"
Yuzare shook her head as she watched the scene unfold.
"Quickly—head to the city districts of R'lyeh and evacuate the civilians to safe areas!"
In her urgency, this was the only order Yuzare could give.
Too many people had been transformed into Dark Giants in an instant. If they were to confront the darkness head-on now, the cost would be catastrophic.
They might even be completely defeated by the Dark Giants.
There was no other choice. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
At present, the best course of action was to evacuate the civilians from R'lyeh.
"Understood!"
The Giants of Light all nodded and immediately flew toward the city districts.
The invasion of darkness was impossible to miss. Many residents of R'lyeh had already witnessed it.
Although monsters—such as crab-like beasts—had attacked R'lyeh before, they had always been repelled in the end.
This time, however, such overwhelming darkness was something everyone was seeing for the first time.
Panic spread, and many hearts could not find peace.
The Giants of Light and Yuzare landed within the city, regrouping with the members of the Guard Corps and the soldiers who had been rescued earlier.
Relying solely on the Giants of Light was not enough to evacuate the civilians of R'lyeh. More manpower was needed.
"Guard Corps, hear my command," Yuzare said firmly. "Proceed to the ship docking areas that have not yet been engulfed by darkness and lead the civilians in evacuation!"
She then issued orders to the soldiers formerly led by General An Cheng:
"In my capacity as princess, I hereby command you—requisition all ships on R'lyeh capable of carrying passengers and escort the civilians to the mainland!"
"Understood!"
The soldiers had narrowly escaped with their lives, avoiding being swallowed by the darkness. With General An Cheng already transformed into a Dark Giant, the only ones they could now obey were Princess Yuzare and Prince Cain.
As for Princess Iaso, she was not skilled in commanding troops. Instead, she was tending to warriors injured during the escape.
Everyone moved swiftly.
Darkness was invading R'lyeh. Escape was urgent.
The capacity of the ships was naturally insufficient to carry everyone off the island at once.
Thus, following the civilians' own suggestions, the Guard Corps and soldiers prioritized evacuating women, children, and the elderly first, leaving the men for last.
Ship after ship, Giant after Giant, departed R'lyeh.
Even Gadi, the small dog, joined in the operation.
Generally, civilians were first settled on nearby islands before the next round of transport began.
With manpower insufficient, some civilians skilled in piloting ships also stepped forward to help ferry others to safety.
Crying. Shouting. Reluctant farewells.
To abandon a homeland they had lived in for so long—so suddenly—was unbearably painful.
"Everyone, please do not lose heart," Yuzare said to the civilians, her delicate hands clenched into fists. "We will reclaim R'lyeh. I promise."
This catastrophe had been triggered by the experiment to transform Giants of Light.
But the fundamental cause lay in the darkness that had flown in from the Zoss Nebula.
As to what this darkness truly was, Yuzare had no way of knowing.
If anyone might know, it would be Diga, sealed within the temple.
However, Diga had already been completely influenced by darkness. Even if he were willing to speak, there was no guarantee he would not attack her the moment they met.
…
In the depths of the universe.
The Zoss Nebula.
A nebula steeped entirely in darkness, composed solely of dark star systems.
Within it, only dim tones existed—never a glimmer of radiant light.
A colossal entity, a ferocious beast resembling a nautilus clad in a massive black shell, let out roars that sounded like the bellow of an ox mixed with the cry of an elephant.
Its black shell was riddled with pits and scars, without a single smooth surface.
At the front of the shell, a pair of sinister red eyes was exposed. Even more unsettling was the fact that the creature appeared to be inverted.
Its upside-down black head connected to countless tentacles and feelers extending from its lower body, giving the monster an even more grotesque appearance.
Its roar conveyed a signal.
Responding to that signal, its avatars—or rather, detached bodies—drifted in from all corners of the planet.
The scene was terrifying.
Were Yu Zhou to witness it, he would surely be left in utter shock.
Dozens of Gatanothor!
All gathered upon this dark world!
After fusing with more than a dozen detached bodies, Gatanothor's physical form became even more formidable.
These detached bodies were fragments it had released to devour planetary vitality and spread darkness.
Once the consumption was complete, the fragments returned, strengthening its core.
Having absorbed immense power, Gatanothor let out a thunderous roar and set off toward Earth.
Before departing, it had already drawn upon the darkness of the Zoss Nebula to carve a path through space toward Earth.
As for the impact that the darkness of the Zoss Nebula would have on Earth, Gatanothor gave it no thought.
It had merely received the call of darkness—to engulf that blue planet in eternal night.
…
The evacuation of R'lyeh continued.
Most of the women, children, and elderly had already been transferred to safe zones and evacuated from the island.
Next, it was time to move the remaining men.
However, after transporting one group of men and returning to R'lyeh, the Giants of Light and the ships froze in shock.
With the support of the Dark Giants, the darkness had already spread into the city districts.
Many people were now entangled by black lightning arcs, their bodies undergoing horrifying transformations.
"What's happening?!"
"My body—!"
"Ahhhhh—!"
"…"
Those ensnared by the black lightning arcs were unable to control their movements.
They could only watch helplessly as they were converted into dark particles, merged into the darkness, and evolved into gigantic forms.
"Run!"
The remaining uncorrupted civilians attempted to flee, but the darkness closed in around them, leaving no escape.
"Quick—get on!"
Cain and the others descended upon the last remaining patch of pure land, reaching out and shouting to the survivors.
The people reacted immediately, scrambling onto the hands of the Giants of Light.
Some Giants of Light released their own radiance in an attempt to halt the advance of darkness, only to discover that their power was utterly insufficient to resist it.
"Go!"
With a single command from Cain, the Giants of Light carried the last handful of survivors and fled from R'lyeh.
At the same time, the city districts were completely consumed by darkness.
Moments later, the entire island fell into shadow.