The humans who had been guided here by Gijera all turned their gazes toward Cain, who had fallen before the flower's massive bud. Confusion filled their faces.
"Is that… a giant?"
"It is a giant."
"He looks familiar."
"Is the giant here to worship Gijera as well?"
"..."
Those whose minds had been ensnared by Gijera had not yet completely lost their ability to think or converse. Before the flower fully bloomed, they were still capable of discussion.
One voice followed another as they began talking about Cain.
Cain shook the dust from his body. His chest rose and fell violently as he stood up, then assumed a combat stance facing Gijera's true body.
With an angry shout, he prepared to charge forward and punish the culprit that had plunged the world into madness.
Suddenly—
The humans below cried out in alarm.
"What is that giant trying to do?!"
"No! He's going to attack Gijera!"
"Don't hurt Gijera!"
"Stop! Giant, stop!"
"Wait—I remember him. He looks like a giant I've seen before… Tiga!"
"Giant Tiga, don't hurt Gijera!"
"Tiga! Stop!"
"..."
The shouts reached Cain's ears, and he froze in place, disbelief flooding his mind.
They were… telling him to stop?
He didn't even bother correcting them for mistaking him for Tiga—after all, he did resemble his master.
But what filled Cain now was rage and bitterness.
He had come to destroy Gijera—to save them from illusion and ruin.
Yet these humans were standing in his way.
His chest heaved violently. Cain turned his head away, unwilling to look at them any longer, and fired a small beam of light toward Gijera.
Crack!
Sparks burst from Gijera's body as the beam struck home. The plant let out a shrill, piercing screech of pain.
"As expected—Gijera is a plant-type monster!"
Cain steadied himself, preparing to attack again.
At that moment, the humans shouted once more.
"Tiga, you devil!"
"Why would you hurt Gijera?!"
"If you harm Gijera, you're our enemy!"
"Get lost, Tiga!"
"Go away!"
"I'll fight you!"
"..."
Their words struck Cain like blows.
He had only attacked Gijera once—and they cursed him this fiercely, even telling him to leave?
"I'm doing this to save them…"
Anger and desperation churned within him, with nowhere to escape.
And in that moment of hesitation—
Gijera's two thick vines shot out, wrapped tightly around Cain, and flung him violently into the distance.
"Woof!"
Just as Cain was about to crash into the ground, Guardie rushed forward and caught him.
"Thank you, Guardie."
Cain adjusted his stance and stood again, sincerely thanking his partner.
"Woof!"
Between the two of them, the bond of comrades in battle grew ever stronger.
But to the humans watching from below, the scene looked very different.
"Tiga—you're working together with a monster?!"
"You won't fight that beast, but you attack Gijera instead?!"
"Kill that monster!"
"Tiga, kill it!"
"Don't touch our Gijera! Go kill the monster instead!"
"..."
Even Guardie, upon hearing this, bared his fangs in anger, a low growl rumbling from his throat.
"Guardie, calm down."
Cain had no choice but to restrain him. No matter what, these were still humans—he could not raise his hand against them.
Guardie listened. He did not attack, merely letting out a fierce roar.
The humans recoiled in fear, some stumbling and falling to the ground.
At that moment, Gijera's vines lashed out again, striking both Cain and Guardie.
This time, Cain was ready.
He seized the vine tightly and held it fast.
Guardie, however, was struck hard, losing his balance and crashing down at the edge of the crowd.
When he stood back up—
Several humans beneath him had already been crushed to death.
"Run! The monster is killing people!"
"Help us! Gijera, save us!"
"Tiga is useless—Gijera, save us!"
"Tiga and the monster are working together! Run!"
"Gijera, destroy them!"
"..."
Shouts like these echoed as the humans scattered in panic.
Their words drove Cain to the brink.
"Whimper…"
Guardie returned to Cain's side, letting out a low, aggrieved whine.
He hadn't attacked anyone.
It was Gijera's vines that had knocked him away—he had only fallen accidentally.
"It's okay… it's okay, Guardie."
Cain gently stroked Guardie's head, suppressing the fury burning inside him as he spoke.
Even he didn't know anymore—
Whether that anger was directed at Gijera… or at humanity itself.
"I will destroy you."
After comforting Guardie, Cain turned toward Gijera.
He leapt forward and wrapped his arms around the massive plant, attempting to tear it out by the roots.
But Gijera's roots extended throughout the entire world.
How could it possibly be uprooted?
The bud was forced open.
A dense cloud of Gijera pollen blasted directly into Cain's face.
Though he was immune to its hallucinations, the energy within the pollen struck him head-on, forcing him to release his grip.
"You're not worthy of being a giant!"
"Get lost, Tiga!"
"You're not our protector—you're a demon!"
"We don't need you to survive!"
"Gijera, kill him!"
"..."
The humans' shouts continued in the distance.
The pollen pouring from the bud only drove them deeper into madness, their verbal attacks growing ever more vicious.
Boom!
As something within Cain seemed to shatter, he lost focus—and was struck down once more by Gijera.
Lying on the ground, he stared up at the lone beam of light in the sky.
"…Even light is giving energy to Gijera."
Light—
the very power of the Giants of Light—
was now nourishing Gijera's bloom.
Humans had once been the faith of the Giants of Light.
They were the reason giants grew stronger.
But now…
Ding—dong, ding—dong, ding—dong…
Cain's Colour Timer began flashing rapidly.
After enduring the war between light and darkness, and now facing Gijera under these circumstances—
His body and spirit were utterly exhausted.
"Woof!"
Guardie rushed forward anxiously, trying to replenish Cain's energy.
But it was useless.
No matter how much light Guardie transferred, the Colour Timer continued flashing red.
"It's no use, Guardie… don't waste your strength."
Cain lay on the ground, his voice weak.
Then—
Two beams of light shot out from his Colour Timer.
One streaked into outer space.
The other descended to the ground.
The light slowly dimmed—
And Cain reverted to his human form, collapsing motionless upon the earth.