Before Yu Zhou stood a horde of raging monsters, their bodies marked with black, twisting patterns of darkness. Above them, a flock of Zoiger screeched, swarming together like deranged beasts, descending toward him in a storm of wings and fury.
From the azure timer on his chest, several dark energy spheres spun outward. As they floated around him, Yu Zhou crossed his arms, gathering power—preparing to unleash the Dark Zeperion Ray.
Each floating orb emitted streaks of dark light, bombarding the surrounding monsters and slowing their charge. All around him, dark particles gathered, drawn into his hands like a black vortex of energy. Then—
Yu Zhou aimed his arms in an L-shaped stance and fired.
A blinding stream of black light shot forth, colliding with the incoming Zoiger swarm. In an instant, the blast tore a hole through their ranks, vaporizing every Zoiger caught in the centre of its beam. Their remains disintegrated into drifting ashes, scattered by the shockwave.
The dark energy spheres continued to fire independently, slaying monsters left and right—some exploding on impact, others collapsing after several agonizing seconds.
"I'll help you!"
From the cave entrance, Camearra shouted, seeing the Zoiger still diving down toward Yu Zhou. She quickly drew an energy cannon from her storage bracelet—one of the same models once used by Lulue.
A deafening boom echoed as she fired. The blast struck a Zoiger midair, shredding one of its wings and sending it crashing to the ground—but it wasn't enough to kill it.
"No… this isn't enough. He's going to get hurt at this rate."
Camearra bit her lip. She knew the Zoiger's strength all too well. Even her father's strongest cannons, capable of devastating lesser beasts, could barely wound them.
"Hudra! Help him!"
"Got it!" Hudra answered reluctantly. Though he knew his energy crossbow would hardly make a dent, he couldn't refuse the young lady's command. He took aim and fired several bolts toward the swarm.
By then, the remaining Zoiger had already collided with Yu Zhou's massive silver-and-black body. The force sent shockwaves across the barren field—but Yu Zhou only staggered back a single step before standing firm once again.
He clenched his fists tightly and swung at the oncoming beasts, each punch landing with explosive force. Around him, the dark energy spheres unleashed another barrage of black rays, detonating Zoiger after Zoiger midair.
Fire and smoke engulfed the sky. The concussive booms roared one after another, yet Yu Zhou's immense form shielded the cave behind him—protecting Camearra and the others from the fiery storm.
The endless collision took its toll; Yu Zhou's armour was scorched, his energy flickering—but he refused to retreat. If he moved, the cave would be exposed. If he faltered, everything behind him would be lost.
Dark flames began to burn from his body, consuming his form in a sinister glow.
"Perfect…"
Yu Zhou could feel it—the fusion of Tiga's Heat Burst and Taro's Ultra Bomb—a technique he had learned simply by observation, like Taiga once did from his father.
"Hot! It's so hot!"
Darramb, standing at the cave's entrance, winced and stepped back from the heat.
"That black aura… it's fire," Hudra said, retreating deeper into the cave.
Even Camearra, sweating from the heat, stepped back to safety, watching in awe. Yu Zhou didn't intend to unleash the explosion right there—he leapt forward, charging straight into the swarm of Zoiger.
At the same time, the floating dark orbs around him streaked downward, racing toward the pack of ground monsters converging near the cave.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
The sky erupted. The Zoiger exploded in a storm of black fire, the flames devouring the heavens and casting the wasteland in eerie violet light.
On the ground, the energy orbs converged into a massive black sphere—and detonated.
The shockwave rolled across the wasteland, annihilating every creature in its radius.
The air fell silent, save for the echo of the twin explosions that had wiped out both sky and earth.
"Where is he…?"
When the tremors faded, Hudra and Darramb stepped out of the cave, scanning the field. The monsters were gone—but so was the silver-and-black giant.
Then—whoosh!
From above, a shadow descended. The giant's form shimmered, fading into particles of dark light. When they cleared, Yu Zhou stood on the ground, back in human form.
Camearra hurried toward him, speechless. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from disbelief.
How could a human transform into such a giant… and wield such power?
"It's done," Yu Zhou said with a faint smile. "We're safe now."
"You're… amazing," Camearra murmured, her voice trembling slightly.
But before she could say more—
"Hey! That doesn't excuse your earlier behaviour!"
"Yeah! You're not getting away without a beating!"
Hudra and Darramb cracked their knuckles, glaring at Yu Zhou.
Yu Zhou blinked, dumbfounded. What? He had just saved their lives—why were they attacking him now?
Still, he raised his arms and met them halfway. After so many battles, his reflexes and combat sense had sharpened to near perfection. Against two ordinary humans, it wasn't even a challenge.
Camearra sighed and shook her head, deciding not to interfere.
She already knew who would end up on the ground.
Sure enough, after a brief scuffle, Hudra and Darramb were lying flat, groaning in defeat.
"He's… way too strong…" Darramb muttered, staring blankly at the darkened sky.
"Fine, Tiga—" Hudra gasped, raising a thumb. "You win. I give up."
"Yeah… I give up too," Darramb agreed.
Yu Zhou stared down at them, speechless.
Do these guys have some kind of masochistic streak or what?
Even knowing they couldn't win, they still had to get beaten first before admitting defeat.