"Miss… you and Tiga…"
Darramb, ever straightforward, was about to blurt something out in astonishment—
but Hudra quickly grabbed him by the arm and cut him off.
"It's fine. Miss Camearra, Tiga—let's move."
Hudra shot Darramb a warning glance before turning toward Yu Zhou and Camearra with a calm smile.
"Mm, let's go."
Yu Zhou nodded slightly. He could easily sense their surprise, but only responded with a faint smile before leading everyone aboard the ship.
The vessel was large enough for four passengers, with individual rooms to spare. Yu Zhou even found himself feeling slightly regretful—
If there had only been three rooms, he might've had a legitimate excuse to share a bed with Camearra.
"Master, please set the destination."
As the ship's AI booted up and the craft lifted off, a synthetic voice echoed throughout the cabin.
"Head for the last location—the Dark Island," Yu Zhou ordered casually.
This AI was supposedly advanced enough that he didn't need to type a single command.
"Understood," the AI responded, and immediately accelerated toward the open sea.
The Earth Defence Force ships, waiting to follow Yu Zhou's lead, prepared to depart—
only to watch his craft shoot off like a meteor across the sky.
"C–Captain… that…"
A stunned soldier beside Yuzare pointed in disbelief at the vanishing light trail.
Yuzare could only rub her temples helplessly.
Wasn't he supposed to lead the way? Since when did leading mean vanishing at lightspeed?!
Inside Yu Zhou's ship, his voice roared through the cabin:
"You useless AI! Stop right now!"
The ship jerked violently, braking hard in midair before hovering awkwardly above the clouds.
"Return to R'lyeh and fly back—this time, slowly," Yu Zhou sighed, exhausted.
Once corrected, the AI obeyed, and the ship smoothly turned around.
Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb all exchanged dumbfounded looks. They had assumed this ship's AI would be cutting-edge—
but now, it seemed more like a glorified malfunctioning autopilot.
Back at R'lyeh, things finally returned to normal. The EDF ships followed Yu Zhou's craft at a steady pace, gradually heading toward their destination.
After an unknown stretch of flight time, they finally arrived where the Dark Island should have been.
But instead of land—
they saw only an endless expanse of ocean.
"The island's gone…" Hudra frowned deeply. "I'm sure this is the same location we came from last time. But where's the island?"
"Yeah," Darramb added, pointing in another direction. "We even stayed the night on that small island nearby—it should've been around there!"
Yu Zhou crossed his arms. "I'm certain we didn't make a mistake. Even if I get lost sometimes… the AI shouldn't."
Just then, the communication device Yuzare had given them began to buzz.
When he answered, Yuzare's face appeared on the screen.
"Tiga, have you reached the destination?" she asked.
"We have," Yu Zhou replied, "but… the island's gone."
"Gone?" Cain's face popped into view beside her, full of confusion. "Master, are you sure this was the place?"
"Absolutely," Yu Zhou confirmed.
"Then maybe," Yuzare reasoned, "the island's been submerged? It's not impossible for sea levels to shift—rising or falling over time."
Yu Zhou nodded slightly. "Makes sense. Check beneath the surface just to be sure."
Yuzare ordered several EDF vessels to dive and scan the seabed—
but the results came back empty. Nothing. No trace of an island.
Yu Zhou frowned. "That doesn't make sense… the Dark Island should be here."
Then, suddenly, a spark of realization crossed his mind.
"I've got it."
He turned back to the screen. "Yuzare, wait here a moment. I'll handle this."
He cut the transmission and swiftly added Camearra's authority to the ship's AI system.
"Tiga, where are you going?" Camearra asked, concern flickering in her eyes.
"I'm going to release Zoiger," Yu Zhou said. "He's a native of the Dark Domain. If anyone knows how to return there, it's him."
Without further explanation, Yu Zhou retrieved his flight module and departed, heading for the small deserted island where they'd once camped.
Moments later, a surge of black light erupted from the trees—
and Zoiger emerged, with Yu Zhou standing atop his head.
"Captain! A Zoiger sighting! Should we open fire?!" shouted an EDF operator.
"Wait!" Yuzare quickly raised her hand to halt them.
Because she'd seen it too—
on Zoiger's head stood a small figure.
Tiga.
Yu Zhou, in his human form, sat cross-legged atop Zoiger's massive crown, calling out over the wind:
"Zoiger! Why has the Dark Island disappeared?"
"Gyiiiii—gyiiiii!" Zoiger screeched unintelligibly.
Yu Zhou sighed. "…Should've brought Charija as a translator."
But there was no time to fetch him now—and who knew if that guy was even still in this dimension.
"Alright then, new question." Yu Zhou thought for a moment. "Can you still return to the Dark Island?"
"Gyiiiii!"
Zoiger nodded eagerly—so hard that Yu Zhou nearly fell off.
"Good enough!" Yu Zhou grinned, regaining his balance.
He immediately reopened communication with Yuzare.
"I'm on Zoiger's head. Follow my lead—we're moving out."
"Understood," Yuzare replied.
And so, Yu Zhou directed Zoiger forward, the great creature spreading its wings as the fleet followed behind. Camearra's ships trailed close as well, at her command.
But Zoiger didn't fly toward their previous location—
instead, he turned sharply south.
"The Dark Island… it moves?" Yu Zhou murmured, eyes narrowing.
It was a strange thought, but it fit. Perhaps this eerie island never stayed in one place—
perhaps it surfaced anywhere, at random intervals across the globe.
The further south they flew, the colder the air became.
Soon, fragments of ice drifted upon the waves below.
"We've reached the extreme south…" Yuzare whispered, gazing out the viewport. "Darkness… appearing in such a frozen land."
Zoiger gave a low cry, beating his wings once before slowing to a hover.
Behind them, the EDF fleet halted in unison.
Before their eyes, through the fog and snow, the Dark Island emerged once again—
its black silhouette rising from the icy sea.
The Dark Island… had returned.