Looking down at the small island covered in jagged, black rock, Yu Zhou nodded slightly.
Good thing Zoiger is with us. Without him, finding this island could have taken forever.
"Zyu!"
Suddenly, Zoiger let out a sharp cry, his body tensing with unease.
"What is it?" Yu Zhou asked, puzzled.
"Zyu-zyu-zyu!"
Zoiger flapped his wings anxiously, roaring into the wind.
Yu Zhou couldn't understand a word—but when he looked down, he understood why.
From within the island's darkness, countless dark Zoigers burst into the sky, launching a ferocious assault on Yu Zhou's group and the Earth Defence Force ships.
"Captain! The Zoiger swarm is attacking—should we retaliate this time?" one of the EDF soldiers shouted toward Yuzare.
"Prepare the ion cannons! Return fire!" Yuzare ordered firmly.
If they didn't fight back, the EDF fleet would be wiped out under such an overwhelming assault.
The Zoiger swarm dove through the clouds, rushing toward the fleet like a storm of black wings and fire.
The first to clash were the enemy Zoigers and Yu Zhou's own Zoiger.
But instead of fighting immediately, they started talking—shrieking at each other in their guttural, alien language.
Yu Zhou blinked, completely confused.
From the tone of it, the enemy Zoiger seemed to be scolding his Zoiger.
"Did you seriously bring the enemy army here?!"
Moments later, the two sides started fighting fiercely in midair.
Yu Zhou's Zoiger could only obey his master's command, restrained by the Giga Battlenizer's control signal.
Ion cannons roared from the EDF ships, blasts of blue light shooting into the swarm.
Many Zoigers were struck down mid-flight, crashing into the sea in flaming arcs—but there were still far too many.
Those that survived retaliated fiercely, spitting fireballs that tore through unguarded ships, sending explosions rippling across the sky.
The battle raged violently over the sea, beams of light and fire colliding in a deadly dance of destruction.
"Lady Camearra! We need to retreat now!" Hudra shouted anxiously. "The crossfire doesn't distinguish between friend and foe!"
Keshiva had ordered both Hudra and Darramb to protect Camearra's life at all costs—and they were determined to obey.
Darramb clenched his fists, clearly itching to join the fight, but he stayed beside Camearra, unwilling to leave her exposed.
"No," Camearra said firmly, shaking her head. "I will fight alongside Tiga!"
Ignoring Hudra's protests, she turned to the ship's AI. "Is there any battle system on this craft?"
"Warning: this vessel has limited combat capabilities. Engagement is not advised," the AI responded flatly.
"That means it can fight!" Camearra insisted. "I order you—attack the Zoiger swarm!"
"Command received."
The AI complied immediately. Two small laser cannons emerged from the ship's hull, firing weak bursts into the sky.
The beams weren't powerful—they barely singed the Zoigers' hides—but they joined the battle nonetheless, streaks of light flashing across the dark clouds.
Yu Zhou noticed one of those small lasers hitting a Zoiger and glanced back.
Sure enough—it was Camearra's ship.
He sighed inwardly. Of course she'd join in.
But in truth, he didn't want her anywhere near this chaos.
He wished she'd stayed safe, far from the danger.
And as fate would have it, one Zoiger locked onto her ship.
Perhaps seeing it as the weakest target, it shrieked and dove straight toward her.
"Evade!" Camearra shouted to the AI.
"Target's speed exceeds system response capacity. Evasion impossible," the AI replied in a tone almost resembling exasperation.
"Lady Camearra! I'll protect you!"
Darramb raised his glowing shield, placing himself between Camearra and the incoming beast.
Hudra threw open the hatch, drawing her energy bow and firing straight into the Zoiger's eye.
The arrow struck true—but with a clang, it bounced off like it hit steel.
Hudra's face went pale. "No way…"
The Zoiger's massive shadow loomed over them—until a flash of black light erupted in front of the ship.
Purple lightning crackled through the air, and a silver-and-black figure materialized from the storm.
"It's Tiga!" Hudra gasped in relief.
Both she and Darramb finally exhaled, tension melting away. With Tiga here, neither the ship nor Camearra would come to harm.
"Remind your father to modify this ship someday," Yu Zhou's calm voice echoed through the communicator. "It'd make things a lot easier in a fight. But for now—leave this to me!"
He surged forward, driving a flying kick into the charging Zoiger. The impact detonated in midair—fire and debris scattering across the sky.
Camearra watched through the viewport, eyes wide with admiration.
Tiga… he's so strong.
A faint longing stirred in her chest.
If only I could fight beside him…
Beside her, Hudra and Darramb couldn't look away from the battle either.
"If we had power like Tiga's," Darramb muttered, "we could protect Lady Camearra far better."
Hudra nodded quietly. Against these colossal beasts, ordinary mortals were powerless. Only those with the strength of giants could truly stand against the darkness.
Inside another ship, Yuzare watched the same scene unfold on her monitor.
"It's Tiga," she murmured. "He's completely dominating the battlefield…"
Beside her, Cain's eyes shone with admiration. "Master is incredible! If only I could fight by his side too…"
Then—
BOOM!
A burst of dark energy detonated among the Zoiger swarm, engulfing the sky in fire. Dozens of Zoigers were obliterated instantly, their remains dissolving into black mist before they could even fall into the sea.
But still, more poured out of the Dark Island, endless and relentless.
"There's no end to them…" Yu Zhou muttered. Then, narrowing his eyes, he raised his hand.
"Fine. If they won't stop attacking—then they'll serve as my vanguard."
The Giga Battlenizer appeared in his grasp.
From the timer on his chest, a pulse of dark-purple light surged forth, wrapping around the device.
"Warriors of darkness… bow before me!"
He raised the device high, releasing waves of purple mist across the sky. The energy spread through the air, engulfing the Zoiger swarm emerging from the island.
At the same time, Yuzare ordered the EDF fleet to cease fire.
"So that's how he does it…" she murmured, eyes fixed on the screen. "The power to command the monsters."
And as the battlefield fell eerily silent, the dark mist continued to swirl—
signalling the rise of a new army, loyal only to Tiga.