Yu Zhou landed the ship on the sandy shore of the island. Together with Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb, he stepped out, then stored the ship away.
"Have they already sent people inside?"
Approaching Yuzare and Cain, Yu Zhou asked calmly.
"Yes," Yuzare nodded. "The advance team has already gone in to scout ahead. They were meant to survey the situation so the main forces can follow."
"But just a moment ago, we lost all contact with them."
Yuzare had come to the Dark Island with one goal—to find the source of the darkness and uncover the truth behind its invasion of Earth.
To win, one must first understand the enemy.
Of course, if the Earth Defence Force could locate and destroy the origin of that darkness, Yu Zhou knew they would spare no effort to eradicate it.
After all, removing the source meant ending the invasion for good.
Yu Zhou's purpose was the same—but for a different reason. He sought the source not to destroy it, but to harness it—to strengthen his own dark power.
Only by becoming stronger could he protect Camearra's future.
"I'll go take a look inside first," Yu Zhou said at last. He had no intention of waiting for Yuzare. Their goals were different, and there was no need to interfere with each other's missions.
"Let's go, Tiga!"
Camearra smiled, looping her arm around Yu Zhou's as the two of them began walking toward the island's interior.
Yuzare watched them quietly, her expression calm and unreadable. She said nothing, though her eyes lingered on the two as they disappeared among the dark stones.
Hudra and Darramb exchanged a look, then followed close behind.
"Big Sis Yuzare," Cain asked in confusion, "aren't you mad?"
"No," Yuzare replied, her expression unchanged.
"Why not?" Cain scratched his head, tilting it slightly.
"Why should I be?"
Yuzare glanced at her brother, wondering if she should seal his mouth shut for the rest of the mission.
Camearra held Yu Zhou's arm tightly, their closeness making Hudra and Darramb a little embarrassed.
But Camearra seemed oblivious, smiling sweetly and pressing closer.
Yu Zhou, on the other hand, was enjoying the warmth. He turned slightly to glance at the two following them, then shook his head helplessly.
He couldn't exactly tell Camearra to let go—it would hurt her feelings.
As for Hudra and Darramb, well… they'd have to get used to it. They'd be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing in the future.
They continued walking until they reached deep into the island's interior.
The landscape hadn't changed—it was still an endless forest of black stone pillars stretching as far as the eye could see.
"It looks like we've entered the inner dimensional space of the island again," Yu Zhou observed, scanning the surroundings.
"For a place to contain its own pocket dimension… the master of this island must be incredibly powerful," Camearra murmured, finally releasing Yu Zhou's arm. Her expression turned sharp, her senses alert for danger.
"Miss Camearra, Tiga, look ahead!" Hudra suddenly called out, pointing into the distance.
Yu Zhou raised his gaze and saw two small dark figures in the distance—humanoid silhouettes.
It looked like… members of the Earth Defence Force's advance team.
"Let's go check it out."
By logic, there shouldn't have been only two scouts sent in. Yu Zhou suspected something must have happened—perhaps they got separated from the others.
With that thought, the group quickened their pace.
Soon, Yu Zhou and his companions reached the two figures—and indeed, both were EDF soldiers, still in uniform.
"Hey! Over there!"
The two soldiers waved frantically when they saw Yu Zhou's group approaching.
"Hello there," Yu Zhou greeted as he walked up to them.
"Wait—you're Captain Yuzare's friend, right?" one of the soldiers exclaimed with relief.
"That's right," Yu Zhou nodded.
"Thank goodness! We were part of the advance team sent by the captain," one of them said breathlessly. "But we accidentally stepped on a hidden mechanism and got teleported here! We thought we'd never get out!"
"Teleportation traps?" Yu Zhou frowned. "So, this place has that kind of mechanism?"
"It's terrifying," the other soldier said with a shaky laugh. "At first, we thought we were doomed."
"In that case, come with us," Yu Zhou said after a brief thought.
If he left them behind, they'd probably end up lost in this maze-like stone forest, or worse.
Not that he knew the way out either—unless he used the Giga Battlenizer to summon one of his dark monsters to break through.
In hindsight, Yuzare shouldn't have sent anyone in here at all.
He'd forgotten to warn her.
Once you entered, there was no exit.
Still, he understood—the EDF would explore this island no matter what. Someone had to take the first step into the darkness to uncover its secrets.
"That's great, thank you—wait, look out!"
The two soldiers' faces suddenly twisted in horror. One of them shouted while the other lunged forward, pushing Yu Zhou's group aside.
"Light Shields—activate!"
In the same instant, their wrist devices glowed, forming twin energy shields before them.
BOOM!
Yu Zhou spun around just in time to see a surge of black mist slamming against the shimmering shields.
The shields shattered instantly into a spray of light particles.
The black mist didn't stop—it surged forward, crashing directly into the two soldiers.
BANG!
The men were thrown backward like rag dolls, slamming hard into the ground.
"Damn it!" Yu Zhou cursed. He hadn't expected the attack to come so suddenly—or that those two had shielded them at the cost of their own safety.
Hudra and Darramb quickly stepped in front of Camearra. One raised his energy bow, the other activated his own light shield.
Yu Zhou's eyes flicked between the two fallen soldiers and the swirling black mist hovering above them.
Without hesitation, he pulled out the Dark Sparklence and pressed it against his chest.
The wings marked with black patterns spread open as the Sparklence merged into his body—transforming him into a shining silver-and-black form.
He thrust out his clawed hand, seizing at the air.
The black mist, which had been about to strike again, suddenly froze—its movement halted completely, as though gripped by an unseen force.