"Tiga, I'll help you!"
Camearra didn't run away as Yu Zhou had shouted — instead, she rushed to his side, unleashing her freezing power to resist Cthulhu's beam with what little strength she had left.
"Camearra, don't do something foolish!" Yu Zhou cried anxiously. "Get out of here, I can't hold this for long!"
"No! I won't leave you here alone!"
The impact between the beam and Yu Zhou's energy barrier whipped up a violent storm. Camearra was soon caught in the blast and thrown behind him, crashing to the ground.
A mist of cold vapor began to rise from her body — her skin turning paler and colder by the second.
Seeing this, Hudra shouted to Darramb to grab Camearra and retreat toward the ship. They didn't want to abandon Yu Zhou, but under such circumstances, protecting their young mistress was their top priority.
If Camearra were in no danger, Hudra and Darramb would have fought the Dark King to the death alongside Tiga.
Achilles and Herau exchanged a determined glance — they were about to charge in and battle Cthulhu head-on when, out of nowhere, a powerful hand strike hit them both across the neck. The blow knocked them unconscious instantly.
Carrying one man under each arm, Darramb ran for the ship at full speed. He had deliberately used more force than usual — otherwise, the two might not have been knocked out so easily.
Hudra, meanwhile, lifted Camearra and hurried after him. As they passed the blazing plasma torch, Hudra hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking toward Yu Zhou.
"This light… maybe it can help Tiga!"
Just as he was about to leave, Yu Zhou met his eyes and shouted hoarsely:
"Take it with you!"
Summoning every last ounce of strength, Yu Zhou poured his remaining energy into the barrier in front of him.
Hudra quickly pulled off the bracelet from Camearra's wrist and sealed the plasma torch inside it. Then he sprinted toward the ship.
When everyone was finally aboard, Yu Zhou shouted a command to the ship's AI. The vessel lifted off at once, speeding away from the battlefield.
With the others safely gone, Yu Zhou let out a shaky sigh of relief — and his exhausted body finally gave way.
The barrier before him shattered under the relentless assault of the purple beam, turning to stone and crumbling into dust.
Kneeling weakly, Yu Zhou lowered his head. The searing light pierced through his chest, burning him from the inside out. He tried to resist, to absorb the energy, but found he no longer had any strength left.
"Heh… looks like I misjudged you," Cthulhu sneered coldly. "I actually thought of making someone who could accept the power of light into one of my chosen."
With a disdainful snort, the Dark King turned away and vanished into the temple's darkness.
The petrification began at Yu Zhou's feet. He could feel his energy freezing solid, his limbs refusing to move.
Summoning his last bit of will, he turned his head toward the direction where the ship had flown away. As the stone crept up his body and began to cover his face, a black streak of light shot out from the crystal on his forehead — soaring upward into the dark sky above the abyss.
The once-violent battlefield before the temple fell into silence.
No movement.
No sound.
No life.
"Will Lady Camearra be alright?"
"Miss Camearra doesn't look good at all…"
Achilles and Herau had regained consciousness. After Hudra and Darramb explained everything, the two didn't blame them — they knew the guards had only acted to save their lives.
But seeing Camearra's body now wrapped in frost, her breath faint, they both grew deeply worried.
She was Keshiva's daughter — if anything happened to her, who could imagine what the island chief would do?
And worse, this tragedy had unfolded right before the eyes of the Earth Defence Corps. To them, it was a grave failure of duty.
"The Lord of Vulcan City isn't here... what should we do now?"
Hudra and Darramb were equally distressed. Through the ship's window, they could see no trace of Tiga anymore.
Under such a devastating attack, there was no doubt his chances of survival were slim.
"Wait — what's that?"
A black streak of light suddenly streaked toward the ship. Hudra quickly grabbed Darramb's energy shield and activated it in front of them.
Thunk!
A crisp sound echoed through the cabin as the black light struck the shield, then fell softly to the floor.
"This is…"
Hudra deactivated the shield and crouched down to pick it up — a short crystal rod, dark yet gleaming, its surface carved with twin wings folded around the top.
"That's the thing Tiga used every time he transformed!" Darramb exclaimed in recognition. "It's the Spark Lens!"
That meant this object — and perhaps Tiga himself — had sent it here intentionally. It was the key to becoming a Giant of Light.
"Whatever the case, keep it safe," Hudra said, frowning as he tucked it away. "It must be connected to Tiga somehow."
The ship accelerated, retracing its path back toward the barren plains. But upon arrival, they found themselves unable to escape the Dark Realm.
"What do we do now?"
Hudra's voice was strained. Camearra's body was still emitting cold mist — frost forming along her lashes and hair. Trapped here, her condition was growing worse by the minute.
"Let's head back to the place where we were first transported in," Achilles suggested. "Maybe we can find a way out from there."
Hudra nodded grimly. It was the only option left.
Following their memory of the route, the ship flew back to the desolate spot where their journey in the Dark Realm had begun.
The ground was still littered with the shattered remains of the monsters Yu Zhou had defeated earlier.
Landing the ship, the group disembarked and began searching for anything — a trigger, a sigil, a hidden mechanism — that might send them home.
But after scouring nearly every inch of the area, nothing happened.
Then, a voice suddenly called out from afar:
"Hey! Over here!"
"Are you with the Defence Corps advance team?"
They turned toward the voice — and saw a young man in silver armour, draped in a battle cloak, with a squad of soldiers in Defence Corps armour standing behind him.
"It's Prince Gai Ying!" Herau shouted excitedly.
"The prince?" Hudra gasped.
If the royal heir had come all the way here, then perhaps… there was still hope for Camearra's survival.
(T/S note: Will be in hiatus henceforth and I summon the DAO of CLIFFHANGER)