After dealing with the three "obstructing" giants, Akira's group maintained their course, pressing deeper into the cavern.
Perhaps because they had reached considerable depths, they encountered no further stone giants.
The number of branching paths also decreased.
Muheer remarked calmly while sitting on Steelix's back, "It seems the stone giants have a distinct hierarchy within their ranks."
"The ones we saw on the surface are the lowest tier—relatively weak in both strength and status."
"The three we faced earlier were stronger and held higher positions, residing in deeper underground regions."
"Each branching path likely houses stone giants, while the end of this main passage..."
Muheer trailed off, his tone somber.
"Perhaps the most troublesome foe awaits there..." Beyond glanced at Muheer and said slowly.
If this speculation held, the deepest part of this main passage likely housed the leader of the stone giant race.
Judging by their behavior, they did appear to have stratified social standings.
Typically, a species would have one or more leading figures.
Thus, Muheer's theory held merit.
Beyond focused his mind and warned, "The battles ahead will intensify. Everyone, stay alert!"
So far, they could only deduce that stronger enemies lurked below, but not their exact numbers.
No amount of caution would be excessive.
Akira sat cross-legged atop Steelix's head, gazing calmly into the depths—the most composed among them all.
Running his hand over Steelix's golden head, he felt its cool metallic surface.
Akira still found having a Steelix incredibly convenient.
Underground, Steelix provided unparalleled mobility, especially being a shiny variant.
Moreover, Steelix's existence hinted at new possibilities.
It proved that among born Pokemons, both shiny variants and alpha leaders could emerge.
More shiny Pokemons might appear in the future.
After traveling this way for some time, they finally approached the cavern's deepest point.
The most dangerous area, hiding the greatest secrets!
******
"Hummm"
A small diamond pressed itself against the rock wall, channeling energy to initiate transformations within the stone.
And it was the little diamond that had just been knocked down by the Silver Giant guarding the front, still struggling to hold on.
Its kin did not come to its aid.
Because they too were suffering, worn down both physically and mentally by the endless toil, day after day, year after year.
This was a vast, labyrinthine cavern chamber, its walls still ordinary rock in places, but elsewhere glittering with dazzling diamonds.
This was a space specially designated by Jin, where the little diamonds were made to create more diamonds.
Perhaps out of selfish motives, this chamber was connected to Jin's own, the two spaces nearly adjacent.
This meant Jin could come and go as he pleased, keeping a close watch on whether they were working diligently.
Among these busy little diamonds, a few stood out—noticeably larger in size, their appearance slightly different.
Though all floated in the air, these few shone more brilliantly, their diamond bodies significantly larger.
The faint aura they exuded was also far more powerful.
They were the guardians of the little diamond race, yet now they were utterly helpless in the face of their people's plight.
One diamond guardian stole a glance around the corner.
Seeing no sign of the Silver Giant nearby, it moved closer to another guardian.
"You've seen it too, haven't you? We can't go on like this. We must resist."
The addressed diamond guardian trembled, slowly turning to look at its companion, its eyes filled with complex emotions.
"And then what?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how do we resist? And what happens after?"
The older diamond guardian stared intently at its younger counterpart, at a loss for words.
It was far too naive…
The young diamond guardian opened its mouth, hesitated, then forced out a reply:
"As long… as long as we resist, we'll succeed eventually."
The elder shook its head, the light of its diamond body flickering momentarily:
"Child, I understand how you feel. Every time one of our kin is hurt, you come to me."
At this, the elder guardian looked toward another figure.
There stood another diamond guardian, its age between that of the elder and the young one.
Their population was small—only three diamond guardians in total.
By order of age since their creation, they could roughly be classified as elder, middle, and young.
Noticing the elder's gaze, that guardian quickly averted its eyes and turned back to its work.
The elder understood its reaction perfectly—it was because of the young guardian's Ten.
Ever since their kind had been captured by the stone giants, the young one had often urged the other two to rise up in resistance.
There was nothing wrong with resistance itself.
As guardians, their duty was to protect their kin—otherwise, what kind of guardians were they?
So both the elder and the middle guardian understood their junior's feelings.
Who wouldn't want to defend their home and shield their people?
But without their king to lead them, their race's strength was greatly diminished.
There was simply no way they could oppose the stone giants.
Leaving aside the ordinary little diamonds, even the diamond guardians were only about as strong as the Silver Giant.
And then what?
Their highest-tier fighters were merely mid-tier among the stone giants.
They knew all too well that the stone giants had several Golden Giants among them, whose power was even more terrifying.
For so long, they had never seen any possibility of escape.
Though they had fantasized about it many times, they couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it would have been if they had won that battle.
The aged diamond guard lowered its eyelids, sinking once more into its own world.
Seeing this, the young guard beside it sighed and moved to another corner in frustration.
They hadn't always been like this...
Many years ago, they had lived alongside those two-armed, two-legged creatures.
Though there were language barriers, they coexisted peacefully.
Those creatures had smarter brains and mastered the skills to utilize rocks and ores.
Meanwhile, the little diamond clan possessed the ability to purify ores and create rarer minerals.
Thus, they lived in cooperation, surviving in this perilous world.
But alas, disaster eventually struck.
Those creatures they lived with were slaughtered, while the diamond clan was spared for their usefulness.
Yet under such relentless exploitation, living wasn't necessarily better than death.
If only one day they could break free from this suffering, no longer oppressed by the stone giants...
This was the shared wish of countless little diamonds.
******
In the adjacent cavern
Jin swallowed the diamonds in his mouth whole, then straightened his back, squinting toward the cavern entrance.
"So it wasn't an illusion earlier."
"To make it all the way here, they must be quite capable—I only noticed them just now."
As Jin muttered to himself, Steelix carried Akira and the others through the entrance.
Their eyes immediately fell upon the conspicuous Jin, his golden radiance identical to Steelix's.
Muheer's tense expression gradually relaxed as he remarked.
"A Golden Giant, huh? Quite systematic."
"Lowest are ordinary rocks, then silver and finally gold. The hierarchy is clear just from the colors."
After a pause, Muheer added, "Only one spotted so far, but there might be more."
Each of them focused on different aspects upon entering.
Beyond the most eye-catching Jin, everyone had their own points of interest.
Ging narrowed his eyes at the ceiling, where clusters of lantern-like plants hung.
After a moment's thought, Ging adjusted his sunglasses slightly downward.
Through the gap, he could clearly see the plants emitting a soft glow, illuminating the cavern brightly enough to see without the glasses.
Yet he promptly readjusted them, as if simply testing something.
Ging's reasoning was simple:
Since these plants—and the lighting—might be harmful, it was safest to keep the glasses on.
Caution was the best way to avoid danger.
Beyond's attention was drawn to the ornate throne, its stark contrast striking him deeply.
Though crudely crafted, the throne was studded with large, dazzling gemstones, elevating its "value" from worthless to priceless—a work of art with aesthetic worth several stories high.
The gemstones embedded above were so extraordinary that even someone as worldly as him couldn't help but stare in astonishment.
As a partner to the leader of the Kakin Empire, having collaborated with the V5... and holding numerous other prestigious titles, Beyond had witnessed countless marvels.
His horizons were vast, his experiences rich with trials and tribulations.
No matter how extravagant the scene or how priceless the treasure, he'd seen it all.
Yet these gemstones were truly beyond his experience.
Their quality, their luster... in every aspect, they surpassed any gem found across the Six Continents.
Not to mention...
Beyond's expression stiffened as his gaze fell upon the pile of diamonds beside Jin, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
If the gems adorning the throne already outshone those from the Six Continents, then these casually discarded diamonds heaped in the corner—so numerous they might as well be wholesale goods—utterly crushed them in comparison!
These were genuine rarities beyond compare!
At first glance alone, Beyond could confidently declare that even if the so-called Seven Most Beautiful Things in the World were combined, they wouldn't match the beauty of a single one of these diamonds.
Beyond couldn't even begin to calculate their worth.
After all, the Seven Most Beautiful Things were already legendary treasures on the Six Continents, priceless and impossible to obtain.
Meanwhile, Professor Kururi from Baf University adjusted his glasses, his attention drawn to a book on the stone table.
Books in a place like this?
As a scholar specializing in ancient languages, Kururi was both intensely curious and deeply shocked.
His surprise grew when he noticed the miscellaneous items piled nearby—among them were more books, along with objects bearing distinct traces of daily human life.
Judging by their size and purpose, none seemed like items a stone giant would use.
They appeared... human-made!
While everyone focused on their own curiosities, Akira stood apart from the crowd.
This guy... seems interesting.
Perched atop Steelix, Akira looked down imperiously at Jin, their gazes locking as the golden giant tilted its head upward.
Those were cold eyes—unnervingly frigid, radiating discomfort.
Unbeknownst to Akira, Jin's mind was swirling with confusion.
'Shouldnt they be long dead by now?'
'I remember clearly—we wiped them all out. There shouldn't be any survivors.'
Jin's brow furrowed, perplexed by this development.
Seeing the unmistakably human characteristics of Akira and the others, Jin had mistaken them for Bone Tribe members, hence his bewilderment.
Yet no matter how hard he racked his brain, he'd never guess they'd come from across the ocean.
Most of them are weak—only a few are somewhat capable.
But their leader... his strength rivals mine!
Outwardly, Jin remained impassive, meeting Akira's stare without flinching.
Internally, however, unease had begun to creep in.
Fortunately, he still had hidden methods to deal with these intruders—eliminating them would be effortless.
After observing for a moment, Akira had roughly gauged the Golden Giant's strength but showed no urgency to act.
He had one more thing to test.
Casually accepting a device from Meowth, Akira held up a machine imprinted with a leaf-shaped symbol.
Flipping the switch, he addressed Jin, "You must be the leader of the stone giants, correct?"
Strangely, though Akira spoke in human language, the sound passed through the device and emerged as a series of bizarre sonic waves.
The others showed no reaction—but Jin's expression changed dramatically.
Because that sound wave is their language!
Why could this creature speak their language?
Jin's shock was almost palpable, like violent waves crashing through every corner of his heart.
He had encountered all kinds of creatures and eventually reached one conclusion.
Only those born from minerals—or rather, from beneath the earth—could communicate with them.
They all used similar sound waves to communicate.
This was the first time he had seen another creature capable of producing such sound waves.