To persuade Camearra to abandon the darkness and embrace the light—Yu Zhou felt this might actually be the best outcome.
After all, three million years ago, Tiga didn't destroy Camearra and the others outright. Instead, he sealed them inside the ruins of R'lyeh. Yu Zhou believed there must have been a reason for that. Perhaps, one day, if the true Tiga returned, he might take them away or help them transform into beings of light as well.
Only someone like Daigo, this big-headed fool, would follow the original plot and thoughtlessly destroy them.
The thought alone made Yu Zhou itch to smack Daigo with a frying pan.
"Yu Zhou-kun… why are you looking at me like that?" Daigo asked nervously, feeling a chill under Yu Zhou's gaze.
"It's nothing," Yu Zhou replied, before turning to Camearra. "Camearra, since I promised to help you and your companions find a way to become light, I will keep my word."
"I believe you," Camearra said softly, her eyes brimming with affection.
"But…" Yu Zhou's tone hardened. "You'll have to agree to a few conditions."
"As long as you're with me, no matter the condition, I'll accept it," Camearra answered without hesitation, her gaze unwavering.
Yu Zhou's face flushed slightly, caught off guard by her intensity. He coughed to cover his embarrassment.
"First, you must recall the monsters roaming outside. Second, you need to contain the spread of darkness from R'lyeh so it doesn't consume the entire world. And finally, whenever you act beyond these ruins, you follow my lead. No acting on your own."
"Of course. I agree to everything," Camearra replied without even blinking.
Yu Zhou had prepared for a long debate, but she disarmed him with her immediate acceptance.
"…No, I still need to emphasize this once more." Yu Zhou straightened his posture. "I am not the true Tiga. You must remember this clearly."
He worried that one day, when the real Tiga showed up, the situation would spiral out of control.
"I understand," Camearra said, her eyes still locked on him, full of emotion.
Yu Zhou sighed. Whether she truly understood was another matter entirely.
Originally, Yuzare had manifested through Captain Megumi's body to create a barrier that sealed R'lyeh for a hundred years. But the moment Yu Zhou transformed into Dark Tiga, that barrier had collapsed. The swarms of miniature Zogs rushed into the world, and darkness began spreading outward from R'lyeh in every direction.
Yet, astonishingly, Camearra listened to him. She recalled the Zogs back to the ruins and even drew the spreading darkness back inside.
"By the way, where's Captain Megumi?" Yu Zhou asked. His and Daigo's original mission had been to rescue her.
"Hmph." Camearra snorted coldly. "That woman carries the genes of Yuzare, that vile woman."
"But she's not Yuzare herself," Yu Zhou replied helplessly.
"Find her yourselves. I don't know where she is," Camearra said dismissively, clearly unwilling to help.
"Fine then. But did you encounter Masaki?" Yu Zhou pressed. He hadn't forgotten that Masaki had accompanied Megumi to the ruins before vanishing.
"That man was overconfident," Camearra said haughtily.
"So you did see him?" Yu Zhou picked up on her implication. "Where is he now?"
"In the ruins of the ancient city. He's lying there."
Though irritated, Camearra still gave an answer.
"And what about the rest of the investigation team?" Daigo asked suddenly.
"Those insects sought their own deaths. All wiped out," Camearra replied coldly.
"All… wiped out?" Daigo frowned deeply.
"It's fine, Daigo." Yu Zhou patted him on the shoulder. "That investigation team was full of TPC's schemers. Their deaths might be for the best. What matters is that Captain Megumi and Masaki are alive."
"…I see." Daigo thought about it and finally nodded, letting it go.
Together, they began searching the ruins for Megumi and Masaki.
According to Camearra, Masaki was in the ruins of the ultra-ancient city at the heart of R'lyeh. When Yu Zhou arrived, he saw the devastation: shattered statues of giants and ruined buildings, the remnants of the war between light and darkness from three million years ago.
The sight left him shaken.
"This war… it must have been unimaginably brutal."
Shaking his head, Yu Zhou soon spotted Masaki—collapsed among the ruins, his energy depleted, his color timer dim, his eyes lifeless.
Yu Zhou drew his Spark Lens, transforming into Tiga's silver, purple, and red form. Landing in the ruins, he approached Masaki and infused him with light energy through his color timer.
Within moments, the gem regained its blue glow. Masaki's eyes flickered back to life.
He sat up slowly, shook his head, and blinked at the giant before him.
"Daigo?" Masaki asked uncertainly. After all, Yu Zhou had once left this world—only Daigo could transform into Tiga now, right?
"No. It's me—Yu Zhou." Yu Zhou helped Masaki to his feet.
"Yu Zhou!" Masaki's eyes lit up with genuine joy. "You really came back!"
"Yes, I'm back," Yu Zhou said with a nod, feeling unexpectedly uplifted to see him again.
"But tell me," Yu Zhou continued, "what exactly happened here? From what I know, the F-Plan was originally yours."
Masaki lowered his head, guilt on his face. "Yes… I drafted it. But when I forced myself to become light and lost control inside Gaius, the plan collapsed. From then on, I abandoned it completely. I realized… with the wrong heart, you can never truly become light."
"Then why was the plan restarted?" Yu Zhou asked. He trusted Masaki's sincerity—after all, he had since earned the recognition of the light.
"The plan fell into TPC's hands when they imprisoned me," Masaki explained with a shake of his head. "I don't know who found it or why they revived it."
"I see." Yu Zhou frowned. That meant all the documents had been taken by TPC and later ended up with Gondo. Ambitious as always, Gondo had reactivated the F-Plan, searching the ruins of R'lyeh for a new giant—and in the process, released Camearra and the others, triggering this mess.
"So in a twisted way… Camearra owes Gondo thanks," Yu Zhou muttered bitterly, shaking the thought aside.
"Come on," Yu Zhou said firmly. "Daigo's still looking for Captain Megumi. Let's regroup."
Masaki nodded. Together, they canceled their transformations and returned to human form inside the tunnels.
"Wait," Masaki said suddenly, eyeing Yu Zhou. "Those three dark giants—did you… defeat them?"
Yu Zhou scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… sort of. Let's just say they've agreed to behave for now."
Masaki's eyes widened. "Behave? Yu Zhou, are you telling me you've convinced them to abandon the darkness?"
"Not yet," Yu Zhou corrected, shaking his head. "But I promised them—I'll do everything I can to help them find the light."