Billowing black mist poured from the two fissures. Yuzhou stood before them, unflinching, staring directly at the source of the haze.
But he didn't dare touch the golden chains deep in the abyss. In his current dark form, if he came into contact with them, his power would be sealed instantly.
Just as Yuzhou was carefully observing the cracks, a tentacle suddenly shot out and lashed toward him.
"Damn it!"
His reflexes saved him—kicking off with both feet, he leapt aside just in time, and the tentacle struck empty air.
But it wasn't about to give up. After missing, it whipped toward him again, trying to coil him up.
Run!
That thought blazed in Yuzhou's mind, and without hesitation he obeyed it, streaking upward toward the top of the abyss.
This thing was a Heretic God.
If he fought here and now, isolated and without support, he might not make it out alive. Even if he didn't die, he'd surely lose either his shining power—or his dark power.
With that in mind, Yuzhou accelerated upward. The tentacle followed relentlessly, desperate to drag him back down.
"Again, with the tentacles?" Yuzhou grumbled as he ascended. "Gatanothor was a tentacle monster, this Heretic God's a tentacle monster… what is this, are all these things just tentacle freaks?"
Nearly every time he'd been in crisis, tentacles were involved. At this point, it almost felt like fate.
But this wasn't the time for idle thoughts.
With a final surge, Yuzhou burst free of the abyss. The tentacle strained after him but couldn't pass the golden chains. At the edge of the pit, it quivered, then slithered back into the darkness.
"So, it really can't leave this abyss because of the golden chains."
He hovered, analysing the scene. The seal's power was overwhelming—when even a brush against it could lock away his own strength. For that tentacle to extend so far was already remarkable.
But moments later, from deep below, a sharp crack echoed upward.
The sound of a chain breaking.
Soon after, among the black mist, faint fragments of golden light floated upward like dying embers.
Clearly, the Heretic God had shattered another link in its bindings.
"One link… maybe two, three…"
Yuzhou's chest tightened. He quickly memorized the location, then turned and headed back.
If the Heretic God could break one chain, it could break another. And another. Until eventually, all of them were undone.
Whoever had sealed this monster here must have been unimaginably powerful.
But why seal it instead of destroying it outright? That, Yuzhou could not understand.
Still, after the Giants of Light left Earth and the Ultra-Ancients perished… were there really any beings left on Earth capable of such a feat?
Unless… it came from beyond this universe itself.
The thought unsettled him. Thirty million years ago was far too distant to ever truly know.
Breaking the surface, Yuzhou found Hudra waiting silently in the sky.
When he saw him return safely, relief flickered in his eyes.
"Well? Any discoveries?" she asked.
"There are. I'll explain once we're back."
He nodded, and together they flew toward headquarters.
The sky had turned oppressive, covered in endless black clouds. Lightning writhed across the heavens like enraged serpents.
Around the world, people looked up at the ominous sight. To many, it was like stepping back into a nightmare from more than a decade ago.
Back then, the sky too had been nothing but darkness. Fireball-spewing bird-monsters ravaged the cities.
Skyscrapers fell. Casualties beyond counting. Entire populations swallowed by the dark, vanishing without a trace.
It had been the end of the world.
But back then, the Ultras had stood in defiance. And in the end, every child became light, joining the Giants in their battle against the endless dark.
Now, those children were grown.
Facing the returning darkness, their hearts barely wavered. They still believed. They still knew the Giants of Light would drive the shadows away—and that each of them too could become light.
"Back again, are you… darkness?"
On a seaside cliff, Makio adjusted his glasses, gazing at the ocean swallowed in shadow.
As a psychic, he could glimpse fragments of the future.
Despite his gift, he had never joined TPC. The politics, the rivalries—it was too heavy. Freedom suited him better. A home, three good meals a day, that was enough.
And over the years, his powers had only grown more versatile. Perhaps this too was evolution born of the light within.
After a pause, he smiled faintly. "Maybe I should go meet them again."
And with that, he vanished, his voice lingering over the crashing surf.
Inside TPC headquarters, Chief Captain Megumi calmly reviewed the situation. As commander, she had to remain steady no matter what. Only with a clear mind could one find the right path forward.
The office door suddenly opened. Megumi looked up—and froze.
The figures entering were instantly familiar.
Black-and-white uniforms. White helmets tucked under their arms.
"You… you've all returned?"
Even her disciplined tone broke, trembling with emotion.
For standing before her… were the members of the Victory Team.
Not all were present. Daigo, Yuzhou, and Rena were absent, as was Masaki. But the others had returned: Captain Munakata, Shinjo, Horii…
Even Yazumi, who had been stationed as far away as Jupiter, had come back.
"Yazumi-senpai, you too!" Shinjo gasped with joy.
"That's right, Shinjo," Yazumi replied warmly. He had always treated the younger man like a protégé, a successor he could trust.
"Captain, we've all come back!"
Smiles shone on their faces as they spoke in unison to Megumi.
Her own face bloomed with joy.
No matter where they went, these people were always Victory Team.
And when Earth faced crisis, they would return to the front lines—ready once more to fight for their world.