"Let your sister teach you— I can't use that power anymore," Yu Zhou said calmly.
He had already transferred the last trace of his Degel light energy to Cain. Now, he could no longer unleash any attacks powered by light.
Darkness, however—he could still use that in a similar way.
"Alright then, I'll take over Cain's training," Yuzare said, glancing at Yu Zhou. "And… thank you, Tiga."
"There's no need to thank me."
Yu Zhou waved his hand dismissively, signalling that her gratitude was unnecessary.
Not long after their conversation, Keshiva—the long-disconnected father figure—finally stepped forward and began to study Yu Zhou closely.
"Uh… Mr. Keshiva, what are you looking at?" Yu Zhou asked nervously. He almost blurted out "Father-in-law" but managed to stop himself just in time.
"I'm very interested in studying you," Keshiva said, narrowing his eyes with an intrigued smile. "How exactly did you transform into such a massive giant?"
"That's… a secret. I can't really reveal too much."
A bead of sweat rolled down Yu Zhou's forehead. He hadn't expected his future father-in-law to suddenly want to research him like a science project.
Then again, it made sense—Keshiva was a leading scientist at the research base. Curiosity was natural.
Even in Ultraman Z, the alien Celebro's human host was always at risk of being dissected by his own team. So, if Keshiva just wanted to "study" him a little, that wasn't too bad... right?
"Can't you at least tell me a little?" Keshiva pressed, still determined to uncover the secret.
Yu Zhou looked helplessly toward Yuzare and Cain—both of whom were staring at him with wide, eager eyes.
"Uh…"
Those three expectant gazes made his scalp tingle. He felt like he was about to be eaten alive.
"Alright, alright," Yu Zhou sighed. "I'll tell you a little."
"To become a giant, one of the key devices needed is something called a Photon Particle Converter… or perhaps a Dark Particle Converter."
Yu Zhou revealed just that much and stopped.
"Particle Converters of Light and Darkness?"
Yuzare and Keshiva both fell into deep thought, trying to recall anything that matched the description—but came up empty.
"Maybe it's that crystal rod you hold when transforming," Yuzare finally said, eyes flicking to the black Sparklence in Yu Zhou's hand.
"I know it's a bold request, but… could I take a look at that black crystal rod, Tiga?" she asked, blushing slightly but maintaining her composure.
"That's not possible," Yu Zhou refused immediately.
The Dark Sparklence was far too important. Without it, he'd lose his ability to transform or fight.
"I see… My apologies, I overstepped," Yuzare said softly.
But now, she was certain—the mysterious black crystal must be the Particle Converter Yu Zhou had mentioned.
"Tiga, this Particle Converter you speak of—how exactly does it convert particles of light?" Keshiva asked, his mind already turning toward engineering possibilities.
"It converts a human… into light," Yu Zhou answered simply.
That statement alone was enough to stun Keshiva into silence.
"Alright, that's enough questions for now," Yu Zhou continued. "Once we locate the Source of Darkness, we can talk about it again. So—when are you planning to depart, Commander?"
"As soon as the weapon systems are fully loaded," Yuzare replied. "Then we'll move out."
If Tiga was joining them, their mission's safety margin had just gone up considerably.
With a giant like Tiga on their side, even powerful monsters were nothing to fear.
"Keshiva, please prepare the Defence Force's equipment," Cain said politely.
"Understood," Keshiva replied with a nod, immediately arranging for the upgrades.
Meanwhile, Yuzare began teaching Cain how to channel and release his newfound light energy.
The Earth Defence Force's so-called vanguard team had suffered heavy losses in the last battle at R'lyeh.
Out of their original hundred elite soldiers, only eighty-three remained.
Seventeen casualties in their first real fight with monsters— the loss weighed heavily on Yuzare's heart.
Fortunately, the re-equipping process didn't take long. Keshiva soon returned to report that everything was ready.
Soon after, Yuzare led her unit aboard their ships—about ten vessels total, each carrying around eight personnel.
"Aren't you coming with us?" Yuzare asked, noticing Yu Zhou still standing on the ground as the ships lifted off.
"I'll follow behind in my own craft," Yu Zhou replied. "No need to squeeze in with the rest."
From his dimensional storage ring, he summoned his personal spaceship and set it before him.
"So that's your ship? Not bad," Yuzare said, smiling. "Alright then—keep close behind us."
"Don't worry, I will," Yu Zhou assured her.
As Yuzare's fleet lifted into the air, Yu Zhou boarded his own ship, gave an AI command to lock onto their flight pattern, and reclined in his chair.
The formation of ships streaked through the clouds, heading toward the vast ocean's heart.
After an unknown span of flight, Yu Zhou was awakened by the ship's AI.
He sat up groggily—outside, the sun was setting, casting golden light across the waves.
They had crossed deep into the planet's far side. Though he'd been asleep, his ship's autopilot had faithfully followed Yuzare's convoy the entire way.
Now, as the fleet began descending toward the ocean's surface, Yu Zhou's ship followed suit, gently hovering above the rolling waves.
Sensors indicated that this region was part of a deep-sea trench.
Opening the hatch, Yu Zhou stepped out to find that the Earth Defence Force had connected their ships together using wooden planks, forming a floating bridge between them.
Despite the rocking sea, it was still walkable—if one was careful.
The scent of freshly cooked dinner wafted through the ocean breeze, rising from the decks of several ships.
Yu Zhou inhaled deeply—the aroma instantly stirred his appetite.
"How about it, Tiga? Want to join us?"
Yuzare's voice called from one of the decks. Yu Zhou turned toward her.
"Why don't you link your ship with ours?" she suggested.
"No, no need," Yu Zhou said quickly, waving his hands. The last time someone tried something like that, a million soldiers had gone up in smoke.
If anything went wrong, he needed to be able to pack up his beloved little ship in an instant.
No chains. No risks.
Instead, he pulled a fishing rod out of his storage bracelet, baited the hook, and cast it into the sea.
He was out of provisions anyway—might as well catch something fresh.