Chapter Five: Seeking the Giants

At this moment, Tetsuya tossed the restored Rubik’s Cube onto the table, shrugged, and said, “And me~”

Captain Mikoto let out a helpless, bitter smile. “Hayate, they’re just going to search for the giant inside the pyramid. There shouldn’t be any danger. Besides, you’ve finally returned from Karo Base, and yet I keep using you as my workhorse. It makes me feel like a landlady.”

Tetsuya shrugged, teasing, “Well then, landlady, how can you be sure they’re not in any danger?”

He snapped his fingers. “According to Yurei’s words, those two monsters are responsible for destruction. The only one who can save Earth is the giant inside the pyramid. So, what do you think Golzard and Melba will do first upon awakening?”

Mikoto nodded. “Destroy the giant!?”

Tetsuya smiled, meeting Mikoto’s gaze. “Not destroy the giant, but destroy the body the giant left on Earth!”

Mikoto blushed, unable to move as she looked at Tetsuya. He simply laughed, shrugged, and walked out, saying, “Boss lady, you’re still so charming. Divorcing that man was the right choice—I support you~”

Nori was dumbfounded by the news, watching Tetsuya leave the command room, while Captain Mikoto’s cold gaze swept over.

“I didn’t… I didn’t hear anything!” Nori shouted. “What~ Captain, what did you say? I can’t hear…”

Meanwhile, the five members of the Victory Team hurried to the location Nori had deduced, piloting Swallow One and Swallow Two, eager to discover the pyramid where Yurei claimed the giant was hidden.

“Wow… What just flew by!?” Dugai stared, wide-eyed, as a fighter jet sped past Swallow Two.

“Alright, alright…” Lena complained over the comms. “Don’t be so surprised. That’s Captain Hayate’s White Dragon.”

Deputy Captain Munakata glanced at it, astonished. “Such speed? That’s way beyond the limits TPC issued, isn’t it?”

“Unless Deputy Captain Munakata plans to report it?” Tetsuya’s voice came through the headset.

Munakata smiled awkwardly, unable to respond.

Swiftly, the two Swallow jets landed by the riverbank. The four Victory Team members looked around as they approached Tetsuya, while Munakata remained in Swallow Two, directing the team.

“Seriously… This place is just a primeval forest. How could there be a pyramid?” Dugai complained.

“They’ve arrived…” Tetsuya waved the Rubik’s Cube in his hand, smiling. He’d already been waiting here for some time.

Not long after the group left, the shrill sound of alarms echoed once more in the command room, which had only recently calmed. Remembering how Tetsuya had actually teased her earlier, Mikoto blushed, and thinking of her husband, even she couldn’t help but sigh. The alarm startled her back to attention, and she quickly stood, looking at Nori.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s bad,” Nori said, his face tense as he tapped at the keyboard. “The monster Melba is heading toward RB!”

“This is footage from just moments ago!”

On the main screen, images appeared: the gigantic monster Melba beneath the bright moon, its enormous wings beating and unfolding. A powerful gust swept up dust and weeds, slamming into the grinning stone statues of Easter Island. Melba’s wings trembled, then it flew straight toward a certain direction.

Seeing this, Captain Mikoto urgently contacted Deputy Captain Munakata, her voice anxious: “HQ to Swallow Two, the monster Melba is heading toward RB!”

Munakata was silent, pondering his decision as the forest gradually filled with mist. The Victory Team, holding detectors, were scanning their surroundings.

Tetsuya, chewing on a stalk of foxtail grass, spun the Rubik’s Cube in his hand, following from afar the figure in his sight, gradually moving deeper into the primeval forest.

Daigo didn’t know why he’d come here. It felt as though something was calling to him, guiding him in a certain direction. He didn’t know what lay ahead, but he was a man who trusted his inner voice. Though hesitant, he followed the call as it directed him.

A suspension bridge appeared before him. Daigo looked around—the other side was unclear, and he couldn’t tell if there was any danger. Yet the call in his heart grew stronger. What had merely been a faint guide now felt like a voice whispering right beside his ear.

He glanced around, but still stepped onto the bridge.

“Ouch…” Dugai held his aching back as he and Lena emerged from the forest. He’d slid down a slope, and though not seriously hurt, he’d twisted his back and was now suffering.

“Shinji, how is it?” Lena asked as Shinji rounded the corner.

Shinji looked around, skeptical. “Is there really a pyramid here?”

Dugai, suffering misfortune, grumbled, “A pyramid big enough for a giant—how could the satellites not spot it? That’s absolutely impossible!”

As they spoke, the three wandered, passing between two boulders and reaching the riverbed. Suddenly, Dugai exclaimed in shock, “Look!”

Lena stood dumbstruck at the scene before her: Daigo stood at the center of the suspension bridge, and not far away, a massive pyramid loomed in the primeval forest. Its surface seemed made entirely of light, golden brilliance cascading from the apex, the whole structure shimmering as if woven from dreams.

Daigo was on the bridge, his back to them, gazing up at the pyramid, and gradually quickening his pace—he even started running toward it.

“Daigo! Don’t go!” The three shouted anxiously, but Daigo seemed not to hear, quickly vanishing from their sight. Panic set in, and they hurriedly chased after him.

Tetsuya stood at the entrance to the bridge, leaning against a tree, casting a glance at the sudden enormous pyramid with not a hint of surprise on his face. He tucked the Rubik’s Cube into a small pouch at his waist and ran after Daigo.

As Lena and the others rushed to catch up with Daigo, not far out at sea, Melba’s shrill cry echoed across the waves. It beat its wings, flying low over the ocean, skimming above the surface and stirring up waves.

Meanwhile, in Akita City in RB, Golzard rampaged, the sturdy buildings of humanity crumbling like papier-mâché before its might. One tower after another was smashed beneath Golzard’s massive claws. People in the streets fled wildly in all directions—shouts and screams filled the air, many falling never to rise again.

Yet Golzard seemed to have a definite target. It was not rampaging aimlessly; nearby crowds sobbed and fled, but Golzard paid them no mind, striding resolutely in a certain direction. Its enormous feet sank deep into the streets, leaving huge footprints as it marched. Buildings along its path were shattered: some simply cracked, others collapsed entirely.

Despite the devastation, Golzard’s path was unwavering.

Somehow, both monsters seemed to share the same purpose.

Inside the pyramid—the giant’s body!