"This is what you call having no ill intent?"
Yuzare pointed first at the shattered window, then at the ruined bookshelf, and finally at the prince lying groaning on the floor, glaring at Yu Zhou.
"These weren't my doing, Princess Yuzare," Yu Zhou replied calmly. "As for your brother, he was the one who struck first."
"Me? Did you see me attack anyone? You two have been attacking me since the beginning!"
"Well, that's true… Wait, no!" Yuzare nearly got swept along by his words before snapping back. "You're a masked intruder who broke into the royal castle at night! Arresting you is perfectly justified!"
"Why so violent?" Yu Zhou said mildly. "I came to see you, Princess Yuzare, only to ask a few questions. Nothing more."
Yuzare didn't believe a word of it.
No ulterior motives?
Then why sneak into the royal castle in the middle of the night, cloaked in black—
—and through her bedroom window, no less?
"You said you want to ask something? What is it?"
Despite her distrust, Yuzare's curiosity got the better of her. Perhaps this intruder might know something about the recent surge of dark energy.
"Listen up, both of you inside!" a voice shouted from outside—it sounded like the patrol.
"If Her Highness suffers so much as a scratch, you'll die without a grave to be buried in!"
"Such precious protection for the princess," Yu Zhou said with a faint smile and a shake of his head.
In truth, the patrol had wanted to rush straight into the princess's chambers.
But everyone in the castle knew—
The princess possessed mysterious powers and formidable strength.
Among all the warriors in the capital, not a single one could defeat her in single combat.
If two mere assassins had invaded her room, their fate would likely be worse than capture by the guards.
Judging from the explosion just now, they assumed the battle was already underway.
So the guards decided to wait until the princess finished them off before cleaning up the aftermath.
"Go on then," Yuzare said suddenly, lowering her weapon. "What is it you want to ask?"
Yu Zhou was slightly surprised that she didn't attack again.
"Where is Tiga?" he asked directly.
"Tiga? Who's that?" Yuzare looked genuinely puzzled.
"You don't know?" Yu Zhou's heart sank. "Then what about your Earth Defence Force?"
"Earth Defence Force? What's that supposed to be?" she asked, even more confused. The black-robed man's questions made no sense—yet he acted like she should know all of this.
"The Earth Defence Force is the organization that protects the planet against darkness!" Yu Zhou explained, his voice rising with urgency. "And Tiga is the leader of the Dark Giants! You've never heard of them?!"
"No… I haven't."
Yuzare frowned, still baffled—but she nodded slowly. "However, it seems you do know about the darkness."
"Darkness?"
The word stirred something in Yu Zhou. His heavy heart lightened slightly.
So, she did know about darkness—
Even if she didn't know about Dark Tiga yet, that was enough.
"Lately," Yuzare continued, "dark energy has been surging across the world. Patrol soldiers at sea have reported sightings of massive creatures rising from the depths. From my research into ancient texts, some of these beings are normal creatures mutated by the power of darkness—others are born directly from it."
"You mean… monsters?" Yu Zhou asked, realizing what she was describing.
"'Monsters'... that's a fitting name," Yuzare said thoughtfully. "Yes, let's call them that. These monsters have attacked our naval patrols, causing severe casualties."
She paused briefly before adding, "Just today, I received reports that the city of Fuhuo was attacked by one of these monsters. According to the battle report, a giant—code-named Tiga—appeared and destroyed it."
Yuzare's eyes flickered with realization. "This Tiga… could it be the one you're looking for?"
"No," Yu Zhou said, shaking his head with a weary sigh. "He's not the one. Tell me, what else do you know about this darkness?"
"Only what the ancient texts say," Yuzare replied. "That long ago, a powerful dark force came from the stars and ruled the entire Earth. Beyond that, the records are vague."
"A dark force that ruled the Earth…"
Yu Zhou frowned. Could that be the same darkness that came from Orion?
Just as they were speaking, a commotion rose outside.
Both Yu Zhou and Yuzare exchanged glances, then stepped toward the window.
The prince, who had been lying dazed on the floor, finally stirred. Rubbing his sore face, he blinked in disbelief at the sight of the black-cloaked intruder and his sister standing side by side by the window.
But as he heard the noise outside, he too ran over to look.
"That's… the vanguard of darkness!"
Yuzare's lips trembled as she stared at the sky, where countless black shadows blotted out the moonlight.
Huge, winged, bird-like monsters swooped down toward the capital in a dark swarm.
"The darkness… it's attacking the royal city!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Full alert!"
"All units—repel the invaders!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
"Protect the prince and princess!"
The castle erupted in shouts as soldiers scrambled to their posts.
Airships roared into the sky to intercept the approaching swarm.
"What are those things, sister?" the prince gasped, staring at the monstrous shapes. Their crimson eyes and sharp iron beaks radiated pure malice.
"Zoiger," Yu Zhou said, looking up at the darkened sky. "Those monsters are called Zoiger."
"So, you do know something about this darkness," Yuzare said, turning to him. "But now's not the time to talk. If these Zoiger breach the capital's defences, the entire continent will fall into chaos!"
The battle erupted overhead.
The Zoiger spewed fireballs from their beaks, raining destruction upon the city.
The airships countered with laser blasts, dodging as they returned fire—but they were outnumbered.
Dozens of Zoiger broke away from the dogfight, diving toward the capital below, unleashing devastation upon the heart of the royal city.