In a dark room, countless computer screens glowed blue.
"Haiz, this is so boring."
A man sat in a chair, leaning back with a sigh.
"There's nothing to do at all."
Commander Tetsutaro stared at the monitor, tapping a few buttons before resting his chin on his hand.
"I wonder where that tall guy is right now? I'm really curious about what's going on back in my homeland."
He muttered to himself. Suddenly, the voice of Supreme Commander Odin came through.
"Hello, Tetsutaro. This is Supreme Commander Odin."
Tetsutaro raised his arm. A small compartment opened, and a silver watch popped up, displaying Odin's image.
"What is it? Got something for me to do?" Tetsutaro asked.
Odin briefly explained the situation.
"There are a few things I need you to handle. Are you willing?"
Tetsutaro sprang up excitedly from his chair, knocking it over.
"Of course! Perfect timing—I've got some new toys to test out!"
Meanwhile, in Greenpath, they were surrounded by flying monsters.
"This is bad—we've got nowhere left to run!" Alba growled, glaring at the creatures.
"If I didn't have to carry these two, I'd just roll over and crush them!"
The monsters crept closer, screeching sharply.
"Hey, kids! Just keep your heads down and run straight forward!"
Before anyone could understand what was happening, Lumber and Gumber slowly stepped away from the group.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Shinji asked, turning back.
"Just do as we say."
Everyone looked worried—except for Lumber and Gumber.
"I'll count to three. When I finish, you run straight ahead, got it?"
Shinji glanced at the monsters and realized what they were planning.
"Wait—!"
Before he could finish, Lumber began counting.
"One!"
Lumber dashed to the left, while Gumber ran to the right.
"What the—?!"
Shinji stared as the two ran in a wide circle, drawing the entire swarm toward themselves.
"Two!" Lumber shouted. Half the monsters were already chasing them.
"Three!"
The brothers sprinted backward, opening up a safe path ahead.
"Wait!"
Shinji stood frozen, watching them disappear into the white mist—until Lio grabbed his hand and pulled him away.
Alba carried Omelet in one arm and held Akidou on his shoulder with the other.
"Hurry up, Shinji! They won't die that easily!"
They ran in the opposite direction from Lumber and Gumber. The two brothers and the monsters gradually vanished into the thick mist.
After running quite a distance, they stopped.
"Hey… I wonder if they're okay," Shinji asked nervously.
"They'll be fine. They're our commanders, after all," Alba replied calmly.
But inside, Alba felt frustrated and uneasy.
"Damn it… If I didn't have to carry Omelet and Akidou, I could've fought alongside them."
An eerie silence filled the air—only the sound of heavy breathing, footsteps, and the distant howls of monsters in the forest. No sign of Lumber or Gumber.
"Wrathful Spear!"
The brothers' shout tore through the silence.
"It's them!" Shinji cheered.
Through the mist, a bright orange light flashed.
The monsters' screams rang out as they fell one by one.
"It's them—they're safe!" Zoe, perched on Alba's shoulder, beamed.
A thunderous explosion followed, and a powerful gust of wind blasted toward them.
"Come on, let's go check it out!"
Alba immediately ran back toward the mist.
Suddenly, two figures emerged, running toward them.
"What—Is that Lumber and Gumber?" Shinji stopped in confusion.
"It's them!"
The brothers rushed toward Shinji's group, gripping broken wooden clubs stained with green monster blood.
"Run!" Lumber shouted.
"That's an order!" Gumber added.
"What? They're telling us to run?"
Before anyone could react, a gigantic beak tore through the ground behind the brothers.
"It's huge!" Shinji gasped.
"Run! What are you standing there for?!" Lumber roared.
The monster chasing them was dozens of times larger than the previous creatures. It ran on massive claws, dragging its long beak across the ground, plowing through the earth and ready to devour anything in its path.
"Run, now!" Alba turned and bolted. Shinji and Lio followed.
"The smaller monsters called their leader earlier! It came crashing down from nowhere!" Gumber shouted while running.
"It's furious! If you stop, you're dead meat!"
Zoe yelled at the top of her lungs from Alba's shoulder.
"Throw something at its eyes! Maybe it'll distract it!"
Gumber glanced at the chunk of wood in his hand and hurled it backward with all his strength, nearly losing his balance.
"Are you crazy?!" Lumber shouted.
The stick only struck the monster's beak, making it even angrier. It sped up.
Inside Shinji's large snack bag, Beast and Ceasar threw pieces of bread at it, but none reached.
"Climb onto me!" Shinji said.
They scrambled onto his shoulders, and he swung the entire snack bag backward with all his might.
The bag flew straight into the monster's mouth—and disappeared.
The mist ahead began thinning.
"We're almost out!" Shinji shouted.
Through the fading mist, they could see mountain ranges and the setting sun beyond.
"Hurry! Pick up the pace!" Lumber yelled, pouring every last bit of strength into his sprint. Gumber pushed forward as well.
In that instant, the mist vanished before them.
Alba burst out first, squinting under the sunlight.
"We're outside!"
Shinji, Lio, and finally Lumber and Gumber followed, the monster's massive beak snapping just behind them.
The brothers collapsed onto the ground.
Behind them, the monster squeezed its eyes shut, irritated by the sunlight. It glared at them, roared furiously, then slowly retreated back into the mist.
Everyone stood there panting—then suddenly cheered.
"WE MADE IT!"
Shinji and Lio fell onto the ground laughing.
"That was close. A few seconds slower and we'd be planning a funeral tomorrow," Lumber joked, smacking his brother's stomach painfully.
Alba caught his breath and looked toward the setting sun in the distance.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
"Wait… but now… which way do we go?"
The question shattered the joyful mood. Everyone looked at each other.
Lumber and Gumber stood and scanned the surroundings. Mountains and trees stretched in every direction—no visible path home.
"Damn… don't tell me we actually have to sleep outside…" Lumber muttered, dropping to his knees in despair.
Zoe looked at them and asked,
"Hey, can't you just use the sun to figure out the direction?"
The sun hadn't fully set yet—they could still find their way.
Lumber leapt up excitedly.
"That's right! Why didn't I think of that sooner? Just look at the sun and we'll know the direction!"
"…So… do you remember which direction the sun was in this morning when we started walking?"
Lumber immediately collapsed face-first onto the ground again—and burst into tears.