Chapter Six: The Colossal Stone Statue

“Daigu! Come back quickly!”
Lina, Iwai, and Shinjo ran up, desperately calling out to Daigu, but he paid no attention to their shouts. The pyramid seemed to have completely captivated his consciousness.
As Daigu drew ever closer to the pyramid, while Lina and the others grew frantic with worry, Vice Captain Munakata, having received Iwai’s report, rushed from the Victory Swallow II to join the group.
“What? Daigu, get back here at once!”
Hearing Shinjo’s report, Munakata turned pale with shock. He shouted Daigu’s name as he hurried toward the pyramid, with Lina and the others close behind.
Meanwhile, Daigu stood transfixed before the golden, radiant pyramid, overwhelmed by awe. Only by standing at its very base could one truly feel the insignificance of oneself.
Compelled by instinct, Daigu moved ever closer and tentatively reached out to touch the pyramid. His hand passed through without resistance. Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and entered, passing through the golden layer.
It was only then that Daigu understood: the pyramid was not built from any material, but rather seemed to be made entirely of golden light—perhaps constructed with technology beyond human comprehension, bending and shaping light into this form. This explained why the pyramid was so massive, yet nowhere to be found on satellite imagery.
Once Daigu had entered, Lina and the others finally arrived at the pyramid’s base. There was no time to marvel at the grandeur of a structure built thirty million years ago by humanity; the four of them simply waved their hands and cautiously stepped inside.
A blinding white light flooded their vision. It took several blinks before their eyes adjusted and the scene before them came into focus.
The first thing they saw was Daigu, standing not far away, head raised in a daze. Lina called out tentatively, “Daigu…?”
But to her surprise, he gave no response; Daigu’s gaze was fixed upwards.
Following his line of sight, Lina’s mouth fell open in shock. There, towering before her, stood three colossal stone giants, arranged in a triangle, standing through untold ages.
“Daigu… you were right,” Munakata murmured.
Without hesitation, Daigu strode up the steps and boldly reached out to touch the central statue. As he lifted his head to gaze up at the giant, for a fleeting moment he felt as if the giant was looking back at him—a surge of inexplicable familiarity rising from deep within his heart.

A sudden, rhythmic tapping echoed through the chamber, instantly putting Munakata and the others on guard as their eyes scanned the surroundings. They didn’t have to wait long before a figure emerged from behind the statues.
“Captain Hayate?!” Lina exclaimed in shock and confusion.
Tetsuya gave Lina a wry smile, spat out the stalk of foxtail grass he’d been chewing, and silently walked past Daigu, brushed by Munakata and the others, and at last, under their puzzled stares, quietly exited the pyramid.
In fact, not long after Daigu had crossed the suspension bridge, Tetsuya had circled around to another side of the pyramid and entered directly. He had intended to use the system to transform into light and merge into one of the stone giants, but was told it was not possible.
“The host may, in a moment of crisis, use thought to become light and enter the stone giant, thus fighting in the giant’s own body!”
He sighed to himself; it seemed he would have to take the plunge personally. Who could be pleased at such a prospect? And as Tetsuya stepped out of the pyramid, the system’s cold voice sounded again:
“The host is warned to proceed with caution. The giants retain a remnant will within the statues and may choose their own light. There is no guarantee the host will be selected.”
Cursing under his breath, Tetsuya’s expression turned grim as he walked toward the White Dragon. Unhappy as he was, no matter how slim the chance, he had to try.
The system’s meaning was clear: the giants had left their bodies here, so their will persisted. It was not simply a matter of timing; he also had to be accepted by the giants’ consciousness. If their will rejected him, he would be in a dire predicament, because only a life-or-death situation would allow him to become light. The embarrassing possibility was that, having placed himself at death’s door for this chance, the giants might still refuse him—
And then, the next moment, he would be facing death itself…
As Tetsuya boarded the White Dragon, his face dark, Munakata received a communication from Captain Rina: “Vice Captain Munakata, Golza and Melba are heading for the pyramid. You need to evacuate immediately!”
Captain Rina rubbed her temples, weary. Everything was unfolding just as Tetsuya had predicted, yet this was also the worst-case scenario.
Munakata turned to Daigu, who had just returned. “We have to evacuate. Golza and Melba are closing in!”
Daigu was clearly dissatisfied with this decision and asked urgently, “But what about the giants? How do we revive them?”

“Headquarters says the interference still can’t be eliminated,” Munakata replied, regret heavy in his voice. Shaking his head as he looked helplessly at the giant statues, he continued, “We don’t have time to move them.”
Stunned, Daigu slowly turned, pain etched across his face as he gazed at the silent colossi. Thirty million years ago, they had protected the Earth, and after fulfilling their duty, left their bodies here. Was it possible that, after all these ages, the bodies of the giants were now to be destroyed—destroyed in humanity’s own era?
Daigu knew it was an unchangeable truth. They had no means to stop the two approaching monsters. Yet his heart was wracked with agony. He could not bear to witness such a fate befall the guardians of Earth. After thirty million years, their bodies deserved better than this.
Reason told him he must leave, lest he and his teammates lose their lives as well. He understood all the logic…
But… he could not accept it!
He could not accept it!
To his teammates, the stone giants were nothing more than relics to be abandoned, but Daigu knew better. He could feel, deep within, the giants’ valiant struggle to defend the planet. They had once been Earth’s guardians; in the future, they might fight alongside him as comrades, as heroes who protected the world.
Only he understood their glory, their hopes…
Only he knew that for the giants—heroes who watched over Earth—such a fate was unworthy!
But… why am I so powerless!
“Ah!” With one last, lingering look at the statues, Daigu let out a cry of anguish and ran out in despair.
“Daigu! Wait…” Seeing his state, Lina followed anxiously. The others hurried after them, quickly exiting the pyramid.
Only the three stone giants remained, standing silently as they had through every moment of those thirty million years.