Chapter Fifteen: The Battle of Guardianship

Since that night’s conversation, the atmosphere within the group had noticeably improved. Aside from Shinka, the other three were close in age and now shared more common topics. Setting aside the steadier personalities of Tetsuya and Dharam, the youthful energy of Camilla and the playful mischief of Sittra made the entire journey feel far less somber.

Time slipped by unnoticed. Half a month later, the five of them arrived at the continent’s edge, where the blue coastline could be seen in the distance. They settled temporarily in a small fishing village.

Crossing the vast sea posed a problem for the five. Near Lulue, the suppression of evil gods was severe, and ancient gods routinely patrolled the waters. The plan for Tetsuya to transform into Gilokas and ferry everyone across was abandoned. Their only option was to build a wooden boat—not particularly sturdy, but just enough to reach Lulue. Any dangers encountered at sea would be handled by Shinka.

But none of them were skilled in shipbuilding, so Camilla took charge, hiring the entire village to help them, hoping to hasten the construction of the boat for their voyage.

Each morning, the sunrise over the sea was breathtaking. The slightly salty sea breeze felt as if it could sweep away all worries, ushering in the promise of a new day.

“Tetsuya, sir…” A boy, bare-chested, approached Tetsuya with curiosity. “What are you looking at?”

Tetsuya’s temper was always gentle, and he got along well with the villagers. Hearing the boy’s question, he withdrew his gaze from the waves and smiled.

“The sea. The other side of the sea.”

“The other side?” The boy sat down, playing with the sand as he spoke, “The other side… that’s Lulue, right? The holy land of humans. When I grow up, I want to live in Lulue, too.”

Tetsuya laughed and asked, “Is it really so wonderful there?”

“Of course…” The boy kicked at the sand and said, “The ancient gods protect us there. They’re very kind to humans, always looking after us. You never have to worry about danger.”

He paused, seeming to remember something and smiled sheepishly. “But our village is good too! We have our own guardians. But everyone talks about how great Lulue is, so I want to see it myself…”

A fierce sea wind suddenly swept in, blowing sand into their faces. The boy shielded his eyes and stood up. “Tetsuya, sir, let’s go back. The wind’s been really strong these days, and the waves are bigger than usual.”

Tetsuya sensed a power lurking beneath the waves. Squinting, he wondered—after waiting so long, was this thing finally about to come ashore? Not long after arriving at the village, Shinka had detected a force beneath the sea and made his own judgment. When they asked the villagers, everyone said the sea had always been calm, so the recent disturbances pointed to only one answer.

Before the boy could take a few steps, the ground suddenly shook, throwing him flat on his back. In his shocked gaze, a massive creature emerged from the sea. The waves surged, nearly ten meters high, pounding the shore. Thankfully, the village was built far from the coast and on higher ground, so it escaped harm.

“Monster!” The boy cried out, scrambling to his feet and grabbing Tetsuya’s hand. “Tetsuya, sir, we have to go! The monster’s here!”

“Go warn the villagers!”

“Okay!” The boy responded, sprinting toward the village, and halfway there, turned to shout back at Tetsuya, “Sir, you should leave too! Don’t worry, our guardians will save us!”

Tetsuya was taken aback, rubbing his nose with embarrassment. It was the first time a child had told him not to be afraid. The villagers’ fear of monsters was far less than that of modern humans; even a child could make the best decision and act without panic. Tetsuya turned his gaze to the colossal beast emerging from the sea. It stood over fifty meters tall, encased in a shell as hard as stone, with huge claws waving as it strode from the depths, radiating menace.

The dark, prismatic crystal was already clutched in his palm, and just as he was about to transform, a hand landed on his shoulder. Tetsuya turned to see Shinka’s angular face, his eyes fixed on the monster, but stopping Tetsuya’s action.

“Don’t transform. It might draw the ancient gods of Lulue’s attention.”

Tetsuya grew anxious. “What about the villagers?”

Shinka smiled, his voice calm. “They have their own guardians.”

As he finished speaking, a tall, gravelly hill nearby shook, sand rolling down its slopes. In Tetsuya’s astonished gaze, the hill stood up, revealing a monster covered in brown, its body seemingly shaped from weathered rock and strewn with grass clippings. It towered nearly sixty meters tall, even more massive, and had quietly rested by the sea for so long it had become a part of the landscape. Tetsuya had once stood atop that hill, gazing toward distant Lulue, never suspecting it was a giant monster disguised as a hill.

“What is that…?”

“That is their guardian: the earth beast, Laguis.”

“Laguis!” In the distance, the boy excitedly waved and shouted, “Defeat it! Drive it back to the water!”

Behind the boy, more villagers emerged from their homes, cheering for Laguis and pumping their fists in encouragement.

“Let’s keep away from here; this will be their battlefield.” Tetsuya quickly recovered, shrugged, and joked.

The two monsters collided fiercely by the shore, their massive bodies crashing with a thunderous roar. Laguis, taller and stronger, knocked its opponent off balance. The other monster swung its huge claw at Laguis.

Thud! The claw struck Laguis hard, but Laguis held firm, slamming its enormous head into its foe, leaving it reeling. Laguis then seized the other’s giant claw with both arms and threw it onto the sand. The impact shook the beach, sending sand flying everywhere.

Faced with Laguis’s dominance, the other monster didn’t try to fight back directly. Instead, it raised its head, gathering intense energy into a beam and fired at the villagers.

Laguis’s colossal form shielded the villagers, the energy beam crashing into its body, pushing it back, but ultimately failing to breach Laguis’s defense.

“A monster that fights so fiercely to protect humans…” Camilla gazed at the wild battle, lost in thought.

By then, Tetsuya had joined the others, overhearing Camilla’s murmured words and looking out toward the scene.

“Power itself is neither good nor evil. What matters is the heart that wields it…”