Gongcheng Yuandu stopped not far from the two monsters, raised his right hand to gather all his energy, and pressed it against the red organ in the center of his chest.
With himself as the center, a red circle resembling a galaxy appeared above him. He swiped his right hand downward, and the red organ on his chest continuously fired special red-and-black light bullets.
Every single light bullet struck the two monsters with pinpoint precision. As Dark Lugiel pressed his hand to his chest again and turned around, Golza and Melba simultaneously exploded in an instant.
The Dark Spark Lance in front of him then dissipated into red and black light particles, leaving Dark Lugiel standing all alone amidst a vast expanse of urban ruins.
Seeing the monsters destroyed, the people couldn't help cheering, celebrating their victory.
Subconsciously, they seemed to be starting to think that the giant before them was humanity's protector.
Looking at the current state of the city, Gongcheng Yuandu felt not a single trace of regret. Such destruction was bound to happen; it was the price of being protected.
Dark Lugiel didn't possess Nexus's Meta Field, so any unexpected circumstances were entirely acceptable.
Dark Lugiel's subspace had its limitations, making it impossible to drag the monsters inside.
Without lingering any longer, Dark Lugiel began releasing dark energy, causing his entire body to radiate red and black light particles that enveloped him like flames. He transformed into a flashing sphere of light and soared into the cosmos.
***
"Ow, that hurts..." Gongcheng Yuandu muttered, pressing his left hand against his right shoulder while carrying two boxes of small cakes and two cups of milk tea as he walked.
"Congratulations to the host for eliminating Golza and Melba. Reward obtained: Golza and Melba Spark Dolls," the System announced right on cue.
Glancing at this reward, Gongcheng Yuandu asked with dissatisfaction, "That's it?"
"That's it."
"…Why do I feel like you skimmed a cut off the top?"
The System remained silent.
Seeing the System suddenly clam up, Gongcheng Yuandu looked as though he had figured something out, instantly flying into a rage.
Suddenly remembering something, Gongcheng Yuandu hurriedly pulled out his phone and checked it. Over 99 unread messages...
Oh no!
He quickly opened the family group chat. What met his eyes was a sea of "@Yuandu" tags.
"W... What happened?"
Drawing a sharp breath, he felt like he was doomed.
Yunling: "Fourth brother, where on earth did you run off to? A monster just appeared on the west side of Tokyo! Where are you right now? Are you okay? And why haven't you been replying to messages this whole time?"
Gongcheng Yue: "You scared the life out of us. Thank goodness you're alright."
Gongcheng Mu: "Yeah, two monsters! That was terrifying..."
Gongcheng Yuandu's brain started spinning at high speed, searching for a suitable excuse to fob them off.
He then typed: "I went out to buy cakes for Fifth Sister and the others earlier. Then, after the monsters appeared, a giant showed up. He's the one who saved me, and I was busy running for my life, so I couldn't reply to messages."
Head of the Family: "As long as you're safe."
He locked his phone and hurried toward the park where the three Hikigayas were. In the park, Yunling, who had been waiting anxiously, let out a sigh of relief and looked at Hikigaya Komachi and Hikigaya Hachiman beside her: "Phew, Fourth Brother is fine. He should be on his way here now."
No sooner had she spoken than Gongcheng Yuandu's figure came into view. He waved at the three of them, then lifted the pastries in his right hand.
The three of them walked over to meet him. Gongcheng Yuandu distributed the cakes and milk tea to the two girls, then took a can of coffee from his pocket and handed it to Hikigaya Hachiman.
The three of them offered their thanks. He merely waved a hand to dismiss the courtesy and pulled out a bottle of milk to drink.
The four of them found two benches to sit on and rest. Looking toward the western district, which was still billowing black smoke, Yunling said, "That was so scary! If it weren't for that giant, those two monsters probably would have completely destroyed Tokyo, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just wonder what that giant's name is..." The girls alternated between expressions of fright and curiosity as they discussed the recent events, seeming deeply intrigued by the three behemoths.
And understandably so. This world had always been an ordinary place, and never before had any supernatural beings of this magnitude appeared. This was the first time, and it undoubtedly shattered everyone's worldview.
The black smoke in the distance served as undeniable proof that this wasn't some special effects blockbuster, but a stark reality existing in real life.
From this moment on, the world seemed destined to become fraught with disasters.
Major events concerning the entire world were not something ordinary people could decide.
So what if they weren't? People still had to live their lives, and as long as disaster hadn't struck them personally, they remained indifferent.
More often than not, they simply adopted a spectator's mentality and pinned their hopes on sheer luck.
"What do you guys think the giant is called?" Taking another sip of her milk tea, Yunling asked curiously.
"Hmm... Dark Giant?" Hikigaya Komachi pinched her chin in thought for a moment before looking up to voice her idea.
"That's way too perfunctory..." Hikigaya Hachiman muttered under his breath. In his opinion, the name "Dark Giant" was far too sloppy and lacked any sense of presence.
Gongcheng Yuandu tapped Yunling's hand with a small notebook, signaling her to take it.
Curious, Yunling took the notebook and looked at it. Written inside was: "The giant's name is: Dark Lugiel."
She looked at Yuandu in puzzlement, unable to figure out how he could possibly know.
"I asked the giant when he saved me."
Splendid, Gongcheng Yuandu was making things up again.
"Um... his name is Dark Lugiel!" Yunling handed the notebook to Komachi and announced with great spirit.
"Dark Lugiel..." Hikigaya Hachiman murmured softly.
Now that sounded right! Who names someone just "Dark Giant"? That would be far too lazy!
Watching the setting sun slowly dip below the horizon, Gongcheng Yuandu checked the time.
5:20.
Taking back the notebook, he fluttered his fingers at Yunling: "We should go."
The girl nodded, smiling as she looked at Hikigaya Komachi: "Komachi~ I have to go~ It's getting really late. Although we didn't hang out for long, I had a lot of fun."
Reluctantly, Komachi nodded and waved goodbye to the two of them: "Me too~ Bye-bye, Xiaoyun~"
"See you tomorrow~"
And so, the two pairs of siblings parted ways here, the setting sun completely hiding its brilliance at that very moment.
Yuandu followed behind Yunling as a black sedan slowly drove toward the two of them.
"Get in."
The one speaking was Gongcheng Yue in the driver's seat, while Gongcheng Mu sat in the front passenger seat. Yuandu and Yunling climbed into the back.
With a sharp turn of the steering wheel, the sedan melted into the night.
A solitary figure stood quietly in the spot where the car had parked, looking thoughtfully in the direction the group had departed: "Those chosen by the light... Shuchiin, is it..."
In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished from the spot.
***
Looking at the villa before them, the group nodded in unison. Gongcheng Yue praised, "It seems the Yukinoshita Family really put in some effort. Alright, let's all go inside and take a look."
Upon entering the house, they found it clean and tidy, having already been tidied up by someone else. Everyone chose their respective rooms, settled their luggage, and then gathered in the dining room.
"I'm so hungry, so hungry~" Yunling slumped over the table, holding her belly with both hands as she complained discontentedly.
"Alright, I've already ordered pizza and burgers; they'll be here soon," Gongcheng Mu said, looking speechlessly at the girl.
"Third Brother gets me, hehehe."
"This kind of junk food eating is strictly for tonight only," Gongcheng Yue said as he poured a glass of water and sat down at the table.
"Second Brother~"
Gongcheng Yue simply took a sip of water, closed his eyes, and leaned back against his chair to rest.
He hadn't had a proper rest since getting off the plane this afternoon, so he needed to catch a quick nap before the delivery arrived.
Seeing Gongcheng Yue practically collapsing into his chair, Yunling curled her lips in boredom, then pulled out her phone to happily chat with Komachi.
Yuandu quietly browsed the trending search articles online.
[Monsters and Giants: A World No Longer Peaceful]
The general content merely discussed the appearance of the monsters, whether the giant was good or evil, and the abilities of all three.
The comment section was also sharply polarized: some believed the giant's actions were part of a conspiracy, while others believed the giant was humanity's protector.
Netizens were arguing fiercely over this.
Some even claimed that the whole thing was fake—though, naturally, he was immediately flamed by everyone else.