Chapter Twelve: The Monster’s Playground

In the early morning, the sun hung high in the sky, and bright rays spilled into the room through the window. Yue Longze, still in his pajamas, lounged lazily by the window. He held a nearly spent cigarette between his fingers, then took a hard drag, exhaling a long smoke ring that lingered in the air. His gaze lingered on Xiao Xiang, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed. He stubbed out the cigarette.

“Beep—beep—”

The familiar signal from the Victory Team communicator sounded. Yue Longze opened it and found a message from Dagu, concerning Obik.

“This fellow Obik... he actually chose to sink into endless slumber within the darkness.” Yue Longze shook his head and sighed as he read the message.

“Hm?”

His brows furrowed suddenly, and he stared in the direction of Luluye Island. He sensed a familiar aura from there, extremely faint—almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention.

“Whose aura could it be... so weak, yet so familiar?”

He glanced once more at the sleeping Xiao Xiang, took out the Dark Divine Light Rod, and transformed into the giant Tiga, flying towards Luluye Island.

“Hopefully I’ll make it back before Xiao Xiang wakes up.”

——

The tide crashed against the rocks, and the turbulent sea still seemed to hold traces of the last battle.

It was the same familiar cave, the ground scattered with stones and rubble.

Yue Longze reverted to his human form and stood at the entrance, frowning as he surveyed the surroundings.

“Who could this faint aura belong to?” He didn’t ponder for long and strode directly into the cave.

“Damn, I forgot to change my shoes before leaving.”

Only now did he realize he was still wearing his house slippers, making his walk across the uneven, stony ground awkward and laborious.

Inside, the cave had suffered multiple collapses, leaving it in chaos.

The sound of slippers striking stone echoed through the cave, with nothing else to break the silence. The damp air still carried a lingering hint of darkness.

“That aura is growing even weaker.” Yue Longze quickened his pace, searching amidst the ruins.

“Light... I too long for it…” A faint female voice sounded from beside a heap of debris.

“Camilla?”

Yue Longze traced the voice to its source. Camilla lay on the ground, barely alive, her aura so weak it was nearly gone.

With effort, Camilla turned her gaze to Yue Longze, offering a small smile. Then, she dissolved into countless particles of light that surged toward him.

There was no discomfort. Yue Longze, deep in thought, drew the Dark Divine Light Rod from his pocket. The once pitch-black markings now bore flecks of gold.

“Rest peacefully inside, then.” Yue Longze’s expression was complicated. “So, you too yearned for the light?” He gripped the Divine Light Rod tightly.

Without lingering further, he transformed into Tiga again and flew back home.

Kicking off his now dirty slippers, Yue Longze walked barefoot to the bedroom. Seeing Xiao Xiang still asleep, he smiled and headed to the kitchen, expertly preparing breakfast.

As he ate breakfast with Xiao Xiang, Yue Longze kept thinking about Camilla. “Perhaps she failed back then, when she wished to walk toward the light with Tiga.”

“Hey, hey, Long, what are you thinking about? You spilled the milk!” Xiao Xiang scolded playfully.

“Ah.” Yue Longze snapped out of his trance and hurried to clean up the spilled milk. “It’s nothing, just thinking about some things.”

............

Days passed, and at last, the day promised to Zero arrived.

Dark denim jacket, a pure white T-shirt underneath, charcoal gray casual pants, the cuffs tucked tightly into brown boots.

Yue Longze stood on the balcony, holding Xiao Xiang’s left hand. He could sense Zero’s aura drawing closer.

A figure, red and blue interwoven, landed lightly on the balcony.

Moonlight glimmered on Zero’s blue timer, making its glow seem even more intense.

“Hey, hey, hey, are you going to bring this girl along too?”

Zero glanced at Xiao Xiang and spoke quickly.

Yue Longze smiled and shook his head. “Too dangerous. How could I bear to let Xiao Xiang risk adventure?”

He then kissed Xiao Xiang’s forehead tenderly and said, “While I’m gone, you must take good care of yourself. If you run into trouble, just look for Dagu.”

He affectionately patted Xiao Xiang’s head. “Alright, I’m off!”

“Mm... I’ll wait for your return!” Xiao Xiang nodded obediently, though her eyes brimmed with longing and reluctance.

“No need to flaunt your affection so blatantly in front of me, the mighty Zero!” Zero muttered, looking away.

Being seen off by Xiao Xiang’s wistful gaze, Yue Longze transformed into Tiga and, together with Zero, soared into the void. Zero swung his Ultimate Zero Sword, and a flash of light revealed a wormhole.

Inside the wormhole, it was like a train rushing through a tunnel.

“This is the Palaji Shield, isn’t it?” Yue Longze asked, noticing Zero’s silver armor as they traversed through space and time.

“How do you know?” Zero was surprised. The Palaji Shield was a legendary artifact, known to very few.

“Secret.” Yue Longze laughed heartily.

Zero stared deeply at him, asking no further. After all, everyone has their own secrets.

Feeling as dizzy as on a roller coaster, Yue Longze’s head spun.

“Why does every crossing feel so damn awful…” He cursed inwardly, recalling the first time he arrived at Luluye Island.

“Seriously, is it necessary for you to get so dizzy after just one time-space jump?” Zero was exasperated.

Supported by Zero, Yue Longze stood up and paused as he surveyed the surroundings. “Where are we? This isn’t the Land of Light, is it?”

All around lay scorched yellow earth, clouds of dust sweeping over rocks, and weak sunlight flickered like a feeble oil lamp, casting the whole planet into gloom.

“This is Planet D2, also known as the Monster Paradise.” As Zero spoke, his armor vanished, and he resumed his normal form.

“Monster Paradise?”

Before Yue Longze could say more, a gigantic figure appeared before them. With each step it took, boulders collapsed.

“Flame Golzan?” Yue Longze and Zero, though transformed, remained human-sized. They both quickly grew to giant form.

“Do you know why I didn’t take you straight to the Land of Light?” Zero crossed his arms, his tone serious.

“Huh?”

“I’m leaving this monster to you. Let me see what you can do!” No sooner had Zero spoken than Flame Golzan charged at them.

Zero leaped onto a nearby peak, watching Yue Longze’s battle from above.

“Very well, let me show you my strength!” Yue Longze steeled himself, clenched his fists, and confronted Flame Golzan head-on.