Volume One, Chapter 88: King Grass

The Light Bracelet was the power granted to him by the Galaxians before his exile to Earth. Now, it was only by borrowing that power that he stood a chance of defeating the monster. Yuki didn’t hesitate; he immediately followed Taiga’s instructions and summoned the bracelet.

“Orb Light Bracelet, initiate connection!”

A pure white radiance blossomed behind Taiga, forming a luminous ring. Taiga instantly gathered energy in his hand, unleashing an ultimate skill amplified by Orb’s power—Supreme Burst.

As the energy reached its peak, the ring appeared before Taiga, empowering his beam as it shot toward Garuberos.

A deafening explosion ensued.

Garuberos was no match and perished in a fiery blast.

Yet from within the flames, a red light shot forth.

Instinctively, Taiga caught it and found it was a monster’s Light Bracelet.

Though surprised, he paid it no mind and hurried to the side of the monster mother and child, helping them to their feet.

The mother let out a low hum, seemingly in gratitude.

The little one let out a gleeful cry, its voice tender and endearing, drawing warm smiles from both Taiga and Yuki.

After seeing the monster mother and child off, the matter was at last settled.

The next day, Taiga explained to Yuki why he had appeared within him.

Twelve years earlier, he had been shattered into the most primal particles of light by Tregear, believing himself doomed to vanish forever, utterly dead.

But a gentle force protected him, keeping him from dissolving with the ebbing of the starry sea.

That force, however, did no more than shield him from death.

His strength remained feeble.

During his exile, he happened to pass by Earth and witnessed young Yuki risking his life to protect a little monster.

That spirit moved him.

Thus, Taiga attached himself to Yuki from that day on.

First, to shield Yuki from death.

Second, to slowly restore his own energy using Yuki’s body.

And so, twelve years passed.

Alas, he never found his two companions, a lingering regret in his heart.

“What an utterly incredible experience,” he mused.

After hearing Taiga’s account, Yuki was filled with emotion.

Now, not only had he met Taiga, but the two had fused into one.

By any measure, it was all too astonishing.

As Yuki muttered to himself, the president of Aegis and his two teammates cast curious glances his way.

He offered an awkward smile, hurriedly bowing his head to mask his embarrassment.

At that moment, a middle-aged man entered.

“Mr. Sakura,” Yuki called out quickly. “What brings you here?”

Sakura gave a polite smile and strode up to the president. “Kanae, I have a favor to ask of you all.”

President Kanae was momentarily stunned, a trace of oddness flickering across her face. “You again?”

“That’s right.” Sakura looked a bit sheepish, but his words came quickly. “I’d like your help investigating some aliens that have appeared at the port lately.”

Kanae understood at once.

She nodded and looked to Rika. “Let’s help our police officer friend with a search.”

“No problem.” Rika’s adorable smile lit up her face as her fingers danced over the keyboard.

In seconds, a video appeared before them.

It showed a port, where three men in work uniforms lurked suspiciously, their intentions unclear.

When they reached a corner, they seemed to notice something, removed their glasses, and fired a laser at the surveillance camera.

“Aliens again!” Yuki exclaimed.

“Yes,” Sakura sighed, then explained, “Early this morning, a giant creature was spotted in the harbor area.”

“A giant creature again!” Kanae’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

She knew exactly what such a term signified.

“Officially, we’re claiming it was a stray whale,” Sakura said. “But who’s ever seen a whale like that?”

“So, you want us to investigate the monster?” Homare Souya raised an eyebrow.

Yesterday, they’d nearly lost their lives to aliens.

Fighting monsters now was like lighting a lamp in an outhouse—just asking for trouble.

Seeing their expressions, Sakura quickly tried to deflect. “These days, there are so many bizarre cases that the police are overwhelmed. So naturally, I thought of a capable team like yours.”

“Mr. Sakura,” President Kanae said, “our company provides security services. Our main business is escorting personnel or equipment—”

“And handling cybercrime, which is manageable.”

“Let’s be clear—we’re not your department’s private contractors.”

“But,” Sakura interjected, “isn’t a weird case like this just perfect for a team as unique as yours?”

“Besides, you’re not exactly busy, are you?”

At that, Yuki and Homare could no longer restrain themselves and rose to retort.

Sakura stood his ground, smiling at Yuki. “How about this—next time, I’ll treat you all to barbecue?”

Yuki’s eyes lit up, instantly won over. “Deal!”

...

At the port, Yuki and Homare searched the surroundings but found nothing amiss.

Unbeknownst to them, inside a warehouse to their left, three men were handling a suspicious device, preparing for something.

“Neural sync rate at ninety-eight percent... one hundred percent...”

“Locked on!”

“Adrenaline will spike to maximum in five seconds...”

The trio whispered among themselves, oblivious to the figure standing silently behind them.

Muzaki stood there, saying nothing, but his devilish eyes glimmered with a strange, twisted delight.

“Monster weapon, deploy!”

As one of them pressed a button on the device, the port trembled violently and the sea surged.

From the roaring waves, a colossal monster burst forth, striking terror into all who beheld it.

The three aliens grinned with satisfaction and reported through their communicator, “Test results are excellent. Ready for auction.”

The footage was immediately transmitted to a spaceship orbiting Earth.

The Flyman Alien once again picked up his microphone and launched into a spirited pitch. “Esteemed guests from across the cosmos, our latest offering is King Gesla.”

“We’ve implanted a control chip in the monster’s brain—twist and turn, it obeys your every command.”

“And now, we officially begin the auction!”

Even before he finished, the screen was filled with bids, each higher than the last.

They even threatened to surpass the price for the previous Space-Time Destroyer, Saigon.