Happy New Year

Although Jostar thought his attacks hadn't caused much damage, the people retreating on the ground didn't see it that way.

Every time the crimson giant swung a fist, it created a sonic boom. The shockwaves from his heavy blows whipped up winds that swallowed everything like tornadoes.

The hill's terrain had already been flattened by the winds.

The demon-faced giant's features twisted into a savage grimace. His massive body stomped steadily across the ground, each step setting off earthquake-like rumbles as he slowly advanced.

With every footfall, the earth split open into long ravines that kept spreading farther and farther.

"Spiderweb" was a very apt description, but what kind of spiderweb was this tightly woven?

Fortunately, the spot where the Jet VTOL 1 had crashed was remote enough that the violent gusts, powerful enough to sweep people into the sky, never reached it.

And although the battle was especially fierce, Jostar had been careful not to let his power spread in that direction.

Even so, the trembling earth alone was more than enough to deal with.

Whenever they tried to support each other, they both fell over. They could only keep their balance by leaning against trees.

As Ligatron moved farther away, Jostar's attacks grew fiercer.

His crimson fists seemed to be on fire, their captivating flames staining Ligatron's silver armor.

His heavy punches left faint, almost invisible marks on Ligatron's body. The massive creature kept backing away, gradually moving farther from Tsurusaki Power Plant.

With Jostar and Ligatron locked in close combat, Tiga could only fire off a couple of weak beams from the side or behind.

They barely had any effect, but they could still interrupt Ligatron.

Faced with the giant blocking its path, Ligatron swung its sickle-shaped arms, trying to attack or block the incoming punches.

Its razor-sharp arms couldn't leave so much as a scratch on Jostar. Even the heat rays fired by crossing its arms only left a few white marks on his muscular body.

It was as if two heavily armored tanks were tangled together, trading blows with plain wooden sticks that inflicted a guaranteed one point of damage.

The struggle continued until the red light on Tiga's chest began to flash.

The flashing light warned Tiga it was time to unleash his finishing move. He swept both arms evenly out to either side.

Jostar landed a heavy punch on Ligatron, then used the force of the impact to leap backward.

As if they shared a single mind, the moment Jostar pulled away, the Zeperion Ray skimmed past him and struck Ligatron.

The Zeperion Ray kept pouring into Ligatron, washing over its silver armor.

Going by how things usually went with monsters, it should have exploded next.

Tiga stopped firing the Zeperion Ray, but Ligatron suddenly sprang into action.

It crossed its arms, and before Tiga could react, a beam shot from the tips of its blades, crossed the distance, and burst into sparks against Tiga's chest.

Tiga in his Multi Type form didn't have the same defensive strength as his Power Type form. The long-prepared attack sent him flying backward, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Tiga clutched his chest in pain, letting out a faint groan. At the same time, the emerald timer on Jostar's chest began flashing red.

After barely escaping with their lives and sprinting away from the battle's shock waves, Shinjoh watched from a distance, still shaken.

Seeing Ligatron, which seemed like a war god that could never be defeated, he sighed. "This won't work. Jostar and Tiga's attacks can't penetrate its body at all."

"Even attacks like natural disasters can't break through its outer armor? What a terrifying monster," Munakata said, panting between words.

"Outer armor? Inside!"

Shinjoh suddenly realized something. He quickly contacted the Command Room.

"Command Room, upload photos and messages from the families of the Jupita 3 astronauts to the computer aboard Jupita 3."

As Yazumi started to act, Ligatron, still struggling with Jostar, suddenly froze.

Then sparks suddenly burst from inside its seemingly unharmed silver armor, and its agile movements became erratic, as if it had short-circuited.

Jostar slowly retreated, leaving the stage to the light of humanity.

Tiga seemed to have already foreseen what would happen. He leapt upward, raising his arms.

Ligatron stood there, stunned. The more information Yazumi transmitted, the stranger it seemed.

"Yazumi, send the messages through."

"Live on as humans once again!"

"Take the monster's energy! Seize its power and use it to attack the monster. Defeat it!"

Every word Shinjoh said was relayed to the Jupita 3 astronauts.

"Keep it up!"

The encouraging voices filled them with renewed strength.

Ligatron's sickle-shaped arms slammed together. The energy that burst out destroyed their internal mechanisms completely, and its arms dropped limply.

The struggle over the energy inside it was nearing its end.

Three rays of light, brighter than the stars, rose from Ligatron's head. They were the light that belonged to humanity alone.

In an instant, the lights vanished from sight, like stars.

The heat and brightness of the midday sun couldn't dim the brilliance of those three stars in the slightest.

Or perhaps everything outside those three stars simply seemed so dim.

With Ligatron's empty shell left behind, Jostar lowered his thick arms until they hung straight down. Pure white currents of electricity surged wildly between them.

The stream of light struck Ligatron, and tiny particles of light scattered everywhere, creating a strangely beautiful sight.

"This is a miracle," Munakata said softly.

"No. This is humanity's courage. They reclaimed humanity's dignity and courage."

Distance wasn't a barrier. Even though he had no idea where they were now, Shinjoh could clearly sense their resolve.

"By the way, where's Daigo?" Rena suddenly remembered someone.

"Daigo must have already..."

The forest was gone, the hill had been flattened, and the earth was torn apart. If Daigo could still come out alive after all that destruction, then I—

"Hey, everyone."

Daigo's voice drifted faintly toward them. The pilots could still make out his waving figure.

Even Munakata, who always kept a straight face, smiled faintly and patted Shinjoh on the shoulder.

"That kid Daigo's learned all your tricks, Shinjoh."

How could someone with flying skills like Shinjoh's become an ace pilot? The answer was simple: everyone from his cohort had been eliminated in accidents.