The Giant of Light?

The red glow of early morning rose slowly from the horizon, the light shimmering with a dazzling luster across the waves, passing through the GUTS headquarters and the city.

The morning light pierced through the layers of towering buildings, casting a golden sheen upon the floor.

In the past, even when awake, the old woman would inevitably linger in bed for a while, but today, she got up with crisp, decisive movements.

However, by the time she had tidied her bedding and reached the living room, she could already smell the aroma of breakfast, and the sound of the radio drifting to her ears made her feel even more alert.

Walking lightly toward the living room, she found cooked food placed on the kotatsu table, and the shopping bag left in the corner was still half-full of vegetables.

She hadn't bought these.

"Honestly," Grandma muttered, though a smile played on her face, "Zhou Hong, how many times have I told you not to buy so much stuff?"

"It's fine, it's all going to be eaten anyway," Zhou Hong said, emerging from the kitchen with the final bowl of food. "It's ready to eat; this is the last dish."

Just as he sat down and picked up his chopsticks, a news report on the radio made Zhou Hong's movements freeze.

"This morning, a massive monster approximately fifty meters in height appeared in Mongolia. Although it appeared briefly before being lured away by GUTS, the monster's trajectory..."

"What's wrong? No appetite? Or are you feeling unwell?" Seeing Zhou Hong looking dazed, Grandma asked with concern. "Why don't you take a good rest today?"

Zhou Hong shook his head. "I'm fine."

"I'm just feeling a bit emotional; this world might be about to undergo a major change, with monsters appearing and all."

I remember that Golza appeared in Akita City; there is no way it would travel to where Grandma lives.

The butterfly has yet to flap its wings; the plot will remain the original plot.

Zhou Hong was full of confidence that Tiga would be able to defeat the Dark Ruler.

Because the one fighting is Daigo, who knows nothing of defeat.

The Ultra Heart possesses a special space capable of training combat skills and the like; as long as he continues to strengthen himself, he is confident he can take down Gatanothor.

So, it's back to brick-laying today.

Zhou Hong quickly finished his breakfast, took the dishes to the kitchen, and said to Grandma, who was still chewing slowly, "Grandma, I'm off to work. I'll leave the dishes to you."

"Be careful on the road," Grandma said, putting down her chopsticks with concern.

Zhou Hong ran toward the construction site; the distance between the site and his home wasn't too far, only about a dozen kilometers.

If you don't count traffic jams, it's about a twenty-minute commute.

And for Zhou Hong, running it takes about forty minutes.

Long, steady breaths accompanied the rise and fall of his chest, and the surging of his limb muscles allowed Zhou Hong to experience the comfort of this newfound strength.

This is the feeling of constantly growing stronger.

Treading upon the morning light, he gradually stepped into the construction site.

Changing into a slightly tattered set of clothes and donning a yellow hard hat, Zhou Hong headed toward a pile of bricks.

The pre-stacked bricks could be lifted by grabbing the base; with a surge of power from his bent legs, Zhou Hong easily hoisted the stack and walked briskly toward the stairs.

Through a window that had yet to be installed, he happened to see two GUTS Wings soaring off into the distance.

Right now, those GUTS Wings, lacking any weapons, were merely large toys; they wouldn't be of much use against a monster.

Human courage is truly as brilliant and dazzling as gold.

"What are you daydreaming about, you brat?" Uncle Li, wearing a red hat, shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "The bosses are coming today, get to work!"

"Sorry, sorry," Zhou Hong hurriedly began another hard day as a laborer.

Yet, his steps felt increasingly heavy, and he grew more and more hesitant.

Uncle Li, the foreman, noticed Zhou Hong's uncharacteristic sluggishness and quickly caught up to him.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Zhou Hong shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Uncle Li, I have something to take care of; I need to take a half-day off."

"Fine, go home and get some rest," Uncle Li said without hesitation, patting Zhou Hong on the shoulder. "Money is just paper; your health is your real capital."

As if a shackle had been broken, before Uncle Li could say another word, Zhou Hong bolted out of the construction site.

"Damn, that little brat runs fast."

There was an inexplicable feeling guiding Zhou Hong's direction, telling him that the light was right there.

His running speed was exceptionally fast, and by the time he stopped his sprint, the golden pyramid had already been destroyed.

Zhou Hong took a deep breath to steady his heartbeat, gazing into the distance.

The two stone statues standing beside Tiga had also been destroyed by Golza and Melba; Tiga's statue had been pushed over, and Golza was about to stomp on it.

The light flashed!

In a mere instant, color filled the stone statue, and amidst a vigorous shout of "Cha!", Golza was shoved to the ground.

"Tiga, it's been a long time," Zhou Hong whispered, the Ultra Heart hanging on his chest blooming with light.

A beam of light descended from the sky, charging straight toward the battlefield where the fight was still raging.

With incomparable speed, the pillar of light crashed into Melba, sending it plummeting to the earth with a pained shriek.

A pillar of light pierced the heavens and the earth, the tremors of the quake causing a deafening roar as shattered stone and soil sprayed into the air, the dust cloud even billowing past Golza.

The blinding radiance gradually dissipated, and as the dust scattered with the gale, a colossal figure stood tall beside Tiga.

With a physique resembling a sculpture and sinewy muscles like steel, it presented a stark contrast to Tiga's completely smooth, muscle-less frame; furthermore, the newly appeared giant stood about half a head taller than Tiga.

Its diamond-shaped eyes, brimming with malevolence, were cold, and the pitch-black patterns across its back seemed to shift like the visage of a demon with every flex of its muscles. Compared to Tiga, its aura was that of an elite warrior facing a commoner.

Or perhaps, one might say, an evil boss facing a weak hero.

The mournful cries of Melba, pinned beneath its foot, drew the attention of the posing giant; it lifted its muscular right leg, crimson energy boiling as it brought it down with a brutal stomp.

With the point of impact as the center, the ground fractured into spiderweb-like fissures, Melba's head sinking deep into the earth, its body, which had been struggling only moments before, falling completely still.

The new giant turned its gaze toward Golza, which stood guard to the side; at this moment, Golza's massive body could not help but tremble uncontrollably.

Under the giant's scrutiny, it managed to retreat three steps with ease.

The giant's gaze did not linger, instead shifting toward the high sky.

Meeting those eyes, the crew aboard the GUTS Wing found themselves momentarily breathless.