Warriors of Light? (2/2)

The yellow-eyed Crow Men were manufactured copies, with almost all their emotions stripped away. But beneath this blood-red moon, they had learned one emotion.

Fear.

The night had been meant to serve as their camouflage, but that protective veil was torn to shreds with ease by that man.

His terrifying strength was enough to kill a Crow Man with a single punch. A blow to the torso might leave the body intact, but a hit to the head would turn its "fragile" bones to mush.

The Crow Men were numerous. They could easily have gone around Zhou Hong to take out Hibiki Gousuke, but they didn't.

Instead, they relied on sheer numbers and kept closing in around Zhou Hong.

Crow Men were sent flying out of the encirclement one after another. His savage strength ran rampant through their ranks. Blood splattered across his bare torso, as if coating Zhou Hong in crimson armor.

Now and then, a few overconfident Crow Men tried to test just how strong he was. They tested it—and died.

The man charging through them seemed utterly invincible. Despite fighting for so long, he showed no sign of tiring.

The Crow Men began sending in a few elite troops armed with Shrink Guns, but Hibiki Gousuke wasn't just dead weight, either.

Even the Crow Men wielding Shrink Ray Guns were picked off by Hibiki Gousuke's precise shots. His marksmanship made it clear he hadn't been dead weight back when he served in the ground support forces.

That let Zhou Hong kill even faster.

The Crow Men also began moving toward the man they had overlooked.

Faced with the Crow Men's terrifying numbers, Hibiki Gousuke felt utterly useless. Luckily, he'd trained for a long time and could run fast.

The Hyper Gun in his hand was out of ammo. All he had left was the weapon Horii had designed to counter the Shrink Ray.

But it had no killing power.

He didn't have Zhou Hong's terrifying strength. Running back would only cause trouble for Zhou Hong, while staying here meant watching the Crow Men wear him down until he was killed.

Judging by Zhou Hong's monstrous stamina, these Crow Men might only be enough to warm him up. Hibiki himself was as good as dead.

Amid the din, a sudden footstep sounded behind Hibiki Gousuke.

Hibiki twisted around, driving the motion with his waist, and reacted at once, swinging a heavy punch.

But a silver hand caught his fist in its grasp.

With its three-colored skin and lightbulb-like eyes, Tiga stood at the same height as the rest of them. Hibiki Gousuke opened his mouth, but for a moment, no words came out.

Tiga could actually shrink down to human size!

Tiga nodded to Hibiki Gousuke, then charged into the Crow Men like a wolf among sheep, sending those on the outskirts flying.

Tiga showed no mercy, tearing apart any Crow Men who got in his way.

Paired with his sharply defined muscles, the sight was inexplicably brutal.

A few blasts of light combined with hand-to-hand combat sent the already terrified Crow Men scattering.

Zhou Hong shook himself, though he couldn't get all the blood off, and curled his lip. "They're not much in a fight, but they're first-rate at causing trouble."

"Ha!"

Tiga initiated an encrypted transmission. Zhou Hong explained that he couldn't understand the language of Orion.

Tiga might not have expected Zhou Hong to understand anyway. He simply brought his hands together, and a surge of water washed Zhou Hong clean. Then he raised one hand, and a warm breeze dried him in an instant.

"Could this be Ultra Clean? Tiga actually has a skill like that!"

Zhou Hong was astonished. Maybe, in ancient times, keeping clean had been the most important way to maintain one's dignity.

So Tiga had to know this move.

"Shua!"

Though he hadn't cracked Tiga's encrypted communications, Zhou Hong could still "mostly" understand what he was trying to say.

"Go with Xiao Bai. It's already tracked the humans' scent. Follow it, and you should find the Crow Men's Command Room."

Tiga nodded. Just then, Xiao Bai emerged from a shadowy corner.

Its cry quavered a little. It had probably been badly frightened—both by the Crow Men and by Zhou Hong.

When Zhou Hong's slightly bloodshot eyes turned toward it, its pure white fur suddenly bristled. The slender little creature puffed up into a fluffy ball.

It was a monster, yet unexpectedly timid.

Zhou Hong scratched his head. It really did make this tough guy's heart melt. But judging by Xiao Bai's expression, he figured that if he got any closer, it would curl up, cover its eyes with its tail, and tuck itself into a ball.

"Big Tiga, take Xiao Bai with you."

Zhou Hong turned his gaze back to the figures lurking in the darkness. "It'd be a hassle if these guys got away."

His burly frame radiated killing intent beneath the moonlight. He slipped quickly into the shadows, and the rumble of battle and cries of agony echoed through the area for a long time.

Tiga slowly crouched down and picked up White Fox. The light around him was gentle, warm as being nestled in a mother's embrace, like the mild winter sun. Xiao Bai's bristling fur gradually settled.

Facing its benefactor like this made it feel deeply ashamed. It wished it could bury its head in a pile of sand.

Even so, it understood its mission. Mustering its courage, it played the part of a hunting dog and guided Tiga with a series of "yoyos."

At a sudden turn in the corridor, a Crow Man leaped out. Tiga's muscles tensed in unison, power flowing from his toes to his shoulders. His free hand flashed out.

The air shrieked as the Crow Man's body flew backward even faster.

Blood spread through the darkness, and droplets splattered across White Fox.

The Crow Man didn't even manage a "caw" of pain before its mangled body slammed into the wall.

Even through the darkness, the spreading blood was impossible to miss.

The splattered blood added a few vivid spots to Xiao Bai's pure white fur, and its eyes gradually glazed over. Its tail, which had just been smooth and supple, stiffened into a long, straight shape.

Had I joined an organization that looked righteous on the surface but was evil behind the scenes?

The little monster fell into deep thought.

But there was no time for it to think!

Tiga's sudden burst of speed made Xiao Bai instinctively extend its claws and cling tightly to the being of light. As red light surged around him, he transformed into his Power Type form. With both hands free, he began hammering the Crow Men with even greater force.

Against Tiga's thick arms, the Crow Men could do only one thing: offer pointless resistance.

The lucky ones at least managed a final "caw."