New Eridu, Hollow Zero.
As the United Human Forces entered Hollow Zero to suppress the Ethereal forces at its outer perimeter, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and several members of Section 6 had already reached the very core of Hollow Zero.
Though they had seen this colossal giant once before, returning to this place still filled Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Asaba Harumasa, and Soukaku with awe. This was the enemy they would face in this battle.
The outer battlefields existed only to clear out most of the ordinary Ethereal, allowing for the suppression of Hollow Zero and weakening the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant's power as much as possible. The very heart of Hollow Zero was the true epicenter of this war.
Defeating the Giant meant victory in this conflict. If they failed to eliminate it, then no matter how many Ethereal they destroyed, Hollow Zero could not be eradicated.
The giant seemed to have anticipated this moment long ago. The instant the group stepped through the Ether Mist, those two immense, abyssal eyes turned toward them—like black holes ready to consume all.
Around the Starlight Giant gathered the majority of the Destruction-level and World-Ending-level Ethereal within Hollow Zero. Colossal beasts stood upon the ground… monstrous creatures with long, writhing tentacles filled the skies… and towering Ether Trees stretched hundreds of meters high, their branches waving like countless tendrils.
As the Starlight Giant fixed its gaze upon Sam Li, the surrounding Ethereal turned as well. The moment they saw Sam Li and the Adepti, they let out a deafening roar.
Clearly, they had been waiting for him.
Given that, their objective was simple: shatter the colossal Starlight's body and seal away its two Starlight gems.
Sam Li lifted his hand, and a Vortex Vanquisher materialized instantly in his grasp. Slowly, he advanced toward the colossal giant and the dozens of Destruction- and World-Ending-level Ethereal that stood before it.
Seeing this, Azhdaha could no longer wait. He drew a deep breath, pulling a dense surge of Geo from the ground into his body.
In an instant, Azhdaha—whose form had previously been comparable in size to Bangboo—unleashed his true body, transforming into a colossal beast three hundred meters tall. And that was after only a single breath of Geo.
Though massive, compared to the World-Destroying-tier Ethereal and the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant, he still seemed small. Azhdaha opened his enormous jaws again, drawing even more Geo from the earth. His already enormous body grew larger still, transforming into a mountain-like titan over a thousand meters tall. Every movement sent tremors rippling through the ground.
The three Adepti—Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper—did not reveal their true forms. Size did not necessarily determine strength. Maintaining human form granted greater agility, which was an advantage when facing such gigantic foes.
The Adepti followed closely behind Sam Li. Before the battle erupted, Cloud Retainer turned back to remind the members of Section 6, "Young friends, remain at the periphery. Do not venture too deep into the battlefield."
In truth, the members of Section 6 shouldn't have been here. But since Hoshimi Miyabi wished to help, and someone was needed to monitor the battlefield and provide intelligence on the Hollow, they were permitted to accompany the group.
Moreover, Hoshimi Miyabi's abilities had earned Adepti's approval. Remaining on the outer edges of the battlefield shouldn't put her in danger.
Hoshimi Miyabi said nothing further and immediately nodded. She then turned to Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soukaku, and Asaba Harumasa.
"Activate the Hollow observation equipment immediately."
"Understood, Section Chief—"
Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soukaku, and Asaba Harumasa quickly set up the observation devices in a relatively safe position and began monitoring the battlefield's situation, ready to provide real-time intelligence for Sam Li and the Adepti.
...
At that moment, ahead of them, Sam Li had already led the Adepti close to the group of Destruction-level and World-Ending-level Ethereal. Before Sam Li and his companions could act, the Ethereal went berserk, charging toward them in a frenzy.
In an instant, hundreds of massive tentacles came crashing down from the sky. Several gigantic Ethereal beasts locked onto Azhdaha, charging at him head-on. Their collision produced a thunderous roar that shook the entire earth.
A towering Ethereal giant lunged forward, swinging its enormous leg toward Sam Li and the Adepti.
But such attacks posed no threat to them.
A golden flash flared—Sam Li vanished from where he stood and reappeared a thousand meters in the air. Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Xiao all effortlessly evaded the Ethereal's initial assault.
"Geo Archon," Moon Carver called out, "leave these small fry to us!"
Sam Li nodded slowly, then turned his gaze toward the colossus towering thousands of meters high, its form radiating the brilliance of the sun and stars.
The giant was unimaginably vast—its head nearly touched the ceiling of Hollow Zero. If the Hollow were any smaller, its skull might have pierced straight through the spatial veil.
Without hesitation, Sam Li gripped his spear tightly in one hand and leapt across the distance of several thousand meters, thrusting directly at the colossal figure.
In that instant, a golden spear beam stretching a kilometer long appeared out of thin air, tearing across the hollow to strike the Starlight Giant.
However, when the spear beam hit, it merely rippled across the surface—failing to break through the giant's defense.
Sam Li frowned slightly.
Though he had regained his memories and peak strength over the past few days, the Starlight Giant had grown stronger as well. Before, that single strike would have pierced its defenses without question.
Still, Sam Li remained calm. If its defense had strengthened, then he would simply break it down first—then strike.
He slowly raised one hand, commanding the Geo beneath the earth.
In an instant, Geo energy from hundreds, even thousands of miles around surged upward, condensing into hundreds of massive Geo Steles, each dozens of meters tall, forming around the giant's body.
With a wave of Sam Li's hand, the Geo Steles shot forward at incredible speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each Geo Stele exploded upon impact like an elemental bomb, detonating against the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant's body—and at last, its defense began to break.