With a single sweep of Sam Li's hand, hundreds of massive Geo Steles detonated across the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant's body, finally breaking through its defenses. Violent blasts tore open dozens of enormous holes in the giant's frame.
Vast torrents of Ether energy sprayed out from the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant, gathering rapidly in the sky into small shards of Ether crystals that fell like a shimmering rain.
At the same moment, Sam Li gripped the Vortex Vanquisher with one hand and stepped forward—his stride instantly crossing several kilometers. He swung the spear forward.
In that instant, a kilometer-long spear-light cleaved down onto the Ethereal's body.
BOOM!
The blow ripped open the giant's chest, releasing even more energy from within—Ether, multicolored Life Energy, and several other energy types Sam Li had never even seen before...
In short, to Sam Li, this Sun-Colored Starlight Giant looked like some stitched-together abomination, forcibly pieced from chaotic and mismatched energies by its creator. Under normal circumstances, any being containing so many conflicting energies would have exploded long ago.
The reason this giant remained intact must have been due to the two Starlight gemstones embedded within it.
With its chest torn open, Sam Li could finally see the two gemstones clearly—and faint, babbling sounds brushed his ears, like a child learning to speak.
Just as Sam Li moved to extract the gemstones, the giant's massive palm came crashing toward him. The colossal hand blotted out the sky like a falling mountain. Even Sam Li had no intention of taking it head-on.
After swiftly dodging the strike, Sam Li once again called upon the Geo beneath the ground, gathering it around the Vortex Vanquisher.
When he hurled the spear across several kilometers, the Geo coating it erupted the moment it left his grip. The spear—originally only two meters long—instantly expanded into a massive rock lance hundreds of meters in length, driving straight into the giant's body.
Against a normal Destruction-tier or World-Ending-tier Ethereal, that single attack would have been enough to kill it instantly. But before the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant, it only pierced its chest, dealing noticeable yet far from fatal damage.
It wasn't that the giant possessed monstrous regeneration.
Rather—Sam Li was unconcerned, because even this attack had value. Though the giant could keep repairing itself, each regeneration consumed immense amounts of Life Energy. If he could keep draining it, the giant would eventually collapse.
The question was whether Sam Li could outlast it.
As the massive Geo lance penetrated its chest, the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant was utterly enraged. It let out a thunderous roar and slammed both fists against its chest.
BOOM!
The entire Hollow Zero trembled as the colossal rock lance shattered back into countless fragments of Geo.
Immediately after, the giant's eyes widened. In the next moment, two pitch-black energy waves erupted from its eyes—like beams fired from twin black holes.
Though Sam Li had never encountered such energy before, he instantly sensed the terrifying, destructive power contained within.
He dodged—and the two energy waves crashed into a World-Ending-tier Ethereal. The moment they touched it, the creature was destroyed and devoured entirely...
But the waves didn't dissipate. They continued pursuing Sam Li, shooting across the hollow from one side to the other.
Rumble...
Wherever the pitch-black energy passed, it gouged a massive trench dozens of meters deep into the ground, showcasing its horrifying destructive force.
Seeing this, even the Adepti battling Ethereals nearby were stunned.
"Geo Emperor, be careful! This energy is incredibly destructive—its properties even resemble devouring Anomaly..." Moon Carver called out.
Cloud Retainer added solemnly, "It slew two Annihilation-tier Ethereal and a World-Ending-tier Ethereal in one strike. In a way, it helped us..."
That attack had been completely indiscriminate, chasing Sam Li from one end of Hollow Zero to the other. If Cloud Retainer hadn't dodged quickly, she might have been gravely injured.
At the battlefield's edge, Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soukaku, and Asaba Harumasa once again witnessed the terror of the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant. How could such a foe ever be defeated?
Hoshimi Miyabi looked toward Sam Li in the distance. She believed he would prevail—just not how.
As she continued scanning the battlefield, Soukaku's voice suddenly came from behind her:
"Section Chief, watch out—an Ethereal!"
She hardly needed the warning. She had already seen the charging Ethereal—a wounded Destruction-tier one.
In the past, Miyabi would have needed significant effort and teamwork to bring down such an enemy. But now, her strength had grown.
She raised her sword, one hand on the hilt and one on the scabbard. In almost the same instant, she drew and slashed. One stroke froze the massive Destruction-tier Ethereal solid.
The creature had already been heavily injured by the Adepti.
So... Miyabi followed with another slash. A white blade-light tore through the air, cutting cleanly into the Ethereal. Along with the frost, its head was severed.
She sheathed her sword.
Seeing this, Soukaku exclaimed excitedly, "Section Chief, you've gotten even stronger!"
Hoshimi Miyabi nodded softly. "Yes. After hearing Cloud Retainer's insights into sword techniques, I gained some new understanding."
Cloud Retainer had previously said that these techniques did not originate from Sam Li. Miyabi was deeply curious—who could have honed swordsmanship to such a level? If she ever had the chance, she truly wished to meet the founder of Wuxiang Yidao—the Formless One-Blade Style.
But now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Miyabi stayed fully alert, cutting down any Ethereal that ventured too close.
...
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, after more than an hour of fierce combat, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Xiao had already eliminated most of the Annihilation-tier and World-Ending-tier Ethereal.
But on Sam Li's side, Sam Li still couldn't land a fatal blow on the giant, and the giant couldn't break through his defenses. Despite their immense difference in size, both were monsters with maxed-out Defense.