When Trailblazer, Himeko, March 7th, and the others finally arrived outside the planet where New Eridu was located, a battle was still raging far away from the city.
Sam Li, Azhdaha, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and the others remained locked in combat with the Starlight Giant. After fighting for two days and one night, Sam Li could clearly sense that the giant's power had weakened drastically. As its strength waned, its defenses diminished as well—finally exposing its weakness.
This was the moment Sam Li had been waiting for.
The next instant, the giant golden dragon he had transformed into circled the sky once before a flash of golden light signaled his return to human form. Suspended in midair, his eyes now gleamed gold as he stared sharply at the giant.
At that moment, the giant seemed to sense danger as well. It braced itself, refusing to retreat, meeting Sam Li's gaze head-on.
Yet Sam Li did not attack. Instead, he lifted his head toward the gray sky.
In an instant, his sight seemed to pierce beyond the heavens. He saw the endless stars, the massive falling star, the distant galaxy… and even a peculiar train docked just beyond the planet's edge.
A flicker of surprise crossed Sam Li's eyes. He didn't know what that train was, or how it could travel freely through space.
But this was not the time to dwell on it. The giant had to be dealt with first.
He withdrew his gaze and folded his arms across his chest. Then, in a calm tone, he called out to the falling star beyond the heavens, murmuring to himself:
"In this age when calamity runs rampant, I have sworn to the citizens of New Eridu that I will exhaust my strength to subdue you—"
Sam Li's voice was peaceful, yet carried an uncanny resonance. In an instant, it reached Hollow Zero far away, the urban districts of New Eridu, and even the outer limits of space.
Inside the Astral Express, March 7th heard the voice echo in her ears and frowned.
"Where's that voice coming from? Dan Heng, was that you just now?"
Dan Heng shook his head.
"Not me."
Himeko's expression tightened.
"It's that young man. His voice traveled all the way from the battlefield."
Everyone was stunned. A human voice had reached them from the planet's surface.
Before they could fully process it, the young man's calm voice rose again from the battlefield:
"I will have order!!"
The moment the words fell, the entire world seemed to freeze.
March 7th, Dan Heng, Himeko,Trailblazer—they all sensed something strange, yet none of them could describe it. They only felt the faint presence of danger creeping in.
Instinctively, the group turned to look out the window.
All they saw was a pitch-black night sky.
Nothing appeared to change—yet the ominous pressure only grew stronger and stronger.
The next moment, a flicker of starlight appeared in the darkness, and a terrifying aura spread instantly across the surroundings.
In an instant, the night sky seemed to transform into gold.
Trailblazer's eyes widened.
"What is that?"
March 7th gasped.
"A meteorite? A golden meteorite?!"
Himeko's expression grew heavier.
"No… it was summoned by that young man."
A power like this could not belong to an ordinary being.
Under their stunned gazes, the colossal golden meteor brushed past the Astral Express and plunged straight toward the battlefield below.
March 7th stared blankly.
"Are we still going down?"
Trailblazer nodded firmly.
"I want to see what's happening. If we can help, it'll count toward fulfilling Herta's commission."
Hearing this, Pom-Pom immediately steered the Astral Express toward New Eridu.
...
Meanwhile, on the ground, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Azhdaha, and even the Starlight Giant all raised their heads.
A burst of golden light appeared, rapidly growing into a colossal golden mass—its light covering the entire sky as it descended toward the giant.
Sam Li remained calm, but the Adepti sensed the impending danger instantly and retreated at once. Even Azhdaha instinctively pulled back.
In mere moments, the battlefield held only Sam Li and the Starlight Giant.
The giant felt the terror of the falling star. It tried to flee, tried to dodge, but found it impossible—there was nowhere to run, no escape to be found.
Sam Li spoke slowly:
"Then be destroyed."
The words barely left his mouth before the colossal meteor crashed down, striking the giant with perfect accuracy. The explosion of golden light engulfed both Sam Li and the giant in an instant.
But it didn't stop there.
The golden radiance surged outward, covering tens of kilometers—hundreds, even. The shockwave tore into the heavens, devouring the clouds above and turning everything nearby into nothingness.
The strike was overwhelming.
The golden explosion towered even higher than Hollow Zero. Even hundreds of kilometers away in New Eridu, civilians saw the blinding light.
In that moment, all citizens stared at the distant golden sphere, feeling the violent tremors beneath their feet. They were stunned into silence.
They had seen the golden meteor before. Its previous power had already terrified the entire city.
They never imagined its power could increase a hundredfold—no, a thousandfold.
The shockwave spread across half the planet, painting the sky gold.
When the citizens snapped out of their shock, murmurs rose everywhere:
"It's the Adepti's immortal arts—the power is unbelievable…"
"This time, we'll definitely win—"
"Our world… it's finally saved…"
...
As the citizens wept with joy, ready to welcome victory—
At that very moment, someone noticed something unusual:
"Look over there! Something else is falling—like a new meteorite?!"
"Oh no, it's heading toward New Eridu… We're finished!"
"No, wait— it doesn't look like a meteorite."
"It's a train? Yes—it's a train! And it's flying?!"
"The train is falling toward the subway station!"
...
The citizens had no idea what was happening, nor what that flying train was.
Some assumed an Adeptus must have thrown it into the sky, causing it to fall back down.
But when the train landed, it produced no deafening crash.
Many citizens gathered their courage and headed toward the subway station to see what had happened.