Azhdaha was enraged. Even when facing a giant many times larger than himself, he showed not a hint of fear—just as he had once fought several gods alone during the Archon War.

Instead of retreating, Azhdaha charged straight toward the colossal figure, crashing head-on into its massive hand.

Boom!

The violent impact triggered an explosion so fierce that a shockwave spread outward, shaking all of Hollow Zero until half the entire space trembled.

However—having yet to recover his full strength, Azhdaha was already showing signs of exhaustion. The excessive consumption of Geo energy caused his massive body to shrink rapidly, soon reduced to half its previous size.

At that moment, he felt as if he were bearing the weight of a mountain. He tried to change his attack, but his body refused to respond—he could no longer summon any new technique.

Boom!

An even stronger force surged from the front, overwhelming him completely. Azhdaha was struck hard and sent flying, crashing heavily into the ruins thousands of meters away.

Before he could react, a hazy, ethereal voice echoed ahead:

"Evolve. Ascend. Follow me to the stars—"

The giant hand struck again.

Azhdaha looked up and saw, upon that massive hand, a swirling vortex—part starry sky, part black hole. A tremendous suction pulled at him. He tried to evade, but his size made it impossible.

In an instant, he felt his power draining away, as if being absorbed. The vortex in the giant's palm threatened to swallow him whole.

At that critical moment, a sharp voice rang out from behind:

"Azhdaha, fall back—!"

As the words fell, a burst of golden light illuminated the world. A colossal golden spear tore through the Ether mist, descending into the very heart of Hollow Zero.

Sam Li had arrived.

Without hesitation, he guided the massive golden spear, driving it directly toward the giant hand reaching out from the distance.

The next instant, the Geo spear collided with the enormous palm.

But no deafening sound followed—instead, the spear plunged straight into the dark vortex, swallowed whole by the giant's hand.

Seeing this, Sam Li murmured calmly,

"You can't digest it. Explode—"

In that instant, the swallowed Geo spear detonated, unleashing a thunderous blast. Blinding golden light engulfed the world, forcing the surrounding Ethereal entities to retreat.

When the radiance finally faded, the massive hand had already been torn apart by the explosion, leaving only a ruined wrist.

At that moment, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Xiao, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Tsukishiro Yanagi finally arrived.

They had seen the blinding flash and heard the deafening roar. When the light and noise subsided, Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi could finally see clearly what lay before them.

The entire world was awash in dazzling colors—the ground, the air, flowers, and countless strange, unknown creatures. Everything in this fantastical realm seemed alive. Even objects like knives, shoes, gloves, or chairs radiated a spark of life.

Was this the "future Hollow world" described in the doctrines of the Exaltist Order?

And yet—far away, Hoshimi Miyabi noticed what she thought was a mountain range. When she raised her head for a closer look, she froze in disbelief—it wasn't a mountain at all, but a towering giant, thousands of meters tall.

Though vaguely human in shape, it was profoundly strange. Its nearly transparent body was marked with swirling, star-like vortices across its hands, legs, and head. In its chest shone two radiant orbs, pulsing with the colors of sunlight and starlight.

A single glance was enough to enchant the mind—filling one with awe and a sense of irresistible hope.

Suddenly, Cloud Retainer's voice broke through:

"Do not be deceived—awaken!"

At her words, sharp pain lanced through the minds of Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi. The spell shattered, and they returned to their senses.

Looking again at the towering giant before them, both stood frozen in shock. They had never imagined that at the heart of Hollow Zero lay such a world—and such an immense, unknown lifeform.

Tsukishiro Yanagi murmured, "Is this an Ethereal beyond the world-ending class?"

Cloud Retainer shook her head.

"No," Cloud Retainer said quietly. "It isn't Ethereal. All Ethereals are merely its creations."

From the moment she arrived, Cloud Retainer had already grasped the truth. The entirety of Hollow Zero—the Ethereal beings, the companion voids—were all connected to this colossal, mysterious existence.

This was the origin of Hollow Zero, the very source of the calamity.

But Tsukishiro Yanagi had no time to think on it further. Her eyes were fixed on the battlefield ahead. Azhdaha, drained of too much elemental power, was continuing to shrink... while one of the giant's hands had already been blown apart by Sam Li's earlier Geo spear.

At this moment—after saving Azhdaha, Sam Li, along with Cloud Retainer, the other Adepti, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Tsukishiro Yanagi, surveyed their surroundings.

The surreal and radiant world—and the immense being before them—demanded his full attention.

Sam Li studied the gigantic figure. He could tell it was not an Ethereal creature—it was something far beyond.

And on its mountain-like chest, two radiant gems shimmered with sunlight and starlight, intertwining and pulsing as they generated vast amounts of Ether energy.

Sam Li immediately understood. Those two radiant gems were the true core of Hollow Zero.

Even from this distance, he could feel the immense power within them—a force unlike anything he had ever encountered, far surpassing even the oppressive might of the gods of Teyvat.

Then, Azhdaha's deep voice echoed ahead:

"Morax, be cautious... this one is far more dangerous than any god."

Sam Li didn't need the warning. He could already feel it—the overwhelming terror emanating from the creature, a presence that dwarfed even the destruction-tier and world-ending Ethereal around them...