From a distance, citizens mistook the cranes for nothing more than kites or balloons.
But when Cloud Retainer soared directly above them, they realized in shock that these were indeed two living cranes spreading their wings, accompanied by a deer walking on the void...
What left them even more astounded was that, as the cranes drew closer, they loomed like colossal airships, blotting out the sky.
At that moment, the clear voice of Cloud Retainer rang out from above:
"Leave this to this immortal. You must all depart swiftly."
The moment her voice echoed across the city, the surrounding citizens finally understood. Those massive cranes were neither Defense Force missiles nor airline airships—
They were living, breathing giant birds.
Once they grasped this truth, the crowd scattered in panic, fleeing their neighborhoods as if salvation itself had appeared. Even as they ran, many couldn't resist glancing back again and again at the soaring cranes and the celestial deer.
"It's real... There really are immortal cranes in this world..."
"We're doomed. Those giant birds and that deer are going to be swallowed by the Hollows too..."
"Run! The Hollows are expanding this way! What the hell are you standing here for? Don't you want to live? Is this really the time to be filming on your phone—"
"Wait, I caught the cranes on video. Let me post it to my Stories..."
"Even the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 struggles against a Hollows expanding this fast. Can they really stop it?"
"Hurry and evacuate! If you stay, you'll become Ethereals!"
"Wait—look! Behind us... they really did stop the Hollows' expansion!"
...
Though most people fled, they couldn't help but keep watching.
To their astonishment, the sudden gust unleashed earlier had forcibly halted the Hollows' expansion on that side.
It had stopped growing in that direction.
The sight left many stunned. Some slowed their escape, pulling out phones to record or even starting live streams while retreating more cautiously.
...
High above, Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver had reached the front of the raging Hollows.
Although Cloud Retainer's earlier wind blade had temporarily stopped its advance, it only worked on the side facing her. The Hollows continued swelling in other directions, devouring streets and buildings.
And the wind blade was no solution—it could only delay, not destroy.
The three Adepts exchanged glances. Without a word, they reached the same decision.
"Together. We'll suppress this beast from every side."
In the next instant, Cloud Retainer let out a piercing cry, then lowered her head and spat forth a storm of five-colored winds.
Under her control, the tempest coiled around the Hollows like a colossal serpent, circling it completely. Like a binding curse, it locked the void in place.
At the same time, Mountain Shaper unleashed a torrent of multicolored water. Like a celestial river cascading from the heavens, it poured onto the Hollows.
The waters did not fall inside but spread swiftly across its surface, forming a massive dome to suppress it.
With the combined efforts of Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper, the Hollows—still in its violent expansion—was forcibly restrained, unable to grow even an inch further.
But...
The Adepts had only just arrived in New Eridu. They knew little of the Hollows' true nature and had no experience suppressing it. All they could do was rely on sheer force.
At that moment, Mountain Shaper called out:
"Moon Carver, the rest is yours."
Moon Carver gave a sharp cry:
"After so many years of stillness, this immortal's horns have long grown restless. Allow me to shatter it—"
The words had barely fallen before Moon Carver reared back on his hooves. His already enormous form swelled once more, in an instant becoming a colossal stag towering a hundred meters tall.
The sight utterly stunned the citizens below.
How could something that seemed like a scene from old mythological films now stand before their eyes in reality?
Some were so frightened they collapsed on the spot. Others fell to their knees, worshipping the stag as a god and begging for protection.
And already—
Several citizens' live streams were spreading this scene across the net.
Comments exploded.
Some insisted it was CGI.
Others claimed it was the latest government tech.
But most were too shocked to say anything coherent, spamming messages like "Unbelievable!" nonstop.
Under the gaze of the world, Moon Carver charged.
One massive stride carried him a hundred meters, and with a thunderous boom, he slammed into the pitch-black Hollows.
The impact shook the air. Half his body plunged into the void, its surface rippling with layers of distorted spatial waves.
That strike landed like a mortal wound.
The Hollows, once swelling madly, now began to shrink.
The crowd gaped, jaws hanging open.
As citizens of New Eridu, they knew all too well what this meant. A contracting Hollows marked the beginning of its decline.
But... this void had only just begun expanding!
Normally, only after H.A.N.D. specialists entered and eliminated the Ethereals inside would a Hollows recede.
Yet here—one colossal stag had simply rammed into it, and a freshly born, expanding Hollows had already been forced into retreat.
Everyone was stunned speechless.
Was this even possible?
Had that single collision wiped out every Ethereal inside?
Or had the void itself been shattered?
The sight surpassed the limits of imagination. Many believed they must be dreaming—dreaming of an ancient immortal battle against a Hollows disaster.
One citizen pinched his arm.
"Ow—real..."
At the very moment Moon Carver drove the Hollows into decline, two kilometers away on Eighth Street, Lycaon stood on a rooftop with binoculars while Rina floated beside him.
Both stared toward Ninth Street, where the disaster was unfolding.
They saw the three Adepts unleashing their powers to suppress the Hollows, forcing it into retreat.
Lycaon froze, dumbstruck.
"It's actually receding... Who in the world are they?"