In the next instant, a massive slash tore through his body, crashing into the blood sea below. It carved out a gash half a meter wide and dozens of meters long, sending twin waves surging high.
Zane's body stabilized, and he turned his gaze toward Anomaly, expression heavy.
That unexpected strike…
Zane knew—without Ether reinforcement, his physical durability wasn't enough to withstand attacks like that.
And this kind of hard-to-predict assault exploited exactly that weakness.
After all, he couldn't keep his body reinforced with Ether energy all the time.
His gaze locked onto Anomaly. For someone who leaned so heavily into "support," this one definitely needed to be taken out first...
But just as Zane prepared to mobilize his Ether energy, his body suddenly froze in place.
At that exact moment, Anomaly's spatial slash returned—ripping space apart, crashing down with crushing pressure. This time, Zane neither blocked nor dodged—it landed directly on him.
In a blink, his entire body was sent plunging into the blood sea, the force of the impact driving him some distance beneath the surface.
Anomaly didn't let up. Cube after cube of invisible space surged downward, pressing onto Zane, each accompanied by another heavy slash.
The blood sea churned violently. Meanwhile, Azazel rose from the rubble, absorbing Ether to heal himself as he sprinted back into the fight.
He moved like lightning—after triggering several explosive bursts above the blood sea, he reached Zane in an instant and swung a brutal punch.
Ether energy surged, and thick Ether crystals formed rapidly to block the blow. The two collided with a crash—cracks spread through the crystalline shield, and shattered fragments of black crystal flew in every direction.
Behind the shards, Zane staggered to his feet. His eyes were dim, one hand resting against his head, the other dangling loosely.
He was clearly in a strange state, and Azazel wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He darted around the crystal barrier, his body whipping forward like a slingshot.
A tremendous impact landed. Azazel's punch sent Zane flying backward, and the sea of blood below split open along his trajectory, cleaving apart before surging back together.
Above, Anomaly supported Azazel's assault, waving his arms to fold space and limit Zane's movement. He stood motionless—graceful and poised, like a conductor leading a grand performance.
Azazel attacked like a beast—direct, savage, relentless. Wave after wave of shockwaves erupted as Zane was batted across the sky like a balloon.
He didn't seem to fight back. Only Ether crystals formed automatically around him, trying their best to intercept Azazel's relentless strikes.
BOOM!!
Zane slammed into the blood sea again. The surface caved inward, then burst upward like a rising wall, enclosing him completely.
The impact blew the blood outward. Beneath him, the cracked ground lay exposed. He lay there, gaze blank.
On the other side, Azazel prepared to attack again—but before he could, the black dragon descended from the sky, forcing him to redirect and engage it instead.
With no immediate threat, Anomaly slowly stepped down from above. His sleek white form gleamed softly, the halo above his head still casting a gentle light.
As his toes touched down, the blood sea parted once more, revealing Zane's motionless body.
Anomaly tilted his head, puzzled. He couldn't understand—why was the terrifying enemy from moments ago just lying there now, not moving at all?
He raised a hand. Space twisted around him.
But just as the strike was about to fall, Zane's eyes flickered faintly. His voice drifted out, soft and clear.
"I saw it... the trajectory of the world..."
"The flow of the foundation... it's beautiful..."
Chaotic spatial energy slammed downward, seemingly set to tear Zane apart—but instead, the attack vanished silently, fading into nothing.
Anomaly's instincts screamed. He immediately shot backward, rising into the sky.
Meanwhile, Zane slowly began to float upward, straightening his posture as he rose.
He didn't glance at Anomaly. Instead, he simply looked down at his own hand, letting his body continue to ascend.
His jet-black fingers flexed and curled, opened and closed. Watching them move, Zane muttered,
"What a strange feeling…"
He shook his head, lowered his hand, and exhaled lightly.
Two black spheres emerged beside him, then rocketed skyward. They swelled rapidly, their darkness beginning to consume the heavens.
...
Elsewhere, Azazel was still locked in combat with the black dragon. He clearly held the upper hand now—the dragon, formed of Ether crystals, was already showing deep fractures across its body.
"I can't quite put my finger on it... but something feels... wrong."
Zane hovered calmly in the sky, watching the world below. His mind replayed all that had happened in Dead End Hollow.
He felt… tranquil.
And he suddenly realized—he had done a lot of unnecessary things.
So many meaningless things.
Well, that wasn't new.
He'd wasted so much time—on trivial matters, on people who didn't matter...
The Cretan Hollow and Lamia Hollow had both expanded to extreme proportions. They now hung in the sky like twin black suns, blotting out everything.
From the ground, looking up, they were oppressive—monstrous, unnatural.
Brilliant rays spilled from their edges like solar flares, streams of color swirling up into the sky, disappearing into the void.
There was no sun inside the Hollows anymore. Instead, this had become the new reality—twin black suns, devouring all.
...
With a cracking boom, the black dragon finally shattered—exploding into shards of Ether crystal. Azazel was free again.
He looked up at Zane—the now indistinct figure in the sky—and let out a roar.
"TEAR... IT... APART!!!"
High above, Zane lowered his gaze.
"Boring."
"I'm done playing."
...
Above the two Hollows, a streak of crimson suddenly spread—like wildfire catching dry grass, it rapidly spread across the sky.
The Hollows pulsed with energy. Within seconds, the red had engulfed the firmament. From the ground, all anyone could see was a blood-red sky.
The temperature soared instantly. The blood sea began to boil. Steam surged upward, and the water level dropped rapidly.
Zane slowly raised a hand, regal and remote. As he moved, Anomaly's body suddenly convulsed—like something had seized him.
In the blink of an eye, Zane was gripping Anomaly by the throat.
Watching it struggle, observing the flickering distortions in space around them, he tilted his head slightly.
"So you've developed a bit of awareness. Is that why you're afraid of death now?"
He shook his head. The dark gold hue across his body deepened. His glowing blue eyes shimmered.
"I said I'd let you die quickly."
"It might be unnecessary... but I made a promise."
"And I keep my promises."
Zane gently pushed Anomaly away.
As the figure drifted back, he closed his hand into a fist and murmured,
"In that case…"
"Deconstruct."
He spread his fingers.
Beneath the crimson sky—
Anomaly burst apart into white light and scattered.
The energy of the twin black suns surged ever stronger.
Anomaly died—without a sound.