Behind the colossal beast, the massive floating thunder ring suddenly split. Several rings stacked upward like a staircase, each one growing exponentially larger than the last.
By the time the final halo reached the summit, its diameter had expanded to more than twice the size of the beast itself, resembling a sun of lightning poised to devour heaven and earth. Once all the rings were fully formed, the lightning churning within the clouds seemed drawn by an irresistible force, transforming into a galloping torrent that converged toward the giant ring at the peak.
When the accumulated power reached its zenith, a pillar of lightning—of immeasurable diameter and composed of pure, destructive energy—crashed down directly from the roof of the firmament.
Boom—!
The lightning pillar accurately pierced through every ring. Each ring acted as an amplifier, compressing and refining the electrical energy layer by layer. Finally, this pillar of light, having gathered the essence of countless thunderbolts, slammed violently into the body of the giant beast.
As the light entered its body, its two pairs of sky-blotting wings began to snap inward, forming a cocoon that tightly wrapped its massive frame. Having absorbed the essence of the entire thundercloud, the lightning energy—compressed to its absolute limit—began to surge wildly within the sealed space of the wings, emitting a heart-palpitating, low hum.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
In the next breath—
The wings enveloping the beast suddenly snapped outward to their limit!
Howl—!!!
Accompanied by an eagle's cry loud enough to tear the soul apart, billions of lightning bolts—compressed into liquid spears of light—burst violently from every feather and every inch of the beast's frame!
They were no longer scattered snakes of electricity, but a waterfall of light capable of reducing all things to silence. This waterfall of pure lightning began to pour down toward the wreckage of the company below, of which only half remained.
...
Genesis Tech Underground Shelter.
Xu Zhe sat paralyzed on the cold metal floor, his face the color of ash. On the screen, the image of the beast casually flapping its wings and erasing half the building—along with the supposedly indestructible Final Bulwark—had completely crushed his last shred of hope.
"Is... everything ready?" His voice was hoarse, carrying an unspeakable fatigue. "Send out... the suicide notes."
The shelter was deathly silent, save for the faint glow of countless terminal screens flickering on and off, reflecting faces frozen in numbness and despair. At that moment, a cold electronic voice rang out discordantly:
[Beep! Warning! Sub-level Final Bulwark energy reserves have dropped to 82%! Protection is estimated to collapse in 30 seconds! Please replenish energy immediately! Commencing repeat...]
[Warning! Sub-level...]
"Enough—!!"
Xu Zhe suddenly stood up and slammed his fist onto the control console.
"Replenish?! With what?! Every scrap of material and equipment in the company has been turned into energy to feed this Final Bulwark!! If you have time for nonsense, why don't you tell me—"
He pointed at the figure on the screen, bathed in thunder and condensing those terrifying rings, and roared: "What the hell is that thing?!!"
Zzt—!
With a sharp burst of static, the entire screen instantly went black.
Xu Zhe's movements froze. He slowly lowered his fist and pulled his face into a smile that looked more painful than crying.
"Heh... forget it... it's all over anyway. Even if you didn't crash, it wouldn't change the end..."
Hum...
Before his voice could fade, the screen stubbornly flickered back to life. In the center of the frame, the silhouette of the giant beast was visible, along with the stacked rings behind her, gathering power that could destroy the world.
Then, a line of text slowly appeared in the center of the screen:
Supreme, Pure Yang, the Incarnation of the Heavens, the Sky Titan: Hyacinthia.
"Sky Titan... Hyacinthia..." Xu Zhe repeated the name dazed, the last spark of confusion in his eyes replaced by an empty void. "Is it... a mythical creature from the depths of the Spiritual Tide?"
He no longer cared how this information had appeared. After his muttered self-reflection, the giant beast on the screen wrapped herself in her wings. A moment later, they snapped open, and countless bolts of lightning poured down toward them.
"Heh... he-he..." Xu Zhe let out a low laugh, his fingers trembling as he transmitted this unknown information to the headquarters. "At least, before I die... to see such an existence... it was worth it..."
Finished, he slowly closed his eyes, waiting for annihilation.
[Beep! Sub-level Final Bulwark energy consumed: 35%!]
[Beep! Sub-level Final Bulwark energy consumed: 57%!]
[Beep! Sub-level Final Bulwark energy consumed: 78%!]
[Beep! Sub-level Final Bulwark energy consumed: 99%!]
[Beep! Sub-level Final Bulwark has been—]
The cold reporting voice stopped abruptly.
In its place came an endless tide of brilliant white lightning, reducing everything here to nothingness.
...
[Completely destroyed one branch of Genesis Tech, Stellar Jade +1600]
'It's over.'
Hovering high in the air, Hyacine looked down. The land where the Genesis Tech branch once stood was now nothing but a giant scorched crater. Inside the pit, the lingering destructive energy caused the air to shimmer and distort slightly.
'Now then, I can exit this form.'
With a shift of thought, the giant beast of the sky let out a long, low cry. Her four wings spread wide, and her massive body transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly vanishing into the thunderclouds that had not yet dispersed.
Soon after, the clouds that had blotted out the sun quickly faded away.
The dark clouds vanished, and bright sunlight poured down, illuminating the messy, broken streets below and an inconspicuous alleyway on Eternal Joy Street.
At that moment, Hyacine walked quietly out of the alley, holding the drowsy Little Ica, and slowly returned to the entrance of her clinic.
"Phew... I thought I'd get a few hundred Stellar Jade at most, but 1,600..." she whispered to herself, her palm unconsciously stroking Little Ica's soft fur. "I think this is enough to pull a new character."
With that, Hyacine pushed open the clinic door.
"Yo! Our majestic Sky Titan, Lady Hyacinthia, finally decided to clock out?"
As soon as she entered, a crisp voice filled with clear teasing rang out.
Hyacine looked up to see Cipher sitting brazenly in the consultation chair. In her arms was another figure—Hong Guoguo, whose cat ears were puffed up like two frizzy dandelions and whose amber pupils were still somewhat glazed.
Cipher was currently using a comb to brush the fur of the temporarily brain-dead Hong Guoguo.
"Senior Cipher," Hyacine nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your help. It ensured no one else will become collateral under my attack."
"Humph! You have the nerve to mention it!" The smile on Cipher's face instantly turned into a grudge, and her combing grew a bit more forceful. "That massive AOE bombardment! You almost blasted Eternal Joy Street and the perimeter of the Genesis building into the surface of the moon! If you hadn't put up a barrier in advance, the people inside would have been turned to ash! Do you know how many trips I had to make to get them out safely? Thirty-four trips, hey!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She eventually tossed the comb toward Hyacine.
"Take care of the cat you picked up yourself. She's been scared into a stress response."
With that, Cipher turned and walked out of the clinic.
"Sorry, Senior Cipher. You've worked hard... I'll be more careful next time..."
Hyacine caught the comb steadily and offered an apologetic smile at Cipher's retreating back.
Once Cipher left, Hyacine knelt down in front of Hong Guoguo, who was still in a "Who am I? Where am I?" state. She extended a palm glowing with Rainbow Light and gently placed it on Hong Guoguo.
After a moment, Hong Guoguo's glazed pupils finally began to focus. She blinked in confusion, turning to meet Hyacine's gentle gaze. After they stared at each other for a while, the wires in her brain finally seemed to reconnect as she murmured:
"Meow... what... what happened... Am I... am I actually still alive?"