At the mention of "Planet Befall," the expressions of the Adepti beside him—Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper—changed at once.
If that technique were to be unleashed... it could very well destroy half of New Eridu. For the city, it would be nothing short of a cataclysm.
Mountain Shaper spoke solemnly.
"Your Excellency, this is a human city. If you unleash Planet Befall—"
Sam Li interrupted calmly.
"No need to worry. I know my limits."
Mountain Shaper's concerns were not unfounded. Using Planet Befall here could cause devastation on par with The Chasm, likely wiping out most of New Eridu. Their worry was entirely justified.
However, Sam Li had no intention of creating another The Chasm. He wouldn't unleash the full might of Planet Befall—he only needed enough power to suppress the sudden hollow disaster before him.
Moreover, at this very moment, the use of Planet Befall was necessary.
If they stood by and did nothing, allowing Hollow Zero to continue expanding, the result would be a catastrophe just like the one from more than a decade ago—one that would let the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant draw in even more life force. If that happened, things would become far more complicated.
To stop Hollow Zero's expansion, suppressing it with Planet Befall was the most efficient and decisive solution.
After Soldier 11 led the Defense Force away with several Adepti, Sam Li hovered in midair.
Before him, an ever-growing swarm of Ethereal surged forth—among them, even Destruction-level Ethereal—charging from the distance in a black tide.
Sam Li ignored them entirely, slowly raising his gaze to the heavens through the "veil" of the hollow.
In that instant, his vision seemed to pierce beyond the sky itself, beholding the boundless stars, a vast meteor, and the depths of the Milky Way.
The next moment, Sam Li spoke in a calm, measured tone—calling out to the meteor beyond the heavens.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he quietly watched as one Ethereal after another lunged toward him, murmuring to himself:
"In this world plagued by calamity, I have sworn—to protect all living beings—"
His voice was tranquil, yet carried a resonance that swept through every corner of the hollow.
Then Sam Li opened his eyes, his calm gaze fixed upon the Ethereal before him.
"I will have order!"
The moment the words fell, the entire world seemed to stop.
Every Ethereal—including the Notoriety-class, the Destruction-class, and even a colossal World-Ending-class being—sensed the presence of overwhelming danger. All of them froze instinctively.
As one, they lifted their heads toward the blue sky.
To mortal eyes, nothing had changed. But none of them dared move a muscle.
Suddenly, a flicker of starlight appeared in the heavens, and in an instant, a terrifying aura engulfed the surroundings.
Countless Geo elements surged from beneath the earth, while Ether boiled like scalding water, conjuring countless shimmering, illusory bubbles.
As the phenomenon unfolded, the lone Cataclysm-tier Ethereal seemed to make a desperate choice—it abandoned its kin and shot upward, trying to escape.
Sam Li did not stop it. His voice was indifferent, yet final.
"Too bad. It's already too late."
A massive meteor, radiant like a blazing sun, appeared in the sky and began to descend.
Golden light spilled over all the Ethereal.
...
Almost simultaneously, in the neighborhoods surrounding Scott Outpost, countless citizens of New Eridu were watching the hollow disaster unfold.
Many even stood on rooftops, risking their lives to livestream the scene.
A streamer, back turned to the hollow, was loudly explaining the origins of the disaster to his audience.
But then, golden light began to reflect off his phone. Viewers flooded the chat.
"Streamer, look behind you! I think that's a meteor!"
"What's going on? It really is a meteor! Turn around!"
"Holy crap—it's huge! Is the sun falling?!"
The streamer thought they were joking—until he saw the golden light reflected on his screen. Realizing something was wrong, he turned around quickly.
By then, the enormous golden meteor—engulfed in blazing flames—had already descended above the hollow.
A second later, the meteor pierced through the hollow's "veil" and plunged inside. The golden glow vanished.
But only a heartbeat later, the ground began to shake violently.
Rumble—
It was as if an earthquake had struck. The streamer was thrown off balance, tumbling onto the rooftop. His phone slipped from its mount, hit the ground with a thud, and went dark.
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, the massive hollow erupted with blinding light. Golden radiance tore through the hollow's veil, overwhelming the once-shadowy calamity.
The streamer stood frozen in shock, eyes wide, completely forgetting to run.
...
Meanwhile, nearby, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Xiao, and Soldier 11 stood close to the hollow's edge.
It wasn't that they had chosen to stay so near—they had just retreated to that position when the golden meteor fell.
The explosion unleashed a massive shockwave.
The Adepti—Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and the others—simultaneously released their immortal power, shielding Soldier 11 and the Defense Force behind them, sparing them from the impact.
Soldier 11 stared at the hollow, now glowing gold from the explosion, utterly stunned.
"This... this is what you call Planet Befall?"
Cloud Retainer replied gravely, "Judging by the meteor's size and the scale of the blast, Sam Li did not use his full power. That allowed him to confine the explosion within the hollow."
Hearing that, Soldier 11 was speechless.
A single strike causing this level of devastation—and you say he didn't use his full strength?
If he had, would he have obliterated all of New Eridu in one blow?
The thought sent a chill down his spine. By this point, Soldier 11 realized that in terms of sheer danger, Sam Li might be even more terrifying than Hollow Zero itself.
As the golden light faded from the hollow's "veil," Soldier 11 finally saw that the once-black hollow was riddled with countless vast holes.
Ether condensed into mist, turning the sky a dim, smoky gray.
At the same time, the hollow had been completely suppressed.
Unlike previous hollows that slowly collapsed after suppression, this one shattered outright—the enormous black veil breaking into fragments before vanishing entirely, leaving no trace behind.