"Awaken... Galsis."

"..."

Deep beneath the earth, where even soil was compressed into suffocating thickness, lay the Defiled God once perched atop the food chain. Stripped of all divine authority and glory, robbed of power and its proud form—it stirred nonetheless at that command. Its lifeless body moved on its own.

Horn-blades on its brow tore through dirt. Its lowered head lifted. Faint flames from the netherworld flickered in hollow sockets. Jaw creaking open, it released a low, guttural roar.

*Roaaar...*

*Thud...*

*Thud...*

*Thud...*

A heavy rhythm pulsed—the sound of a heart restarting. Soil glowed molten-hot, melting into flesh that sheathed bone and organ. Brief as it was, its former glory returned.

Galsis. The mightiest Defiled God walking the earth. A mountain of flesh. A body thrumming with lava’s energy. Its mere passage left endless ruin.

Such was a Defiled God.

A being born only to sow death and disaster. Until its power fully faded, it reigned supreme over the land!

***ROOOOAR!!!***

It clawed free from the earth like a vengeful spirit escaping hell’s abyss. Where molten droplets hit ground, the earth melted. A sulfurous stench permeated the air. Everything at its emergence point shattered, collapsing into a bottomless chasm. A colossal fissure ripped through the land.

Galsis ignored the destruction beneath its feet. Standing atop rubble, it raised its head and roared with all its fury—a raw scream of resentment and rage.

Yue Ge had just helped Bai Ya out of the hall when the sky-splitting roar hit his ears. He instinctively looked toward the sound. A "volcano" was rising from the ground, growing until it matched the skyscraper behind him. Its massive form was visible across half the city.

This wasn’t metaphorical. Actual lava dripped from its obsidian body, staining the sky crimson. Now, that living volcano lifted its head and roared—a declaration of its return to the world.

"Bai Ya, that’s..." Yue Ge glanced at her.

"Ah... No mistake. The Earth Sovereign, Galsis." Bai Ya’s face tightened. "Legends say wherever it walks, lava drowns the land. Nothing survives. A walking volcano with unmatched power—even High Danger Class monsters pale beside it. That’s why humans named it ‘god’."

"It’s fully revived. How was it ever killed before?" Yue Ge’s lips twisted wryly. At that size, it could roll through Fated City a few times and reduce everything to rubble.

The roar drew every eye to Galsis. Bai Ya’s earlier effort to pierce the earth was wasted—strength squandered for nothing. Judging by her pallor, she couldn’t unleash such power again soon.

"No one can kill a ‘god’. Not even the strongest Chosen One." Bai Ya shook her head, eyes locked on Galsis. "It must’ve left its resting place shortly after waking. No wonder I sensed nothing when I drilled down."

"What now?" Yue Ge asked.

He spotted Lingkong directing other Chosen Ones toward Galsis—clearly caught off guard. Even at top speed, they’d arrive too late. The disaster began the moment Galsis breached the surface. Rushing there now was damage control at best.

Left unchecked in Fated City, Galsis would erase the metropolis entirely. The molten wasteland it created couldn’t even be rebuilt. The Organization would bleed from this wound. Fortunately, Galsis stood motionless after its roar—perhaps weakened from just awakening.

"Wait." Bai Ya pressed her lips thin. "Going now changes nothing. We can only hope others stop it."

"...Right." Yue Ge didn’t argue. His power couldn’t pierce a beast this colossal. To forge a weapon capable of wounding Galsis would require Death Aura beyond his control. He’d be consumed by the very force he wielded. Unless...

"Yue Ge." Bai Ya called suddenly.

"What?" He turned to find her already walking back into the building.

Outside was chaos. Evacuees and staff scrambled in panic—most had never witnessed a cataclysm of this scale. Realization would soon drown them in terror.

Yue Ge took one last look at the distant titan, then followed Bai Ya inside.

Silence swallowed the building. Bai Ya stood at the edge of the crater she’d carved earlier, peering down.

"Just as I thought... It left before we dug it out." She stared intently. Earlier, she’d missed the side tunnel branching from the pit’s end—traces of cooled lava lining its walls. The path Galsis had carved.

"Why come back?" Yue Ge asked, puzzled.

"Just to confirm." Bai Ya shook her head. "Things might not be as dire as I feared."

"How?"

"Galsis is awake, but its power isn’t fully restored." She explained, "Its true strength could split continents. That lava? Just a shell."

"And?" Yue Ge still didn’t grasp it.

"It didn’t tear through the earth. It crawled out using lava and brute force. Its power must be nearly gone. What we see is likely all bark and no bite." Bai Ya’s tone held cautious hope. Still, it was only a theory. Proof required closer inspection.

"Shall we check?" Yue Ge suggested.

Bai Ya clenched her fists, testing her stamina. "Let’s go. I can’t use heavy attacks... but smaller ones should work."