"Tch... This is troublesome." Bai Ya hovered midair, her expression grim as she stared at the colossal figure before her. She could feel it clearly—Galsis’s eyes beneath the molten rock were locked onto her. The slightest movement from her would trigger an immediate, crushing strike.

It had started the moment she arrived at the battlefield. By the time Bai Ya rushed over, Galsis had already gone quiet. Thankfully, she wasn’t late—not that it mattered. The frontlines had already collapsed. She was merely here to clean up this mess.

To Bai Ya, Galsis standing motionless felt less like rest and more like it was gathering strength, slowly reclaiming the power it once held. Historical records never described Galsis as sluggish. Quite the opposite—every account she’d read stated that wherever Galsis walked, barren wastelands followed. If it preferred staying still, such records wouldn’t exist.

Of course, she’d considered the possibility that Galsis was in its final burst of energy. But until it actually fell, that speculation meant nothing. If Galsis fired that light cannon again, the Chosen Ones—who’d never faced a god-tier entity—would scatter in panic. There’d be no stopping them.

Bai Ya had no choice but to hold Galsis off herself and find a way to eliminate it quickly. Yet before she could even take command, Galsis fixated on her. Its massive form surged forward with shocking speed, swiping at her like a fly.

From afar, the scene might’ve looked absurd—like swatting a mosquito—but Bai Ya felt no urge to laugh. Only her split-second reaction—plummeting downward just as the blow landed—saved her. Her defenses couldn’t withstand a direct hit from Galsis. That was the raw power of a god-tier entity.

She’d tried spatial shatter attacks too, but they only enraged Galsis further without inflicting damage. Larger techniques were impossible; she never had time to focus. If not for her decent straight-line flight speed, she’d have been slammed down long ago—let alone charged up a big move.

But this created another problem. With every swipe, molten rock splattered from Galsis’s limbs, some droplets even reaching the city’s outskirts. The damage was minor, yet it gnawed at Bai Ya. This wasn’t why she’d come.

Fortunately, after this frenzy, Galsis seemed to tire. It halted its futile attacks, merely glaring at her.

Seizing the breather, Bai Ya didn’t hesitate. She pulled a tablet from her pocket and barked orders: "Wang Lie. Directive from Lingkong. I’m taking command of the frontlines."

"Tch... Spit it out," came a man’s voice, clearly annoyed, from the tablet. "Thirty-two Danger Class and nine High Danger Class left who can still be contacted. But the situation’s grim."

"Destroy the ground around Galsis. Even if you can’t sink it, stop the lava from spreading."

"And who handles *it*?" Wang Lie shot back.

"I’ll handle it. Just limit the damage for now." Bai Ya sighed inwardly. She’d hoped others could distract Galsis long enough for her to unleash a decisive strike. But given the circumstances, stalling was the only option. Galsis would never give her that opening.

"If it starts moving, this is pointless," Wang Lie argued.

"Execute the order. *I* command here now." Bai Ya cut him off. She had no time for debate. Without waiting for his reply, she ended the call.

Frankly, he had no authority over her. And after everything that happened next, she couldn’t care less about his opinion. As for disobedience—if Wang Lie had half a brain, he wouldn’t dare.

"...Still," Bai Ya murmured, staring at Galsis, "no wonder it’s called a god." Helplessness crept in. Its power structure was simple, yet she had no way to breach it. Ordinary attacks couldn’t pierce that defense layer.

It was like her fighting weaker Chosen Ones or monsters—if they couldn’t break her defense, she’d wear them down until victory was inevitable.

"Concentrate the attack..." Bai Ya clenched her teeth. She pressed her palms together. Transparent arrows extended from her hands, rapidly coalescing into a spear over ten meters long. Against Galsis’s molten armor, such length was meaningless—but she aimed to pierce straight through.

She’d misjudged Galsis’s reaction.

The seemingly dormant beast suddenly lifted its head. The molten rock across its body ceased flowing, solidifying visibly into pitch-black armor. This was different. It had sensed a genuine threat to its life.

This stance meant Galsis was fighting to kill. It had abandoned its fluid defense entirely, relying solely on its physical form. Bai Ya’s suspicion was correct: it wasn’t gathering energy. It was in its final burst.

A corpse long dead—even with its consciousness forcibly revived—couldn’t sustain this borrowed form forever. It was no longer the apocalyptic terror of legend. Just a corpse in a grave, clad in the armor of its past glory. Every movement hastened its end.

Even if the Organization did nothing, Galsis would return to eternal slumber within a day. Whether Fated City would still stand by then was another matter.

A wave of primal fear crashed over Bai Ya. The translucent light in her hands vanished. Instinctively, she dropped all offense, layering every defense she possessed. Space itself thickened around her like solid glass.

Galsis slowly opened its maw, exhaling a breath. Beneath the black armor, its eyes glowed an eerie blue. It raised its arm—then moved with impossible speed. No one saw how it happened. Only the sound of rupturing air echoed.

*This* was Galsis’s true terror. The power to tear continents apart. Its strength granted not just devastation, but absolute, blinding speed. Without it, it wouldn’t be the mightiest force on land.

No one could survive a full-powered strike from Galsis.

Not even Bai Ya.

One blow. She was slammed from the sky into the earth. The impact crater exploded outward, molten rock spraying like rain. An ordinary person would’ve vaporized before hitting the ground. But Bai Ya had made the right choice: three layers of defense, plus her cloak’s damage absorption, kept her alive.

Even so, consciousness shattered on impact. Her vision blurred into static. Heavenly Mandate Essence surged wildly in her mind, tearing at her control. She’d survived the hit, but the damage far exceeded her defenses.

Worse was coming. Galsis had fully opened its jaws toward her. Orange light gathered within. Anyone who’d seen this before froze mid-step. Those who’d considered rescuing her halted instinctively.

In the face of death, no one dared advance. There was no path to survival ahead. Galsis’s light cannon could erase part of a city. Escaping its range was miracle enough—let alone saving someone at ground zero.

Bai Ya bit down hard on her lip. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Pain sharpened her mind, forcing instinct back under control. The moment she regained command, she tried to launch herself skyward. Only upward offered a sliver of hope.

Too late.

***ROOOAR!!!***

Amid the roar, orange light erupted—melting everything in its path to nothing.