The sky was tearing.
A shape like ink in water twisted above them — long, serpentine, and silent. Eyes opened along its form, blinking in unnatural rhythm.
Tianming gritted his teeth. "What is that?"
Mei's face had gone pale. "That… is the Hollow God. A forgotten weapon of the old sects. Only summoned by offering blood and silence."
As she spoke, one of the assassins stabbed his own chest and collapsed. In his death, the creature above grew clearer.
"We can't fight that," Mei whispered. "We weren't meant to."
But Tianming wasn't listening. The Heavenbreaker was pulsing violently now — not with anger, but rejection. As if it remembered the Hollow God… and hated it.
"Can it be killed?" Tianming asked.
"No," Mei said. "Only sealed — and that, too, requires a Forsaken's will."
Tianming stepped forward.
"I was Forsaken the day they burned my home."
As the creature descended, Tianming raised his blade — not in defiance, but in command. And for the first time, the Heavenbreaker spoke aloud:
"I remember this god. And I will unmake it."