Corin thought for sure she was about to be crushed by the massive Dead End Butcher. Clutching her chainsaw tightly in fear, she braced herself—only to be unexpectedly saved by a passing train car.
She heard a voice from above.
Nervously, Corin looked up. On the high bridge, she saw a handsome young man holding a long spear.
From his silhouette alone, Corin recognized him immediately.
It was the same person who had defeated the first form of the Dead End Butcher and stood atop its "corpse." Victoria Housekeeping had been targeted by the mutated Dead End Butcher because they were trying to gather information on him.
Before, due to the smoke and dust, Corin hadn't gotten a good look at Sam Li's face.
But now, with just a dozen meters between them, she could finally see his appearance and figure clearly. He moved with elegance and had a dignified bearing—so much so that Corin was momentarily overwhelmed.
What startled her even more was the golden glow emanating from Sam Li's body. She didn't know what it was, but it was clearly something extraordinary.
Realizing she had been staring, Corin quickly lowered her head.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stared at you like that. It was really rude. Thank you for saving me… I don't even know how to repay you…"
She didn't dare meet Sam Li's eyes. Bowing her head, she kept apologizing and expressing her gratitude.
When she looked up again, she realized that the figure who had stood on the bridge was already gone. He must have continued chasing after the Dead End Butcher.
Staring at the now-empty bridge, Corin felt a pang of loss.
She had been so caught up in her words that she didn't even know if he'd heard her thanks or apology.
"Corin is so stupid… If I'd just spoken faster, maybe he would've heard me…"
Hugging her chainsaw close, Corin gazed at the empty bridge with guilt weighing on her heart. The figure she had just seen was still vivid in her mind.
A long golden spear… a graceful form wrapped in shimmering gold light…
Just like the hero's entrance in the famous movie Sawing Open Hollows Zero—always appearing in a burst of brilliant light, unforgettable.
"Thank you for saving Corin—"
Just remembering that golden glow filled her with a strange sense of peace. The ruined, cratered surroundings no longer frightened her, nor did the threat of Ethereals lurking nearby...
Meanwhile, on Sam Li's side.
There was no way he was letting the Dead End Butcher escape. After confirming that the little maid was unharmed, Sam Li immediately resumed the chase with the Vortex Vanquisher in hand.
As the battle continued, Sam Li's control over the Geo element became more refined, and even his speed improved significantly. In the blink of an eye, he caught up again.
This time, he wasn't holding back.
Concentrating Geo energy into his legs, he leapt from the tallest rooftop—landing with a resounding crash directly in front of the Dead End Butcher.
With a swift motion, he swept his spear.
The Vortex Vanquisher clashed with the Dead End Butcher, and the simultaneous eruption of Geo energy and Ether sent shockwaves through the area.
Even the abandoned buildings flanking the street began to tremble.
One of the Dead End Butcher's arms exploded, flung dozens of meters away by Sam Li's strike, slamming into the building at the far end of the street.
What had come before was just a warm-up—now, Sam Li was showing his true strength.
As the dust began to clear...
When the Dead End Butcher crawled out from the ruins again, one of its arms was gone, and the Etheric activity around its body had clearly weakened.
Sam Li could sense it—the Butcher's strength had dropped significantly.
As Sam Li approached, the Butcher roared furiously. A burst of multicolored light flashed above its head as an immense surge of Etheric energy gathered into a single, devastating laser beam.
The Ether laser tore through the ground straight toward Sam Li.
But Sam Li didn't dodge. He raised one hand and said firmly,
The Jade Shield activated instantly, blocking the entire laser blast.
Seeing the Dead End Butcher still trying to escape, Sam Li had had enough of this cat-and-mouse game. He raised his hand and stabbed the Vortex Vanquisher into the ground.
The Geo element surged into the earth, triggering the surrounding stone.
Beneath the Butcher, the ground seemed to melt. The rock flowed up its legs like molten stone, and within moments, it was completely encased—its legs locked in place, unable to move.
This was one of the many ingenious applications of the Geo element.
It was time to end this.
Sam Li pulled the Vortex Vanquisher from the ground, channeling a large amount of Geo energy into the spear. With a burst of force, he thrust it forward and launched himself at the enemy.
He crossed the dozen-meter gap in an instant, appearing right in front of the Dead End Butcher. As he moved, countless rock spears rained down like a storm.
The spears pierced the Butcher one after another—
Turning it into a pincushion.
Deep explosions echoed from within the Butcher's body. The once-raging Ether energy faded into silence.
As the last traces of multicolored light disappeared from its form—
The Butcher's massive body, now without any support, shattered like a giant piece of glass. In a blink, it broke into countless crystal shards, slowly fading into the depths of the Hollow.
A system notification echoed in Sam Li's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully eliminated notorious Ethereal—Dead End Butcher x1. Reward: 20,000 system points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. During the battle against the Dead End Butcher, you repeatedly utilized the Geo element. Your control over Geo has improved. Roleplay progress +1%.]
As the system message finished—
A soft golden light shimmered over Sam Li's body. Under the sunlight, glowing particles danced across him like dreamlike dragon scales—warm, reassuring, and deeply comforting.
Sam Li could feel his strength growing once again.
He then turned his focus inward, opening the character status panel in his mind:
[System]: Strongest Roleplay System
[System Points]: 37,500
[Current World]: Zenless Zone Zero World
[Current Role]: Geo Archon - Morax (Zhongli)
[Roleplay Progress]: 18%
[Abilities]: Spearmanship - Rock Rain, Jade Shield
[Weapon]: Vortex Vanquisher
[Items]: Teyvat Fried Egg x1
[Store]: Statues of The Seven, Jade Chamber, Individual Azhdaha (Bangboo), Serenitea Pot...