The battlefield had collapsed.
Gillian screams echoed across the Great Hollow Graveyard as Void Beast Thunder detonations, aerial Adjuchas formations, and subterranean ambush units tore apart what remained of North Forest's front lines.
The Gillian horde had achieved nothing.
A few Central Forest Adjuchas had fallen—caught in concentrated Cero bombardments or overwhelmed in clustered clashes—but losses remained within acceptable projections.
Sombravida's preparation had paid off.
High-Tier Duel
Clang!
Sombravida's Rift Blade collided with the Sandworm Lord's armored tail.
Reiatsu sparks scattered across the sky.
Unlike years ago, Sombravida no longer required extended recovery after using Zero-Type Storm. Upon reaching high-tier Adjuchas, both his spatial manipulation and concealment techniques had matured dramatically.
Concealment now formed a localized suppression field, masking reiatsu signatures within a controlled radius.
Spatial displacement required far less startup.
Dimensional slashes could be executed without destabilizing his own reiatsu flow.
He was still slightly inferior in raw output compared to a peak Adjuchas like the Sandworm—
But no longer outclassed.
He could stall indefinitely.
And that was enough.
Collapse of North Forest's Adjuchas
While the Sandworm Lord was occupied—
The rest of his army was not so fortunate.
Nel had become the centerpiece of the mid-air engagement.
Her super-acceleration, combined with Emerald Spear thrusts and coordinated Cero harassment from supporting units, allowed her to carve through enemy Adjuchas with brutal efficiency.
More importantly—
She was immune to Void Beast Thunder toxin effects.
Each detonation created brief paralysis windows.
And Nel exploited every one.
North Forest Adjuchas began falling in alarming numbers.
The Sandworm roared in fury.
Tactical Withdrawal Attempt
"Full retreat!" the Sandworm ordered.
"Deploy Anti-Membrana and disengage!"
North Forest Adjuchas began layering Anti-Membrana to create evacuation corridors toward Garganta.
Several severely injured Adjuchas detonated themselves to stall pursuit.
It was disciplined.
But too late.
Sombravida's Countermeasure
"Running?" Sombravida vanished and reappeared directly before the Sandworm.
His blade descended.
The Sandworm blocked—
And was immediately sealed within Sombravida's Anti-Membrana.
"You learned that technique from me," Sombravida said calmly.
"You never improved it."
Unlike conventional Anti-Membrana, Sombravida's version incorporated spatial reinforcement, making external force dispersal more difficult.
The Sandworm's tail slammed repeatedly—
Cracks formed—
But it required time.
And time was blood.
Execution Window
While the Sandworm struggled to break free—
Sombravida cut down retreating Adjuchas one by one.
Seven.
Eight.
More.
By the time the barrier shattered, over a hundred North Forest Adjuchas had already fallen across the battlefield.
The Sandworm realized the truth:
If he re-engaged Sombravida, he would be sealed again.
If he did nothing, his army would die.
He chose survival.
"Open Garganta!"
His adjutant tore open the black void.
Remaining Adjuchas retreated in waves.
Those unable to escape became sacrifices.
Pursuit
Sombravida did not hesitate.
He opened his own Garganta.
"Formation circle," he ordered.
Two hundred sixty Adjuchas formed a massive aerial perimeter.
If the Sandworm attempted reentry—
He would be annihilated instantly.
Sombravida stepped into Garganta alone.
Space Interception
Inside the dimensional corridor—
Sombravida located the Sandworm's reiatsu trail.
He severed the structural path using spatial compression and forced both of them into a fragmented void pocket.
The duel resumed.
This time—
Without army support.
Without interference.
Peak Adjuchas against high-tier Adjuchas.
The Sandworm still held greater brute force.
But Sombravida possessed superior spatial control.
Shadow Dance flurried.
Dimensional slashes accumulated.
Reiatsu clashed violently against fractured Garganta walls.
Eventually—
Sombravida forced the Sandworm back through destabilized space—
And both re-emerged into the prepared kill zone.
Coordinated Execution
The Sandworm burst from collapsing space—
And met two hundred fully charged Cero.
"Fire."
The sky detonated.
The explosion stripped half his body away.
When the smoke cleared—
He was barely ten meters long.
Lower body obliterated.
Mask shattered along one side.
But still alive.
Still roaring.
Final Attempt
Knowing death was inevitable—
The Sandworm began to self-detonate.
Reiatsu destabilized violently.
A peak Adjuchas self-destruction could devastate the entire formation.
Sombravida lowered Anti-Membrana instantly.
Spatially reinforced.
The Sandworm was sealed.
White light consumed the interior.
The barrier distorted—
But did not break.
When the light faded—
Nothing remained.
Aftermath
Silence fell across the Graveyard.
Two hundred sixty Adjuchas remained standing.
Losses totaled roughly fifty.
Far below projected worst-case.
North Forest's army was shattered.
Sombravida stared at the fading particles within the Anti-Membrana.
"Victory," Nel said quietly.
"Yes."
His tone was calm.
Not triumphant.
Reflective.
Memory
"Ten years ago," Sombravida said softly,
"I stood here as a Gillian."
"I watched that Sandworm repel Nansen."
"I watched loyalty."
He remembered Inola.
The Hollow who asked to be devoured if she lost herself.
"I told her I would go further."
"And I did."
Nel listened quietly.
Then bumped his shoulder.
"You still will."
Sombravida exhaled.
"Yes."
North Forest Invasion
Three days later—
Central Forest forces fully recovered.
Garganta opened toward North Forest.
The remnants had already fled home.
They were waiting.
Or pretending to.
Sombravida addressed his remaining two hundred Adjuchas.
"This ends now."
North Forest's core territory trembled as Void Beast Thunder deployment began immediately upon arrival.
This was no Holy War battlefield.
This was conquest.
Orders were clear:
Participating war Adjuchas: eliminate.
Resistance: eliminate.
Attempted escape: eliminate.
Immediate surrender: spare.
Purple toxin fog spread through the dunes.
Paralysis windows created slaughter zones.
Within days—
North Forest collapsed.
Adjuchas devoured Adjuchas.
Gillian were harvested without resistance.
The forest turned violet under toxin haze.
The North Forest—
Was no more.
Division of the Future
Some former alliance lords chose to return to Central Forest.
Others followed Sombravida north.
Not loyalty.
Choice.
Sombravida did not force.
He never had to.
End State
When the final Adjuchas regrouped—
North Forest was his.
No rival.
No challenger.
Two forests now stood beneath him.
Hueco Mundo stretched further still.
And Sombravida—
No longer merely a forest king—
Had begun stepping toward something greater.
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