When Jeming collected the last piece of the floating stairs, the fluctuations from the battle were clear enough to perceive without using Spiritual Power.

The sounds of explosions, the shrill howls of Energy impacts, and some heavy breathing like that of a large beast continuously emanated from the depths of the space.

He slowed his pace, the Void Step minimized his presence to zero.

He moved like a weightless shadow, silently sliding along the gray floor towards the edge of the battlefield.

The core of this space was larger than he had imagined.

It was a circular hall with a diameter exceeding five hundred meters, inside was a vast expanse of gray-white ground.

In the center of the hall floated a massive orb of light, its color fluctuating between pale gold and milky white, pulsating unstably like a burning heart.

Countless intricate patterns constantly changed on the surface of the orb, with each pulse spreading out a ripple of Energy.

And there stood Professor Vito Rain directly beneath the orb.

His silver-framed glasses reflected the color of the light orb, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing the dense Runes on his forearms.

The Runes appeared to glow from beneath the skin, flickering in synchronization with his heartbeat.

His hands pressed on an Array suspended in mid-air, his ten fingers moving incessantly among the Runes of the Array, as if playing an invisible piano.

With each Rune he pressed, the pulse of the light orb would subtly change, the entire orb continuously adjusting under his precise control.

Three strong members of the Spirit Communicator Association stood within fifty meters of the orb.

The president stood at the forefront, with the bizarre power of the Storm fully unleashed.

But his attack was directed not at the professor, but at the monster standing in front of the professor.

It was a humanoid entity pieced together from Flesh, Metal, and strange fragments, about three meters tall, its body surface covered with a shell resembling bones.

Its arms were not regular limbs, but two thick fleshy columns ending in hammer-like shapes, each swing stirring up a howling gale.

The president's lightning struck it, exploding into a blue arc over the shell, but it only staggered back a few steps, the cracks on its shell healing completely within seconds.

The female support's sonic impact struck it, causing its body to tremble violently, yet its feet seemed nailed to the ground, not retreating a single step.

The male support launched a surprise attack from the side, his eerie form turning into a shadow, attempting to bypass the monster to directly assault the professor, but the seemingly clumsy monster reacted with astonishing speed.

Its body would suddenly spin at the moment the shadow neared the professor, sweeping the thick fleshy column and forcibly striking the shadow back.

The three took turns attacking, various strange powers erupting in the hall.

Yet the monster remained between the professor and the light orb, like a wall that self-repaired.

Though the monster had no intent to attack, its defensive capability was exaggeratedly high.

Its body grew increasingly rough from continuous damage and healing, the color of the shell turning from gray-white to dark gray, with more intricate patterns on its surface.

Its resistance to the trio's attacks also escalated, making it impossible for them to breach its defense.

The president's expression looked grim because he recognized this monster.

"Collins!" His voice pierced through the explosions and thunder, carrying an almost pleading tone, "Do you still remember who you are? You're a member of the Spirit Communicator Association! You've defended this city for over twenty years! Don't let a madman destroy the last shred of your consciousness!"

The monster's body paused.

The fleshy column that was about to smash the female support halted mid-air, its head slowly turning in the president's direction.

On the face, distorted to the point where features were barely discernible, the mouth opened, producing a sound as if something was lodged in the throat.

Though not loud, the president heard it.

Seeing this reaction, the president's eyes brightened slightly, his voice grew louder.

"Yes, it's you! Collins! You're still there! You can hear me! You can still control yourself! You don't need to shield him, we can help strip the bizarre from your body, the Association's technology can do it..."

The monster's body trembled violently.

The mouth on that face opened again, this time emitting a slightly clearer sound, but still unclear.

The president couldn't understand what he was saying, but Jeming's Spiritual Power caught it.

Jeming's expression turned more interested because the syllable wasn't directed at the president, but at the mix of the bizarre itself.

"Can't... retreat..."

Then the expression on that face vanished, as if someone had erased everything human from it with an eraser.

Eyes, mouth, eyebrows, all parts capable of expressing emotion turned into smooth surfaces without texture.

The monster's body straightened again, and the halted fleshy column resumed swinging, striking with greater force than before towards the female support.

The president's face showed a trace of grief.

He knew Collins was close to his limit.

With each injury and healing, the Fusion of the eerie presence and himself deepened a layer further.

Once he completely lost self-awareness, he would no longer be Collins but would become this monster itself.

Jeming stood behind a stone pillar that protruded from the gray ground at the edge of the hall, his gaze shifting from the monster to the professor.

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