Without the energy of the Frenzied Shard, passing through the barrier of the Hollow Lands was practically impossible.
It was a mechanism designed to protect the monsters of the Hollow Lands from the outside world, as well as to prevent other monsters from accidentally entering the Hollow Lands.
These two rules only applied up to a certain level of power. Adam had managed to get here with the help of Gladius and Xyrea, and against his will.
But if he were one or two stages stronger and had business in the Hollow Lands, he could have passed through the barrier even without absorbing the Frenzied Shard.
He didnât yet possess enough power for that, but the energy of the Frenzied Shard in his aura was the very missing piece.
Tap.
Adam jumped off Daarâaxâs head as he headed toward the barrier.
"Any advice?" He glanced over his shoulder.
Daarâax smirked. "Just place your palm against it and channel your energy. Given your power level, the barrier will surely open a passage for you to proceed. I just donât see why there should be any problems."
"What about the fact that Iâm a human?"
He tossed his head to the side. "That doesnât matter. It doesnât matter who you are, human, monster, or even a hybrid or an artifact. We all have energy. Thatâs the only thing that matters."
Adam nodded and took a deep breath.
He was about to touch the barrier when a slight tremor ran through the ground.
"Hmm?"
Adam looked down, confused. Daarâax had a similar reaction.
The tremor grew stronger and stronger, like the beginning of an earthquake.
"What the..." Daarâax turned toward the north. In the distance, dozens of kilometers away, stood most of the pillars, including Kaernoâs.
Adamâs eyes widened when he saw a massive sound wave heading their way. It was more like the will of nature than a shockwave from an explosion. Escaping this sound wave was impossible.
WHOOOOOSH!
Before Daarâax or Adam could react, the sound wave kicked up waves of gray sand, exposing the cold earth and ancient bones hidden beneath a thick layer.
The sound wave swept through both of them and, without any resistance, continued on its path. Even the barrier couldnât stop the sound wave, because its power was too great.
It wonât be an hour before the sound wave sweeps across the entire world. It will reach the Citadel, the Tarnished Lands, and the Primal Lands. Even the farthest corners of the world, including the Dark Shore, will be no exception to this rule.
Daarâax, like everyone who encountered the sound wave, was baffled, but that was nothing compared to Adamâs reaction.
His face froze, and the tips of his fingers trembled.
It wasnât just the sound wave. It was a message for everyone to know that a new Lord had just appeared.
But the reason this message existed was Adam.
Zin wanted Adam to know this.
"You..." Adam slowly raised his gaze, looking into the distance. "Liar... You said youâd do this in a day!"
At the same moment, a pillar of purple energy burst from the ground in the distance with such crushing power that it immediately reached the heavens, shaking the very fabric of space.
...
Adam and Daarâax were too far away to see what was happening in detail, but the others had no such problem.
TREMBLE! TREMBLE! TREMBLE!
The hollow lands trembled as powerful energy flows surged upward, reflecting in Kaernoâs eyes.
He watched with a slight smile on his face, but not everyone had as calm a reaction as he did.
"W-What the hell?!" The man, a Baron, exclaimed with wide eyes. A few years ago, he had become a Lord and remembered well how his evolution had taken place.
In fact, right now, there were quite a few Barons, Viscounts, and Earls in the air, in other words, the Lesser Lords, the weakest of the Lords, but even so, they were still stronger than 99% of monsters, since each of them was a Second Circle being.
They all compared Zinâs evolution to their own and came to a terrifying conclusion, Zinâs energy pillar possessed devastating power. They had only managed to achieve a fraction of it during their own evolutions.
The stronger Lords, and especially the Fingers such as Kaerno, Esâaha, Leerna, and others, watched closely as Zinâs aura grew.
Who knows? Perhaps in a few hundred years or even sooner, another pillar will appear in the Hollow Lands.
If Zin or any other monster reaches the Finger Level, then he will have every right to possess his own pillar.
Many Thorns wished to reach this level, but the appearance of a new Finger was a truly rare event.
"Z-Zin..." Esâaha murmured as her eyes welled up with joy. "This aura... The amount of energy he has is incredible."
Leernaâs expression grew serious as she saw myriad flows within the energy pillar.
"Impressive. I havenât seen anyone break through the barrier with such a powerful energy burst in a long time. But, considering how long heâs been able to do this, itâs no surprise."
"Yeah," Kaerno chuckled. "That energy has long wanted to break into the big leagues. But, unfortunately, its owner didnât want that at all. Well, now everything has changed, hasnât it?"
Gradually, the energy pillar settled as the energy slowly returned to Zin.
His eyes were wide open, glowing with a purple light. His aura trembled, sending a chill down the spines of the weaker monsters, the Fangs, and the rest.
If Zin had once been the strongest among the Fangs in the Hollow Lands, now an impassable abyss had formed between them.
"Zin." Esâaha took a step forward, addressing him with a smile. "You did it. Let me congratulate you and-"
Whooooooosh!
Before she could finish, Zinâs frame trembled as he, in a purple flash, headed toward the man, the youngest Baron of their lands.
Zin appeared before the man with a tremor of space while sound waves swirled around him in a menacing rhythm.
"Agh?"
Confusion flashed in the manâs eyes before Zinâs fist slammed into his face.
Silence.
The silence hung in the air for a moment before being shattered by loud laughter.
"Hahahahahahah!"
Kaerno laughed at the top of his lungs.
"Great! He decided to test his new power! Thatâs how a monsterâs evolution should be!"