Before the group could return to the battlefield, a familiar voice echoed.
"Whoa, what a massive Ethereal? Is it dead?"
"Probably dead. Billy, go kick it and see..."
"Boss Nicole, the Ether levels up ahead are going crazy. I can barely breathe in this corruption... And it's clearly only half an Ethereal—it must be dead."
"Could it be Sam Li and those Adepti?"
...
The newcomers weren't Security Personnel, but the remaining members of Hare's House.
Just a few minutes earlier, Sam Li had still been with them, but he suddenly sensed danger here and rushed over immediately. The rest of Hare's House had no choice but to drive frantically to catch up.
While the group was still speculating, Sam Li, Hoshimi Miyabi, and the Adepti materialized before them.
The moment they met, Billy rushed forward, eyes shining with excitement.
"Sam Li! Brother Houzhang! Brother Jiehu! I knew it had to be you guys who took this monster down... How did you manage to slay something this massive?"
Over the past few days, Billy had become quite familiar with the Adepti. He even dared to call them "Brother" outright.
Moon Carver paid no mind, replying slowly,
"As its Ether drained away, its body had already shrunk a lot. Before, it was hundreds of meters tall—far bigger than this."
Hearing that, Billy and the others froze in shock.
Hundreds of meters tall?
As massive as the Ethereal Remnant that had appeared on the "Void Veil" of Hollow Zero and gone viral on the forum?
Realizing this, Billy let out a long sigh.
"Too bad Nicole drove too slowly. Otherwise, we could've made it to the battle and contributed too..."
What a waste.
To have such a colossal Ethereal taken down—a historic feat—and he hadn't even been part of it.
Beside him, Nicole snorted coldly.
"Billy, are you blaming me?"
Seeing Nicole's displeasure, Billy quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, no, Boss Nicole! I just meant the road was uneven, it slowed us down. Damn it, why are the Hollow's roads always so terrible..."
Anby, however, spoke solemnly.
"Even if we had arrived on time, we couldn't have intervened in this battle."
Staring at the colossal, monstrous form of the Creator, Anby could only imagine the terror this Ethereal embodied.
At the same time, she felt her own insignificance once again.
As the battles in Hollow Zero began, the Ethereal they would face would only grow stronger—legendary annihilation-class Ethereal, even unimaginable world-ending-class Ethereal.
Foes like these were far beyond anything Anby and the others could handle.
If she wanted to be of any help in the battles ahead, she needed greater strength—something beyond her current martial skill, beyond her current anomaly powers.
At that moment, Anby made up her mind. Once they returned to Hare's House, she would dedicate herself to harsher training.
She wasn't alone—Nicole, Nekomata, and Billy had made up their minds too.
Even Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and Asaba Harumasa, having once again witnessed the horror of Hollow Zero, hardened their resolve to train more diligently.
As for Soukaku... she was simply wondering what to eat later.
Ramen, or buns?
So hard to decide. Maybe both.
...
While they were still talking, the Security Personnel who'd followed Chief Bringer into the Hollow finally showed up. From afar, they were stunned into silence by the Creator's colossal corpse.
As soon as they reached the scene, the officers moved to arrest Seth and Perlman.
Hoshimi Miyabi promptly stepped forward, briefly explaining Chief Bringer's betrayal of New Eridu and his transformation into an Ethereal.
When they learned Chief Bringer was dead, the Security Personnel were dumbfounded, unsure of what to do next.
They exchanged uncertain looks, their eyes full of shock and hesitation...
Then Hoshimi Miyabi added,
"All of you Adepti are eyewitnesses. And there is also evidence of Bringer's crimes outside the Hollow..."
Hearing this, one officer mustered his courage.
"Honorable Adepti, Section Chief Hoshimi Miyabi... Of course we wish to believe you. But... Chief Bringer... In short, we humbly request you all accompany us to the Janus District Precinct..."
With Bringer dead and the colossal Ethereal corpse looming before them, the officers were completely lost on what to do nex.
All they could do was summon the courage to ask Section 6, the Adepti, and the Hare's House to come with them to the precinct.
For Section 6, it was reasonable—Hoshimi Miyabi had already intended to visit Public Security to explain matters.
But for Moon Carver and the other Adepti? Why would such figures bother with trivialities? They would rather use that time to suppress the Development Zone Hollow.
As for the Hare's House, they felt even more wronged. They hadn't even made it in time for the battle, only arriving after it ended. Why should they have to go too?
Fortunately, Tsukishiro Yanagi stepped in to clarify the situation.
The Security Personnel weren't fools. They had long heard of the Adepti's fearsome power and had no desire to anger them.
They quickly agreed to Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi's suggestion.
Soon, Hoshimi Miyabi bid farewell to the Adepti and, along with Section 6, Seth, and Perlman, followed the officers to the Janus District Branch to assist in the investigations of the "Seth Betrayal" and "Bringer Betrayal" incidents.
...
After they departed, Mountain Shaper chuckled.
"Well then, it seems another battle awaits us."
Nekomata's ears perked as she scanned the surroundings.
"Meow—another battle? Where are the enemies?"
Moon Carver raised a hand and pointed toward the Hollow's depths.
"Over there. There should be several high-tier Ethereal lurking in there."
Upon hearing this, Billy's eyes lit up with determination.
"We're going too. We missed the last battle—we can't miss this one."
Fighting alongside the Liyue Adepti was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Not only could they learn from the Adepti's techniques, but with such power backing them up, there was no real danger.
Of course Billy wasn't going to miss such a chance.
"I want to go too," Anby added earnestly.
No matter how refined, simulated training could never compare to real combat.
And so, the Adepti and the Hare's House joined forces to suppress the Development Zone Hollow.
At first, the Adepti intervened often.
Later, they rarely took action, choosing instead to observe and guide the Hare's House in their battles against the Ethereal.
Under their instruction, Billy, Nicole, Anby, and Nekomata all mastered new techniques.
In the heat of battle, a crackling Vision manifested at Anby's waist, amplifying her strength—without her even realizing it.