...
The night was dark and windy.
"Mi–Miss..."
In the manor, the butler watched as his young lady came storming in, dragging someone along. He raised a hand to ask what was going on, but she brushed straight past him without a glance.
Left staring at Shin's back, the butler stood frozen, arm still half-raised.
Wasn't there supposed to be a banquet for the young lady tonight? Why was she suddenly back? And who was this man?
More importantly... why did it feel like that gentleman had been dragged here against his will...?
"Could it be the young lady's finally opened up to romance and brought a man home? No, that's impossible... she's never shown interest in that sort of thing..."
After a moment of thought, the butler shook his head and headed toward the main residence.
"Forget it, better inform the master first..."
...
In a side building of the estate, Shin pulled Zane into a hidden room. Watching her rummage through the shelves, Zane couldn't help but ask,
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"To confirm something."
Without looking back, Shin's voice was curt. A moment later her expression lit up—she had found it: an old iron box, clearly untouched for a long time.
"Zane, do you know how much humans really understand about Hollows? How they form, how they expand, how they're eliminated... and how Ethereals are born?"
Her eyes gleamed as she spoke rapidly, then set the iron box on the table and began fiddling with it, clearly intending to open it.
"That box isn't important, is it?"
Zane frowned at her.
"The box itself isn't, but what's inside is... tch, it's been sealed too long—I can't get it open..."
"As long as the box isn't important."
Zane took it from her, Ether flaring in his hands as he simply tore it open from the top, revealing its contents.
As the lid split, Shin snapped out of her thoughts and reached in to pull out a hard drive.
Using the computer on the nearby table, she quickly accessed the data and began running comparisons, explaining as she worked,
"This is data on Hollows preserved by the Falkenhayn before the old capital fell. There's also first-hand data from the Zero Hollow outbreak."
"But the most important part—records on the Hive Lord Hollow and Zero Hollow from the old capital era."
Soon, lines of data filled the screen—completely indecipherable to Zane, but Shin's eyes grew brighter the more she read.
"Yes... the two most unusual Hollows really are connected... the similarities are uncanny..."
She drew a deep breath, trying to steady her excitement.
"Zane, I need you to answer me seriously."
Straightening, she turned to face him, eyes locked on his.
"Go ahead."
"If I asked you to replicate the Hive Lord Hollow, could you do it? Could the Hollow you control... detonate in the air?"
Since learning the truth about his black spheres, Shin had come to accept they were Hollows—and understood why Hollows in the past had disappeared. Now she had an urgent question only he could answer.
Zane thought briefly, then nodded.
"Not especially difficult."
Without the ground as a base, a full Hollow detonation would cost more energy, but that was the only real drawback.
"What about Zero Hollow? Could you replicate it?"
Shin's heart skipped. Her expression briefly betrayed realization before she composed herself and pressed on.
"Zero Hollow..." Zane frowned slightly. "Trickier, but doable."
Its scale was massive, but by fusing the Cretan, Lamia, and Dead End Hollows, he could produce something close—a weakened version, but still formidable.
"It's possible..."
Shin swallowed, the reality of it making her heart pound. Even prepared, she couldn't help but feel shaken. She'd underestimated him.
"One last question."
Her tone sharpened.
"Zane, if you were to destroy New Eridu as it is now—could you?"
Her sudden, heavy question hung in the air. She added,
"Assume you're alone, unrestricted, relying solely on your own strength."
Zane's eyes narrowed slightly. After a pause, he answered calmly,
"By those terms—if it's not wiping out humanity entirely, but just destroying New Eridu—yes, with some time."
Human civilization as a whole was another matter, but New Eridu alone? That was possible—with time and planning.
"I see..."
A hint of disappointment flickered across her face, making Zane's brow twitch. But she quickly continued,
"Then if you could control Zero Hollow—not total destruction, but enough to shatter human civilization completely—could you do it?"
This time, Zane didn't hesitate.
"Easily. The Zero Hollow's eruption toppled the old capital outright. Controlled, it would be nothing short of catastrophic."
He gave her a sidelong look.
"So what exactly are you planning? Don't tell me you want me to help wipe out humanity—you don't seem like that type."
"Of course not."
Shin waved him off, exasperated. "Wait here."
She pushed open the door—only to stop short at the sight of a middle-aged man standing there.
"Father?"
"Shin... what exactly are you two—"
The dignified-looking man wore an utterly baffled expression. The butler had told him his daughter had brought a man home, so he'd come to check. Instead, he'd walked in on talk of destroying the world.
Surely these two weren't role-playing something insane...?
"Don't bother me."
Shin brushed past him and dashed off, leaving her father standing there in stunned silence.
He sighed, shaking his head. With family tensions already running high, he decided to let her be for now. She'd never come to harm under her own watch.
...
Moments later, Shin returned—with a Bangboo in tow.
"Birdboo. One of the very first Bangboos produced by the Marcel Group—crafted by Sunbringer herself. Highly functional and—"