"You..."
Hoshimi Miyabi's eyes widened, her tone grew heavy as she fixed her gaze on Zane's hand—on that small black sphere.
A Hollow?
This thing, so similar to the one she carried herself, was actually another form of Hollow?
No wonder she had felt such an overwhelming sense of danger the moment it appeared. If this small black ball really was a compressed Hollow, its destructive power went without saying.
It wasn't simple physical destruction. Its true threat lay in overwhelming corrosion that could directly strip people of their abilities. This wasn't a matter of combat strength, but of Ether compatibility...
And compressed like this, within a hundred meters of him there would be no chance of survival. Worse yet, it seemed he could throw it to control an area...
"You know what the consequences will be if you use that."
Hoshimi Miyabi loosened her grip on her sword hilt and spoke seriously.
Fighting him was already unlikely, and with the situation this dangerous, taking action was out of the question.
"Besides, Zane... from what I know of you, this isn't something you'd do. You understand what I mean."
Her voice softened, carrying a note of admonition. In her eyes, Zane—capable of passing judgment here and now—wouldn't resort to such devastating means.
There were too many innocent people.
"Or maybe I should give it a try?"
Zane didn't answer. He only smiled faintly.
"Don't be rash. I'll deliver your message for you. There's still plenty of room for negotiation, isn't there?"
Hoshimi Miyabi's voice softened further, her expression even tinged with sympathy. Clearly, her stance toward Zane leaned more to the side of understanding than hostility.
When she saw his expression remain calm, she turned and picked up the communicator, relaying his words and stressing the danger.
But just then, a stir broke out among the personnel on the ground. Before Zane could even check, several vehicles broke away, moving quickly in another direction.
He glanced at their route and quickly understood, sighing helplessly as he tapped his head.
"So they found it after all..."
"Hoshimi Miyabi, don't bother."
In the helicopter, she had barely begun relaying information when Zane's voice suddenly sounded from behind. She turned back in surprise, confusion flickering on her face.
"Take your people and deal with it."
Zane gave a light smile and snapped his fingers. A small black ball shot out, halted in midair, then began to expand rapidly.
It was the Hive Master Hollow.
Hoshimi Miyabi froze at the sight, and Zane chuckled at her reaction.
"Relax, I'm just showing off. If you can't handle it, I'll take it back. Can't afford to waste it, after all..."
He waved his hand lightly, a faint smile hidden beneath his mask, his eyes gleaming.
"Then I'll be going."
"My section chief, do your best~"
"Haha."
Back when he impersonated the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6, there had been no follow-up investigation. He had already realized what that meant. Later, Shin had even mentioned the unit's silence to him.
So he could guess that Hoshimi Miyabi had swallowed her grievances and "reluctantly" acknowledged his identity.
What happened after that, he didn't know—but it didn't stop him from teasing her.
Turning away, Zane raised his hand and sliced the air. A spatial rift appeared before him. He stepped through, and as his figure vanished completely, the rift sealed shut.
If he wanted to leave, who could stop him?
In the helicopter, Hoshimi Miyabi had no time for his jabs. Staring at the Hollow swelling above them, she shouted,
"What are you waiting for?! Pull back!"
The helicopter retreated quickly, while on the ground, unaware of the details, panic spread at the sight of the massive Hollow overhead.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Inside the video store on Sixth Street.
"Phew... That takes care of most of it. But Belle, are you sure this plan will work?"
Wise sat at the computer desk, leaning on one hand, brows furrowed in doubt.
He had seen what was happening with Zane. Hare's House had been exposed, even exchanging fire with the authorities. The official forces were overwhelming, yet for some reason the group in that car wasn't weak either, and hadn't been stopped.
The priority now was ensuring Hare's House got away safely. But Belle's spur-of-the-moment plan didn't exactly fill him with confidence.
"Relax, brother. We prepared in advance. With the forum's influence, Fairy's help, and the Fire Pickers' participation, we've got enough time."
Belle waved her hand confidently.
"Belle, I'm not talking about time. I'm talking about the odds of success."
At his words, Belle's eyes grew thoughtful. But glancing at the forums alive with activity on the screen beside her, she nodded.
"Brother, trust them."
...
In New Eridu, a heavily modified van tore down the street, overloaded with people—nearly thirty in total, counting those tied up inside.
By normal security laws, the driver's license would've been revoked on the spot. Not that Nicole had one to begin with.
"Ellen, put this on!"
Lycaon called sharply, tossing a mask to Ellen as she prepared to jump out and hijack another car.
Ellen glanced back, then casually slipped it over her face. Around her, almost everyone else was already masked.
Behind them, several members of the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe provided cover fire. Using fallen bodies as makeshift gun mounts, Trigger steadied her sniper rifle and disabled one pursuing vehicle after another, either forcing them to a stop or blowing their tires.
She understood the situation. With public opinion online already one-sided, this incident would likely be buried under pressure from the masses.
That meant she and the others had to be cautious, avoiding casualties during the chase—otherwise complications would surely follow.
Ironically, this had created a strange equilibrium. The pursuing enforcers and military, for personal or political reasons, were also unwilling—or unable—to use lethal force.
So despite the scale of the chase, Trigger felt little pressure.
Blowing a flashbang out of the air with a clean shot, she found herself thinking wryly,
Maybe human sandbags actually make for pretty good gun mounts...
At the front of the van, Ellen seized the moment, vaulted out the window, and landed smoothly on a car by the roadside just as it was starting up.