Pulling herself back to focus, Tsukishiro Yanagi couldn't quite grasp the purpose of the thing in the sky—but she set aside her doubts.
At the very least, that thing belonged to Zane. There was no reason to worry about anything else; if Zane truly harbored any ill intent, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble.
Just as Tsukishiro Yanagi prepared to lead her team into the hollow, the small black sphere in the sky suddenly swelled against the wind, expanding rapidly.
Now, not only Tsukishiro Yanagi and Harumasa, but everyone present noticed the strange phenomenon above—the massive, ominous object dominating the sky.
A wave of confused voices rippled through the area. Even the trained Defense Force members struggled to stay calm in the face of such an extraordinary sight.
"What is that...?"
"A hollow?"
Soukaku looked up, muttering softly. Could this be another newly erupted hollow disaster?
But the one on the ground wasn't even resolved yet—if another appeared in the sky, wouldn't that make things even worse?
Shrill alarms blared around them as the Defense Force entered full alert. Reports of the new hollow were already being sent up the chain of command.
"This is..."
Harumasa's expression grew tense. Ground-based hollows were manageable—Section 6 had plenty of experience dealing with those. But one in the sky...
In fact, there might not be anyone in all of New Eridu with experience handling a hollow that appeared above the city.
Under everyone's gaze, the Cretan Hollow continued expanding—but it didn't grow to its original size. It stopped after reaching a diameter of roughly one hundred meters.
Suspended high above, it loomed like a massive, pitch-black sun—overwhelming and mesmerizing. Anyone who looked at it couldn't help but feel a chill crawl up their spine.
At that moment, similar scenes were unfolding throughout New Eridu. Not just officials and soldiers, but countless civilians also noticed the pitch-black distortion that even bent the light around it.
Then, the Cretan Hollow began to move.
Its immense form slowly pressed downward, narrowing the already shadowed sky. The night, once dim, grew so dark that one could no longer see a hand in front of their face.
Truthfully, even if all five hollows expanded completely, their total size still wouldn't be enormous compared to the city.
Yet even in the night sky, they stood out vividly. People far away couldn't stay calm, let alone those stationed nearby.
Beneath the hollows, even Harumasa, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the usually carefree Soukaku couldn't help but feel a surge of dread as they stared up at the immense shadow pressing down on them.
Compared to the others, though, they were already doing well.
Aside from the most composed among the Defense Force, the rest couldn't help but panic. Some of the accompanying researchers were already faltering, murmuring about retreating.
The situation on the ground was one thing—but could they really handle a hollow disaster of this magnitude?
Across New Eridu, anxiety spread like wildfire. But unlike the confused citizens and others unaware of the truth, Hoshimi Miyabi—standing calmly by the riverbank, watching everything unfold—remained far more composed.
"He really left all those hollows behind..."
Hoshimi Miyabi murmured under her breath, her brows knitting together. She knew better than anyone how vital hollows were to Zane's combat strength.
To leave them behind deliberately? She couldn't believe Zane would do something so reckless without purpose—there had to be a reason.
Still, she couldn't fully understand it.
After all, no matter what, it didn't make sense for him to leave every single one behind.
The disappearance of each hollow was always recorded. And based on her knowledge of Zane, she knew he only had five hollows in total.
So what kind of enemy in New Eridu could possibly require Zane to use all five at once?
Then, suddenly, a realization struck her. Hoshimi Miyabi's eyes shifted from the hollow above the river to the direction where the black sphere had flown.
No—it wasn't that there was an enemy demanding such a move. Rather...
There was already a major problem in New Eridu that needed to be dealt with.
"Not voluntary... but forced?"
Her eyes widened slightly as her heart tightened.
No one knew what was happening inside the hollow over the river, and she dared not enter recklessly—it would only interfere with Zane's work. For now, she could only stand guard outside.
As for the Defense Force gathered nearby to contain the hollow, Hoshimi Miyabi didn't believe they would be of much help if things went wrong.
Zane's current situation didn't look good at all.
A flicker of unease passed through her chest.
None of this had been part of the plan—they'd never discussed anything like it. Everything happening now was completely unexpected.
But she quickly steadied herself, choosing to trust Zane. After all, he had never once let her down.
"Maybe... I should report the current situation."
The truth was, she simply didn't want Zane to face this alone—especially now that all his hollows were gone.
Even so, hesitation lingered in her heart. After a moment's thought, she decided to hold her ground.
Keeping this information secret was far more important than any aid the New Eridu authorities could offer him.
Zane always acted with caution. If he truly needed help, he wouldn't be handling things this way.
"The Church's presence is troublesome... And then there's the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe, plus that well-informed guy—those sides shouldn't be a problem for leaks."
"I can't leave here, but at least the Defense Force units that arrived might be able to reach the frontline outposts."
Narrowing her eyes, Hoshimi Miyabi gripped her sword hilt and leapt backward. Twisting midair, she landed lightly on the ground before disappearing into the shadows of the night.
...
Outside Hollow Zero, at the forward outpost.
"It's exactly as he said..."
Shin stood tall in her sharp military uniform, her presence cold and commanding, the kind that naturally kept people at a distance.
Right now, though, she was staring at the electronic screen before her, murmuring quietly with a faint frown.
"That guy really knows everyone too well... But I remember he didn't interact much with Hoshimi Miyabi, did he?"
"How strange..."
Hoshimi Miyabi was relaying the information she had gathered after the fireworks festival.
"What? Are you sure about all this?"
"How could he have left all of that behind?!"
As Hoshimi Miyabi finished recounting her report, Shin's tone grew sharp, filled with tension and disbelief.