After inserting the storage device into the HDD system, Wise stepped back to his original position and waited for the data to finish loading.
Soon, a notification popped up on the system screen indicating the data had been successfully read. But strangely enough, no new content appeared within the system afterward.
"Is this… thing broken?" Wise frowned in confusion. Their HDD system should be able to read any data format—so why was it reacting so little to this one?
Zhong Yan didn't know the reason either. In the game, Fairy only successfully activated when the protagonist established a sensory connection with Eous. Without that condition here, perhaps the startup had failed?
"I've got an idea," Belle suddenly said, as a lightbulb went off in her mind. She stepped up to the HDD system and pressed the power button. "Let's try restarting it!"
The moment she pressed the button, the lights in the archive room began to flicker as though something had disrupted them. The HDD screen started to flash, showing unclear, jittering visuals.
That instantly triggered alarm bells in Wise's head. "Belle, get away from there!"
But before Belle could even react, a brilliant burst of light shot out from inside the system, engulfing her in an instant.
Her consciousness faded to white—and then, it completely vanished.
...
No one knew how much time passed.
In a haze, Belle seemed to glimpse fragments of memories she'd never seen before.
In these fragments, she stood in front of a massive Hollow. As a Proxy, she instantly recognized it—it was the origin of all disasters: Hollow Zero, also known as [Limbo].
She was on a platform connected to a building, surrounded by unfamiliar—but oddly familiar—skyscrapers.
"It's... hard to breathe..."
For reasons she couldn't explain, Belle felt her emotions spiraling out of control. It was a state beyond words.
Joy, sadness, rage—countless positive and negative emotions surged together, forming a tsunami-like shockwave that pounded her mind. It was agony.
Then, the ground began to shake.
Belle looked up with difficulty and saw an enormous being behind her.
By rough estimate, the being had to be over 100 meters tall. Clad in exotic armor and wearing a demonic mask, it pulsed with flowing energy.
Every step it took made the earth tremble—and it was headed straight toward Hollow Zero.
As it passed her platform, it paused and lowered its head to glance in her direction.
Only then did Belle see the gemstone embedded in its forehead. Inside the gem, a figure floated.
That figure... was staring at her.
Belle strained her eyes, desperate to make out the figure's face—as if it were something crucial to her.
But the distance was too great, and her vision far too blurry. No matter how hard she tried, she could only see a vague silhouette.
After a moment, the giant continued on. When it reached the edge of Hollow Zero, it slowly drew its weapon—
—a massive great sword.
Belle couldn't even fathom its destructive power. One random swing of that thing would be enough to cause a disaster equal to a Hollow Eruption across New Eridu.
As she watched in stunned silence, the being raised its sword high and brought it down onto Hollow Zero with a single, devastating strike.
In that instant, the black-and-white world around her seemed to freeze, as if time itself had stopped.
But that stillness didn't last.
Moments later, a violent wave of force exploded outward like a backlash.
Buildings shattered, debris launched skyward like a hailstorm—and then, having reached their peak, those fragments came crashing back down like torrential rain.
Belle didn't know how to describe what she was seeing. Her emotions—already fraying—spiraled further out of control, mirroring the falling wreckage.
The suffocating pressure in her chest intensified, her vision blurred—
—and then, her consciousness was swallowed once again.
The final thing she saw was that enormous being, still standing tall in the distance.
But what held her gaze wasn't the giant.
It was Hollow Zero.
Which had just been split wide open by that one, single slash.
...
[...Terms and Conditions... User may not authorize others to use...]
[...User may not transfer or assign usage in any form...]
[...By agreeing, user authorizes the entity to act in shared interests during critical moments...]
[...Do you accept these terms?]
When her mind returned, Belle heard a strange female voice echoing inside her head.
But she had no time to focus on it.
Her entire body felt like it was being pierced by a thousand arrows. From her brain to her organs, down to every cell—everything screamed in pain.
She wasn't even sure whether she was awake or unconscious anymore.
"I... I refuse…"
On instinct, she rejected the voice's terms.
But the next moment, a new wave of even more intense pain crashed down on her, making her mind all but collapse.
"I agree… I agree…"
Unable to withstand the agony, Belle gave in.
[Authorization complete. It's a pleasure to serve you.]
[...Together, we will protect New Eridu...]
And just like that, the pain stopped—replaced by a comforting warmth, soothing like cool water on sunburnt skin.
At first, Belle resisted.
But the earlier torment had drained her too much.
Unable to fight it, her awareness faded once more.
And she didn't even know—when this blackout ended—if she'd ever wake up again.