"So that's it… this is also a Uchiha ability? Truly terrifying..."
Looking at the massive hole blasted into his chest by an iron fist, the slice revealed a faint trace of helplessness.
He had assumed this operation would at least delay their offensive plans. He never imagined it would become such a one-sided, overwhelming slaughter.
In terms of raw power alone, the Exaltists were no match for the Akatsuki. Not even half their strength. But their true might didn't lie in brute force — it was in their scientific ingenuity and their symbiotic bond with the Ethereals.
Meanwhile, inside the temporary base of Hollow Zero—
"Killed off so quickly? Uchiha… just what kind of information did you acquire that made you move to annihilate us with such ruthless swiftness?"
The leader's main body, upon sensing the complete demise of the three dispatched fragments, displayed a slightly grave expression.
Before him, a massive volume of drugs had already been manufactured by the machines. These prototype-enhanced substances, once deployed on a large scale, were guaranteed to wreak catastrophic devastation upon New Eridu.
The only uncertainty was whether the Akatsuki, led by the Uchiha, could stop the coming army of Ethereals.
He was eager to find out — and deeply concerned. If this plan failed, it would take decades, even centuries, to reconstruct his ideal vision.
He wouldn't die of old age, of course. But watching the efforts of so many years go up in smoke… who wouldn't feel an overwhelming sense of loss?
Still, there were no better options at the moment. The Uchiha and the Akatsuki weren't in New Eridu — it was the perfect moment to strike.
"I'll soon use the equipment to release the drugs throughout all of New Eridu. Show me your influence, King of the Ethereals."
He turned to glance at the Hollow Overlord standing behind him. Then, without further hesitation, the leader began executing his plan to destroy New Eridu.
...
Shortly afterward, at the Exaltists' headquarters—
The ground was littered with residual ether particles — the aftermath of a Slice's death.
The four infiltrators soon regrouped to share their results and the intel they'd gathered.
So far, none of them had located the leader's main body. This left them frustrated. After all, their mission had one core objective: eliminate the leader himself.
Still, having wiped out so many members of the Exaltists and their research facilities, the mission wasn't a total loss.
"What now, Boss? That bastard clearly won't come back just to get himself killed. Staying here any longer is pointless," said Airi, her voice cool.
Looking at the place that had once subjected her to endless agony now lying in ruins, she couldn't help but feel an unspeakable satisfaction.
After a moment of silence, Zhong Yan replied slowly, "The plan doesn't stop here. This is our only chance. We've already startled the snake. If we don't track him down now, he'll disappear — and we may never find him again."
The others exchanged glances. Then they nodded in agreement.
Simultaneously, Zhong Yan checked in with Zhong Ling in the Kamui space. Upon receiving a definitive answer, he immediately locked onto the location of the main body.
Hollow Zero.
Having reached a consensus, they set off for Hollow Zero. While it wasn't guaranteed they'd find him there, they expected to uncover something valuable nonetheless.
If the headquarters was torn apart this easily, how could any of the remote Hollow branches possibly hide from them?
...
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
The scene shifted to New Eridu.
As the first rays of morning sunlight pierced the gloom and spilled into the city, it was as if New Eridu itself was slowly beginning to awaken.
Pedestrians began appearing along the sidewalks. Street vendors opened up their shops and prepared for the day ahead.
It was a peaceful, almost heartwarming scene — but none of them realized this was the last calm before the storm.
Soon after, in a district near a Hollow—
This area had been abandoned for years following a Hollow disaster. The nearby roads lay desolate, devoid of the slightest trace of life.
A cargo truck from the outer ring was driving toward New Eridu, carrying supplies and passing along this required route.
The driver, having driven through the night, was fatigued and let out a yawn.
Just then, he noticed some short figures emerging from the Hollow in the distance.
At first, he assumed they were explorers or Hollow Raiders returning from an expedition, and thought nothing of it.
But as seconds passed, he began to sense something was off. How could adult humans be that small? And their outlines… didn't resemble any normal human.
With suspicion mounting, he instinctively hit the brakes and focused his gaze toward the Hollow.
His calm expression slowly morphed into one of terror.
Because what emerged from the Hollow wasn't explorers — it was Ethereals.
And not just the few he first spotted. There were more. Many more.
Wave after wave, they emerged like a disciplined army following the command of a superior.
At that moment, the Ethereals also noticed the truck nearby. Sensing life inside, their immediate response was to screech and charge forward.
Seeing this, the driver finally snapped out of it and slammed on the accelerator, fleeing the area.
...
"What did you say? A large number of Ethereals appeared on the outskirts of New Eridu?"
Inside the Security Bureau, Zhao Anmen quickly received the report.
This wasn't the first time Ethereals had emerged from within the rifts recently. But eyewitnesses reported that this time, the number of Ethereals was greater than all previous incidents combined.
Worse yet, these Ethereals didn't seem to be stopping. It was like a full-scale military incursion — relentless and seemingly suicidal.
The nearest precinct had already deployed forces to suppress the invasion, but based on their incoming reports, the situation wasn't looking good.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Anmen immediately dropped all his ongoing tasks and led his most elite enforcers to personally respond to the invasion site.
At that very moment, anyone entering Hollow Zero would likely be petrified by what they saw.
Ethereals in numbers impossible to count were marching in coordinated columns through the spatial nodes, launching an assault on human civilization.
And their targets… were not limited to a single location.