As a Companion Hollow, the Dead End Hollow wasn't particularly large. Most of its surface consisted of old railway tracks once used in the Old Capital, along with countless abandoned trains left behind during the evacuation.
Ethereals born from the Hollow wandered along the track-covered paths. Suddenly, a human entered their field of vision.
All the Ethereals immediately turned their attention to the intruder.
By all logic, Ethereals should have attacked any living being they encountered—but strangely, after noticing the human, they simply glanced at him and looked away.
That human was Zhao Anmen, who had been entrusted with entering the Dead End Hollow.
Seeing the Ethereals around him completely ignore his presence, Zhao Anmen felt a complex mix of emotions.
He wasn't even sure anymore—was he still human, or something else?
"Being mistaken for one of them… really isn't a good feeling," Zhao Anmen muttered, glancing at the roaming Ethereals. His objective today was to find the granddaughter of the elderly woman he'd met.
Aside from that, he didn't want to stir up trouble—especially not in a Hollow that housed a giant-class Ethereal like the Dead End Butcher.
The Dead End Butcher might recognize him as a fellow Ethereal, but powerful Ethereals often had a strong sense of territoriality.
If he lingered in its domain too long, even Zhao Anmen—Ethereal or not—would likely be attacked.
With that thought, he quickened his pace.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hollow—
Zhong Yan stood atop a crumbling building. From this vantage point, he could see nearly the entire layout of the Hollow.
The Sharingan allowed him to see the flow of ether energy, so locating a giant-class Ethereal within the Hollow wasn't difficult.
The stronger an Ethereal was, the more intense the etheric pressure it emitted—often destabilizing the surrounding Hollow terrain.
For average scavengers, encountering such a creature without a skilled Proxy would likely spell disaster.
"Found it…"
Soon enough, his gaze landed on a distant area where the ether density was several times higher than anywhere else.
The space there was visibly distorted—without a doubt, that was the Dead End Butcher's lair.
With his target confirmed, Zhong Yan wasted no time. Kamui activated, and he vanished from his spot.
…
In another part of the Hollow, in front of an abandoned train station, lay a vast clearing.
Several Ethereals loitered around the open ground, seemingly on alert—searching for something.
Atop a nearby heap of debris sat a massive figure, resting against the rubble.
Beside it, a long spear forged from crystallized ether gleamed with deadly sharpness.
That towering figure was the sovereign of this Hollow—the Dead End Butcher.
Only select Ethereals were permitted into its domain, hand-picked by the Butcher itself.
As a rare giant-class Ethereal, the Dead End Butcher had developed a rudimentary intelligence—not much, but just enough to maintain a basic chain of command.
The Ethereals it had chosen as subordinates were living proof.
What it didn't know was that its reign over this Hollow was about to end.
As a vortex of distorted space spiraled open above the clearing, Zhong Yan materialized.
The sight of the familiar-looking Ethereal before him confirmed he'd arrived at the right place.
Time to begin the cleanup.
The Ethereals on the ground noticed him instantly. Without hesitation, they howled in rage and charged toward him.
Zhong Yan responded with a slight raise of his palm.
"Chidori Current."
In the next instant, lightning burst forth from his body like a tidal wave. The air screeched with raw power, and the oncoming Ethereals were instantly incinerated—scattered as ash into the wind.
The explosive surge finally drew the Dead End Butcher's attention. Slowly, it stood from the rubble and took up its nearby weapon.
"It didn't go berserk right away? Looks like I'm not giving off enough pressure," Zhong Yan murmured.
Against elite giant-class Ethereals like this one, he needed to take things a bit more seriously.
At the very least... he'd have to start using techniques that could cause true destruction.
…
As Zhong Yan and the Dead End Butcher faced off, a small head peeked out from behind a tunnel near the clearing.
It was a girl—no older than ten.
She'd been trying to find a path through the Hollow to reach New Eridu but had been drawn by the recent commotion.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she crept forward to investigate the source of the chaos.
What she didn't expect was to see someone standing against the one thing everyone feared—the Dead End Butcher.
Who is this guy?
In her understanding, no normal human could stand up to a monster like that—only those super-elite agents from the Hollow Research Association could even dream of surviving such an encounter.
That masked man? He'd probably end up dead just like the others she'd seen before.
Just as she was about to call out and warn him to run, a figure silently appeared behind her.
Before she could react, a large hand covered her mouth. Panic set in as she kicked and flailed, trying to escape.
But the grip was strong—no matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.
"Don't scream. Your grandmother sent me to find you."
The voice steadied her a little. Looking up, she met the gaze of a man with a closely cropped buzz cut.
It was Zhao Anmen.
Like the girl, Zhao Anmen had come this way after hearing the disturbance—and had, by chance, found the very person he was looking for.
But more surprising than that… was what he was now witnessing in the clearing.
"Someone's fighting the Dead End Butcher?" His eyes widened in disbelief.
Then, as he finally got a clear look at the figure—
"Uchiha?!"