"What do we do then? Should we... throw it away?"
Billy whispered the suggestion—only to feel a sudden, piercing chill crawl up his spine. He turned around slowly to find Phaga, Ellen, and Ruby all glaring at him with distinctly unfriendly expressions.
"Uh... did I say something wrong...?"
He shrank back, the metallic hum of his power core faltering. Ruby's glare he could handle, but Phaga and Ellen's predatory stares alone were enough to make even a combat robot's circuits seize up.
"Sigh."
Anby let out a soft exhale, turning to him with her usual blank expression. "Billy, before you say things like that, maybe think about whether you'd throw away your girlfriends."
Instinctively, Billy grabbed the two pistols holstered at his hips and hugged them tightly to his chest, eyes wide. "You mean my girls? No, absolutely not—"
But before he could finish, a dark shadow swept across him from the shattered window.
Anby's stoic expression broke instantly. "Billy, watch out!"
Billy tried to turn—but he was already too late.
Nineveh's palm came crashing down. The reinforced concrete building might as well have been made of paper; the upper floors above Phaga and the others split open like tofu under the impact. A massive fragment of her ethereal arm came crashing down toward Billy.
"Run!"
At the last second, a figure wreathed in crimson flame streaked forward. With one swift kick, it sent Billy flying clear—and then took Nineveh's devastating strike head-on.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Blood burst forth, forming a massive spectral hand that slammed against Nineveh's descending ethereal limb.
The tremendous clash ground against the tilting structure, holding the two forces in a deadlock. The power radiating outward was enough to bring the entire building down.
The Nekomata yowled, shielding Nicole tightly beneath her. "Meow meow meow! The building's collapsing, meow~ Waaah!
Anby, unable to stand the wailing, rapped her sharply on the head. Tilting her head toward the side, she assessed the angle of the fall while tucking Eous under her arm. Her voice was calm and steady. "Stop screaming, Nekomata. Take Nicole and run. Billy, get up—unless you want to miss tonight's Starlight Knight."
"Ah... ow, ow! My back! Mr. Phaga really doesn't hold back—wait, Anby, don't leave me!"
But Anby wasn't waiting. Judging the building's tilt, she sprinted the opposite way and leapt off, sliding down the slanted structure in one clean motion.
Seeing this, the Nekomata quickly slung Nicole onto her back, glanced back once, and shouted, "Hurry up, robot!"
Then she jumped after Anby.
"Hey, Nekomata—why are you... Ahhh!!! Forget it! I still need to get home for Starlight Knight!"
Tokusatsu fans had their own special kind of strength. Despite the damage Phaga's kick had done to his lower frame—some parts now rattling loose—Billy quickly recovered. While running, he scooped Clover into his arms and threw her over his shoulder.
"Hey, wait! I'm a soldier—I can run myself!"
Clover smacked his back, cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment.
Billy ignored her completely. "Star Knight would never abandon the weak! So relax!"
He leapt down after the others, his booming voice trailing through the wind—along with Clover's shrill protest. "Who's weak!? Wait till I get back to base and grab my gear and W-Engine—I'll shoot you myself, you hear me!?"
After all, as an examiner, she wasn't someone who could just be carried around like a sack of potatoes...
Now, the only ones left on the collapsing floor were Phaga—holding back Nineveh—and Ellen with Ruby behind her.
Ruby gazed at Phaga's back, her expression full of worry. "Ellen... Phaga, he—"
Ellen clenched her teeth, shoved Kunmutu into Ruby's arms, then hoisted her up with one hand. She sprinted toward the same edge the others had jumped from.
[Roaming Hunt]!
"Instead of worrying about a vampire who'll be back to full strength after a few sips of blood, maybe you should worry about yourself, weak little human!"
"Nonsense! Who are you calling weak? Without me, how would you have even saved Phaga?"
Still arguing, Ellen leapt off the building, sprinting across its steep incline. Her speed under [Roaming Hunt] was terrifying—so much so that even Anby, glancing to her side, found Ellen already ahead of her.
Moments later, the group landed one by one on the ground below.
"Ow ow ow!"
Billy winced as he clutched his back, then noticed everyone turning to look behind them. Realizing someone was missing, he blurted, "Where's Mr. Phaga!?"
Ellen's face remained unreadable, but the quick tapping of her boot betrayed her anxiety. Her eyes narrowed, clouded with worry—until suddenly, a glint of relief flashed in her gaze.
A figure streaked down from above, landing hard as it spread its wings.
The three hundred thousand's worth of blood hadn't gone to waste—Phaga's wings were fully healed, and his voice carried the same sharp edge as ever.
"What are you standing around for? Run!"
Everyone flinched at his shout and immediately broke into a sprint.
Billy yelled as he ran, "Didn't Fairy say our escape success rate was zero!? What if we turn around and take Nineveh out instead?"
"Are you insane? Put me down if you want to die—I'm not joining you!"
Before anyone else could reply, Clover, still slung over Billy's shoulder, protested furiously.
As a soldier, she knew exactly how powerful the Overlord of Hollow Zero's outer ring was.
But precisely because she knew, she didn't expect miracles from this ragtag group.
Then Phaga's voice cut through the chaos. "If you all serve as blood packs for me, maybe it's possible."
"Seriously?" Clover blinked, half-doubting him.
"Of course. The kind where I suck you dry."
Spreading his wings wide, Phaga surged ahead, taking the lead. Any Ethereal foolish enough to block the way—he tore apart without hesitation.
After slicing down another Ethereal, Phaga looked back. "I can feel it—Nineveh's weaker than before. Look, it still hasn't caught up."
"That's true!"
Eous exclaimed. Belle, synced through him, looked up at once. "Fairy!"
[Fairy: Correction. Phaga is right. Nineveh's Ether activity has decreased by ten percent. Current escape success rate has risen to forty-five percent. Searching for further routes...]
"Good, Fairy!"
Belle beamed, turning to shout to the others, "Everyone, keep running! Our chances are rising fast!"
"Woohoo! That's why you're the Manager!"
Billy threw a thumbs-up.
"Behind you! Ever heard of looking back, bucket of bolts!?"
Nekomata's ears twitched as she warned the robot at the rear.
Billy turned just in time to see a volley of Ether bullets whizzing toward him.
At the same time, more than a dozen mosquito-like Ethereal—massive, pink-white creatures—were swarming after them.
Clover's pupils contracted. "Those are Nineveh's hornets! Watch out!"
"Ugh, so many bullets and bugs... Phaga, catch!"
Billy grabbed Clover and flung her upward, then drew his beloved guns, rolling to dodge the barrage while firing up at the oncoming swarm.
Two of the pink-white creatures burst into glowing Ether fragments, but more poured in behind them.
Phaga swooped low, catching the panting Clover in his arms. He frowned. "Can you run on your own?"
"Of course!" Clover took a deep breath, forcing her voice steady.
She was a soldier—basic endurance was the least of her skills.
"Good."
Phaga dropped her and flew to the back of the formation to cover them.
Meanwhile, at the front—
A pink-white hornet lunged forward. Nekomata dodged aside with a leap, yowling, "Why are there so many up ahead too!? Didn't Nineveh's activity drop by ten percent? How can it still summon this many minions!?"
"No idea. Maybe that's just its fighting style."
Under Anby's arm, Eous's eyes narrowed into sharp lines. With every swing of her blade, Anby's grip around him tightened, squeezing the little Bangboo until he wheezed.
"E-easy there... heh... easy..."
And the loudest voice of all wasn't Nekomata's—it was Ruby's.
Ellen was running so fast that even Anby could barely keep up, picking off the stragglers left behind.
"Aaaaah!!! Ellen, slow down! I'm gonna throw up!"
With Ruby slung over one arm, Ellen charged ahead, icy energy coursing through her giant scissor-blade. Each swing froze the Ethereals in her path solid, leaving a trail of glittering ice statues in her wake.
It was devastatingly effective—but not without cost.
Before long, Ruby's strength was completely gone. Her eyes spun dizzily, her voice reduced to incoherent whimpers as Ellen continued her relentless charge forward.