Check out my new translation!
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With the experience from last time—and with the data the Proxy had recorded—they quickly reached the corridor they had been in earlier.
This time, no Ethereal attacked them. It was as if those creatures realized this group was too difficult to handle and no longer dared to strike first.
The silence was even more unsettling. It felt as if something was directing the Ethereal, deliberately instructing them to avoid the Cunning Hares. In the fog and darkness of Ballet Twins Hollow, the only sounds were their own footsteps.
The situation made everyone far more tense. With such limited visibility, no one knew what might emerge from the fog at any moment. Even Ignis' Fire-Sight could not pierce this darkness—his visible range was barely a few meters ahead.
Under these conditions, he kept the autocannon firmly in his hands. Anything that emerged from the mist would first be baptized by a storm of fire-laced metal before having the privilege of getting close enough for melee.
Those floating Ethereal were highly mobile, but their bodies were absurdly fragile—even Nekomata's short blade could slice them cleanly in half. As long as the group received timely warning, the Cunning Hares could deal with them quickly.
Though they advanced carefully, the Proxy had already recorded their former route. They soon arrived again at the place where they had first been ambushed. Now, there were no eerie statues at all—the pedestals around them were bare.
"Nothing showing up actually feels even creepier, nya." Nekomata's ears stood straight up as she listened intently. But if even a Space Marine's Lyman's Ear detected nothing, then a Thiren cat-girl stood no chance.
"Yeah, this fog… feels like anything could be hiding in it. Who knows what'll jump out later." Billy looked terrified—strangely expressive for a robot.
Anby, however, remained calm as always—until she opened her mouth. "Maybe someone will walk out of the fog as another Billy… and claim our Billy is the fake one."
"That's impossible!" Billy shot back immediately.
Talking like this, the group found themselves once again inside the same corridor as before. Darkness and fog rushed in behind them, swallowing the path they came from. The tiny ignition flame on Ignis' flamethrower became invaluable here.
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, Billy continued the earlier topic.
"Say—if someone who looks exactly like us really walked out of the fog, how would we tell who's real? I'd be the easiest. You just shout 'Starlight Knight Mirage!' and I'll strike the pose!" He performed the trademark Starlight Knight gesture.
"And what if the other one strikes the same pose?" Anby countered immediately.
"Then we can tell by scent." Nekomata sniffed Billy. "You used cheap motor oil again, didn't you?"
"A-ha-ha… Monica-onee-san just released a new photo album. I bought three copies." The robot scratched the back of his head shyly.
"Three? Let me guess—one to keep sealed, one to admire, one to evangelize with, right? Classic old-school otaku logic. Also, aren't you a robot? You don't like female androids, yet you're into real humans? Does flesh actually appeal to a big metal block like you?"
For the first time in a long while, Ignis voiced all the complaints he'd been holding in. And once he started, it poured out in a long uninterrupted stream.
This was completely different from the reliable, steady the Salamander everyone knew. The group froze, all staring at him.
"Oh no… looks like the fake one really did sneak in." Belle was the first to make a jab.
"Ignis, answer me—what did you call me when we first met?" Anby pulled the trigger. Her chainsaw sword roared alive.
"Big guy… you can say stuff like that?" Nekomata was stunned. She quickly sniffed him. "Scent matches—fuel and metal. No mistake."
"And here I thought… in your heart I was worth nothing…" Billy acted heartbroken, nearly in tears.
"I called you 'citizen' the first time we met." Ignis had no trouble remembering. He'd called Anby a citizen—and kicked Billy across the room.
Anby nodded and put away her weapon. "Alright. It's really him."
"Enough chatter. Keep moving." Having exposed his true nature, the Salamander was a bit embarrassed, waving for them to advance.
Up ahead, Eous led the way while Belle continued teasing. "So, the persona you kept up around us was intentional? How sad—you felt the need to pretend around us."
"Yeah! I thought you were the kind of bro you could share all your hobbies with, but you were judging me this whole time. I'm hurt. Devastated." The robot dramatically clung to the Salamander's waist, smearing coolant across his armor.
"Hey—come on, I have dignity too!" Ignis shoved Billy off. "If you all found out I wasn't actually mature and calm, wouldn't that make me seem unreliable?"
If Nicole were here, she would probably accuse the Salamander of every arson incident he had caused. What kind of "calm and dependable veteran" sets things on fire everywhere he goes? He'd already ignited two warehouses. Under New Eridu law, that counted as malicious arson with severe consequences—worthy of being executed twice.
Still, Ignis' confession triggered laughter among the group.
"Well, this is better. You don't need to stiffen up your face anymore." Nekomata patted the Salamander's lower back. "You're still reliable in terms of combat power."
"Yeah. The Cunning Hares' top combat force." Anby nodded.
"No way. When we get back, I'm making you sit through twelve hours of Monica-onee-san's photo albums so you can appreciate her beauty." Billy pretended to be angry as he tapped the Salamander's abdomen with his knuckles.
With laughter filling the air, the oppressive atmosphere of Ballet Twins Hollow lifted considerably.
The corridor finally revealed its true form—barely a dozen meters long. They crossed it in the span of a few sentences. They must've been trapped in a spatial rift earlier, which made it seem endless. After passing through, they arrived in another hall—apparently once a luxury showroom. But everything was already covered in Ether crystals, rendered worthless. Black-green Ether growths spread across the corners and floor.
["Master, a building-management terminal nearby is still functioning."] Fairy, Phaethon's household AI, spoke up.
The Bangboo hopped over to a network port near the floor and pulled a data cable from its chest, plugging in. A few seconds later, the surrounding lights flickered on.
"Oh, oh! Even the lighting's back!" Billy exclaimed excitedly. The thick fog and darkness peeled away, letting the group see the entire hall.
"Wait—Ethereal!" Anby pulled her trigger.
A cluster of Ethereal floated in midair—but did not attack. They covered their mask-slits and cores with their brass arms and slowly retreated.
"Why are these things following us?" Billy drew his pistols to shoot.
"Hold on. They seem afraid of the light." The Salamander watched their strange behavior, a thought forming in his mind.
To verify Ignis' suspicion, the Ethereal retreated step by step, withdrawing until the light was swallowed by the Hollow's power. Their figures slowly dissolved into the darkness.
"Did they just… blend into the wall?" Nekomata stared in disbelief. She'd fought them before—those arms were definitely metal structures. How were they merging into solid walls? Did the walls have Hollow rifts only they could pass through?
"I've detected several more terminals nearby. If we activate all of them, at least the first-floor lighting will be restored." Belle reported.
"Then let's turn on a few more." The moment Nekomata spoke, the Bangboo had already hopped into the corridor leading toward the next objective.
The group followed it into the passage. But the moment they stepped inside, the lights they'd just restored vanished. Fog and ink-black darkness swallowed everything once more.
"Suddenly it makes perfect sense why this place has ghost rumors." Ignis turned to look back, but only darkness wrapped around them.
After just a few minutes of following the Bangboo, those strange floating Ethereal appeared again in front of them. Ignis raised the autocannon and fired.
The moment the Dragon's Breath shells launched, bright flame flared from the muzzle, briefly pushing back the darkness. A rain of fire-laced steel beads surged toward the floating Ethereal.
But the expected impact—Ethereal bodies shattering and burning—never came. They were unharmed. They even twisted mockingly in the air. Ignis refused to believe it and pressed the firing stud again. Three more bursts of flame bloomed from the barrel—yet each fiery shot vanished the moment it left the muzzle, as though snuffed out.
Which meant that a Hollow rift was present just a few meters ahead, swallowing every round.
Worse, the flashes of Dragon's Breath illuminated what surrounded them: dozens of floating Ethereal, clinging half-emerged from the walls, poised to strike at any moment.
"Fall back!" Ignis shouted. Eous instantly turned and ran, and the Cunning Hares followed the Bangboo closely, terrified it would vanish into the dark. Ignis took the rear, shifting his focus to his auditory sensors. The Ethereal didn't attack directly—they only trailed after them.
Perhaps they feared the autocannon… or perhaps they intended to exhaust the group first. Either way, they shadowed the Cunning Hares like wolves, neither too close nor too far.
"Any ideas??" Billy shouted while running.
"None!" Ignis barked, turning to fire again—but as before, the burning rounds were swallowed by the rift.
Were the Ethereal creating the rift? They had just passed through this area with no problems—so why had a rift suddenly appeared now?
There was no time to think. In the mere seconds he hesitated, the others had already run ahead—he needed to catch up.
"Why is that rift following us? It wasn't here before!" The voices of the Ethereal buzzed painfully in Ignis' ears, and their numbers were increasing. Perhaps his gunfire had attracted more.
"They can create rifts themselves to advance quickly. So, what you're describing is exactly that—they made a rift that's following us." Belle explained immediately. "Wait—what's that?"
By the wall lay a red metal box. The glass door read [Fire Emergency Case].
"Open it! Quick!" Belle yelled. Billy smashed the glass with his elbow, and the Bangboo immediately reached inside and pulled out a flashlight.
"Let's hope it still has power!" Eous hit the switch—and a powerful beam stabbed forward. In this abyss of fog and shadow, it was like igniting a lightsaber. Ignis glanced at it—an actual xenon high-intensity flashlight.
"Manager! Shine it on them!" Billy shouted.
The Bangboo swung the flashlight like a warrior brandishing a blade. The Ethereal caught in the beam shrieked and slipped back into the walls, vanishing instantly.
"It actually works." Wise sounded genuinely astonished.
Of course, it did—it was a xenon high-intensity torch, normally used for diving. Why such a thing existed inside the Ballet Twins Hollow's emergency case was a mystery. Was it meant to help evacuees see in the dark? But this brightness was excessive—like a miniature sun.
After the Ethereal disappeared, Eous quickly switched off the light. Even so, its battery had already dropped to two-thirds. Meaning at this output, it could only be used two more times.
The battery was likely damaged—or perhaps the device's power draw was simply monstrous. Either way, they finally had something that could repel the Ethereal, at least briefly.
Without interference, the Cunning Hares walked only a few minutes before leaving the corridor and entering another hall remarkably similar to the previous one. Eous quickly interfaced with the building management terminal and restored the lights.
Under the cold illumination, the group felt a wave of relief. At least for now, nothing strange would lunge at them from the darkness.
Still, the fact that the Ethereal feared light to such an extreme degree was… peculiar.
Ignis wasn't a Hollow Researcher, so he buried the questions. For now, their priority was reaching the rooftop and confirming Rain's situation.