Zane raised both hands. A pale blue energy gathered in his left palm, while a crimson energy surged in his right.
He dropped slightly, then suddenly burst forward, his figure shooting through the air. Just as he was about to fall, Zane brought the two energies together.
Boom!
A strange reaction erupted in an instant—flames and thunder fused into a violent explosion.
The massive shockwave spread out, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd. Due to the unique location of the Dead End Hollow, people had naturally gathered here.
There were fans and explorers drawn in by the "Fire Pickers," tunnel thieves hiding among them, law enforcement officers maintaining order, and covert defense troops lying in wait.
The shockwave propelled Zane's body forward, and the immense momentum flung him directly into the Dead End Hollow.
"Hey? Did a black shadow just fly by?"
One officer, momentarily distracted by the explosion's fireworks, still managed to catch sight of Zane's shadow.
"What shadow? Focus on maintaining order."
His colleague brushed it off, thinking he'd imagined it, and moved on.
"Damn! Who set off those insane fireworks?!"
"Holy crap, that was beautiful! I didn't see that special Ethereal, but this makes it all worth it!"
Fire and thunder interwove, painting brilliant "fireworks" across the sky. People below gasped in amazement at the dazzling scene.
"Baby, you have to set off fireworks like this just for me someday~"
"Alright, alright, whatever you say~"
A couple flirted openly in the crowd, but it didn't take long for those around them to get annoyed.
Seriously? Showing off like that?
"Go be lovey-dovey somewhere else! You're blocking the view!"
"Yeah, get lost!"
"Agreed! Go flaunt your love somewhere else!"
"Public displays of affection? That's just asking for karma!"
Jeers erupted from the crowd. Seeing they'd drawn everyone's ire, the couple could only retreat while bickering back and forth.
Meanwhile, two burly men in the crowd were whispering.
"Damn, who set off that firework? Now the law's here to maintain order. Boss, what do we do?"
"Idiot. What else? There's no sneaking into the Hollow now. We better pull back."
They prepared to pass the word to the others, but just then, their leader accidentally bumped into the couple on their way out.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Trying to cop a feel?"
The woman spun around after feeling the touch, glaring furiously at the tunnel boss.
"What? Me? Trying to take advantage of you? Look in the mirror…"
He wasn't about to let it slide and shot back immediately.
"Fine! Let's get the law over here and see what they say!"
Seeing that he wouldn't apologize and even talked back, the woman snapped.
Hearing her yell for an officer, the tunnel boss panicked. He quickly tried to apologize, but she clearly wasn't about to let it go.
Seeing her call over the law, the tunnel boss regretted everything. He should've just walked away.
He began backing off quietly, still dressed in his Raider's gear. If the officers took a good look, he'd be busted for sure.
"Hey! Why are you running?! Didn't you say you didn't do anything?!"
At that shout, the tunnel boss saw law enforcement moving in and bolted.
One of his crew, further back, saw what was happening and called out,
"Guys, time to scram!"
"You moron! Shut your mouth!"
In seconds, the scene devolved into chaos. Even unaffiliated Raiders who hadn't been exposed were swept up in the mess.
...While things on the ground descended into mayhem, the rooftop above the Dead End Hollow remained quiet.
There were no airborne units here.
But the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 was present.
Known simply as Unit 6.
"What a lucky surprise."
Tsukishiro Yanagi crouched down, gently brushing the spot where Zane had just stood, gauging the energy damage.
Adjusting her glasses, she stood and looked toward Hoshimi Miyabi, who stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing silently at the Dead End Hollow.
"Things went off script. So... what's your next move?"
"Tch. Who'd have thought the 'Fire Picker' was actually human?"
Harumasa, with two curved blades at his waist, one hand relaxed and the other on a hilt, let out a sigh.
If that guy hadn't been wearing a mask, it would've been easy—just a matter of finding him in New Eridu.
Shame he was that cautious.
Unbeknownst to Zane inside the Hollow, the mask he'd hastily thrown on during an earlier run-in with some teens had now saved him from further trouble.
"Did you get it all on record?"
Hoshimi Miyabi looked toward a shadowy corner, where a small blue-skinned creature with twin horns on her forehead stepped out.
Despite her small size, she hoisted an Oni Blade Banner—a massive weapon resembling a folded battle axe. When fully extended, it revealed itself as a double-headed giant axe.
"All recorded."
Soukaku nodded, stowing her custom mini-camera. She always carried it—certain Unit 6 operations needed proper documentation.
"Looks like the section chief made the right call."
Harumasa smiled. If Hoshimi Miyabi hadn't ordered them to stay hidden, he would've gone out to confront the suspicious figure.
"All data collected on the 'Fire Picker' by Unit 6 today is to be classified at the highest level."
"That mask... might lead to some valuable intel."
"Alright, get ready—we're heading into the Dead End Hollow."
Hoshimi Miyabi stood tall, her gaze dropping to the Hollow below, a flicker of intrigue in her eyes.
Clearly, she was pleased with this unexpected windfall.
Tsukishiro Yanagi and Harumasa didn't object. Soukaku nodded as well. Unit 6 didn't need much prep—they were going in.
Hoshimi Miyabi turned from the rooftop, one hand resting on the hilt at her waist, her thoughts drifting.
The mission from above was to establish contact, but...
What she really wanted was to face off against the 'Fire Picker'—the one said to be near-omnipotent, with strength that defied comprehension.
Still, first things first. Make contact.
After all, Unit 6 wasn't here to start a war.