The Ethereal was dead. Zane could feel it. A strike of that magnitude—if it had hit him—would've been a serious threat.
The high-risk Ethereal had taken the full blast at ground zero. There was no way it could've survived. He had only regretted not landing the final blow himself.
But then came that strange resurgence of Ether fluctuations—like the creature was coming back from the dead. It didn't make sense.
Zane stepped off the final Ether crystal, descending smoothly. As he left it behind, the crystal shattered into countless points of light.
He landed lightly at the rim of the massive crater, his figure straight and steady. Instantly, a silent pressure spread out in all directions.
Roughly two hundred meters behind him, two recon teams came to a halt, their focus locked on the mysterious figure who had just appeared from above.
They had been ordered to scout the situation—but right as they arrived, someone dropped from the sky to block their path.
Watching the image zoomed in on their screens, one of the team members suddenly froze. A flicker of realization crossed his face, followed by a flash of alarm.
"Wait a minute... this guy..."
He shoved aside the operator, quickly pulling up matching software and running a comparison. In moments, the result popped up.
"It's the Fire Picker!"
As soon as the words were out, the rest of the team stiffened, then instinctively stepped back.
These weren't Hollow Zero regulars. They were external investigators temporarily assigned to this mission due to manpower shortages.
And outside the Hollows? The Fire Picker was the stuff of legend—and not the good kind.
Mass murderer. Ruthless criminal. Untouchable. Tyrant. Women-chaser. Arrogant menace. Some reports even described... unmentionable hobbies.
With those thoughts rushing in, several members visibly trembled. One of them started backing away—then flat-out broke into a run.
As soon as one bolted, the rest followed in a panic, abandoning their detection equipment as they fled.
They were here to do recon, not get themselves killed!
...
Meanwhile, standing calmly at the edge of the Hollow, Zane glanced back at the sudden commotion.
Running like that? Were they that terrified?
All he did was show up... Tch. He hadn't realized his reputation had gotten that extreme.
Shaking off the distraction, he turned his gaze back to the pit—where an "old friend" awaited.
The Sacrificial Ghost. Looking even more grotesque than before.
"So that's what this is... you were behind the weird fluctuations."
The high-risk Ethereal was definitely dead, but the mangled Sacrificial Ghost was absorbing the remnants—trying to reconstruct it.
Zane shook his head. The thing had no combat capability right now.
He looked up at the swirling Ether tornadoes still lingering in the distance, the roar of wind buzzing in his ears.
"Too noisy."
He lifted an arm and waved it casually, eyes sharp as frost.
...
At that same moment, Soldier 11—still watching the battlefield—suddenly felt something wriggling at her side. She looked down.
The little black ball had slipped out of her pocket.
"What the—? Disobedient little thing... After this, I'm making Zane lodge a complaint at that toy store. These toy control systems are defective."
She frowned and reached to retrieve it—only to see it shoot off into the air toward one of the giant Ether tornadoes, growing in size as it flew.
To her shock, it rapidly expanded—dozens of meters wide now—and the Lamia Hollow, looking like a massive black hole, collided directly with the swirling vortex of Ether.
In an instant, the tornado destabilized. At the point of contact, the Ether energy twisted into a distorted "liquid" stream, drawn straight into the Hollow.
It looked like the Hollow was devouring the tornado.
"What... what is that?"
Soldier 11 stood frozen, staring at the Lamia Hollow as it zipped off toward another tornado in the sky. Her brain went blank. Her thoughts were a mess.
Did... my toy just swallow an Ether tornado?
Swallowed it?
...
Next to her, Trigger stared, stunned, at the enormous black orb that had appeared from nowhere.
Nothing like that existed in her knowledge.
Around them, other members of the Defense Forces reacted in all sorts of ways—none of them calm.
...
Back in the crater, Zane turned his arm, guiding the Lamia Hollow as it swept across the sky, absorbing every last Ether tornado it touched.
Soon, with a full circular motion of his arm, all the tornadoes had been devoured. The Hollow shrank rapidly and returned to Zane's side.
In the sky above, light gradually began to return.
Zane remained calm in the heart of the pit. No telling what might happen next—but better to have the Hollow on hand and be prepared.
He walked slowly toward the center, stopping before the half-reconstructed Sacrificial Ghost. Silently, he raised his hand.
"Forget it. There are people I need to catch over there. I don't have time to wait for you."
"Just die already."
In midair, pitch-black Ether crystals formed a massive hand. Flowing energy coiled over it like intricate patterns, pulsing with raw pressure.
Zane didn't hesitate.
He brought the hand down.
BOOM!
The crystal palm smashed into the ground with immense force, shattering on impact.
And now, imprinted on the compacted earth—was a massive handprint, dozens of meters across.
As for the Sacrificial Ghost, it and the remnants of the Ethereal were no longer three-dimensional.
They were now flat. Completely pancaked.
A wave of Ether energy surged into Zane's body—not from the environment, but from the Lamia Hollow beside him.
It was the very Ether that had formed the tornadoes.
All of it had been counted as belonging to the Sacrificial Ghost.
Zane instantly understood.
"So that's the plan. Rebuild your body first, then absorb all that scattered chaotic Ether to power yourself up?"
"If that worked, your strength probably would've returned to what it was before... What a shame."
He shook his head. Unlucky bastard, really—running into him, especially when he was on a tight schedule.
If he'd had time to spare, he might've been curious to see what kind of monstrosity this thing would've turned into.
Maybe it could've given him some fun in a fight.
But that would have to wait.
Zane turned to leave, sighing...
And then, from the edge of the pit, a voice called out.
He turned his head—and saw that pink-haired girl again, the one with pure white wings.