As the space was torn apart, most of the Special Ethereal's body was crushed. The exposed void swallowed both it and Zane in an instant.
The engulfment was swift—Zane and the Special Ethereal vanished almost immediately, dragged into the void. At the same time, the distorted light sphere Zane had created plummeted inside as well, hastening the repair of the fractured space.
Within seconds, both Zane and the Special Ethereal were gone. The shattered space was already restored, looking pristine and undisturbed, as though nothing had ever happened.
From a distance, the members of Section 6 had witnessed the entire process. Staring at the empty air before them, they couldn't help but feel bewildered.
Wait—where did they go?
How could they just vanish in the blink of an eye?
"Section Chief, it looks like both of them are gone, but the hollow is still moving."
Tsukishiro Yanagi withdrew her gaze, her expression darkening. The events had unfolded too quickly—she still hadn't processed what had happened. From the moment they'd arrived to the moment those two vanished, barely any time had passed at all.
Although she had some suspicions about the fire picker's identity, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Truth be told, she didn't know much about Zane.
And this wasn't just any hollow—it was a moving hollow. Aside from the fire picker, no hollow had ever moved before. They only ever expanded or contracted.
Yanagi turned to Hoshimi Miyabi, hoping to confirm her thoughts while hearing her judgment.
"The situation isn't clear. There are no other enemies inside, and there's nothing more we can do for now. We wait."
Hoshimi Miyabi's voice was calm. If more Ethereal had appeared within the hollow, Section 6 could have entered to clear them out. But in its current state, the hollow only produced weak spawn—mere fodder that the Defense Force could easily handle.
There was no need for Section 6 to intervene.
Her words settled, but her eyes lingered on the place where Zane had vanished. For just a moment, a strange light flickered across them.
Perhaps...
The real reason she had come wasn't to follow orders from above—orders she had, in fact, requested herself.
She had come because she knew Zane would be here.
That was why she had taken this chance to break from her original assignment. There were things she needed to confirm...
She blinked, pulling her gaze back.
Never mind. I'll think about it once this is over.
Shaking her head, Miyabi pushed aside her wandering thoughts and began leading Section 6 to scout the surrounding area.
Though she had said they should wait and observe, it was better to check just in case. If something unexpected happened, it could spell disaster—for both her and the citizens of the Janus District.
A moving hollow and Zane appearing together—Miyabi didn't believe for a second this was just a random eruption. There had to be more behind it.
...
Meanwhile, in the void, Zane continued his clash with the Special Ethereal.
But after the earlier blow from the light sphere, the creature was grievously wounded and nearly defenseless, barely able to fight back.
With every exchange, its body flaked away, shards peeling off until a pale face was revealed beneath.
Those deep, piercing eyes were the same as before.
Zane's fist crashed into the Ethereal, sending it flying. He didn't let up, surging after it.
Normally, spatial movement relied on overlapping coordinates through the void, like wormholes. Such methods didn't work here. But Zane's speed was more than enough.
His afterimage faded, and in an instant he was behind the Special Ethereal. Energy gathered in his palm and came crashing down.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave burst outward, scattering countless crystals. As the man tumbled back and steadied himself, Zane lowered his hand.
"What exactly are you trying to do..."
Floating still in the void, Zane's eyes locked onto the Special Ethereal, who now remained motionless, only staring back.
His words drifted softly, carried by Ether through the void, reaching the man's ears.
The Special Ethereal said nothing. Crystalline fragments cracked and fell from his body, scattering into the endless void before fading away.
Then, at last, a voice rose.
"Fire Picker..."
The man fixed his eyes on Zane, slowly straightening before speaking in a low tone. His words cut off abruptly, replaced by a faint smile.
He shook his head.
"The Creator will descend. When that time comes, no one will be spared."
"We will meet again... soon."
His body drifted backward, his gaze still fixed on Zane, expression caught between lament and relief.
Zane frowned slightly. He had already pieced something together, but it still needed confirmation.
A hollow appeared—the same small black sphere Zane had noticed before. It quickly wrapped around the man, preparing to carry him away.
Zane raised his hand, summoning a hollow to intercept. But just then, several hollows abruptly froze in place.
Only for an instant. He shattered the force with ease, but that was enough—the man's escape was already assured.
Or perhaps Zane had only been testing him all along, never truly intent on keeping him here...
A flash of crimson flared in the man's black eyes. Their gazes met as he vanished, carried away by the hollow.
Zane's face remained calm, but his eyes glimmered faintly, betraying a trace of meaning.
"So, we will meet again..."
"Tsk..."
A small smile crossed his lips. Remembering the man's face, Zane murmured softly,
"Tyce... Good thing I came across his profile during that investigation."
Before the banquet incident, he had used Shin and Phaethon's help to gather information on many figures. Tyce, with his prominent status, had naturally been included.
But that had only been surface details.
The rest had come from the materials he and Victoria Housekeeping had retrieved from the tower...
"The White Star Institute... and the Exaltist Order. New Eridu is full of hidden undercurrents. Just what is Shin really planning..."
Zane had mostly put the picture together. Today's incident had been a setup meant to draw him here. He had fought Tyce, and the mastermind was obvious. But the true objective still eluded him.
"The Creator..."
Zane recalled Tyce's words. The "Creator" he spoke of must be that entity. Was their plan to summon it to the surface?
Madness.
And what role was he supposed to play in this? A trigger? A lure?
After a brief moment of thought, the glow around Zane faded, revealing his true form. His eyes flickered, then he turned and exited the void, emerging back within the hollow.
The man may have vanished, but the hollow continued to move.
By the time Zane appeared, Hoshimi Miyabi was already waiting nearby.
"How did it go?"
She asked softly, her gaze locking on him the moment he appeared.
As she finished speaking, Zane glanced at her. Their eyes met, and for some reason, Hoshimi Miyabi instinctively looked away before adding,
"Yanagi and the others are assisting the Defense Force. I'm the only one here now, so there's no need to worry about my identity being exposed."
Hoshimi Miyabi assumed Zane was concerned about her identity, so she explained. But Zane only shook his head.
"I'm not worried about that."
"As for the result... After I entered the void with him, he turned back into a human and left."
"Human?!"
Hoshimi Miyabi frowned, visibly startled.
"Surely you expected this—humans transforming into Ethereal..."
Zane spoke softly. He didn't reveal Tyce's name. He already had a solid idea of the truth, and keeping it to himself was best. No need to stir up trouble.
Besides, as an official operative and a Void Hunter, Miyabi should already have some knowledge of this, right?
"No, no. Humans voluntarily transforming into Ethereal is indeed part of our mission—those hidden within New Eridu. But what matters now is that a human could actually revert back."
She wasn't ignorant of the hidden truths, but this was different. An Ethereal turning back into a human...
After a brief silence, Hoshimi Miyabi looked at Zane again.
"This isn't the same as your case."
Zane waved dismissively, unwilling to linger on the subject. He didn't know everything—there were too many unknowns in the world for him to pretend otherwise.
"What do you intend to do about this hollow?"
"If there's no other way, I'll take it."
Zane looked toward the distant ether storm before addressing Miyabi.
Had she used him? Was this unclaimed hollow meant to be his payment?
Of course, it might just be something no one could take.
"You..."
Miyabi studied him for a long moment, then nodded softly.
"Then we'll meet at the video store."
Feeling the need to avoid suspicion, she turned and left immediately. Zane raised an eyebrow but didn't stop her.
"Meet at the video store"? Did she still have more to say?
Shaking his head, Zane lifted his hand. A surge of Ether energy flowed toward him. With his movement, the hollow froze, halting in place.
It was already close to Fourteenth Street. If Zane had arrived any later, it would have swallowed the video store and the Tanuki House.
Over time, the hollow began to shrink. Zane could feel it clearly.
Now, subduing a hollow wasn't complicated—it simply depended on whether he could endure it.
Yet as more and more Ether poured in, Zane frowned. He glanced around, then turned and walked away.
The hollow, now reduced in size, slipped into the void with him.
...
Moments later, in a narrow alley, Zane summoned the shrunken mobile hollow from the void. His brows remained furrowed.
On the surface of the black sphere, a distorted face flickered faintly—sometimes human, sometimes beast, sometimes demonic. It was unsettling enough to chill the spine.
"What the hell is this?"
Zane could feel some degree of control over it, but not much. He wasn't sure how to handle it.
Before he could decide, a hoarse roar echoed out. The twisted face dissolved into smoke, followed by the sharp crack of something breaking.
The hollow shattered. Fragments slipped through his fingers like shards of black glass. For a moment, Zane just stared.
Then the realization hit him.
"An incomplete hollow?"
It was unfinished?
"Lacking a core... That's it. When I subdued the others, I replaced their original cores. But this one—the core escaped."
"It might never have had one at all."
Zane didn't care much about the hollow breaking. He'd been on the fence about taking more anyway, with Hollow Zero still ahead of him.
And this hollow had been left behind by that man. His suspicions were strong, but they were only suspicions. Caution was always wise.
As the last fragments faded, Zane left the alley and headed toward the video store.
He wasn't sure what Hoshimi Miyabi wanted with him—but he'd find out soon enough.
...
Some time later, Zane returned to the video store. Eous was already back, and Hoshimi Miyabi was waiting in the adjacent room.
Miyabi's sudden appearance as a Void Hunter put Tetsu, Wise, and Belle on edge. Though they'd cooperated before, this was their first time meeting her in person.
And she seemed to already know their true identities...
"Zane, you're here."
As he pushed open the door, Miyabi lifted her head from the sofa, her voice quiet, her gaze shadowed with something unreadable.
"What is it? Speak."
Zane's eyes narrowed with curiosity as he looked at her. Belle, sitting nearby, spun her chair around to watch.
Should she step out?
But since neither of them said anything, she stayed. Curiosity was too strong to resist.
"I want your help."
Miyabi's tone was serious. The request took Zane by surprise.
"My help? From a Void Hunter? What could you possibly need me for?"
"Could it be Hollow Zero?"
It was the only possibility that came to mind.
Miyabi shook her head. She laid her sword across her lap. A faint blue glow shimmered from her blade, coalescing into a spirit that floated silently at her side.
"It's weak. I want you to help restore it."
Belle's eyes widened as she studied the spirit. Though she'd seen it before, seeing it up close now was still remarkable.
"Restore? How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, puzzled. He'd never dealt with this sort of thing before. Regarding Miyabi's strange blade and its unique spirit, he barely had the faintest understanding.
"You don't know?"
Miyabi raised her eyes to meet his, steady and searching. Her ears flicked, subtle but telling..
Listening to her, Zane felt there was something hidden in her words. He just couldn't quite grasp it. A trace of confusion flickered across his face.