Within the vast hollow, Zane silently watched the ever-contracting space as he hovered midair. His feet rested upon the void as though he were walking on a clear, glassy surface, with layers of ripples spreading outward to support him.
He felt a hint of confusion.
"Though the hollow is shrinking, the concentration of Ether energy within hasn't changed. It's as if it's vanished into thin air..."
Zane raised a hand, letting Ether energy flow through his fingers like a school of darting fish—fluid and alive.
"The energy doesn't seem to have disappeared."
With that thought, he began his investigation.
Drawing on spatial energy, he traced the Ether's movement and discovered its flow was directed into the countless, invisible spatial fissures scattered throughout the hollow. These rifts were densely packed, unseen to the naked eye, yet omnipresent.
And beyond those rifts, the distance to the large hollow wasn't particularly great.
"So I've been used by her again, as expected."
Zane sighed, a touch of helplessness in his tone. He still didn't know the exact purpose of this strange, massive hollow, but he already suspected it was tied to him. His presence here seemed to serve a specific purpose—and the flowing Ether energy was undoubtedly a part of that.
As the hollow continued to contract, Zane could feel its boundaries. Through them, his gaze locked onto the direction the Ether energy was flowing.
...
Some time later, Zane did not return to the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe's encampment. Instead, he followed the trail of the hollow's energy flow.
By now, the large hollow had completely vanished, though the disturbance hadn't ended.
"Traces of battle... and not long ago."
Zane glided through the air before descending calmly. His toes touched lightly down on the ruins of a crumbling skyscraper.
The damage caused by hollow corrosion and that caused by battle were distinct.
Scanning the surroundings, he searched for the source of the conflict. Moments later, movement caught his attention—a streak of white light shot toward him, trailing like a comet's tail.
Narrowing his eyes, Zane quickly discerned what it was: a creature, white from head to toe.
"Tyce?"
He spoke softly, a flicker of familiarity in his eyes. Though it looked somewhat different, the aura reminded him of the last time within the shifting hollow. His tone was more certain than questioning.
"But what's he fighting? Looks like he got knocked flying..."
His murmur faded just as the creature slammed into the building like a cannonball, tearing a massive hole through the structure.
Debris and dust scattered as the impact triggered a cascading collapse—floors crumbling one after another, the weakened frame unable to hold. Cracks spread through the exterior walls, threatening to bring the whole building down.
Zane felt the tremor beneath his feet and glanced down. His eyes flickered faintly as he lifted one foot and pressed it gently against the surface.
A surge of blue Ether flowed from his toes, quickly spreading downward to envelop the rooftop. Within seconds, the energy thickened, freezing the entire structure into a colossal tower of crystal ice.
The building, moments from collapse, was stabilized once again. Or rather, so long as Zane stood here, no force could destroy it.
He stood silently atop the frozen roof, cold mist rising around him. His gaze shifted from Tyce to a distant figure.
Raising an eyebrow, he smirked faintly.
"So it's me... My own clone, is it?"
"Tyce is fighting my clone... Just as that woman described—using a battle of wills to smooth things over, huh?"
Zane was admittedly surprised by the situation. The woman had told him the humans needed to act in such a way, but she'd never mentioned the method. He'd assumed he'd have to stage a defeat later, not realizing the plan was already in motion.
And that large hollow he'd wondered about—it must have been created for this.
He shook his head, half amused, half resigned. Humans could be quite clever. Judging from the energy the clone emitted, it might indeed stand a chance.
But only a chance.
Tyce's situation didn't look good.
Zane remained where he was, a detached observer. Both Tyce and the clone noticed him, but neither reacted.
To the clone, the only enemy was Tyce. And to Tyce, having Zane stay out of it was a blessing—things were hard enough as they were.
Under Zane's calm gaze, the battle continued.
With the large hollow gone, the clone's energy reserves were nearly depleted. Yet this final stage was the hardest for Tyce—facing destruction, even a mindless clone fought with wild ferocity.
Several times, Tyce nearly fell completely.
As the battle reached its peak, the clone gathered energy and unleashed a devastating beam that tore through everything in its path.
Tyce dodged swiftly, unwilling to meet it head-on. The beam veered off course—and by sheer coincidence, it streaked toward Zane atop the ice tower.
Zane didn't flinch. Raising a single hand, he waved it lightly against the beam.
In an instant, the immense energy twisted violently, as though its trajectory had been snapped in half. From the point of contact, it shot off in another direction.
BOOM!
A chain of explosions thundered across the cityscape, annihilating everything in their path—everything except the spot where Zane's hand had touched the beam.
As the light faded, the destructive force dispersed. The ice tower remained untouched, and Zane stood motionless, expression calm.
"Looks like you're struggling a bit..."
His gaze shifted to Tyce. Seeing his disheveled state, Zane sighed softly.
"Never mind. Let me lend you a hand."
"Besides... I'm curious about this replica."
His words drifted lazily as he stepped forward. At the building's edge, he didn't pause—he simply descended, landing lightly below.
A soft thud. His knees bent slightly, but the ground barely stirred—no dust, no tremor. Straightening, his eyes locked onto the clone.
Not far away, Tyce stood hunched and wary. He had been about to strike again but hesitated.
Zane ignored him entirely, not sparing him a glance as he approached his duplicate.
The clone noticed Zane's approach but did not attack. To it, Tyce was still the only target.
Seeing this, Zane raised his hand, forming an Ether longsword, and hurled it toward the clone.
Clang!
The blade embedded itself into the ground before the clone, humming with resonance—its ethereal crystal core vibrating faintly.
The difference lay in the strength of the crystals. Ordinary Ether weapons wouldn't react like this, but those reinforced by Zane carried unique properties.
Sensing his intent, the clone's lifeless gaze turned toward the sword. It stepped forward, crouched, and pulled it free from the ground before lifting its head to meet Zane's eyes.
Its hostility shifted completely—from Tyce to Zane.
It then raised its own hand, forming an Ether Longsword identical to Zane's, and hurled it back as if to "return" his gesture.
The blade struck the ground, its aura nearly indistinguishable from Zane's own creation.
Zane didn't react. He merely extended a hand, and as Ether currents surged, the sword trembled violently before tearing free of the ground, the hilt snapping neatly into his grasp.
He gave it a few casual spins, the blade singing as it caught the light. Threads of Ether rippled across the metal's flowing patterns.
"What... do you intend to do?"
Zane chuckled softly, eyeing his perfect copy with genuine interest.
The clone, devoid of thought, wasted no time. Before Zane's words had fully faded, it lunged forward in a blur.
A gray shadow flashed through the air faster than the eye could track. Only as it slowed did faint afterimages linger behind it.
The Ether longsword slashed across, its ferocity cutting through the air. Zane made no move to evade.
The blade struck him squarely—yet no blood appeared. Instead, a sharp metallic clang rang out, followed by an explosion of ice crystals.
The shards scattered like a blooming snow lotus, refracting prismatic light through the air in dazzling chaos.
And within that chaos, Zane's true form appeared behind the clone.
Just as he expected, the replica hadn't questioned the illusion crafted from ice energy. The frozen decoy might not have fooled a fighter like Tyce—but for a being that perceived through energy, not sight, mimicking his own signature was enough.
Facing such an opponent, Zane didn't need complex tactics.
Few enemies warranted that much thought anyway.
But unlike Tyce, who sought an exhilarating fight, Zane treated this as mere amusement.
Understanding his opponent was part of the fun.
His blade fell—not with great force, yet cleanly severing the clone's arm.
As the clone retreated, Zane barely acknowledged it, his eyes drawn instead to the severed limb.
"A pure energy construct... yet not Ether crystal. Some other substance, capable of impressive simulation."
He studied the disintegrating arm thoughtfully, already forming conclusions.
Mastering spatial power during the Dead End Hollow battle had taught him well—the enemy could always be a teacher.
And now, he was observing, absorbing what could be used—techniques, methods, any advantage.
As Qingyi once taught him, battle wasn't only for victory.
Growth through combat was a form of cultivation.
Without that mindset, no opponent held meaning. But if one could learn, then even "sparring" with the little black cat could yield insight—perhaps even in the form of a Nekomata's Meow Punch.
He shook his head, brushing aside the stray thought. Growth in battle didn't mean spacing out during it.
Because battle didn't pause.
In the mere two seconds Zane pondered, the clone's severed arm had already regenerated, and it launched another attack.
As its existence neared its end, its ferocity was unmatched. Ether surged violently, forming a massive crystal that came crashing down!
Zane shifted his weight, kicking out with one leg. The massive crystal shattered into glittering fragments—and from within the shards, the clone's sword-wielding form burst forth.
Unfazed, Zane used his spinning momentum to swing his other leg forward, striking again.
Boom!
Ether energy exploded outward as his kick collided with the barrier formed by the clone, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.