In the Companion Hollow where Anby and the others had been attacked—
Upon receiving the intel, Zhong Yan himself immediately transformed into Uchiha mode and rushed to the scene.
However, the battle had long since ended. All that remained were shattered ruins, clear signs that a conflict had erupted here.
"Belle's been taken too..."
Learning that the Phaethon siblings had also been ambushed and captured sent Zhong Yan's heart plunging into despair.
At the same time, it became painfully clear that the enemies they now faced were on an entirely different level.
Humans who could wield Ethereal abilities—such beings were utterly unheard of in New Eridu. No one knew how vast their organization might be, or how terrifying their power truly was.
Worse still, Zhong Yan knew nothing about them. The investigation had hit a deadlock.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. The priority was to determine Anby and the others' safety.
With that thought, Zhong Yan formed a hand seal with his index and middle fingers.
The next moment, clouds of smoke erupted—and twenty-nine shadow clones appeared, standing at attention for his command.
This was the maximum number of clones Zhong Yan could currently summon. Unlike in the original lore where only chakra was split, these clones directly divided his strength.
The more clones he summoned, the weaker his real body became, and the lower his chakra reserve fell.
Their strength and chakra were so limited that even activating a skeletal-form Susanoo would be difficult. And once dispelled, their energy loss would directly affect Zhong Yan's main body—leaving him utterly drained in an instant.
This was why he usually summoned only one clone at a time.
But right now, speed was everything. He had to use quantity to make up for efficiency.
"Search. Don't miss even the smallest trace."
At Zhong Yan's command, the twenty-nine shadow clones swiftly dispersed throughout the Hollow, combing every area for signs of Anby and the others.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yan's real body retreated into the Kamui space, waiting for useful intel from his clones.
...
At the same time, in another Hollow—
Anby, her breath weak, dragged her barely functioning body forward through a Hollow teeming with wandering Ethereals.
Not long ago, the Cunning Hares and Victoria Housekeeping had been ambushed by two mysterious individuals. Those two were terrifyingly powerful, capable of controlling the surrounding Ethereals—and they themselves wielded Ethereal powers.
Surrounded by overwhelming enemies, the teams quickly fell.
She didn't know the exact status of Victoria Housekeeping, but for the Cunning Hares, the result was two wounded, two escaped.
The two who got away were Nekomata—and herself.
Nekomata had fled early on, tasked with getting help from the Phaethon siblings on Sixth Street. Anby had managed to escape later, thanks to cover from Nicole and Billy, slipping through a spatial node to another Hollow.
She had no Carrot, no food, and no water. At this point, Anby was like a flickering candle in the wind, liable to be snuffed out at any moment by passing Ethereals.
And worse, there was always the risk of those people catching up.
With no choice left, she holed up in a long-abandoned building, finding a room that seemed untouched by wandering Ethereals. Slumping into a corner, she leaned against the wall and drifted into a deep sleep.
She didn't know if she would ever wake up again. Her consciousness grew fuzzier and fuzzier.
She didn't know how much time had passed when, in a daze, she heard voices outside the room.
"Senior Qing Yi, you're sure there's a life signal here?"
"Of course. Probably some Hollow Raider who bit off more than they could chew. Lucky them for running into us."
"Captain Zhu Yuan, it's this room—I think I smell blood."
"Wait, Seth, don't— I was just about to say don't break the door down so hastily!"
"Captain! Someone's hurt! It's the deputy safety officer who investigated the Mountain Lion Gang with us last time!"
"What— hurry! Someone get her to a hospital!"
Before she lost consciousness completely, the last thing Anby heard was someone calling out to her, telling her to hang on.
After that, everything went black.
...
While Anby was being rescued, elsewhere in the same companion Hollow where they'd been attacked—
"Ellen, how's your arm?"
After checking the surroundings and confirming no enemies were tailing them, Lycaon turned back to look at Ellen, who was curled in a corner.
A gaping wound ran down Ellen's right arm. Even after using shredded strips of cloth for a makeshift tourniquet, the bleeding had not fully stopped.
If this went on, Ellen would surely die from blood loss. She needed medical attention—fast.
But right now, they were being hunted by unknown enemies, forced to hide inside a deserted building.
Ethereals, too many to count, swarmed the area. All of them were under enemy control, actively searching for the survivors.
If any Ethereal spotted them, it would be over.
"I wonder how Corin and Rina are doing. Hopefully, they managed to escape." Ellen gritted her teeth through the pain in her arm, trying to sound calm.
She ignored Lycaon's concern, but only because she didn't want him to worry.
She had taken that injury while covering Corin and Rina's retreat. The two had left ahead of them; if all had gone well, they should be out of the Hollow by now.
But if they hadn't made it, then she and Lycaon might be stuck here for good.
"Let's just hope those bastards give up and leave once they can't find us. Otherwise, we're screwed." Understanding what Ellen meant, Lycaon sighed. Things had spiraled far beyond their expectations.
This enemy—they were far more terrifying than they'd imagined. Not even the Shadows of the Nin-Village would stand a chance.
Time passed in heavy silence as the two waited.
But as it dragged on, Ellen's condition worsened. From unbearable pain to a pale complexion, her body temperature had begun plummeting. It wouldn't be long before her life slipped away.
Lycaon didn't mind staying hidden here himself, but Ellen didn't have that luxury.
No matter what, he had to try getting her out.
With that resolve, Lycaon peeked through the window to assess the movements of the Ethereals outside. Their numbers seemed to have thinned.
It wasn't a great opportunity, but he had no other choice. Lifting Ellen onto his back, he took advantage of a nearby Bangboo and began heading for the nearest Hollow exit.
Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes had been watching in the dark for a long time. The moment the two emerged, the figure silently followed.
At the same time, one of Zhong Yan's shadow clones happened to arrive in the area.
His arrival meant one thing:
These reckless people—would finally pay for what they'd done.