While Phaga confronted the squad leader, Rain kept her gaze fixed on him. At first she only felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't place who he was. It wasn't until Phaga said his name aloud to the squad leader that she suddenly understood.
When Phaga turned his head, Rain blurted, "You're Phaga?"
Phaga lifted a brow in surprise. "You know me?"
Rain nodded lightly. "You were on the news a while ago. I happened to see it."
Phaga realized what she meant.
It must have been back then, when a Hollow broke out at their school and everyone worked together to escape. Ruby's sharp leadership had only just begun to show, and though things should have gone smoothly, they still ended up facing disaster. Phaga and Ellen had been forced to fight the Dead End Butcher.
Looking back, that was the first time his life intersected with Ellen's. After that, countless events had tied them closer and closer together—until now, when they had already become the closest of family.
Phaga's eyes grew distant as his thoughts drifted into memory. The Dead End Butcher, the True Dead End Butcher, the car accident, the Sacrifice, Nineveh, Jane and the Mountain Lion Gang, the Black and White Dolls… Too many things had happened in such a short time that Phaga had once thought he and Ellen had known each other far longer.
Yet thinking back, it had actually only been a brief stretch of time. The evening breeze carried memories like dreams; the past could only be recalled in fragments.
"Hey, hey!"
Rain waved her hand in front of him. Phaga snapped out of his thoughts and looked down.
Seeing him return to normal, Rain crossed her arms. At some point she'd fished out a piece of gum from her bag, popped it into her mouth, and blown a bubble.
Pop!
The bubble burst.
Rain curled her tongue and drew the gum back into her mouth. "What were you thinking just now?"
"Nothing. Just some personal matters," Phaga said with a small shake of his head.
"Alright then..."
Since it was personal, Rain felt it wasn't her place to ask more, so she began to turn away.
But just as she moved, something abruptly came back to her. Her face tightened and she spun around, speaking urgently:
"You must've gotten my message and came to rescue me, right?"
"Forget about me for now! The rebels forced me to remotely change the airship's autopilot route—it's heading straight for this Hollow. They'll be here any minute. Once they get inside the Hollow..."
Rain pushed herself to speak despite running out of breath. "They'll all die!"
As soon as she finished, she gasped for air. She'd talked too fast and found herself short of breath. But a moment later, she regretted it—had she spoken so quickly that Phaga didn't understand?
She cautiously looked up, hoping to see confusion on Phaga's face—a delay that could buy a little time. Instead, Phaga's expression was full of calm confidence, as if nothing could faze him.
Rain hesitated. "Did you understand what I said?"
"One hundred percent understood, Miss Rain."
Phaga nodded. As he stood, his eyes shifted to the spot behind her.
Rain immediately sensed something and turned.
Sure enough, a tall and graceful Shark Girl stood there, a giant pair of shears resting on her shoulder. She tilted her head, the two beauty marks at the corner of her eye almost expressive on its own, and in her lazy voice said:
"Phaga, everyone's here. We're ready for the rooftop."
Among the group, only Phaga could sprint such long distances without draining his strength. And since the enemy this time was human, he hadn't used any real power at all. That was why he'd arrived ahead of the others, waiting for them to catch up.
"No problem."
Phaga answered and walked over.
Halfway there, he remembered he'd need Rain's help afterward. Without contact information, that would be a problem. He suddenly asked:
"Ellen, do you have the Victoria Housekeeping business card?"
"I do. Why?"
Ellen pulled out a Victoria Housekeeping card and handed it to him, looking confused.
Phaga didn't explain. He simply turned and passed the card to Rain.
"Miss Rain, we're from Victoria Housekeeping. After all this is over, would you be willing to visit our headquarters? We have a task that relies heavily on your help."
Rain hesitated, half believing and half doubting, as she took the card. Even with it in her hand, her suspicion didn't fade. She eyed Phaga warily.
Didn't she just escape the tiger's den only to step into the wolf's lair? At least the rebels actually kidnapped her. These people were basically asking her to walk into their van on her own!
Noticing her distrust, Phaga gave a small grin.
"Don't worry. We're acquaintances with Cunning Hares and Phaethon. We won't force you, and we'll never make you work for free. Victoria is never short on funds—I'm sure we can offer a price that satisfies you."
"And Miss Rain, you don't need to answer now. Please wait here for a moment. After we deal with the airship on the rooftop, we'll escort you out of the Hollow."
"No matter your decision, you'll be free."
With that, Phaga turned and left with Ellen.
As he said, the most important thing right now was stopping the airship from entering the Hollow. Everything else could wait.
...
Tap tap! Tap tap!
Footsteps echoed through the corridor as Phaga and Ellen sprinted around several corners. Finally, after rounding the last one, they saw Lycaon and the others waiting at the stairwell.
Eous looked back and waved from afar. "Phaga! Ellen! Hurry!"
Hearing her call, the two picked up speed without answering.
Within moments, they reached the group.
Phaga's chest rose and fell slightly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said quietly, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's not too late. We just arrived ourselves."
Lycaon checked his pocket watch. As long as nothing unexpected happened, they still had enough time. But relying purely on luck was unacceptable.
Victoria Housekeeping's professionalism allowed no room for risk. Until everything was resolved, anything could still change.
So Lycaon said firmly, "Let's hurry."
"Right."
They all answered together and followed him up the spiraling staircase.
One floor, two floors...
Before they realized it, they had climbed five.
Even the most luxurious staircase becomes boring after a while. With everything going smoothly so far, everyone's vigilance had eased without them noticing.
Lycaon sensed it instantly and shouted, "Stay alert—"
But before he could finish, sitting at the front, he saw a shadow fall from above the spiral staircase. It was vaguely cylindrical—like the leg of a doll.
Lycaon recalled an unpleasant memory and immediately shifted into combat readiness.
The others reacted as well, preparing for battle as they scanned their surroundings.
Suddenly, a girlish voice giggled from above:
[Hehe! Sharky, you stinky vampire—big sis is here to play!]
The shadow vanished. Lycaon's pupils shrank sharply as he heightened his guard.
The next moment, a spatial rift tore open in the middle of the group, startling Eous.
Eous clung to Lycaon's leg, trembling. "Creating a spatial rift out of thin air? How is that possible?"
[Nothing's impossible, little Bangboo.]
Slowly, two dolls floated out—one ornate, one black and white.
The ornate doll stayed silent, hugging the wall as if socially anxious.
The black-and-white one, as always, talked nonstop. It giggled:
[Hehe, you've gotten yourselves into big trouble! Those two Notoriety Ethereal were planning to pretend they didn't see you and let you go free.]
[But you just had to cause trouble and make our Gray Veil Marionette work for free.]
[I've been trying my best to speak up for you for Miss Shark's sake, but the Black Veil Marionette is only getting angrier. She insisted on an explanation.]
[What can I do? Orders are orders!]
The black-and-white doll's face twisted into a ferocious grin as it shouted:
[Exquisite Doll, do it!]
The Exquisite Doll's eyes lit up. She lifted her little hand and pointed forward.
In an instant, the entire staircase vanished—replaced by a massive spatial rift.
"Ellen!"
The attack was too sudden. Phaga only had time to grab Ellen beside him.
Rina did the same, managing to catch only the nearest person—Little Corin.
Lycaon and Eous, standing farther away, had no way to reach anyone. They could only watch the others fall.
Through the rift, they vanished into an unknown place.
"Lord Lycaon!"
Rina tried to act again, but it was too late. Lycaon held Eous tightly and plunged into the spatial rift.
[Oh! Two fliers in the group? Even I didn't expect that.]
The black-and-white doll sounded surprised, then waved it off confidently:
[Your comrade has already fallen. Aren't you going to join him?]
[If you don't, he'll have to face the Notoriety Ethereal alone with just a little Bangboo!]
[Really… not going?]
The doll's voice dripped with provocation.
"Tsk!"
Phaga gritted his teeth and looked toward Rina.
Rina didn't hesitate for even a second. She tossed Corin toward Phaga and dove headfirst into the spatial rift.
Phaga caught Corin and shouted, "Rina!"
"Miss Rina!" Corin's voice trembled, eyes brimming with tears.
But Rina had already disappeared into the rift. She could no longer hear them.
[Hehe, another one gone! Are the three of you really not going to follow?]
[Well, it works out fine. With those two helping Marionette vent, it doesn't matter if you go or not. Heh heh!]
The black-and-white doll swayed gleefully in midair, striking a victory pose.
"Tsk! I really want to punch that thing!"
Phaga shot it a glare, then said, "Ellen, Corin—hold on tight!"
Ellen and Corin nodded. "Right!"
Phaga drew in a deep breath, folded his wings, and let gravity pull him down.
Falling...