Ha—ha...
Ha—ha...
Black panted harshly, his face twisted in fury as he clutched his severed right arm—cut away by Hoshimi Miyabi. Flapping his wings with all his strength, he desperately fled.
Boom!
As he passed a teaching building, a corner of the structure abruptly crumbled for no discernible reason. A concrete slab weighing hundreds of pounds broke loose and plummeted directly toward Black's path of escape.
Tsk!
With a disdainful scoff, Black slashed upward with his only remaining arm.
Bang!
The slab split apart under his claw. His pupils contracted—because through the rain of fragments, Hoshimi Miyabi's solemn and focused face appeared before him.
He was stunned. That detestable aura—that damned ice fox—how could she be here, suspended tens of meters above ground?
Black clung to a pitiful sliver of hope.
This is a dream... right?
Clang!
Her blade left its sheath, carving straight across Black's chest.
[GAAAH!!!!]
He screamed, knocked from the sky like a falling meteor, crashing into the ground and gouging out a crater half a meter deep.
Whoosh—
Wrapped in drifting ice mist, Hoshimi Miyabi descended, the sharp edge of her blade aimed directly toward the pit Black had created.
But she soon frowned, her expression tense. Peering into the darkness inside the crater, she stepped forward lightly.
The closer she came, the clearer it was—and the more her unease grew.
Black had vanished.
"Gone?"
She whispered, brow furrowed.
Then—
As if sensing something, she sprang sideward, leaping back with explosive force.
A moment later, the asphalt beneath where she had stood burst apart as Black erupted upward.
His body was wreathed in swirling black fog, but the slashed chest and his left hand—both glowing faintly—remained visible. And in his left palm burned a flame so unnerving that even looking at it made the heart pound.
Nether Flames.
Miyabi's heart tightened in an instant. Recognizing the source, she raised her blade horizontally on reflex.
Clang!
The impact knocked her three meters away. She dug into the ground on landing, carving out a groove half a meter long.
Her gaze snapped to her blade—Nether Flames licked across its surface exactly as she expected.
Left alone, they'd eventually consume her hand.
But—
"Petty trick."
Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip. A burst of icy energy erupted—instantly freezing her entire blade into a massive block of crystal.
Even the domineering Nether Flames were sealed within, frozen into immobility like strokes in a painting.
Seeing this, Black turned to flee.
His wings unfurled—he readied himself to take to the skies again.
But—
Up above, a shadow cast over him perfectly.
Black raised his head.
Hoshimi Miyabi hung suspended overhead.
She had reached the sky before him.
Simply by jumping.
Black stared blankly as she alone eclipsed the sun.
Under the corona, hundreds of ice spears glittered. Light threaded between them—shimmering in seven distinct hues.
"Slash."
Clang—
With a cold command, Miyabi twisted her waist and swung down.
Instantly, the hundreds of suspended ice spears shot forth, raining downward after Black's fleeing silhouette and embedding themselves into the earth.
Run.
Run!
Hurry!
Faced with an attack like a heavenly calamity, Black didn't even consider resisting. He turned and bolted.
Just you wait—
Once I summon the other Ethereal, I'll have the strength to fight you!
Don't think you can run then, you damned ice fox— Pff!
His leg buckled beneath him. Black crashed heavily to the ground, rolling through dirt and stone. Pain shot through every inch of his body.
But what alarmed him wasn't the pain—it was the icicle jutting clean through his calf.
No staying here. Must run!
Ignoring the agony, he tried to crawl forward—
Then froze.
His shadow on the ground was shrinking.
Rapidly.
Something was descending.
BOOM!
Hoshimi Miyabi landed atop him, her heel crushing his spine.
A massive force slammed him into the ground. His attempt to rise was cut short—her weight pinned him instantly.
No.
I must live—live—!
Even pinned beneath her boot, Black thrashed desperately.
Why hadn't his Ethereal arrived yet?
What sin had he committed to be hunted like this?
He didn't know.
He only knew one thing:
He wanted to live.
[Gahh—ggh—!]
Shrieking, he dug his remaining arm into the concrete, scraping it raw. Ether Substance splattered as his fingers were ground down—some breaking off entirely—yet he ignored the pain, his eyes filled only with the instinct to survive.
"You really are tenacious. An Ethereal that doesn't obsess over corrosion, and only wants to live... that's rare."
Miyabi said coldly, then pressed down harder.
Black's half-lifted body smashed into the ground again, purple Ether mist exploding outward.
"Why, though? I'm curious... but forget it. Compiling Ethereals data is a pain. I'll just wait until Yanagi organizes it and listen to the conclusion."
Miyabi muttered to herself. Then she clasped her blade with both hands, raising it high.
"Eradication!"
Her blade plunged down, aimed straight for Black's skull.
Clang!
Black thrust up his wing to block.
[Hrrr—!!!]
He shrieked, trying to push her back by brute force.
Hm?
Miyabi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then her wrist twisted.
Using his own force against him, she redirected the wing—and in the same motion, dragged the blade upward.
Slice!
Black's left wing severed cleanly, flying skyward before dissolving into drifting Ether.
[AAAAHHH!!]
The agony sent him thrashing wildly.
"So noisy."
Her blade thrust down again—piercing the back of his neck and emerging from his mouth.
The screaming stopped instantly.
Still gripping the blade, Miyabi rotated her wrist. The vertical edge turned horizontal.
Black's body stiffened.
He knew what she was about to do.
If she dragged the blade sideways—
Half his head would separate from his neck.
His eyes suddenly hardened.
He had decided something.
Miyabi saw it.
She didn't hesitate—she began to pull.
Then—
In a split second, heat surged beneath her feet.
A scorching temperature so intense she instantly understood what Black intended.
She withdrew her blade immediately, retreating fifty meters in a flash before driving her sword into the ground.
BOOM!!!!
A massive explosion ripped through the hollow.
Every building shuddered violently.
Nether Flames erupted skyward like pillars, then burst into falling embers that ignited the ground below.
Even outside the hollow, the tremor was felt faintly.
No. 11's pupils constricted. He clutched his earpiece tightly.
[All squad leaders, report team status—now!]
[Repeating! All squad leaders, report!]
Ten seconds passed.
Silence.
No. 11's voice cracked as he shouted:
[First Squadron, First Team—report!]
[First Team! First Team, respond!]
[First Squadron, Second Team—report! Where is Second Team?]
[Third Team! Third Team—respond!]
Finally, No. 11 slammed his fist down, punching a hole clean through the table.
"Damn it! The signal's gone! What happened in there?!"
The reporter next to him flinched—
Her eyelid twitching violently.
Lady... this is live broadcast!
She spun toward the camera, forcing a smile and steadying her voice.
"Everyone, we've encountered a minor issue on-site. It's likely due to the overwhelming military advantage causing drastic fluctuations in Ether density."
"The electrical signals may have been disrupted by the sudden spike in Ether concentration, causing temporary equipment failure. We'll have it resolved shortly."
But... was that really the truth?
In front of the multimedia screen, Phaga closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, expression blank.
...
Doppelgänger Hollow.
A massive ice block exploded open. A pair of fluffy ears twitched first.
Hoshimi Miyabi stepped forward, stomping out a patch of Nether Flames.
"Only the shape—not true Nether Flames."
She looked ahead.
There, a pit at least ten meters deep yawned open.
And at the bottom—
A spatial fissure lay quietly beneath it.
"Tsk. Lucky."