Spatial ripples surged as a swirling vortex of chromatic black expanded.
"This way, guys!"
The fissure ripped open as the Cunning Hares burst out, though their enthusiasm was quickly cooled by the scenery-
Belle especially.
The visage of the streets that she used to walk haunted her; the concrete sidewalks she was so familiar with were gone, replaced by a complex mosaic of hulking craters.
Sucking in a deep breath, Belle tried to remain hopeful.
"His apartment should only be a couple of minutes away... C'mon."
Unfortunately, she couldn't hide the subtle tremor in her voice.
Feeling a note of sympathy, Nicole hugged Eous a little tighter to her chest, patting the bangboo on the back reassuringly.
"I'm sure he's fine, Proxy."
Anby and Billy wisely remained quiet, readying their weapons and positioning themselves protectively around Nicole and Belle.
For the Cunning Hares, the ensuing walk was fraught with silence, marred by the occasional worried glances at the bangboo in Nicole's arms.
It was an awkward situation for all.
Thankfully, though, a distraction soon came running at them like a freight train.
"Master, Ethereals ahead. Prepare for combat."
Anby clicked the side of her headphones, the smooth tones of her personal anthem ringing in her ears as she burst into motion.
"I'll draw its attention."
A large ethereal with hulking arms of prysmatic crystals charged forward, both arms raised as it lunged at the comparatively small girl.
"Switch!"
Anby deftly parried the blow with her blade before momentarily retreating a couple of paces, allowing a certain robot clad in red to slide underneath the belly of the ethereal and unload a few bullets.
The etheric beast roared in protest, but neither Billy nor Anby had any intention of halting their assault.
As Anby shot back into the fray, the Ethereal swung an arm wildly in her direction, its club-like arm tearing apart the air as it rapidly closed in on the white haired girl.
This time, however, instead of parrying the attack, Anby weaved underneath it, using the brief opening as a window to hack away at the Ethereal's legs.
Instinctively rotating away from the attack, the Etheric beast attempted to launch a counterattack at Anby, but before it could, it was stunned by a bullet aimed precisely at the core composing its head.
"Billy, cover me."
"On it!"
Reloading his twin pistols, Billy provided suppressive fire, pelting the Ethereal with bullets as Anby rushed in,
Using the crystal formations in the Ethereal's arm as footholds, Anby jumped onto the beast's back and stabbed her blade into the base of the Ethereal's spine.
The Etheric beast tried to resist, but every single time it raised its arms to swat the girl off its back, its arms were peppered with bullets.
Unempeded thanks to Billy's continuously timely assistance, Anby dragged the plunged blade of her sword from the base of the Ethereal's spine through its head, bisecting the Core along the way.
The visceral sounds of grinding metal and disembodied screaming filled the air as the Etheric beast met its untimely end at the hands of the Cunning Hares.
Unfortunately, they weren't given much time to celebrate this victory.
"Master, I've detected a large group of Ethereals rapidly approaching your location. Please exercise caution."
As Anby checked her blade for any damage and Billy reloaded his guns, Belle called out from Nicole's arms.
"More Ethereals are coming this way! Get ready, guys!"
Belle escaped Nicole's embrace, allowing the pink-haired girl to run to aid her team members in the fight to come.
The Cunning Hares readied their weapons as Belle sought out cover among the rubble.
"Proxy! How much farther is the Apartment complex?"
"About 100 yards."
Multiple chromatic black spheres came into view as a crowd of Ethereals flooded the street, their movements tainted with an instinctual frenzy.
The barrel of a bona fide cannon revealed itself as Nicole steadied her briefcase, a microscopic trace of hesitation in her expression.
Usually quite stingy with her ammunition, the leader of the Cunning Hares had no choice but to cut loose a bit for this job.
"Billy, I'll gather while you whittle them down! Anby, protect the Proxy and take care of any stragglers that we miss!"
"Ok."
"Roger that!"
Resting her hand on the trigger, Nicole's expression soured as she mentally prepared herself to unload a couple thousand Dennies worth of Etheric ammunition.
But-
"Master, I'd advise that you stay where you are and brace yourself. A massive bombardment is coming your way."
Belle's eyes nearly shot out of their sockets as she peered up and witnessed the shower of orange meteors crossing the sky.
A subtle, fiery glow lit up the Hollow, unconsciously drawing the attention of the combat-ready Cunning Hares.
"FALL BACK!!!!"
Nicole, Billy, and Anby scrambled back to Belle's hiding spot and ducked underneath some of the rubble just in time.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Orange streaks rained from the sky like droplets of destruction, painting the Ethereals with hues of utter desecration.
The harmonic song of explosion and agony deafened Belle and the Cunning Hares as they cowered behind their concrete cover, the thunderous noise so loud that they had no time to attempt to form thoughts.
Lasting for a full 10 seconds, the attack left absolutely no margin for survival, a testament to the utter lack of mercy given to the poor Ethereals.
By the time the storm of destruction had subsided, the already ruined street had been forced to undergo another makeover, going from a sparsely populated ruin to a poor recreation of the moon's surface.
"cough cough cough..."
Anby and Billy pushed off the curtain of concrete that served as their shield, allowing the Cunning Hares and Belle to fully grasp the extent of this rather unexpected teraforming.
Nicole waved her hand in a futile attempt to clear some of the dust surrounding them.
"Proxy, do you think that was the HIA?"
"I... The HIA doesn't have access to weapons like this... Or at least, they shouldn't. Regardless, I don't think this is the work of any government-funded organization."
"Could it be the work of some Hollow Raiders?"
Belle frowned.
"It's possible, but pretty unlikely. The average Hollow raider wouldn't have access to weapon tech this advanced... Or destructive."
As the Cunning Hares began to survey the area, Belle took the opportunity to consult her resident super AI.
"Fairy, what the hell was that??"
"According to my data, the bombardment was composed of unstable etheric matter mixed with some sort of fire attribute."
"Do you know who did it?"
"No."
Belle couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Hah~ Do you know where it came from at least?"
"The source of the bombardment is 112 yards north of your current position, Master."
"That... Are you sure?"
"Master, I'd advise against doubting an AI of my caliber."
A slightly bothered look bled onto Belle's features as she reconnected with the HDD and resynced with Eous.
"Uhm, guys?"
The Cunning Hares, who had finished reorienting themselves, looked at Eous.
"Yeah, Proxy?"
"The... attack. It came from over there."
With Eous's stubby arm, Belle gestured north.
"Wait, isn't that where we're going?"
Scratching her head awkwardly, Belle nodded.
Nicole sighed.
"Then let's hurry. Anby, Billy, let's go."
________________________________________________
(A/N: My keyboard broke :(