Far from the battlefield, in the ruins of a collapsed building, several Hollow Security officers in uniform lay slumped on the ground.
That massive black shadow had just flown right past them!
They had only detected abnormal Ether activity on their way through the Hollow to Canvas Lane and followed their superior to investigate—how did it turn into this?
"Senior, what exactly is going on?"
"Are the people we're looking for really here?"
Seth raised his shield, eyes scanning warily as he questioned Qingyi.
Commander Zhuyuan was leading the operation outside the Hollow, while he and Senior Qingyi had entered to search for civilians and any resisting forces. But the moment they sensed intense combat nearby, they rushed to check it out.
Before they could make sense of the situation, some unidentified object blasted through a building and shot past them. All he managed to see was a dark blur.
"I'm not sure. But since we ran into it on the way to Canvas Lane, we can't just ignore it."
A disturbance this intense wasn't something that happened under normal circumstances.
Qingyi shook his head and was about to lean forward for a look when the sound of steady footsteps echoed through the rubble.
The footsteps were approaching.
"On alert!"
Qingyi gripped his staff and took a battle stance. The officers on the ground scrambled to their feet and raised their guns.
But when the figure came into view, Qingyi froze in surprise.
A tall figure. A familiar face. And an overwhelming presence that made one tense up without realizing.
The Fire Picker?
They had actually run into him here?
Seth, oblivious to Qingyi's reaction and unaware of Zane's existence, instinctively bared his teeth the moment Zane appeared. In his mind, Zane was just a strange-looking Ethereal.
His instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, Seth jammed his baton into the shield and converted it into greatsword form. Electric energy surged as he charged straight at Zane.
An Ethereal was an enemy—he had to be eliminated!
"Seth! Wait!"
Qingyi snapped out of it and was about to greet the Fire Walker—after all, he had treated her quite kindly before. But before she could even speak, she saw Seth's silhouette dash past out of the corner of her eye.
Too late.
Clang!
Electric energy scattered as the shield-greatsword slammed into Zane's shoulder.
Even with the full force of the strike, and with electric power surging through it, the massive weapon felt like it had struck the hardest substance imaginable. The impact sent a jolt through Seth's hands, but Zane didn't so much as flinch.
"H-How is that possible?!"
Seth was stunned. Never in his life had he imagined something could take his strongest attack head-on, completely undefended, and emerge unscathed.
Yet here it was.
Zane had originally just wanted to see how Qingyi would react to his current form—after all, they hadn't seen each other since he changed.
What he didn't expect was some reckless rookie charging at him with a sword.
He shifted his gaze and tilted his head slightly, looking at Seth.
"Little lynx… in terms of sheer courage, you've already surpassed most people. If all enemies were like you, things would be a lot more fun."
He raised one hand, grasped the greatsword lightly, and moved it aside.
With terrifying ease, the shield and sword warped slightly under his grip. Seth, even with both hands on the weapon, couldn't resist at all.
Clang.
The weapon was flung from his hands and crashed into the corner. The electric charge vanished as the energy lost its conduit.
Seth couldn't tell if Zane's words were meant as praise or mockery, but the nickname "little lynx" definitely carried a teasing tone.
Still, that wasn't the most shocking part. Seth stared wide-eyed at Zane.
An Ethereal… that could talk?!
He'd been preparing for the Criminal Investigations Task Force exam, and with Qingyi and Zhuyuan's investigation of Zane being kept under wraps, Seth had absolutely no idea what he was dealing with.
"Prepare to fire…"
Behind Qingyi, over a dozen officers raised their weapons—but he lifted his hand to stop them.
After all, it was the Bureau who had attacked first. Escalating the situation now would be a nightmare to clean up.
In the worst-case scenario, they might not even make it out alive.
The situation was unclear, but as a respected senior officer, Qingyi's word held weight. No one fired.
Seth, now facing Zane directly, had already realized how powerful the opponent was. Just as he tried to retreat—
He couldn't move.
A creeping cold spread over his body.
Looking down, he saw crystals of ice encasing his legs. He tried to break free, but the ice was tougher than he expected. He couldn't move an inch.
Zane stood before him and slowly extended his hand.
Under the gloomy sky, Zane's arm shimmered with a dark-gold metallic glow. Wisps of Ether energy flowed around it—dangerous and lethal.
"H-He's my colleague," Qingyi stammered, seeing that Zane might attack. "He's just… impulsive. He meant no offense. Please, don't take it personally…"
She had no idea how to handle this.
They couldn't possibly win a fight. And besides, he had saved her life once. Even if her life wasn't worth much, a favor was still a favor.
Seth was about to argue—this guy was clearly a threat and needed to be taken out!
He'd seen enough movies where hybrid Ethereals went on to destroy New Eridu or something. Threats had to be eliminated early!
But just as he opened his mouth, Qingyi shot him a glare.
"Shut up."
I save you, and you want to get us all killed?
"Relax, little guy."
"If I wanted to kill him, he wouldn't even get the chance to move."
Calling her "Master" in human form and "little guy" in Ethereal form... amusing, in its own way.
Zane chuckled softly. He curled a finger and plucked a badge from Seth's shoulder—a brilliant gold emblem shaped like the sun.
"Wait, that's—"
Seth's pupils contracted. He tried to stop him, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was watch as Zane pocketed the badge.
"The second one."
Clink.
The badge flipped into the air, spun a few times, and landed back in Zane's hand. He closed his fist around it.
"I'll be keeping this."
With that, he paid the group no further attention and turned toward the Dead End Butcher.
Judging by its condition, it was near death—but not quite there yet. Best to finish the job.
He was already looking forward to claiming his second Hollow.