As Zane walked away, the ice crystals binding Seth slowly cracked and dissolved. Qingyi glanced at Seth's frustrated expression and sighed helplessly.
She walked over, picked up his shield-sword—more accurately, hefted it into her arms—and approached him as she spoke.
"He's not a bad guy. Why are you being so stubborn? Now look what happened—lost your badge and your weapon."
"Your gear's damaged. Once this gets reported, it's going to bump up the mission costs. The budget for the Criminal Investigation Special Task Force is probably getting cut next month…"
Seth took his shield back with a sullen expression. He understood, but he still couldn't accept it. That badge meant a lot to him—and now it had been taken by an Ethereal.
And he still had no idea why that Ethereal took it.
"Forget it. Honestly, I think you have a better shot at defeating Hoshimi Miyabi and becoming the next Void Hunter than taking anything back from him."
Qingyi's tone was light and senior-like—a gentle reminder, but not without a bit of sarcasm.
"You mean Miyabi-senpai? What was that thing just now? How could it be that powerful?"
Hearing this, Seth finally began to grasp how strong Zane really was. He hadn't met Hoshimi Miyabi in person, but back in school, she was the stuff of legend.
And with someone like her as a benchmark...
Seth looked off in the direction Zane had gone, his ears twitching slightly. Come to think of it, what Zane had said earlier might've actually been… humble.
"If you're curious, you can look into the 'Fire Pickers' when we're back at the Bureau."
"But right now, we've got a job to do."
The situation was clear now. It was the Fire Picker who attacked the Ethereal suspected to be the Dead End Butcher inside the Hollow. Seth hadn't seen clearly, but Qingyi had caught enough of it on camera.
Seth nodded, his expression turning serious.
"Right—we need to rescue the civilians!"
...
Leaving the ruins, the group headed toward Canvas Lane—only to bump into the members of Hare's House, who were rushing over to check the situation.
"You're from Hare's House, right?"
Before Nicole could even react to the sight of the security officers, Qingyi had already spoken up, recognizing the three of them immediately. She'd seen their files before, so she naturally knew who they were.
She was a little surprised to find them here, but there were more urgent things to deal with.
"No time for pleasantries. I'm Qingyi from the Public Security Bureau. This is Seth."
After a brief introduction, she continued.
"We've already been briefed on the situation by Zane. Please take us to Canvas Lane so we can assist the residents."
"Also—where is Zane?"
Nicole blinked, caught off guard. So Zane had been the one to send backup... but something wasn't adding up.
Billy had mentioned seeing Zane talking to someone earlier, and Qingyi had come from that direction. So the people Zane spoke with had to be them.
Then why were they asking her where he was?
Just as she opened her mouth to respond, she felt a poke at her waist—Anby's signal. Nicole immediately caught on. These folks probably didn't know Zane's true identity.
"Ah, Zane…"
She hesitated, her mind blank. No good excuses came to mind.
Qingyi's concern made it obvious—she definitely wanted to see him.
Too risky to slip up now.
Eous stood quietly to the side, "supporting" Panta. He had a solid excuse if needed, but he couldn't speak right now.
Belle didn't know how Qingyi knew about Hare's House, but she seemed friendly enough. Still, the officers' stance toward "Phaethon" was unclear, and she wasn't about to gamble on that.
Silence was safer.
"Zane said he had something to take care of, so we split up. We don't know where he is now."
Anby smoothly picked up the slack, putting the focus back on Zane—which was the safest move.
"That guy… he just went off on his own? The Dead End Hollow is a mess right now. Does he not care about his own safety?!"
Qingyi frowned, her thoughts spiraling—Vision Industries, the explosion, Canvas Lane's civilians, the Dead End Butcher, the Bureau, tomb raiders, Fire Pickers…
The Hollow was on the verge of complete chaos. At this point, anything could happen.
And Zane still chose to act alone?
No. When this is over, he's getting a proper scolding.
...
While Qingyi, Nicole, and Anby were discussing the situation, Billy and Seth were deep in conversation on the side.
"I didn't think you cared that much about the residents of Canvas Lane! You're a real hero, just like the Starlight Knight. The way you operate… it's spot on."
"Wait—don't tell me you're a fan of the Starlight Knights too?!"
Billy pointed at Seth, eyes wide with excitement.
"Hahaha, of course! As a security officer, justice and courage are essential!"
"...But uh, what's Starlight Knight?"
Seth stood with his hands on his hips, tail swaying proudly, clearly pleased by the recognition. But hearing that last bit, Billy deflated instantly.
"What?! You don't know about Starlight Knight?!"
"He was top three in last month's character popularity poll! No way—once we're out of here, I have to show you the whole series."
"With your personality, you're destined to be a Starlight Knight fan!"
Seth didn't rain on Billy's enthusiasm—in fact, he matched it with his own energy. Anby could practically see the joy radiating off Billy's face.
...
"Let's head to Canvas Lane."
Hearing Qingyi's words, Nicole nodded without objection.
Their mission wasn't technically complete yet—the Dead End Hollow hadn't contracted—but heading back to Canvas Lane was fine.
Nicole knew why Zane was hunting Ethereals.
Which also meant she knew: even if that thing was still alive, the Dead End Butcher didn't have long.
It would die. Could be any second now.
Because of Zane, the train carrying the Ether explosives hadn't derailed—it could still be used.
So, the group boarded the train and set off for Canvas Lane.
Of course, they left behind the carriage loaded with Ether explosives. Way too dangerous.
Eous, Billy, and some of the security officers stayed behind to handle the high-concentration Ether materials.
...
"Dead End Butcher…"
Zane crouched beside the massive creature lying limp on the ground, showing no signs of life.
Without hesitation, he reached into its shattered chest.
His fingers wrapped around a brilliant, radiant "core."
Then, he pulled—hard.
In an instant, a torrent of Ether energy burst forth, engulfing Zane in a dazzling sea of colors.
Suddenly, a vortex appeared. All the Ether energy rushed toward its center, shrinking the glowing sea.
Moments later, the final wisps of energy vanished into the swirling void—leaving Zane standing alone, fully revealed once more.
...