In the sky, flame-spewing mechs descended one after another. Their weapons hadn't locked onto the group, but the atmosphere was already tense.
The voice fell quietly into Zane's ears. He glanced at the small camera, no larger than a baby's fist, hanging from a broken streetlamp nearby, then looked away.
That must be what Trigger and Wise mentioned earlier. No one would go out of their way to install a camera in a place like this otherwise.
Zane had just noticed the camera move. It must be under their control—using it to coordinate the "eyes" in the area. Clever.
As for the reason behind this caution, the answer was self-evident.
"We're not your friends."
Zane shook his head without courtesy. The scholar didn't seem to mind. As the two sides closed the distance, he spoke up.
"The team sent to test the new ability and retrieve the samples disappeared. Then Yano vanished. After that, we sent another unit to seize the samples directly…"
"That's not all. Even the base we split from recently has gone completely silent."
"I'm curious—was all of this your doing?"
The scholar's gaze swept over them. When Zane stepped forward, the members of Victoria Housekeeping silently aligned with him.
Lycaon narrowed his eyes, ready to strike at any moment, though he found the scholar's words curious and confusing.
None of those incidents had anything to do with Victoria Housekeeping. Could Zane and his companions really be behind it all?
Zane didn't deny it—he gave a faint nod. The scholar noticed and smiled oddly.
"Haha, so you really are that capable. Impressive, making it this far…"
The glare off his glasses reflected a strange white light, concealing his expression.
Composing himself, the scholar continued, "Making enemies isn't wise. Maybe there's been a misunderstanding between us? Perhaps if we talk it out… we can resolve it?"
A slight smile played on his lips—half sincere, half fake. It was impossible to tell whether he was genuine.
"Release them!"
Ellen lowered her shark scissors and stared coldly at the scholar.
"So you came here for these people? Seems like a waste. They're not worth much, but…"
Whoosh—a black shadow laced with blue light flew in. Though the distance wasn't close, the rebel squads quickly reacted, forming layers of defense.
Bang! Several rebels were blasted away. The shark scissors struck the ground, and Ellen dashed forward, grabbing her weapon in a flash.
In the next second, chaos broke out among the rebel teams. Ellen charged in like a tiger among sheep, weaving through them effortlessly.
Within moments, she cleared the nearby enemies and lunged at the scholar—long legs powerful, her form ghostlike!
"Tsk… This one's tricky…"
The scholar adjusted his glasses, watching Ellen close in. He could feel the chill from her approach.
He retreated quickly, looking a bit disheveled, and ordered the rebels to close ranks to block her path.
More mechs joined the assault, gunfire roaring. Ellen was forced to halt—no matter how strong she was, she was still flesh and blood.
The mechs fired without regard for allies. Their overwhelming firepower pushed Ellen onto the backfoot, restricting her movement and making defense difficult.
Just then, a flash of cold light—one mech dropped straight down. Lycaon rose, crushing the damaged mech beneath his foot, glancing toward Ellen.
At the same time, Rina and Corin arrived, opening a path for Ellen to retreat under Lycaon's cover.
The scholar remained composed, despite the near miss. He looked at Zane with a puzzled expression.
"These people are strong, but not enough. Certainly not enough to take down Yano.
Anyone strong enough to do that wouldn't have been stopped by that earlier defense line."
"In other words, you're the strongest."
That was his conclusion.
"But I don't get it. Why haven't you moved?"
"That girl just now…"
A manic grin spread across the scholar's face. He opened his arms wide and shouted, "She nearly killed me!"
Then, as if nothing had happened, he calmed down and lowered his arms. Raising one hand toward Zane, he shook his head.
"But it's a shame. Even if you want to act now, it's already too late."
"Because… it's back."
A smile curved his lips. Overhead, a rift suddenly split open. Two pale hands reached through—then ripped the space apart.
Out stepped a three-meter-tall, ghostly white figure etched with glowing blue lines, hovering in midair.
Its form was feminine, but faceless. A halo floated above its head, crystals orbiting slowly.
A pair of pale bone wings unfurled from its back. With its arrival, the scholar shed his disguise completely.
Looking at Zane with curiosity, he asked, "Didn't you notice Anomaly?"
"That first time we captured a Sacrifice—it was thanks to her that we could breach the rift. Just locating her took quite a bit of effort…"
He glanced at Anomaly. Her halo pulsed, its glow fixed on Zane. The scholar smiled faintly.
"She seems familiar with you."
Zane's gaze landed on Anomaly. His expression finally changed—just a raised eyebrow.
"You stalled for all this? Wasted enough of my time…"
He shook his head, disappointed. After assessing the situation, he had no further concerns, which was why he humored the scholar out of curiosity.
The result? Not worth it.
Meanwhile, Victoria Housekeeping's members looked at the creature with mixed expressions.
Lycaon's gaze deepened.
A special kind of Ethereal?
Why had he never seen one before?
"You seem to care a lot about these people… But honestly, they're worthless now."
"The experiment is over. Their only remaining use is for redundancy in some follow-up corrections."
The scholar shook his head, then turned to Zane.
"So, I think I can get something more valuable from you."
"Starting with you—the strongest one who hasn't even made a move…"
A twisted smile appeared on his face. At his command, the rebels aimed their guns at the civilians. Anomaly floated above them.
She spread her arms, and a shimmering halo descended.
Crystals drifted like snow—but they radiated deadly intent. With just a thought…
"Want to be a hero?"
"Haha, just admit you're wrong first. Everything else can wait... Otherwise, I'll kill them all."
The scholar didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing. To him, the end justified any means.
"Heh…"
Zane gave a faint smile and walked toward the scholar. His pace was slow, but space rippled around him—his speed much faster than it seemed.
In a single breath, he stood beside Victoria Housekeeping. The scholar's pupils contracted.
"You think I'm joking?"
"All units, listen up! If he takes another step—kill him!"
Weapons powered up. One press, and the hostages would be dead.
Zane simply lowered his gaze.
"No one can threaten me."
His voice was calm as he continued forward, seemingly indifferent to their lives. But then—someone grabbed his arm.
Zane turned slightly. Ellen was holding him back.
"Don't… Zane… Ruby means a lot to me. There has to be another way…"
She shook her head, pleading in her eyes. She couldn't watch her friend get hurt—couldn't bear it.
Beside them, Lycaon's expression darkened. He was thinking of a countermeasure. Using hostages was vile, but hard to counter.
If only he'd matched Ellen's speed during the earlier strike, maybe things would be different.
Ellen tugged his sleeve. Their eyes met. Zane smiled faintly and said softly:
"Ellen, I said—no one can threaten me."
Seeing her face turn pale, he added, a little helplessly:
"Relax. Your friend will be fine. Let's call it a favor—you owe me one, don't forget."
He turned to the scholar.
"Ellen, do you know the ultimate form of ice energy?"
Still reeling from his words, Ellen froze again at the question.
Ultimate ice energy?
In a blink, her hand was empty. Zane had already advanced far ahead. The rebels, following orders, pressed the fire buttons.
Anomaly descended toward the crowd.
In the next instant, their screams and panic would be drowned in blood...
But—Zane stopped.
His gaze didn't shift. His eyes fixed on his hands in front of his chest—palms up, fingers touching, forming an inverted triangle.
A deep blue Hollow formed between them.
"The ultimate ice energy…"
The Hollow surged outward, Zane's eyes gleaming like brilliant blue crystals. His hands separated as the Hollow expanded.
In a blink, the Hollow exploded outward—so fast no one could react, not even anticipate it.
The Cretan Hollow didn't expand much, just enough to envelop the entire battlefield—trapping all enemies inside.
Everything turned deep blue.
As if this space rejected all other colors, expelling them with overwhelming force.
Zane smiled faintly.
"To turn a moment… into eternity."
An icy chill swept across.
The Hollowed world was as clear as ancient glaciers.
As cold as eternal frost.
As still as frozen time.
Unchanging.
From the tiniest dust to rebel mechs, all attacks, all movements—everything.
Everything was frozen in place.
Zane's hair drifted slightly. He stepped forward. Another step. Then another…
He strolled through a world where only he could move.
Like a sovereign king pacing through his private garden.
He approached Ruby, staring at the girl frozen in fear.
"Tsk, the cost is high… but it's worth it."
An eternal moment.
This was—the ultimate form of ice energy.
The absolute freeze of all things.
Even time and space… cannot escape.