Zane spoke softly as the barrier swallowed them whole.
The barrier swallowed them whole. Inside, storms of Ether still raged—just as Wise had warned
Within the hollow, though it had expanded considerably, ethereal energy storms still raged everywhere. Just as Wise had said earlier, the flowing ethereal energy ravaged this space.
"Since this is a mobile hollow, it likely hasn't had time to fully develop..."
Zane raised his hand. Several streaks of light gathered from the air into his palm. They swirled a few times before slipping from his grasp and drifting away.
This hollow was undeniably safer than any he had entered before. Aside from the mysterious entity at its core, there was little immediate threat.
A hoarse sound came from the side. Eous clung to Zane's leg, hiding behind him. Zane raised his hand, directly seizing the core of an approaching Ethereal fragment charging toward them, then crushed it in his palm.
The Hollow was vast, and the weak Ethereals spawned at its edges were insignificant—hardly worth noticing.
The Ethereal's body fell to the ground, quickly dissolving into streaks of light. Strands of Ether energy surged toward Zane.
Once, Zane had thought to grow stronger by hunting Ethereal. But after slaying a Core and claiming a Hollow, that idea became meaningless—compared to Hollows, the lesser ones weren't worth his time.
"Zane, Brother said the Hollow's movement seems to have changed. Its core is heading this way. What should we do?"
Seeing no immediate danger, Belle released her small hands and stood beside him, tilting her head up to ask.
"If that's the case, what else can we do?"
"Wait for it, I suppose."
Zane's tone remained calm as he raised a hand in a dismissive wave. His gaze fixed on the distance, already sensing the relentless advance of the immense power emanating from the Hollow's core.
"Part of my reason for coming here was to stop the Hollow from ravaging the Janus District. At the very least, we must divert its course."
The big cats couldn't endure the void's corruption.
Zane wasn't fully aware of the situation, but that didn't affect his decision.
...
Moments later, the enormous storm visible to the naked eye materialized before them. The ends of Zane's long hair danced in the storm's aftereffects, his eyes shining brightly.
The storm shimmered with multicolored light, identical to the one that had appeared after the Black Coffin's strike within Hollow Zero. Both were caused by the accumulation of Ether energy.
"Within the eye of the storm..."
Zane gazed at the storm's center. At this moment, he finally confirmed that something extraordinary existed there.
"Stay back."
He patted Eous lightly, signaling retreat, then strode toward the moving storm.
The small black orb reappeared. Ether energy surged forth, and azure flames filled with ice crystals enveloped his entire body. Beneath the flames, a faint golden glow emerged.
Zane raised his hand. Instantly, a sky full of icicles coalesced. As his hand dropped, the sharp ice spears plunged into the Ether storm.
The immense Ether energy caused the storm's rotation to falter momentarily. A blue halo flared, then erupted violently!
A sapphire shockwave rippled outward, leaving the storm battered and torn apart.
Though the ice shards looked similar to those he had conjured before, their destructive force was incomparable.
Zane hadn't expected the attack to end it anyway. As the shockwave dispersed, he crouched slightly.
The next instant, the earth split open as Zane shot forward, afterimages trailing behind him. Crimson light ignited on his spear, flames blazing endlessly.
Like a fiery meteor, he plunged straight into the exploding storm.
BOOM!!!
Crimson flames roared, spreading wildly. In mere moments, the entire Ether storm had been dyed red.
At its center, a colossal Ether crystal towered. Zane's spear slammed against it, both forces clashing, energy pouring in relentlessly.
"Powerful, but not enough."
His sapphire eyes glowed faintly as his voice dropped low. Raising his other hand, the golden markings on his body shone brightly.
He released the spear and slammed his fist directly into the Ether crystal wall.
Circumvent it with spatial power?
Better to shatter it head-on!
Ether energy concentrated at a single point. The crystal, already strained under the spear's assault, shattered completely after a brief struggle.
Fragments scattered, revealing a figure behind the wall. Zane's fist didn't pause, slamming toward him.
The corrupted man raised his own arm, Ether swirling into his fist, colliding with Zane's blow.
Shockwaves rippled outward. Zane didn't press, instead seizing his spear mid-air and whipping it like a lash.
The man raised another arm, Ether crystals gathering into a barrier, but the spear crashed into it, knocking him back.
He staggered, but Zane gave no respite. Energy surged in his hands as a massive crystalline palm fell from above.
The man dodged, and the palm smashed into the ground, leaving a crater. Another palm fell almost immediately, larger and far more powerful.
The first had only forced him back. The second was the real strike.
The colossal hand bore down. The man raised both arms to block, but with each press, his body sank deeper.
Ether light streaked across the crystalline palm, bursting outward like a tide. Zane pressed his hand down harder.
The giant crystalline hand crashed with a thunderous roar, shattering on impact. The man hadn't been crushed but driven into the ground like a nail.
Zane's eyes narrowed.
That kind of resilience... far beyond what any corrupted human should possess.
Without hesitation, he unleashed another barrage. Ether crystals surged from the ground, golden spears rained from above, and the man's movements were further confined.
Climbing from the pit, his face remained calm, though his body was encased in crystal armor, only his face exposed.
His gaze locked on Zane. Unable to dodge, he braced himself with crystalline defenses.
Spikes and spears hammered his shield relentlessly until, under the overwhelming force, it shattered.
The attacks struck home—crystals pierced his flesh, golden spears impaled him. The scene was brutal, yet no blood flowed. His expression twisted, feral, but he endured.
Zane stepped forward, ready to finish him. But unease flickered inside.
Too easy...
Then a low voice drifted from the man.
"Great Lord... Your devout servant ends here, yet our cause remains unfinished..."
His words sounded like prayer. Zane halted, his gaze snapping to the black orb that materialized nearby.
A hollow?
No... the mobile hollow had already expanded. This was a new hollow!
In that fleeting instant, just as Zane prepared to strike, the man raised his head. His pitch-black eyes gleamed crimson.
At that same moment, Zane's attack flared once more. A colossal fire phoenix erupted into existence!
It soared high, screeching, then dove at the man, golden light crashing down with it.
The ground quaked as flames roared skyward, obliterating everything in their path. Zane retreated a few steps, summoning two Holes, channeling energy as a meteorite hurtled down from above.
BOOM!
Dust and debris scattered. As the storm's winds cleared the smoke, a crystalline meteorite, dozens of meters tall, stood revealed.
"Is he dead..."
Zane murmured, though he already knew the answer.
A tremor shook the ground. The massive crystal was lifted, and the corrupted man emerged, his body now fully Ethereal. With both arms—and several more sprouting from his body—he heaved the massive crystal aside.
Ether crystals became armor across his frame. One arm even morphed into a massive blade.
"Ethereal, then? Pathetic trick."
Zane's voice was steady. He raised his hand, but a sapphire slash cleaved through the air first, striking the Ethereal and driving it back.
The battle's commotion had already drawn others. Section 6 soon arrived at the perimeter, weapons ready.
Zane glanced at Hoshimi Miyabi, who lowered her blade nearby. He paid her no mind. She knew who he was; the real threat stood ahead.
He raised his hand, three black spheres hovering above his palm. Ether energy flooded outward, twisting the very air.
Even Miyabi, who had deliberately kept her distance, couldn't help but look toward him under the oppressive surge of power.
"Section Chief, that guy... shouldn't we step in?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi and the others reached the scene, her gaze flicking uncertainly toward Zane.
Section 6 had been ordered to suppress the moving Hollow—but instead, they had crossed paths with a Fire Picke...
Among them, only Miyabi had prior dealings with one.
Yanagi's gaze lingered on Zane, a flicker of thought in her eyes.
"If this really is Zane, with the strength he showed back then, we'll have more freedom."
Soukaku held her weapon ready, wary of both the enemy and Zane himself.
"Perhaps we shouldn't worry too much."
Yanagi patted him lightly, while Miyabi spoke again.
"Fall back. We'll observe from a distance."
Though she didn't know why the Hollow was moving, she trusted Zane to handle it. She also didn't know that the strange Ethereal before them had once been human.
...
Meanwhile, Zane's power had fully coalesced.
The Ethereal didn't move, floating still, a small black orb glowing at its side.
"The progenitor shall return. You will all become nourishment. Tremble. Fear..."
The rasping voice echoed.
Without hesitation, Zane vanished, reappearing behind the Ethereal in an instant.
In his hand, a pulsing orb of black light throbbed like a heart. He pressed it against the Ethereal's body—
No sound. No impact.
What followed was no sound, no impact—only the pull of a black hole, tearing everything into nothing.