While Sol enjoyed his sleep, some people in New Eridu found it impossible to rest.
After all, X-83 Hollow was massive—its area suddenly reducing by half was no small matter.
Many factions keeping a close watch on Hollow fluctuations were eager to uncover the truth.
Among the most anxious were the high-ranking officials of Hollow Special Operations, who had dispatched their unit to X-83.
What was supposed to be a simple backroom transaction had somehow erased an entire Hollow, leaving them utterly shocked.
Fortunately, after nearly a full day of expedited processing, though Hoshimi Miyabi and the others hadn't resolved the mystery of the bizarre Fused Ethereal, they had managed to complete a full incident report.
When the report reached the upper echelons of the Special Operations Department, it immediately drew serious attention.
None of them had expected that a routine extermination commission would end up reeling in a super-sized catch.
"The Giant Ethereal codenamed [Odin] has been confirmed dead. Half of X-83 Hollow was destroyed, with a blast radius extending kilometers outward."
"Is this really something a human could do?"
A calm-looking middle-aged man in a suit stared at the report in his hand, as if he might suck all the air out of the room.
The scale of destruction brought one comparison to his mind: the Defense Force. Deploying an entire heavy artillery regiment could indeed achieve such coverage.
But the report described a single individual unleashing a calamity with just a single punch.
It was staggering. Even outright outrageous.
If this hadn't been a Section 6 report—if it didn't include photographs from the Hollow itself—he would have suspected it was some sort of joke.
But though Hoshimi Miyabi's way of speaking was always hard to follow, she was unwaveringly reliable in her missions.
Her report could not be false.
"Sir… what should we do?"
The secretary swallowed hard, unease clear in his voice.
Just the thought of sharing a city with such a monster made his heart pound.
Terrifying. What if one day he happened to walk down a street and, without warning, got caught in the aftershock of a punch like a missile, dying in utter confusion?
That would be so tragic.
"Seal the files and classify them as top secret. This kind of news cannot be allowed to spread," the middle-aged man said after some thought. "Also, inform the TOPS Alliance, the Defense Force, and other factions: do not provoke Sol Mercer."
The secretary carefully noted everything down, waiting for further orders.
Against a threat of this magnitude, they would need a meticulous plan.
"That's all. You may go," the middle-aged man waved him off. "When dealing with an uncontrollable variable, this is all we can do."
Sol Mercer had been in New Eridu for half a month without causing major trouble—he seemed, for now, to be a rather restrained man.
And if he wasn't? What else could they do?
With such power, Sol could do whatever he pleased. They couldn't restrain him.
So, the best course was to do nothing. Maintain the status quo.
"Understood, sir."
The secretary nodded and left to draft the notices.
Alone in the office, the middle-aged man ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.
"O New Eridu… we're truly experiencing a turbulent season. Every sort of nightmare is crawling out."
He wasn't just thinking about Sol's sudden rise—there was also the disturbing report of the anomalous Ethereal.
Sol was too powerful; they didn't even need to deal with him.
But that strange Ethereal was a colossal problem, one they couldn't ignore.
"How much hair do I have left to lose over this?"
…
At the ruins of X-83 Hollow.
Clack, clack.
The crisp sound of high heels echoed across the devastated battlefield as a graceful figure came to a halt, surveying the wreckage.
This had been one of the organization's key deployments, more important even than the Sacrifice suppressed beneath Pioneer's Memorial Plaza.
After all, the one under the monument was still a blank slate—while the one in X-83 had already matured considerably, even serving as a cornerstone for their plans.
And yet, it had fallen victim to disaster, with half of the Hollow destroyed along with it.
The battlefield was a chilling sight.
"How frightening," Sarah murmured, her red lips pursing as she bent to pick up a shard of shattered metal. "To think something could tear apart a Sacrifice fused with dozens of heavy mechs, and even destroy half a Hollow. Truly astounding."
"Do you know who did it?"
Though the wasteland was empty, Sarah spoke as if to someone unseen.
"It was Sol Mercer. That newly emerged ACE Investigator—the same man who drove you out of Vision Corporation in disgrace," a low, rasping voice answered through her earpiece.
"Well, isn't that fate," Sarah's eyes narrowed, her tone lilting. "It seems he's gone out of his way to set himself against us. With someone like him… I can't help but feel our plan may collapse."
"Heh. Strong as he is, we are not to be underestimated either," the man replied after a pause. "The organization has prepared for years. A single individual cannot stop us."
"Shall I take the liberty of giving him a little lesson?"
Sarah asked playfully.
"Cough, cough. Fairy has already been activated. We're nearing a critical phase of the plan. It would be unwise to confront him now," the man said with gravity.
"You're still afraid."
Sarah let out a sigh, her voice soft.
"…"
After a silence, the man's weary voice came through, heavy with resignation. "Who wouldn't be?"
The intelligence from their spies in Section 6 spoke for itself—this was a monster who had erased half a X-83 Hollow with a single punch.