[Waaah!]
Nineveh let out a shrill, inhuman screech as the [Nucleus] serving as its head flared with blinding yellow light.
In the next instant, it seized the surrounding buildings and hurled them wholesale toward the high-yield weapon platform loaded with missiles.
Reinforced concrete stood no chance against the brute strength of a true overlord. The buildings had already torn themselves apart midair, collapsing into a rain of shattered stone that poured down from the sky.
The soldiers scattered in panic, and even the missiles mounted on the armored vehicles were smashed flat.
Of course, weapons on the level of medium-range ballistic missiles were built with extremely high safety standards. Even crushed into scrap, they weren't supposed to detonate so easily.
Keywords: on the level of medium-range ballistic missiles…
Boom!
Whether it was a firearm discharging accidentally amid the chaos, or sparks struck by falling debris, no one could say.
All that mattered was that a few scattered flames hissed to life—and then the people of New Eridu watched as an enormous mushroom cloud erupted straight from the ground.
A searing white flash hit their eyes before anything else, followed by a deafening roar that seemed to tear the world apart.
Many clutched their heads and screamed, blood pouring from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. In an instant, eyes that had been black and white turned a furious red, blood vessels spreading like a net across the eyeballs as they bulged grotesquely, as if they might pop free at any moment.
It had to be said—this city, built after the apocalypse, truly lived up to its reputation. No matter how greedy the megacorps were, they had never dared to cut corners when it came to construction.
When humanity's crystallization of destruction detonated into a dazzling mushroom cloud, the technologies designed for protection swallowed the vast majority of the shockwave. Even when they collapsed under catastrophic damage, they did so as intact as possible.
Rarely did massive chunks of debris rain down to deliver a final kick to the already grievously wounded humans and vampires standing at death's door.
Though, truth be told, even without that, they were already lying on the threshold of the grave.
"Ahhh—my ears! My ears!"
"My eyes! I can't see anything!"
Most people didn't even survive Nineveh's first wave of attacks. They were defeated by the very weapons they themselves had created.
They collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, completely oblivious to the fact that the crisis was far from over.
Fortunately, some still managed to remain conscious.
Misha shook her head, forcing herself to suppress the violent ringing in her skull. She glared up at Nineveh for a brief moment, then abruptly turned to look behind her. Her pupils shrank as she shouted at the top of her lungs:
[Vampire forces, heed my command!]
"…Here…"
The response was scattered and weak. Only a few hundred pureblood vampires—and fewer than a hundred ghoul-vampires—were half-crouched on the ground, struggling to rise as they answered Misha's call.
As for the mixed-blood vampires, every last one of them had already fallen unconscious.
Misha issued another order:
[Suspend hostilities and cooperate with the humans. At all costs, resolving the Hollow crisis takes priority!]
Petty disputes between neighbors mean nothing when fighting outsiders over water.
Ideological differences among countrymen are cast aside when facing a foreign enemy.
Likewise, no matter how deep the hatred between vampires and humans runs, everyone here is still carbon-based life. There was no way they'd let Ether lifeforms swoop in and profit from it.
Even if the vampire clans were to lose to humanity today, they would never allow Hollow Zero to expand any further.
Otherwise, even the mixed-blood vampires would lose the very ground they depended on to survive.
"Yes!"
The pureblood vampires staggered to their feet. Once they regained their bearings, they answered in unison. Hundreds of wings unfurled at the same time, and they surged through the air toward Nineveh.
"Attack!"
The leading pureblood vampire roared.
Ice lances, fireballs, lightning strikes, Ether bombardments—hundreds upon hundreds of attacks crashed down on Nineveh all at once.
Smoke and dust billowed skyward as Nineveh's agonized shrieks echoed across heaven and earth.
"Is it working?"
Misha watched from afar, her brow tightly knit.
If this doesn't work, then she—
Wait.
[Waaah!]
Nineveh suddenly burst out of the smoke, one sweeping slap shredding the turbulent vortex and sending the pureblood vampires flying.
Moments later, Nineveh slammed one hand into the ground. A massive Ether crystal—over ten feet wide and dozens of feet long—erupted straight up from the earth.
In that instant, everyone felt the Ether activity index in the air spike violently. Even outside a Hollow, people felt their chests tighten, hearts hammering wildly.
It was like being locked onto by a wild wolf in the dead of night, its eyes glowing with an eerie green light.
Skin seemed to crawl inward, and the anxiety gnawing at their hearts felt hot enough to scorch them alive.
Those with experience reacted immediately—this was a sign of mild Ether erosion.
If they kept entangling themselves with Nineveh, it wouldn't stay mild for long.
"No… something's wrong."
Miyabi snapped out of her shock almost instantly, sensing the danger at once. She shouted sharply, "No. 11!"
"I'm here—stop yelling!"
No. 11 staggered upright, ripped off his blood-smeared brown goggles, and bellowed,
"Human forces, stand by!"
"Yes!"
Harumasa, Yanagi, and Soukaku answered in unison.
"Do we really need to be this formal when there's only a few of us left?"
Nicole pushed Anby aside, her cheeks still faintly flushed.
If Anby hadn't forced her mouth open and covered her ears at that critical moment, she probably would've passed out like Nekomata.
Anby crouched down, removed her jacket, and draped it over Nekomata before standing back up, her voice calm.
"A sense of ceremony helps. At least we won't lose out to the vampire clans."
"And besides, Nicole—we've still got plenty of people left."
"Do we?"
Nicole glanced back.
Section 6—all accounted for.
Public Security—no losses.
Victoria Housekeeping—aside from the missing Phaga and Corin, who hadn't joined the main battlefield, everyone was present.
The Sons of Calydon—Piper and Burnice were unconscious, but Caesar and Lighter were still standing.
Belobog Heavy Industries—Koleda and Khors were down, but Grace, Ben, and Anton remained combat-capable.
On top of that, several hundred human fighters were struggling back to their feet.
They were the elite among elites. Even in a situation this dire, not a single one showed any sign of backing down. Their eyes burned with unyielding fighting spirit.
"Something feels off," Ellen said, hoisting her scissors onto her shoulder, her focus sharp as ever. "Those vampires seem hesitant to get any closer."
The Black-White Doll popped out as well, eager to join the excitement.
If anyone benefited the most from Hollow Zero's eruption, it was without question this thing. Even from far away, it could sense nature's generosity. The Ether spilling from Nineveh felt like disaster relief grain sent down from the imperial court.
Like a corrupt official, it hoarded everything for itself.
After all, it reasoned, no one else could make use of it anyway.
At this point, its back didn't ache anymore, its legs didn't tremble. Wherever it fell, it was determined to prop itself right back up.
With a soft gulp, it poked its head out from Ellen's shoulder, staring at the towering Ether crystal with unbridled curiosity.
[That thing is really strange. It keeps giving me a familiar feeling.]
"Hm?"
Ellen froze. Now that the Black-White Doll mentioned it, Nineveh really did give her an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
The Ether crystal stood upright, and a massive, fan-like hand rested atop it.
That stance… that Ether crystal…
The next second, Ellen's eyes widened as she suddenly asked,
"Has Phaga come back yet?"
Nicole raised an eyebrow and shook her head slightly. "Of course not… Ellen, what are you doing?"
In the same instant Nicole answered, Ellen suddenly leapt sideways and lunged forward, tackling Rina to the ground.
Rina blinked in confusion, instinctively wrapping an arm around Ellen's shoulder.
But Ellen's expression was taut with tension, sharp teeth clenched hard.
Then she threw her mouth open and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Everyone—get down!"
"Huh?"
Everyone froze.
[Waaah!]
As Ellen's voice echoed through the city, now barren like an open wasteland, Nineveh slammed its palm downward.
In an instant, the Ether crystal collapsed by more than half, reshaping itself into a long, razor-sharp blade that fell neatly into Nineveh's grasp.
The next moment, Nineveh swung.
A single horizontal slash sent a blade of light screaming through the air. New Eridu—still standing after missile detonations—had its skyline shaved flat in one stroke.
At that moment, humans and vampires alike stood dumbstruck.
Nineveh… can use a blade?!
…