No. 11 gripped her blade with both hands, its tip leveled at Nineveh. Behind her goggles, her eyes burned with rage and ferocity.
She had never imagined that someone would deliberately expand Hollow Zero.
Even less had she imagined that Phaga would have a way to bring Nineveh out of the Hollow itself.
Her fury tore straight through restraint. Flames coiled tightly around the blade, baring fiery fangs as they surged and ebbed. No. 11 bent slightly at the waist, her stance coiled and ready—like she would charge in the very next second, fully prepared to drag Phaga down with her.
Nineveh halted the interrogation. Her gaze shifted from the White Star Institute member in her grasp to No. 11, whose expression was twisted with conflicting emotions.
In the end, No. 11 didn't strike immediately. Instead, she ground her teeth, her voice sharp and forceful, though betraying a hint of strain.
"How did you even do it… tch—forget it! Whatever you're planning, stop right now! Immediately! Put Nineveh back into Hollow Zero, then turn yourself in and—"
[We can discuss the law later, No. 11. Besides, you wouldn't be able to find a prison that could hold me anyway.]
Before No. 11 could finish, the air itself trembled as a calm female voice sounded—flat, detached, as though life and death meant nothing to her anymore.
Nineveh's [Nucleus] flashed. Then the voice surged in like a tide, coming from all directions at once.
[I know exactly what I'm doing. Perfectly clearly.]
"You don't know a damn thing!"
No. 11 snapped.
Her emotions burst like a shattered dam, fury pouring out in an uncontrollable flood.
Buzz!
The flames on her blade surged violently, roaring like a feral beast.
Slash!
No. 11 leapt forward, bursting straight through the flames. She raised the blazing blade high and brought it down in a single, merciless strike toward Nineveh's neck.
Nineveh didn't move.
Phaga's expression cooled slightly as he slowly closed his eyes.
The next instant, a massive, fan-like hand rose and blocked Nineveh's throat.
No. 11's eyelid twitched. A sharp sense of unease stabbed into her chest.
Sure enough—at the moment her blade met Nineveh's palm, a terrifying force surged back through the weapon.
[Waaah!]
Nineveh shrieked as her hand exploded with power.
No. 11 had no chance to resist. She was flung backward, smashed into the ground, bounced up, slammed down again—three times in succession—before skidding across the ground and crashing into a broken wall dozens of meters away.
Boom!
Chunks of rubble tumbled down, gradually burying No. 11 beneath them.
With immense effort, she forced her eyes open. Her legs felt like they were filled with molten lead, her waist weighed down by something unbearably heavy. Even pouring every ounce of strength she had left into her body, she could only lift two trembling fingers, pointing weakly toward Nineveh's retreating back.
"Fa… ga…"
Thud.
Her head tilted to the side, and No. 11 lost consciousness completely.
Not long after, two female voices and a mechanical male voice sounded beside her.
"In the end, we were still too late. Nineveh got away."
[Tch—how many times do I have to say it? That's obviously my biological brother. I'm a pureblood vampire—do you think I wouldn't recognize my own family's abilities?]
The calm female voice spoke again. "Phaga has no reason to do something like this. It might have been Black."
[Black doesn't have that kind of ability.]
"Then maybe Black kidnapped Phaga and forced him to—"
[That's even more impossible, okay?! I'd sooner believe the one lying under the rubble is Black—]
"Hey, hey, hey—this is getting way off track, you two. If I don't step in, Mr. Phaga's reputation is going to spiral straight into oblivion along with Miss No. 11 buried down there!"
Billy finally couldn't take it anymore. He wedged himself between Miyabi and Misha, playing peacemaker and desperately urging them to stop arguing.
"Hmph."
Miyabi and Misha snorted at the same time. The two who had been bickering just moments ago immediately worked together, digging No. 11 out of the rubble.
Billy glanced around, then his eyes lit up when he spotted a place she could lean against. He moved No. 11 there, patted her back, and pinched her chin to pour some water into her mouth.
"Cough—cough—cough!"
No. 11 choked, clearly caught off guard by Billy's rough handling.
Misha raised her brows slightly, surprised.
[Wow~ She actually woke up. Guess that's what you'd expect from a clone—pretty impressive physical specs.]
[Just wonder if she's made with the same cloning tech as me.]
No. 11 shot Misha a brief glance but didn't respond. She only asked weakly, "How long was I out?"
Miyabi answered calmly, her expression unchanged. "About three minutes."
Billy suddenly popped out from behind Miyabi, holding up three fingers. "To be precise, three minutes, seventeen seconds—eighteen—nineteen…"
"Good… we still have time."
No. 11 let out a faint breath of relief. The very next second, she grabbed Miyabi's clothes with startling speed—so fast that even Miyabi was momentarily taken aback.
"Go…"
As expected, No. 11 wasn't a miracle worker. Her injuries were far too severe, and her voice dropped to a near whisper, like the last flicker before a flame went out.
"Go find Phaga… have him suppress Hollow Zero… don't let Nineveh…"
"He's already gone… to the Outer Ring."
...
"It should be around here, right?"
A pair of black leather shoes crunched against sand and gravel as a cold male voice echoed through the wasteland of the Outer Ring.
"Y-Yes… yes…"
The White Star Institute member stole a trembling glance at the sharply dressed young man beside him. The moment Phaga tilted his head and his gaze shifted over, the man instantly lowered his eyes.
Like a thief caught in the act, he didn't dare meet Phaga's gaze.
Phaga let out a soft sigh and looked away.
Understandable.
Anyone would feel uneasy seeing a human emerge from inside an Ethereal that had slaughtered countless people—too afraid to speak, let alone make eye contact.
So Phaga waved his hand, turning his back to Nineveh.
"Let's go."
Some time passed, yet there was still no response.
Phaga turned back slightly, his brow creasing.
"Black?"
[Huh? Oh—ah! Creator, sorry. Your back was just… too handsome. I spaced out for a second.]
Nineveh scratched the back of her head, looking genuinely embarrassed.
"Are you alright?"
The delayed response made Phaga uneasy.
[I'm fine! What could possibly be wrong? Just a bit slow on the uptake… Once this is all over, I'll be going to prison with you anyway, Creator!]
[Hey, when that happens, pull some strings so we can share a cell!]
Nineveh's [Nucleus] flashed red, almost like she was winking. Both her massive hands—and her smaller ones—came together to form a heart aimed at Phaga.
"That's enough. Keep this up and I'll send you straight back to Hollow Zero."
Phaga felt a headache coming on and sucked in a sharp breath.
The thought that Black—who was male—might actually end up sharing a cell with him made his skin crawl. His mood instantly soured.
It was like a dark cloud hanging over his head, threatening thunder and lightning at any moment, sending jolts through his chest.
[Okay then~]
Under the stunned gazes of the institute members, Nineveh's slightly dejected female voice echoed through the air.
She lowered her head and turned gracefully, taking flight. Her figure fluttered like a butterfly as she chased after Phaga's receding silhouette.
This…
The institute members were completely stunned, their minds fried. For a long moment, none of them could find the words to speak.
That dazed silence lasted until Phaga's footsteps faded into the sand, the soft crunching sound disappearing with distance.
"Wait!"
One of the institute members suddenly called out, reaching toward Phaga's back as if trying to grab his arm.
"Why are you going to see the mayor?"
"For peace."
Phaga didn't turn around.
An Ether crystal suddenly grew from his palm, then shattered in an instant, reforming into a long blade.
Slash!
He swung.
A crimson chain carved itself across the horizon.
As it slowly descended, it fell into a cluster of tents—and erupted into purple-red flames.