"Mrs. Meilin! Mrs. Meilin!"
"Miss Corin, you can't go in. An audience with the Elder requires an appointment!"
"That's nonsense! Where did Mrs. Meilin take Miss Ellen?!"
"Miss Corin, you really can't go any farther. Beyond this door is—"
Bang!
The study door was slammed open. Corin and Mrs. Meilin's secretary tumbled to the floor in a heap.
Corin instinctively reached up and touched her cheek, finding a small scrape.
"Sss— that hurts…"
She muttered softly, then lifted her head.
Mrs. Meilin had been writing at her desk just moments earlier. At the noise, her pen paused, then was slowly set aside.
Her lips curved into a faint smile—worldly and alluring. Resting her cheek on one hand, she fixed Corin with a gaze that seemed almost designed to tempt mischief. Her crimson lips parted, her voice light and melodic:
"Little Corin, shouldn't you be behaving yourself in the Outer Ring? What brings you all the way here? It's not so easy for members of the vampire society to let outsiders in."
"I… I told the guard I was Victoria's child, and he let me through… but that's not the point!"
Corin sounded timid at first, her voice small and uncertain.
But as she spoke, she suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place. Her courage surged, and her voice rose sharply.
"Lucy didn't miss me at all! Mrs. Meilin, you lied!"
"Oh?" Mrs. Meilin replied lazily, twirling a lock of hair with a playful smile. "How do you know the Overlord wasn't just feeling shy?"
"I've interacted with Miss Lucy a few times myself. She doesn't strike me as particularly straightforward. When emotions get involved, she blushes and panics like a child."
"Or perhaps I should say—she is still a child?"
She tilted her head, looking thoughtful, deftly steering the conversation elsewhere.
Corin flushed with embarrassment and frustration. She stamped her foot, biting her lower lip.
"Mrs. Meilin, stop changing the subject!"
"After I went back to the Outer Ring, the more I thought about it, the stranger it felt. You're incredibly busy—there was no reason for you to personally capture Miss Ellen!"
"So where exactly did you take her?!"
"Hollow Zero."
"Mrs. Meilin, please stop avoiding the question. Miss Ellen—huh?"
Because Mrs. Meilin answered so casually, Corin instinctively assumed she was joking again.
But when her mind finally caught up with what had been said, Corin froze.
She blinked once, then twice. Her thoughts went blank, and the color drained from her face until it was deathly pale.
"How could you… Hollow Zero is extremely dangerous right now!"
Corin began pacing back and forth in a panic, like a headless fly.
Put simply, a Hollow was like a visible maze.
But unlike a maze, everything inside a Hollow was nothing more than afterimages of the past left behind by time.
When you reached out to touch them, all the paths were already shattered and scarred. What looked like a road ahead was no longer a road at all—sometimes even flat ground could send you plunging from a great height the very next second.
That was exactly why HAND dared not send anyone into Hollow Zero.
With two Void Hunter–level combatants and a Nineveh wreaking havoc inside, the outer paths of Hollow Zero would only be more chaotic than usual.
In a situation like this, forget about charging in to find Phaga and Misha—just not getting lost inside Hollow Zero would already be a blessing from the ancestors.
"But… we can't just not look…"
Mrs. Meilin let out a long sigh, her posture suddenly weary. She clasped her hands together, resting her forehead against her thumbs.
"Corin, you know the vampire society fought a war with humans not long ago."
"But… haven't we already made peace?" Corin asked, frowning. She thought hard, but still couldn't grasp what Mrs. Meilin was getting at.
"Yes, we've made peace. But there are still hidden dangers."
Mrs. Meilin lowered her hands, her fingertips tapping lightly against the desk with crisp, rhythmic clicks.
"Our two strongest members were taken into Hollow Zero by Phaga—Black Phaga and Misha."
"This is the weakest the vampire society has ever been, Corin. Do you think sheep would feel at ease with the peace offered by wolves?"
Corin understood instantly. Her large eyes widened, her gaze locking onto Mrs. Meilin.
Mrs. Meilin stood up, long legs carrying her across the room. The echo of her heels rippled outward as she stopped by the window, her eyes gazing beyond it—as though she were looking upon the entire clan.
"Only after sitting in this position did I finally understand how the previous Elders lived every day in constant fear."
"Humans are strong enough to frighten the vampire society… but not strong enough to drive us to absolute despair. It always feels like there's still a way out."
"And that 'way out' is the fuse that ignites war."
Corin murmured softly, finally understanding. "So that's why you sent Miss Ellen into the Hollow… to look for Mr. Phaga?"
Mrs. Meilin turned back at the sound, then lowered her gaze, sighing quietly.
"When both sides are holding knives, peace is easier to maintain than when only one side is armed."
"But Miss Ellen—"
"I gave her some things. If she can't hold on inside the Hollow, they should be enough to save her life."
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm asking—why didn't the vampire society go themselves? Why send Miss Ellen?"
"Because…"
…
[Hehehe, so—ready to go in, Miss Shark?]
The Black-White Doll floated at Ellen's side, a small backpack slung over its back. Its fluffy face was beaming, completely unconcerned about what lay ahead.
Of course it wasn't worried. At its core, it was an Ethereal—why would an Ethereal fear a Hollow?
Ellen shot it a sideways glance, then turned to check her own backpack, counting off each item.
"Drinking water, tissues, compressed biscuits, anti-erosion medication, Ether activity detection tablet… alright, everything's here."
After checking her gear one last time, Ellen nodded, zipped the bag shut, and slung it over her shoulders.
She hefted the giant scissors in her hand, feeling their weight, then walked straight toward the Hollow.
The Doll floated in midair, waving its arms excitedly.
As an Ethereal—a species naturally confined to isolated zones—it might very well be the first of its kind to travel this far. Overcome with excitement, it shouted loudly:
[Yo-ho! Hollow Zero! Your great Lord Black-White Doll has arrived! Are you ready for the welcoming ceremony?!]
The moment Ellen stepped into the Hollow, the bizarre world before her twisted and warped.
Her vision went black for an instant. When it cleared, she found herself staring at more than a dozen Thanatos with interwoven black-and-white bodies, along with dozens of other strange, grotesque Ethereals.
"Tsk. That's one hell of a welcome."
Ellen clicked her tongue, immediately tightening her grip on the giant scissors. She lowered her stance, eyes sharp with caution.
[Heh heh. Guess we're just that popular.]
[But it's no big deal—just a few dozen elite Ethereals. We'll knock them all down in no time.]