He had looked so stupid back then.
Without realizing it, a faint smile curved at Ellen's lips.
Through the haze of her memories, she recalled the day she invited Phaga to join Victoria Housekeeping.
Two buses had stopped in front of them—one heading toward Phaga's old place on Sixth Street, the other bound for the outskirts of Lumina Square, where Victoria Housekeeping's headquarters stood.
Ellen had called out to him.
Phaga—who always wore dark clothes, the abandoned vampire—halted in place. When he turned around, disbelief filled his eyes.
She could still see it clearly: the blank look in his gaze, the panic written across his face. Even now, Ellen remembered that moment vividly.
So silly. Completely unlike his usual self.
Lost in those thoughts, Ellen's body kept moving. The giant scissors stabbed forward, gouging out a shallow pit. Her arms tensed as she hauled herself along.
Clang after clang rang out, heavy and metallic, as a pair of battered little leather shoes dragged themselves forward inch by inch.
The last glow of sunset fell across the Ether crystals clinging to her skin, reflecting a dazzling purple sheen—beautiful, and unsettling.
The black-and-white doll stood frozen, clutching the anti–Ether corrosion agent, staring blankly.
It had never imagined that Ellen's obsession could run this deep.
[So… when she came to Ballet Tower to find me back then, she'd already made up her mind like this?]
It murmured softly. Its fluffy face seemed frozen in place, eyes like translucent purple gemstones flickering with tangled emotions.
Had Miss Shark ever thought about what she'd do if I didn't want freedom at all… if I was happy staying in Ballet Tower forever?
Would she fight me? Force me to give in?
With a Thiren's stamina, forcing a monster that wields Good and Evil Obliteration into submission?
It shook its head and sighed, a bitter smile tugging at its mouth.
Lowering its head, it muttered two words:
[A lunatic.]
ROOOAR—!!
The ground split apart. Clouds twisted and scattered as a deafening roar surged up from underground.
It jolted back to reality and snapped its head up. Its eyes went wide as it watched a massive Ethereal claw its way out of the earth.
Long, goat-like horns jutted from its head. Its forelimbs were thick as an ape's, slamming into the ground as it hauled itself out of the rubble. Its body loomed like a small mountain, easily two stories tall.
Its hind legs were short, but terrifyingly powerful—corded with muscle, veins bulging. Once it started charging, it would be nearly impossible to stop, its momentum like a bolt of thunder.
[Miss Shark, watch out!]
Seeing Ellen still hanging her head as if she hadn't heard a thing, it screamed in panic. With a sharp wave of its hand, ripples spread beneath its feet, and two water snakes—Black Serpent and White Serpent—burst up from below.
[Black, White—water jet, now!]
The horned Ethereal was about to slam into Ellen. Its pupils shrank as it screamed in terror.
Startled, the two water snakes shuddered, not daring to hesitate. Normally, water jet required time to charge—but now it fired the instant they opened their mouths.
Hiss!
The snakes reared back, water roaring as two massive jets blasted out. They curved around Ellen from either side and slammed straight into the horned Ethereal.
The crash of water stabbed at Ellen's ears.
Suddenly, something stirred in her.
Still advancing, Ellen slowly lifted her head.
Mild Ether corrosion clouded her vision in a violet haze. Everything was blurry—everything except the familiar, beastlike howling of an Ethereal.
The horned creature's scream made her pupils flicker.
"An Ethereal…?" she murmured.
Her back straightened slightly. Long-honed battle instincts tightened her grip on the giant scissors.
[Yes. An Ethereal. And a big one.]
It fluttered anxiously in front of her.
Moments ago, it had been clinging to the anti-corrosion agent with everything it had. Now it shoved both the syringe and its small backpack into Ellen's arms, its expression twisted with worry.
[This one's strong. I don't know if we can beat it. Miss Shark—inject yourself and run. You can't take any more damage. You'll die!]
With that, it spun around and flew straight toward the horned Ethereal.
[Black, White—both of you, go! Buy me time!]
It shrieked, urging the two water snakes into the attack.
This enemy was a native of Hollow Zero, steeped for ages in Ether concentrations far beyond those of any other Hollow. It might not have lived as long as the black-and-white doll—
But its rank was clearly a tier higher than this backwater-born Doll.
That was why it had to be extremely cautious. Its plan was to let the water snakes restrain the enemy first, creating an opening to unleash Good and Evil Obliteration.
But against an Ethereal with horns like this, a body like a mountain…
How long could two water snakes really hold it back?
[ROAR!]
The horned Ethereal bellowed, thrashing violently as the snakes coiled around it.
When brute force failed, its [Core] flared with blinding yellow light. Power exploded through its legs. Knees bending—
It leapt straight into the sky.
[What?!]
It stared in shock.
The horned Ethereal shot higher and higher, shrinking into a black speck against the sky—almost impossible to see unless you looked closely.
Then gravity seized it.
Instead of slowing it, the pull turned it into a falling meteor. Its shadow expanded rapidly, swallowing Ellen and it whole.
[Damn it—Miss Shark, go!]
In the instant of crisis, light flared around its hands as it shoved Ellen away with all its strength.
It wasn't fast enough to save itself.
The shockwave from the impact blasted it away, smashing it through several walls before it finally skidded to a stop.
[ROAR!]
A bestial howl echoed from the massive crater.
A huge, broad hand thrust out from the pit and slammed into the ground. The horned Ethereal hauled itself up, eyes like copper bells rolling wildly as it glanced at the black-and-white doll.
It didn't understand why another Ethereal would oppose it—but that didn't matter.
Its gaze soon shifted back to Ellen.
Greed flickered within its warped [Core].
The Ether corrosion on Ellen's body had reached just the right level.
Delicious.
[Rrrr…]
The horned Ethereal growled low and began to advance. Each time its massive fists struck the ground, thunderous booms rang out.
It lay sprawled on the ground, frantic—but its injuries were too severe to let it get up.
It strained with all its might, arms trembling, only to collapse again. Its gemstone eyes shimmered with moisture as it whispered weakly:
[Ellen…]
Ellen didn't answer.
She slowly took out the last anti–Ether corrosion agent.
Click.
Her thumb flicked off the needle cap. Without hesitation, she drove it into her neck.
As the golden liquid flowed in, a clear voice rang through the air.
"Just now… I couldn't see…"
"But I think I heard something. An Ethereal tried to block my path."
"It interrupted my memories. It stopped me from finding Phaga… and it badly hurt my Little Black-White."
Ellen snapped her head up.
The empty syringe was crushed in her hand, glass shards clattering to the ground.
The horned Ethereal froze, pinned in place by Ellen's gaze—predatory, merciless.
She raised her weapon. Cold light tore through the air, the blade singing with a mournful cry.
Crimson splashed across Ellen's hair.
Under the drug's effects, the violet hue faded from her body, replaced by a raw, blood-soaked red. Even the frost gathering beneath her feet seemed stained scarlet by her killing intent.
In a single instant, Ellen bared her teeth. Her voice tore from a throat ringed with Ether crystals, savage—as if she'd clawed her way back from hell itself.
"Do you want to die, trash?"
Boom!
She hurled the giant scissors.
They ripped through the air, screeching with piercing force. Before the horned Ethereal could even react, the blades crashed straight down onto its head.
[Awooo—!!]
It reeled in agony, stumbling back and clutching its skull.
The next moment, icy light flared beneath Ellen's feet.
All the cold she'd been storing detonated at once. As she bent her knees, the surge launched her skyward.
Her body soared like a swallow—three stories high in an instant.
She brought her foot down on the horned Ethereal's head and stomped mercilessly.
Boom!
Ice crystals exploded outward as the creature was driven straight into the asphalt. It didn't even have time to resist.
The impact blasted out a massive crater. Pebbles flew, and the shock alone made nearby buildings shudder violently.
Clang!
Ellen planted one foot on the creature's head and yanked the giant scissors free, holding them poised in midair.
Cold wind howled. The blade's icy gleam swayed, as if it might drop at any moment.
Finally, Ellen lost her patience.
Her eyes narrowed, crimson flashing.
"Die."
She drove the scissors down toward the back of its skull—
But suddenly—
[ROAR!]
Refusing to accept death, the horned Ethereal unleashed a desperate, ear-splitting roar. Its massive forelimbs swung up like enormous fans, smashing toward Ellen.
She flicked her eyes sideways and clicked her tongue.
This hit couldn't be taken head-on.
Ellen pulled back and rolled aside, narrowly evading the creature's final counterattack.
But it didn't stop.
One palm missed—another came crashing down from above.
Ellen retreated again.
The giant hand slammed into the ground, carving out yet another crater.
The horned Ethereal pressed forward relentlessly, smashing down again and again. In its pursuit, it gouged more than a dozen massive pits into the ground.
With a body like that, even a glancing blow would mean crippling injury.
Ellen kept retreating—but she wasn't just retreating.
Even as she dodged, her mind stayed cold and clear, calculating how to bring down this wild, bull-like Ethereal.
[Miss Shark—its back!]
It shouted urgently.
Though it couldn't move, it could still see.
Ellen looked up.
Her gaze locked onto the horned Ethereal's back—and the moment she saw the five uneven, bulging purple sacs there, her pupils shrank.
She understood.
That was why it was attacking so desperately.
It was about to evolve.
It wanted to exhaust her completely, leave her no room to breathe.
Then, after forcing her to block a devastating blow—while she was too drained to fight back—it would enter its second phase.
Like a butcher at a dead end.
By then, Ellen would be helpless, her post-battle body heavy as lead, utterly unable to stop its evolution.
It would ascend—and crush her last hope.
[ROAR—!!!]
The horned Ethereal suddenly threw its head back and roared at the sky, rearing up as its forelimbs lifted high.
Its short hind legs, thick and compact like pillars, braced its massive body with terrifying stability.
[ROAR—!!!]
Another thunderous growl—
Then it slammed down.
The impact was apocalyptic.
A wave of force rippled outward. Towering buildings collapsed in an instant, dust billowing into the sky.
The deafening roar traveled far.
Somewhere in the distance, a vampire suddenly felt his heart jolt. He stopped short and turned toward the source of the sound.
[What is it, Creator?]
A woman's voice asked beside him, puzzled.
The vampire lowered his head, thinking in silence for a long moment.
Then he broke into a grin, teeth flashing.
"Found you."