Within the towering cloud of dust, Ellen's coughing could be heard—fading, growing more distant.
The horned Ethereal's [Core] flashed. It immediately realized that this was the perfect moment to transition into its second stage.
Its forelimbs buckled as it collapsed to the ground, and every trace of Ether within its body surged toward the five swollen bulges on its back.
The bulges twisted grotesquely, hornlike ridges protruding as they expanded, as though two pairs of wings were about to burst out at any second…
But they didn't.
Just before the horned Ethereal could complete its second-stage transformation, two round little objects suddenly flew in. They rolled briskly across the ground, stopping only when they bumped into its claws.
The horned Ethereal froze, confusion flashing red within its [Core].
[Moo?]
What… was this?
Before it could figure it out, the two spheres abruptly lit up with a violet glow.
This is—bad. Bombs!
The horned Ethereal reared back, abandoning its transformation entirely as it turned to flee.
But these bombs were already primed—how could it possibly escape?
Boom!
The explosion thundered outward, dust and debris erupting sky-high.
From within the gray haze came the horned Ethereal's anguished screams.
Then—
A blade of cold light cut straight through the smoke.
Ellen charged in with her weapon braced over her shoulder, ice blossoms blooming beneath her feet.
"Sharknami—!"
She didn't waste a single word. Kicking off the ground, Ellen shot upward, stepping onto the ice-blue edge of the giant scissors as the freezing blade came crashing down from above.
"Hah!"
The blade struck.
In an instant, countless ice spikes tore up from the ground, each one piercing straight through the horned Ethereal's body.
[Moo—AAARGH!]
The horned Ethereal roared in fury. The stabbing pain drove it nearly insane, and it lashed out wildly.
Slash—
In a single sweep, every ice spike on the ground was severed at the waist.
"What?!"
Ellen's heart lurched.
She hadn't expected that after taking two Ether bomb blasts and a full-on Sharknami head-on, the horned Ethereal would still have strength left!
No—wait.
It wasn't unharmed.
As she retreated, Ellen's gaze flicked rapidly across its body.
Both of the horned Ethereal's forelimbs had been blown apart halfway, blood pouring freely as purple Ether substance sprayed out like fountains.
Its lower abdomen was bruised and caked with hardened Ether, crusted into rough clumps—like scabs forming over human wounds.
[Miss Shark, don't zone out—watch out!]
A frantic voice rang out.
Ellen snapped back to herself. Just as she looked up, a violent gust slammed down toward her, a massive shadow dropping fast.
Boom!
Ellen twisted sharply, barely evading the horned Ethereal's double-fisted smash, but the shockwave still sent her flying.
Hiss—
Yet Ellen was still Ellen.
Though briefly thrown off balance, she flipped midair and corrected her posture. Her waist bent, heels scraping sparks from the ground before she finally skidded to a stop.
"Tch… damn it. The Ethereals deeper in Hollow Zero really are monsters."
She ground her teeth, eyes locked on the horned Ethereal.
It was riddled with wounds, yet its [Core] still glowed red, as if it knew no exhaustion.
Still—there was some good news.
It hadn't let out a beastlike roar in a while.
Instead, it was lowing like a bull.
[Moo!]
The horned Ethereal bellowed, its short hind legs slamming into the ground as its mountain-like body charged again, wind screaming around it.
This time, though, Ellen relaxed slightly.
As expected—it was no longer at full strength.
If its earlier charge had been like a bullet train, now it was at best a dump truck. The overwhelming inevitability was gone.
I can dodge this.
Ellen made her judgment and prepared to sidestep.
First evade its rush, avoid its strongest momentum—then look for an opening—
Buzz!
Suddenly, it felt like a massive hammer smashed down inside her head.
Ellen's mind went blank. Her vision glazed over, washed in violet haze. A sharp pain seized her heart.
[Miss Shark—Miss Shark… Ellen! Wake up!]
Snap!
Her consciousness slammed back into place.
Just now—that was—
No time to think.
The wind pressure was already upon her.
The momentary doubt was crushed before it could take root. A roar tore into her ears—the horned Ethereal's massive face was already right in front of her.
A foul wind blasted past. Ellen could even smell the scent of rotting wood clinging to its body.
There was no time to run.
At the last possible instant, Ellen stomped hard on the ground.
In a flash, hundreds—thousands—of ice spikes erupted, interlocking into a circular barrier around her.
The horned Ethereal's [Core] flashed. It lowered its head, long horns gleaming as it slammed forward with the brute force of a maddened bull.
Crack—BOOM!
The ice barrier shattered instantly, exploding into a storm of white mist.
Within that mist, a dark figure was hurled backward.
Seeing this, the black-and-white doll dragged its battered body forward in panic.
It tried to catch Ellen—but overestimated what little strength it had left. The moment its tiny hands touched her, they gave out, and it was flung aside instead.
A girl and a doll tumbled together, rolling across the ground like spinning gourds, skidding a long distance before finally slamming into a broken wall.
[Mmmgh—Miss Shark, get up already… you're crushing me…]
Pinned between the wall and Ellen, its cries came out weak and breathless.
Ellen knelt on the ground. She only shifted her body slightly before a tearing pain ripped straight through her chest. A searing heat surged up her spine, as if flames were burning along her bones.
"Huff… huff… Little Black-White, you… you're okay… tsk—Ether corrosion is flaring up again!"
She tried to turn around to check on it, but pain struck again without warning. Her heart felt like it was being pierced by needles. It hurt so badly that she could barely keep her eyes open, and her tights were soaked through.
Her small leather shoes jerked violently. Every toe curled tight in agony, nearly making her arms give out as she almost collapsed completely.
Right now, Ellen was standing purely on willpower.
She had a vague, terrifying sense that if she fell this time, she might never get back up.
[I… I'm okay. But Shark… you have to…]
At last, a voice came from it, followed by faint rustling sounds.
Ellen recognized it immediately—the sound of fabric dragging against the ground.
Sure enough, the next moment, she felt something warm wrap around her knees, something pressing gently against her waist.
Then—
A milky-white halo slowly rose into the air.
Ellen's eyes lit up.
It was as if the world had opened itself to her once more, spreading all its color and beauty before her. Pain was ice and snow; corruption was stubborn stone.
Under the glow of that milky-white light, the ice began to melt.
Warmth flooded through Ellen's body, washing away exhaustion layer by layer.
Bathed in those vivid colors, she could even see the wounds on the horned Ethereal more clearly.
She watched as the monstrous creature lowered its massive head again. Its long, sharp horns gleamed coldly, murderous intent pressing down like a blade.
[Moo!]
The horned Ethereal roared low and charged forward once more.
A glint flashed through Ellen's eyes as she prepared to move—then she felt a chill at her knee and instinctively looked down.
[Ellen…]
It lay flat on the ground, limbs limp, as though all strength had been drained from its body.
Ellen's heart clenched.
Grief flickered across her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but swallowed the words back again and again. The sudden rush of sorrow left her voiceless, her breath trembling as white mist escaped her lips.
[Don't make that face! The Lord Black-White Doll is just tired. I just want to sleep for a bit.]
It paused, then turned its head toward the direction where the ground was shaking.
As an Ethereal, it could sense it clearly—the horned Ethereal was charging forward with its life on the line.
It was badly wounded too. The Ether explosives Mrs. Meilin had left behind were no ordinary tools. In any other Hollow, they would have wiped out whole packs of Ethereals with ease.
But the depths of Hollow Zero were simply too brutal. They had only managed to grievously wound this thing.
Still…
[Miss Shark, you can beat it, right?]
It suddenly smiled, its tone oddly playful.
[As an Ethereal, I can feel something with extremely high Ether activity rushing this way. Miss Shark, if you can't beat that damn horned monster… hiding in that smelly vampire's arms and acting spoiled later is fine too… oh.]
The words never finished.
A deep, overwhelming exhaustion surged up from its core, and it finally passed out completely.
"Who's acting spoiled for him?! I went through all this trouble to drag him back—when I get him home, I'm tying him down, making him cook for me every day, and using him like an ox to plow the fields!"
Ellen smiled sweetly, as if finally letting out a breath. She gathered it into her arms, then turned sideways and fixed her gaze on the horned Ethereal.
A vicious wind rushed toward her.
Ellen took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady her body.
With it fully unconscious, the milky-white halo faded away. Pain surged back like a tide, and the edges of her vision slowly filled with purple haze.
But none of that mattered anymore.
With a sharp clang, Ellen drove the giant scissors straight into the ground.
The W-Engine roared to life. The air warped, cold raging outward as the temperature around them dropped instantly.
The horned Ethereal shuddered.
Somewhere deep inside, it felt it too.
The cold pouring off Ellen was overwhelming. The giant scissors froze solid where they stood, frost spreading rapidly outward. In the span of a single breath, everything within five meters of Ellen bloomed with ice.
Pebbles of all shapes were sealed beneath clear frost, reflecting the dying glow of the sunset. Bathed in orange-red light, the horned Ethereal felt a creeping, instinctive dread.
But there was no turning back now.
[Moo… ROOOAR!!!!]
For the final time, the horned Ethereal let out a beastlike howl. Its Ether-formed body writhed violently. Its already massive forelimbs swelled even further, countless sharp spikes bursting outward from within, like a gigantic meteor hammer.
In the next instant, it reared up and slammed down with all its might.
Even before it reached her, the sonic boom alone was enough to make one's heart seize.
At the moment its attack fell, Ellen opened her eyes.
Cold light shimmered along the blade. The freezing wind screamed.
"Frost Ice …"
As if by magic, the instant Ellen tightened her grip on the handle, the cold surged outward.
Time itself seemed to slow.
The horned Ethereal's movements became visibly sluggish. The closer it drew to Ellen, the faster its body froze, ice creeping up piece by piece with a soft crackling sound.
Before it could realize what was happening, it had been completely frozen into an ice sculpture.
In the next moment, Ellen heaved upward.
The giant scissors tore free from the solid ice. She swung them up onto her shoulder, twisted her waist, and unleashed a single, brilliant arc of light.
"…Endless Winter!"
Boom!
The ice sculpture shattered instantly.
The horned Ethereal's [Core] bulged wide, trembling in the blade's passing glow.
[Moo!!!!]
The light was gone in a blink.
Its massive body split cleanly in two and collapsed to the ground.
It was dead.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the battlefield, scattering the Ether matter in every direction.
Ellen tilted her head, listening. A faint curve lifted the corner of her lips. Even though she had sworn she wouldn't act spoiled, she couldn't help speaking softly to someone carried on the wind.
"I won, didn't I?"
"Mm. Of course. Our Ellen is the best in the world."
The wind answered her.
Ellen laughed.
Since entering the Hollow, she had never felt this light.
Then her legs gave way.
She let gravity take her forward.
Whoosh—
Just as expected, someone caught her, arms wrapping securely around her.
Ellen closed her eyes, her face filled with contentment. She lightly clutched the fabric of his clothes and leaned in, her nose twitching as she breathed him in. Her tongue brushed her lips unconsciously.
Mm.
The smell of a vampire.
…