In the sky, the mecha had already locked onto him, but he didn't care. The massive surge of power flooding his body made him feel like an overfilled reservoir, desperate to burst.
Through the view of the mecha flying overhead, the "Wings of the Flow of Light" on Zane's back had expanded to an astonishing size, with a wingspan nearly a hundred meters wide—an overwhelming sight.
The edges of the wings, blurred by the scattered Ether energy, were still slowly expanding.
The visual impact was overwhelming for everyone who witnessed it.
"What... what kind of monster is that..."
One of the mecha pilots stared at the scene, speaking heavily.
Zane didn't move right away. He was waiting for the enemy to come closer.
"You had your fun chasing me just now…"
"Now, the tables have turned."
"Hope you'll put up a good fight."
His blue eyes grew brighter and brighter. No one could predict what would happen next.
...
At the edge of the Hollows, inside an investigator stronghold.
"What did you say? The collapse of the Hollows hasn't stopped? It's almost shrunk down to our location? This is the middle layer of the Hollows!"
"Even if a huge number of Ethereals died, it wouldn't shrink this much. Based on what you're saying, the Cretan Hollows are less than half their original size!"
"But that's what all our equipment is detecting."
"Is the equipment really working properly? How is this possible? Besides those big shots from long ago, who else could cause something like this?"
"You said it yourself—it's not impossible."
"No, I need to fire a flare to warn the people inside! Bring the biggest one we've got, now!"
"Wait, it's already too late!"
A strange wave suddenly swept through the base. The investigators could only watch as their precision instruments malfunctioned and shut down within seconds.
All eyes turned toward the depths of the Hollow.
There was only a dark barrier with a faint glow at the edge.
It was the shell of the Hollow.
Without even moving, they had been forced from the inside of the Hollow to the outside.
"All the equipment... it's broken?"
"Gear designed to resist Hollow erosion for extended periods... just broke like that? Not even a Hollow eruption could wreck our equipment this fast!"
"Could a Hollow collapse be several times more destructive than a Hollow eruption?!"
"Look, the collapse hasn't stopped!"
The investigators quickly realized what was happening—and it was far beyond anything they had ever learned or expected.
They weren't fighters; their role was support. But now, they couldn't even do that.
No messages could be sent from outside the Hollow to those still inside.
Even signal flares wouldn't be visible within the Hollow.
And now, they couldn't even catch up with the collapsing Hollow to re-enter.
"Wait, no way. Is this like what Hoshimi Miyabi once did? Is the Hollow going to be completely dissolved...?"
"No, impossible! Even though the Cretan Hollow isn't as significant as the Lord's Nest, a complete dissolution hasn't happened since New Eridu's founding—or even back in the Old Capital!"
"But... this..."
Despite trying to reason through the situation, almost everyone realized one thing:
The Defense Force was in deep trouble...
...
"Commander, should we move in?"
On the ground, the Defense Force had regrouped, surrounding the building. In the open space in front of Zane, an officer asked the armored commander beside him.
"Let's wait and see…"
The commander stared at the figure on the rooftop, a flicker of hesitation flashing through him.
Seeing it with your own eyes was far more shocking than watching footage.
And he could sense it—this Ethereal was now operating on a completely different level compared to the one shown in the recordings.
They had planned to drive the Ethereal toward the "Snake Cage" trap, but reality was that they were being led by the nose.
And they were still far from the capture device.
He didn't even realize that the "Snake Cage" was already outside the Hollow.
"Commander, he's coming down!"
"What?!"
Zane leapt from the rooftop, plummeting downward before slamming into the ground, cracking it apart.
"Quick! Execute the plan!"
The commander barked the order. Just as the mecha overhead prepared for a fire strike, he saw Zane charging at them.
Zane moved with incredible speed. The distance closed in an instant. As the soldiers in front raised their shields to form a defensive line, he crashed into them without hesitation.
Trying to block him with shields was like trying to stop a boulder with an egg.
Screams rang out as the shield bearers were sent flying like scattered petals, crashing hard to the ground.
The rest engaged Zane in close combat.
A dense barrage of bullets and energy rays poured at him, trying to do damage, but in front of Zane, who moved like a phantom, they achieved nothing.
The mecha above couldn't provide fire support either because of the chaotic melee.
Screams of agony echoed across the battlefield. Every casual strike from Zane was fatal.
From the rear, the commander could only watch helplessly as his soldiers were knocked away one by one.
The gap between him and Zane was closing fast.
Those vibrant, colorful wings were impossible to miss.
In just a dozen breaths, with a final scream, the last shield soldier was hurled backward, his shield twisted out of shape by sheer force.
Staring at Zane looming just a few feet away, the commander tried to lift his weapon.
But before he could do anything, a hand grabbed his neck and hoisted him into the air.
"Tell me. What's your goal in coming after me?"
The question cut into his mind like a blade. The commander's face went pale, and even through his armor, the iron grip on his throat made it hard to breathe.
"I... I don't know..."
Zane said nothing, only tightening his grip.
The commander's face twisted in pain, white foam bubbling from his mouth.
Before he completely blacked out, Zane loosened his hold.
"Speak."
Gulping in fresh air, the commander collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately. Terrified of death, he barely managed to stammer,
"This... this lord, I really don't know. I was just following orders..."
Hearing this, Zane realized the man wasn't lying. He genuinely didn't know the purpose of the operation. Zane could only sigh inwardly—it was pointless to interrogate the others now.
Seeing the rest of the Defense Force regrouping, Zane didn't waste any more time. He charged straight into them, unstoppable.
After a while, the battlefield was strewn with metal fragments and countless unconscious soldiers.
It was a scene of utter devastation.
Overloaded with power, Zane's strength was monstrous.
After wiping out the enemies, Zane prepared to leave.
His current state was unstable, and he needed time to handle any unexpected trouble.
But just then, an explosion rang out.
Turning his head, Zane saw the mecha he had tossed into the building earlier—damaged, now firing uncontrollably.
The wild shots exploded inside the building, posing no threat to him.
However, the building itself was now shaking, showing clear signs of collapse.
Zane didn't care at first, but then he suddenly remembered—there were still two people inside.
"Tsk, what a nuisance…"
With a decision made, Zane didn't hesitate.
He was an Ethereal now—why not just act as he pleased?
Save if he wanted. Kill if he wanted.
Follow his heart.