The Return of the Geo Element

Although the powerful Ethereals had been suppressed—and that suppression was only growing stronger, soon to cover the entire Hollow—

On Soldier 11 and Anby's side, the situation remained dire.

They were up against two Ethereals stronger than the Notoriety level, plus another one lurking in hiding.

One was Sam Li's client. The other, his partner. There was no way Sam Li would just stand by and watch them fall.

The next second, the ground beneath Sam Li's feet surged upward.

There wasn't even time to shape the Geo element beneath him.

He simply controlled a section of concrete, launching it skyward to carry him in the direction of Soldier 11 and Anby.

...

While Sam Li suppressed the Hollow with the Seven Heavenly Statue and headed off to support Soldier 11 and Anby...

Elsewhere within the Federer District Hollow—

On Street 3, Hoshimi Miyabi, Soukaku, and other members of Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 were still locked in battle with the massive human-faced, beast-bodied Ethereal.

Had it been an ordinary Notoriety-class Ethereal, Hoshimi Miyabi's power at the Hollow Hunter level would've already brought it down.

But this one had far surpassed that level, with staggeringly high defenses.

Even Miyabi could only target its weak spots to inflict any real damage.

Victory wouldn't come quickly.

They had no choice but to wear it down slowly with teamwork.

"Soukaku! Don't take it head-on—I'll draw its attention!" Tsukishiro Yanagi shouted.

Soukaku stumbled back, clutching her stomach. "If I'd known this would be so tough, I would've eaten more…"

She had eaten well before heading out,

Yet just a short while into the fight, he'd already burned through it all. Now he regretted not packing some rations.

Then—

Tsukishiro Yanagi shouted up again, "Miyabi! I've got it distracted—now's your chance!"

She didn't need the reminder.

From atop a nearby rooftop,

Hoshimi Miyabi had already leapt high into the air, slashing down with her tachi.

Her target: the weak spot on the Ethereal's neck.

In a flash—

Her blade cut cleanly through the creature's body.

But it wasn't enough.

For a beast this size, such a wound wasn't fatal. With its regeneration, that gash would likely heal in no time.

Miyabi frowned.

This enemy was a serious problem.

More critically—

She didn't have the time to waste here.

Other Ethereals awaited her elsewhere.

If she got bogged down now, her comrades—or other official responders—might not make it.

She needed to end this. Fast.

But the rest of Unit 6 was already spent.

Their stamina and focus were waning.

Soukaku was starving and clearly weakening…

Tsukishiro Yanagi, breathing hard, was still holding the line up front to create an opening…

Asaba Harumasa was just as drained…

Miyabi's gaze sharpened. "Hold on. I'll end this soon."

Then suddenly—

A soft golden glow shone over them from afar.

It was warm. Comforting.

And somehow, it gave them strength.

Soukaku noticed it first, looking up in surprise. "Section Chief! Look over there—another sun in the sky!"

Even without his warning, the others had also spotted it.

All eyes turned toward the distance.

High above, a golden light flickered—

Not a sun.

Even from afar, they could make out the faint, irregular silhouette of a statue—

Like something you'd find in a park.

The moment she felt the light,

Hoshimi Miyabi's heart skipped a beat. "Geo Element!"

There was no mistaking it.

This was the same elemental signature she had been searching for.

For two months she had hunted for the Geo element in her off time with no success—

Until just two days ago, when Zhu Yuan had helped her trace it to an agent named Sam Li.

Before she could investigate further, the Hollow outbreak in the Federer District hit, and she had to mobilize her unit.

She never expected to encounter that once-elusive, now-familiar element here of all places.

Then—

The observation device on Soukaku's belt began to beep.

"Alert! Ether concentration dropping…"

"Alert! Ether activity dropping…"

Soukaku quickly pulled out her handheld monitor. Sure enough, both the concentration and activity levels were down significantly.

That kind of change—

It could only mean the Hollow was weakening.

But how?

The Ethereal in front of them was still standing, and conditions in other zones were likely even worse than theirs.

Logically, the Hollow shouldn't be receding.

And yet—

The readings were clear.

Soukaku immediately relayed the data to Miyabi and the others.

At first, she suspected her gear had been damaged by Ether corrosion.

But soon she could feel it herself—

The pressure wasn't as suffocating as before.

Even breathing was easier.

Whatever the cause,

The Hollow was truly starting to weaken.

Tsukishiro Yanagi spoke with urgency, "Ether's thinning, its activity's down—the Ethereal's been weakened. Section Chief, this is our shot!"

Miyabi hadn't dropped her guard for a second.

She locked onto the Ethereal, leapt from the rooftop again, and brought her blade down on its neck.

This time—

The blow was fatal.

Her sword cleaved through, severing the creature's head clean off.

Without sparing it another glance, Miyabi looked toward the distant sky—

The golden light that had hovered there moments ago was now gone.

It had either vanished… or fallen.

Tsukishiro Yanagi wasted no time resting. She pulled out the map,

Marking all current battle zones: 18º Streeth, the western wilderness of the Federer District…

She took a deep breath. "Section Chief, where to next?"

Miyabi sheathed her blade. "18º Streeth."

It happened to lie in the same direction as the golden light from earlier.

She wanted to check it out—see what that glowing figure had really been.

With those words, she moved to the front.

Soukaku, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the rest of Unit 6 followed close behind, en route to reinforce the next battlefront.

Before long,

They reached the site where Sam Li had just fought.

There, in the middle of the street—

A golden statue stood, quietly radiating light.

…