Suppression

Inside the Dead End Hollow.

Zane descended while holding onto Panta. With his Ethereal form, Panta couldn't grip onto him properly—if he didn't hold him like this, the little guy would probably take off flying.

Sparks screeched from his feet as they scraped along the ground. Zane managed to stabilize himself, but due to the proximity of the explosion, much of its shockwave hadn't dissipated even after entering the Hollow.

He set Panta down, rolled his shoulders, then turned to glance behind him and murmured,

"Looks like I've got a few tails to deal with."

At first, he hadn't noticed anyone lurking in the shadows. But after reverting to his Ethereal form, their surprise must have caused a brief leak of aura—just enough to expose them.

"There aren't any spatial rifts here, so they must've entered the same way I did… In that case, let's give them a little parting gift."

"Hope my little tails enjoy it."

Zane smiled faintly. He didn't know who exactly was tailing him, but they clearly weren't weak. Still, since they'd seen what they shouldn't have, they deserved at least a taste of pain.

"Whether you live or not… depends on how tough you are."

With a flick of his hands, a handful of gleaming silver Dennies appeared in his palms.

Taking advantage of the Hollow's ambient energy, Zane stripped vast amounts of electrical energy from the surroundings and poured it into the cluster of Dennies.

As the infusion continued, the Dennies began to warp subtly, electric arcs crackling outward as one by one, they floated up into the air.

Zane guided the electrical flow, adjusting their orientation and spacing until they were arranged just right.

In no time, the sky above the worn, half-destroyed street was dotted with shimmering silver Dennies.

Turning away, Zane walked off, Panta trotting close behind.

...

"Watch your landing."

The Hollow's barrier spat Hoshimi Miyabi out, but she was prepared and landed steadily.

The others were seasoned enough not to stumble on landing either—no embarrassing slips from this group.

Straightening up, Hoshimi Miyabi frowned.

"Something's off... these energy fluctuations…"

"Section Chief, what are those shiny things...?"

Soukaku looked up, curious, at the gleaming specks scattered above them.

The moment her words fell—

An electrical surge exploded!

In an instant, every single Denny unleashed its own beam of light. Dense lightning pillars rained down with overwhelming force.

Their targets weren't precise. This wasn't a surgical strike—it was a saturation bombardment, covering the area so thoroughly that dodging was impossible for Unit 6.

"Soukaku incoming!"

With a clang, Soukaku unfurled her banner—not to attack, but to use as a massive shield overhead.

The thunderous impacts slammed down relentlessly. Even someone as strong as Soukaku had to lower herself under the pressure.

Thankfully, the banner's material was tough enough. Though scorched black from the barrage, it didn't crack or break.

Seeing her struggling, Harumasa and Tsukishiro Yanagi rushed over and helped brace the banner together.

Hoshimi Miyabi crouched low, eyes sharp and alert as she watched the pillars hammer the ground around them, staying wary of any sudden shifts.

With this level of power, anyone caught unshielded would've been fried to a crisp.

Suddenly, one of the Dennies, destabilized by the chaotic energy, veered off course—plummeting straight toward the group under the banner.

Buzz—

Energy erupted downward. Calm and focused, Hoshimi Miyabi dashed out with a sliding step. Many Dennies had already spent their energy and fallen, so the density of light beams had dropped.

She dodged two beams on the way, then charged straight for the one headed directly at them.

The others weren't as quick. If one of them got hit and dropped the banner, things could turn ugly fast.

Her fingers brushed her katana's hilt—and in the next instant, the blade was drawn, a flash of steel slicing through the air as the surrounding electricity pulsed in response.

Hoshimi Miyabi not only used her own power but cleverly harnessed residual energy from the air, reinforcing herself while minimizing her own drain.

The moment of impact came.

A sharp arc of sword light slashed across the beam—what should've been an unbreakable column of energy splintered apart, dispersing before it could hit the ground.

Two breaths later, the Denny fell with a clink, its energy gone. Most of the others in the air were already spent.

The few remaining didn't pose much threat anymore.

The Dennies fell with crisp, metallic clatters—but as Hoshimi Miyabi sheathed her blade, her expression turned cold.

"So this is... the 'Fire Picker's' handiwork?"

Tsukishiro Yanagi looked over the wrecked ground, his expression tense, a flicker of wariness in his eyes.

"He's definitely noticed us," Harumasa added grimly.

"This level of destruction… it's on par with Nineveh," Tsukishiro said quietly, stepping beside Miyabi.

Now that they had a benchmark, the opponent's strength was starting to take shape.

"No, it's not the same," Hoshimi Miyabi said, shaking her head.

For Nineveh to cause this much destruction, she'd have to appear in person. But all of this? This was just a leftover trap—a not-so-sophisticated one at that—left behind by the 'Fire Picker.'

"The Section Chief's right," Harumasa sighed. "I don't know how tough he really is, but his destructive capability already exceeds Nineveh…"

He was already sensing how tough this mission would be. Even making contact wouldn't come easy.

Fighting Ethereals in Hollow Zero almost felt simpler in comparison.

Sure, they were all unscathed—but who were they?

The elite of the elite, directly under H.A.N.D.

With Hoshimi Miyabi—the youngest ever Void Hunter—on the team.

And yet this was just a simple trap from the 'Fire Picker.'

And it still had them completely on the back foot.

Unless the Public Security Bureau or Defense Force deployed squads of similar caliber, anyone else would've been wiped out instantly.

"This 'Fire Picker' doesn't seem too fond of us—but that's fair. We were the ones 'spying' first," Tsukishiro Yanagi said, stowing her naginata.

"So do we pursue, or lay low for now?"

"He came here for a reason," Hoshimi Miyabi said, glancing into the depths of the Hollow where Zane had gone. "I think it's best not to interfere."

...