Chapter 12: Hollow Disturbance

On a street mostly covered in Ether crystal, Zhong Yan and Eous moved forward with some difficulty.

From the current situation, the structure inside this Hollow hadn't yet been reshaped, so the data map provided by the client was extremely useful—it almost entirely eliminated the risk of getting trapped inside.

Still, even without that data, he wouldn't be too worried about getting into trouble. Not only did he have a Hollow veteran with him, but with just Kamui alone would let him instantly escape the Hollow if necessary.

"Strange, why are there fewer and fewer Ethereals around?" Belle's words pulled Zhong Yan back to reality.

In fact, he had noticed it too. From the moment they entered the Hollow, the number of Ethereals had been visibly decreasing—the closer they got to the target, the more obvious it became, prompting a growing sense of unease.

"Hollow structures are unstable. The number of Ethereals can fluctuate—it should be normal, but it's best to stay alert." A male voice came from within Eous. That was Wise, assisting Belle in operating the HDD system.

Wise's explanation helped Belle relax a bit. Zhong Yan didn't say much. He looked down at the map on his phone and saw that they were very close to their destination.

"It should be that building over there." As he spoke, he pointed toward an abandoned high-rise not far away.

While the siblings' attention was drawn to the building, Zhong Yan quietly activated his Sharingan. As his pupils turned blood-red, the world before his eyes changed rapidly.

In the Hollow, the air was saturated with visible Ether particles, but for some reason, these Ether traces were crazily pouring into that building—as if some device inside it was sucking them in.

That was not good news. Dense Ether concentration could easily draw Ethereals together—and worse, trigger the evolution of low-tier Ethereals into high-risk ones.

That building looked like a trap no matter how you viewed it.

BOOM!

Without any warning, the building's walls suddenly exploded. Flames shot sky-high, and a wave of searing heat rushed toward them.

Right after the heat came flying debris from the blast. Among the fragments, one massive chunk rocketed directly at them—as if it had a heat-seeking lock.

It was coming so fast there was no time to dodge. Belle, shocked, screamed and covered her eyes, while Wise quickly reached out to sever the sensory link between her and Eous.

But just when they thought they were about to lose Eous, a sharp, screeching bird cry tore through the sky.

Then came the sound of a blade being drawn.

Zhong Yan, having reacted first, had already stepped in front of Eous with his sword unsheathed by the time the siblings moved.

Electricity surged along the blade, and as Zhong Yan swung his arm, the sword sliced through the air with a perfect arc. The moment it touched the flying debris, a burst of white lightning exploded like a bomb.

A shrill buzzing echoed in their ears.

CRACK!

The massive wall chunk, enough to crush a high-risk Ethereal flat, was split cleanly in two and crashed to either side, stirring up a cloud of dust.

After a long moment, Belle—still trembling from fright—slowly lowered her hands from her eyes, seeing that Eous was perfectly fine.

When she looked up, her gaze met Zhong Yan, who was standing protectively in front of her.

He raised his arm and flicked it sharply. The current clinging to the blade was flung off like water, and in one smooth motion, he sheathed his sword.

That effortlessly cool move, paired with Zhong Yan's already striking looks, caused Belle's heart to skip a beat—she stood frozen in place.

"Looks like we were played—or rather, the guy who hired me was." Zhong Yan's sudden comment snapped Belle out of her daze. He crouched down and picked up a small blackened fragment from the dusty rubble.

It was human flesh. But after being ravaged by fire and explosion, it was barely recognizable.

Anyone without a sharp eye might've mistaken it for a stone.

The faint scent of blood in the air confirmed Zhong Yan's suspicion—those helpers the client had hired were all killed in the blast, along with any Ethereals drawn by the device.

It was a clear warning from the Red Fang Gang to anyone who dared covet Fairy.

After all, to thrive in New Eridu like they had, the gang's leader—"Silver"—was definitely no pushover.

His only real flaw was probably his extremely low Ether compatibility, which made him vulnerable to Hollow erosion. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been taken out so early in the story.

"The explosion's drawn nearby Ethereals. We need to get out of here, now!" Belle, sensing a surge of Ethereal signatures via the HDD system, immediately warned Zhong Yan.

Zhong Yan didn't hesitate. He scooped up Eous and bolted from the scene.

But no matter how fast he moved, the Ethereals responded even quicker. In no time, the pair found themselves surrounded.

Seeing this, Zhong Yan quickly set Eous down, drew his weapon from his waist, and said, "Can you locate the nearest jump node? We've got to get out of here."

Without waiting for a response, he charged forward.

These low-risk Ethereals lacked intelligence and moved sluggishly. In a flash of electricity, a whole row of them was wiped out. But they just kept coming, wave after wave.

Even with just Lightning Release techniques, the overwhelming numbers started to pressure Zhong Yan. All he could do now was hope Belle found the nearest spatial node—fast.

Otherwise, he'd have to reveal more of the Uchiha's secrets.

"Found it!"

Belle's voice came from within Eous. She pointed to a collapsed bus station nearby. According to the HDD system, the closest spatial node was right in that ruined stop.

Zhong Yan understood instantly. He cut down the Ethereal in front of him with one strike, then rushed over and scooped Eous into his arms.

Spotting a group of Ethereals blocking their path, he holstered his sword, raised his palm, and summoned a crackling ball of lightning.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

In an instant, a white line extended from the lightning, piercing through the nearest Ethereal.

But it didn't stop there. With a flick of Zhong Yan's wrist, the line turned into a gleaming energy blade, slicing cleanly through everything in its path—including the Ethereals in their way.

With the path cleared, Zhong Yan picked up speed. As he neared the station ruins, he hurled Eous into the spatial node with all his might.

But just as he was about to follow through himself, a sharp Ether blade came hurtling straight for his head.

The last thing Belle saw through her sensory link with Eous, before the node activated, was that Ether blade stabbing fiercely toward Zhong Yan's skull.

Then—everything went quiet.

***

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