"Once a core Etherial is eliminated, the Hollow doesn't just shrink—major shifts occur, especially in the core zone. We should leave now,"
Belle said, scanning the area. As she operated the controls, several spatial rifts had already begun to flicker into existence.
Normally, over time, a new core Etherial would eventually form again.
As for how long that would take—there simply wasn't enough data to say.
"Then we'll leave it to you."
Zane also sensed the Ether in the space growing unstable. He glanced at Eous and spoke softly.
"This way."
Eous nodded and, guided by Fairy's calculations, began leading the group out of the core zone.
"By the way, Zane, why are you taking out core Etherials?"
"If it's something you'd rather not talk about, feel free to ignore me."
As they walked, Eous—under Belle's control—asked, curiosity and confusion evident in the question.
It couldn't be just to shrink the Hollow, could it? Zane was an Etherial himself. Wouldn't that just limit his own territory?
"To absorb Ether. The more I absorb, the stronger I get—and the easier it becomes to control my power."
Zane didn't hold back. He saw no reason to hide this from them. Besides, he didn't think this would be the last time he'd work with "Phaethon." A bit of honesty was better.
"Ether energy? Isn't it everywhere in the Hollow? If that's not enough, then what about all those Ether crystals...?"
"Worthless."
Zane shook his head. He wasn't an idiot—of course he'd tried. But the drifting wisps of Ether floating in the Hollow couldn't be absorbed.
As for the crystals Belle mentioned, back when he'd first arrived in the Cretan Hollow, there had been a few temporary outposts dedicated to test-mining Ether as a power source.
He'd tried the energy harvested from those outposts too—no use.
Even absorbing the energy left behind by Etherials only worked if the creature was fully destroyed.
If not, he could've just "farmed" Etherials—set up some sort of bloodletting conveyor belt.
Why it worked that way, he didn't know.
He could only chalk it up to something unique about himself.
"It doesn't work?"
Eous led the way in silence, and Belle realized something—if Zane wanted to find core Etherials efficiently, he'd need her help.
Their partnership was likely just beginning.
"We're here. Once we pass through this spatial rift, we'll be out of the core area."
They stopped before a shimmering rift. Using rifts was always far faster than walking—
Though most Proxies wouldn't have the strength to use them safely.
Just as Billy was about to step through, Belle suddenly called out.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong, Proxy?"
Nicole turned toward Eous, puzzled.
"This one leads to an area with military presence. They're armed..."
Her voice turned grim.
Why would the military be stationed this deep inside the Hollow?
"Huh? How do you know that, Proxy?"
"Ah... well, that's just part of being a legendary Proxy. Anyway, we should find another exit."
Belle played it off awkwardly. She couldn't exactly tell Nicole that Fairy had hacked into the military's "Carrot" system to get the data.
Zane didn't object. The military presence was likely related to him—if his location got exposed, it'd put him in a tight spot.
And the Hare's House team was with him.
If they were discovered, things could get messy. If they were discovered with him—even worse.
So the group kept looking for another route.
But the next few spatial rifts were either unusable or still led to parts of the core zone. When they finally found one leading out, it too was guarded by military forces.
Left with no choice, Belle had Eous guide them on foot.
After some time and effort, they neared the edge of the core—only to spot another squad patrolling in the distance.
"What's going on? Are we being tracked? But we've avoided everyone up till now..."
Nicole frowned, ducking behind a building and peeking out at the six-person squad.
"Boss Nicole, maybe we slipped up somewhere...?"
Billy held his pistols, trying to guess.
"Don't jinx us, Billy."
"Maybe it's just some routine test and they happened to block our path,"
Nicole snapped, shooting him a look.
"How am I jinxing it? You're the one who said—"
"Billy!"
After getting Billy to shut up, Nicole looked back at Eous and Belle.
"What do we do? Charge through or wait them out? At this pace, they're not leaving anytime soon."
Anby didn't say a word, her eyes locked on the squad. If it came to a fight, she'd take them out cleanly and efficiently.
"Don't be rash, Nicole. Let's think of another plan,"
Belle chimed in. She preferred to play it safe—there was no immediate threat anyway.
"It's too late."
Zane's voice came from beside her. Nicole blinked, confused, about to ask what he meant—then saw where he was looking.
It wasn't toward the patrol squad.
The next second, a black crystalline barrier erupted around them, enclosing the entire group.
Darkness swallowed them in an instant. Before Nicole could react, she felt herself lift off the ground—like the floor itself had risen.
No—it wasn't like that. They were actually being lifted!
"Stay still. Your identities haven't been exposed yet. I'll get you out of here first."
Zane's voice came from beyond the crystal shell, calming Nicole and Billy's growing panic.
...
"Target spotted, senior!"
Zhu Yuan stood on the rooftop of a crumbling building, both hands gripping her rifle. She had a perfect view of Zane's form.
"What... is that thing?"
Qingyi arrived a moment later, staring at the tall, strange, yet oddly elegant figure. She looked puzzled.
In the creature's arms was a massive sphere encased in Ether crystals—its base made of concrete.
"That shell holds its companions!"
Zhu Yuan's expression sharpened, fingers ready on the trigger. She hadn't seen the faces inside clearly, but she could tell—people and Bangboo were inside that sphere.