At the moment the complete Susanoo descended, on the outskirts of Hollow Zero—
Ever since Nineveh had been slain by Uchiha, the cleanup zone overseen by the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 had pushed forward by several kilometers.
The new sweep zone had previously been marked as a high-risk area by the Hollow Investigative Association. But with Nineveh gone, the roaming Ethereals in this region had declined significantly in both strength and number.
This presented a rare opportunity for Section 6. Over time, they could slowly push into unexplored regions—something beneficial not only to their unit but also to the Hollow Investigative Association and even New Eridu as a whole.
"Chief, the two giant Ethereals in this area have been completely cleared out. Ether activity is also noticeably lower than before. Looks like we should be able to push forward a bit more."
Asaba, a member of Section 6, walked over to Miyabi with a device in hand measuring ether activity, his tone calm and deliberate.
Hoshimi nodded lightly. "Advance another two hundred meters. Make sure the terrain and Ethereal distribution are thoroughly scouted. I want zero oversights."
With her command, Section 6 began moving forward in formation.
"Chief seems a lot calmer than before... could it be that what happened last time hit her harder than we thought?" As they moved, Asaba turned to Deputy Chief Yanagi and spoke quietly, watching Miyabi lead the charge and efficiently deal with Ethereals.
Everyone in Section 6 had noticed the change. They had been shocked by their leader's shaken morale, yet relieved she managed to adjust in time. If she had continued rushing into danger without a care, it would've only been a matter of time before disaster struck.
Just then, while the group continued to advance in order, Miyabi's ears twitched slightly as if sensing something.
She suddenly lifted her head and stared into the distance. There, beyond the calm air, there was nothing immediately visible.
But Miyabi could sense it—somewhere far off, a battle of unprecedented scale was unfolding. The distance was simply too great for any signs to be seen with the naked eye.
If not for her exceptional strength and perception, she likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.
"Chief, what's wrong?" Noticing her sudden change, Asaba and Yanagi quickly approached with concern.
Miyabi didn't explain much. She simply replied in a calm tone, "I want to check over there."
As she spoke, she pointed in the direction of the sensation.
Asaba and Yanagi exchanged glances. Asaba hesitated, then spoke up. "Chief, that's an uncharted area, even the Association hasn't mapped it out. There aren't even relay beacons for us to operate there. Did you... sense something?"
They weren't idiots—they knew Miyabi must've had a reason. She wouldn't make such an unusual request otherwise.
Their words snapped her out of it. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, just a passing thought. But you're right—that area's full of unknown risks. Let's focus on completing our assigned mission first."
With that, she returned to the front of the formation and resumed slashing down Ethereals blocking their path.
Asaba and Yanagi couldn't help but exchange a look of worry.
Was their Chief... starting to lose it after everything that happened?
...
Meanwhile, deeper inside Hollow Zero—exactly in the direction Miyabi had sensed.
The towering complete form of Susanoo had, with a single strike, flattened hundreds of meters of terrain. The only thing left standing was the colossal Ethereal.
It had been blown away by the impact, but overall, it wasn't seriously injured. Still, it was the first time it had ever encountered such a gargantuan enemy.
A being over a hundred meters tall was rare even among the Ethereal race. To it, any creature exceeding that size was not something it could afford to provoke.
Initially, it had seen Zhong Yan as the perfect nutrient source. It never imagined his strength would be this overwhelming.
It had, quite literally, run headfirst into a steel wall.
On the other side, standing in the crystal atop Susanoo's forehead, Zhong Yan gazed down coldly at the colossal Ethereal below.
His expression was utterly indifferent. Toward creatures like Ethereals, he felt no sympathy whatsoever. The only thing he wanted... was to wipe them out completely.
With that thought, he no longer hesitated. As Susanoo stepped forward, it raised its massive blade high above its head.
In the next moment, under the horrified stare of the colossal Ethereal, the blade plunged down like a falling meteor, slamming into the earth with brutal force.
The solid ground was pulverized instantly. The massive blade drove dozens of meters deep into the earth, and the colossal Ethereal—its body pierced through—vanished into ash in an instant.
Surprisingly, no massive explosion followed. Perhaps because the area had already been reduced to rubble, Zhong Yan's strike didn't produce much in terms of visual impact—just deepened the already-ruined ground.
But in terms of power, this was undeniably Zhong Yan's strongest strike to date. Even against Nineveh, it had taken him three arrows to kill her. Yet this stronger Ethereal hadn't survived a single blow.
It was no exaggeration to say that with a complete Susanoo, Zhong Yan could flatten all of New Eridu if he wanted.
However, New Eridu was the city he currently lived in. Unless provoked to an extreme, he had no reason to destroy it.
Sure, members of the Uchiha clan might be a bit unhinged—but as far as Zhong Yan was concerned, he was still sane... for now.
Having dispatched the colossal Ethereal, and unwilling to waste more energy, he immediately dispelled the complete form of Susanoo.
As the giant faded, Zhong Yan descended steadily onto the ruined earth below.
Brushing away the last traces of Susanoo's energy, he exhaled deeply, a noticeable lightness in his expression.
Because the drain from this battle... was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.