A flash of blue light shot past—Hoshimi Miyabi swiftly retreated, her long hair flying behind her as she widened the distance between herself and Zane.
Looking up, she saw a diagonal strip of ice crystal across Zane's upper torso, with a shallow scratch beneath it.
"Hoshimi Miyabi, Hollow Special Operations Unit 6."
"New Eridu's youngest Void Hunter."
"Did I get that right?"
Zane lifted one arm and flicked his hand. The hardened ice cracked and shattered, pieces falling to the ground.
At the sound of that slightly teasing tone, Hoshimi Miyabi frowned but didn't respond. She quietly placed her hand on her sword's hilt.
This seemed to be the first time she'd heard the Fire Picker speak.
Just as she'd suspected, the Fire Pickers did have the capacity—and value—for communication.
"I'm really curious. As someone from Hollow Special Operations Unit 6, it's one thing not to help me deal with the Ethereals... but why are you actively getting in my way?"
Zane's voice lowered, a chill spreading across his arm as fine ice crystals began forming in the air.
Oh? Ice, is it? Fine—let's see who handles it better.
Spear to spear. Gun to gun. Point for point.
Hoshimi Miyabi stood atop the rubble, her eyes locked on Zane. She gritted her teeth.
Wasn't it her plan all along to deal with Nineveh together with the Fire Picker?
But before she even had the chance to say anything, he struck at her first—didn't even give her the chance to talk.
And now he was acting like this was all her fault?
What a bastard.
"Nineveh can die—but not yet."
With both hands gripping her blade, Hoshimi Miyabi leveled her sword at Zane, side-eyeing him as she raised it before her.
She didn't know why Nineveh had suddenly turned on the Fire Picker, but the shift clearly worked in her favor. Based on how things stood now, Zane posed a far greater threat than Nineveh.
As long as all three parties remained, the fragile balance would hold.
But the entire situation left her exhausted.
She'd wanted to fight Nineveh alongside the Fire Picker... but ended up fending off both of them.
And now, she was standing beside Nineveh to go against Zane?
Never in her life had she imagined she'd be on the same side as Nineveh.
This whole situation was insane.
"There's no difference. She's already lost her combat edge—what can she really do for you now?"
Zane studied Hoshimi Miyabi, intrigued that she had already taken up a fighting stance. How had she come to that conclusion?
Her eyes flickered.
An Ethereal who didn't understand Ethereals?
So that was it… Fire Pickers thought more like humans. Was their human form their real identity?
"You're smart—but you don't understand high-grade Ethereals like Nineveh at all."
Zane paused at her words. That strange, low-frequency hum echoed in his senses again.
Turning his head, he saw Nineveh floating once more, surrounded by a protective swarm of Ethereals.
She still looked weak—but she was airborne again, and clearly recovering.
"This place is her domain…"
Hoshimi Miyabi's voice rang out once more. Zane may have remained expressionless, but she was already imagining the stunned look on his face.
He said nothing, simply watching as Nineveh ascended. And now he understood.
The Ethereals he'd fought before—like the Cretan Hollow's core Ethereal or the Dead End Butcher—all had similar home-field advantages.
But they lacked in strength. Or the Hollow they inhabited wasn't strong enough. Or he himself was also an Ethereal.
This time, it was different.
Nineveh. And Hollow Zero...
"This one's trying to flee…"
Watching Nineveh's trajectory, Zane narrowed his eyes, then turned back to Hoshimi Miyabi and scoffed.
"Idiot."
"So what if she's regained some strength? Running or dying—it's the same outcome."
"We've got a golden opportunity to end Nineveh right here and now—and you're letting her go. Calling you an idiot is generous."
Zane had originally leaned toward sparing Nineveh. But now, with Hoshimi Miyabi unwittingly helping make that happen, he didn't mind throwing a few barbs her way.
Someone like her—powerful, good-looking, talented—it'd be a waste not to poke at her a little. Too much potential fun to pass up.
"You...!"
Hoshimi Miyabi's face darkened. She looked up at Nineveh, already hovering midair, speechless.
This one was definitely her misread.
Nineveh had fought like her life depended on it a moment ago—who would've thought she'd just retreat like that now?
With a flick, Hoshimi Miyabi dropped her stance. Despite the insults, she could tell the Fire Picker had no real intention to keep fighting her.
She wanted a proper duel with him.
But not here. Not now.
Just as she was deciding what to say next, he raised a hand to his forehead in exasperation and snapped,
"Still not convinced you're an idiot? Then chase her!"
Without another word, Zane turned away. Frost gathered at his feet as he kicked off the side of a tall building, speeding after Nineveh.
Her flight was sluggish—probably from sheer energy loss—so Zane was closing the distance fast.
From the ground, Hoshimi Miyabi looked up at that dark silhouette. "Still not convinced you're an idiot" echoed in her ears, and for the first time, her expression shifted significantly.
Black lines twitched on her forehead. She gripped her sword's hilt tightly—so tightly her fingers turned pale.
"Bastard…"
How could someone so insufferable even exist?!
She genuinely wanted to slash him right now.
Beside her, the ghostly sphere wobbled as if sensing her emotional spike.
Watching the two figures disappear into the heights above, Hoshimi Miyabi couldn't afford to hesitate anymore. She leapt after them.
...
Moments later, atop the high-rises—
"So, you figured you can't shake me off by flying normally… so you're flying straight up?"
Casually smashing an Ethereal that got in his way, Zane watched Nineveh's silhouette rise vertically and instantly understood her thinking.
Sparing Nineveh was one thing. Letting her escape was another.
Like he said earlier—if she fled and vanished, it was no different from dying.
The best outcome would be gaining control over her—at the very least, getting her to listen. Or grounding her—taking away her ability to fly. Keeping her close. Stopping her from firing off laser beams whenever she felt like it...
He glanced back at Hoshimi Miyabi, who had just caught up. His eyes narrowed with a faint grin as sparks and electric arcs danced across his body.
Then, turning forward, he refocused.
If he wanted to go higher now, he'd have to leap between the floating debris in the sky.