She looked down and saw that only his ID card had been taken. He let out a breath of relief—then frowned.
"You took…"
Before the words left her mouth, Hoshimi Miyabi suddenly felt her body lighten.
She stared wide-eyed as the Fire Picker let go, stood up, and turned away without the slightest hesitation. But she had no time to speak before she began to fall.
"You bastard!!!"
Hoshimi Miyabi plummeted fast. From his high vantage point, Zane could only make out a muffled shout.
"What's she yelling about now?"
He was a bit confused but quickly shrugged it off, flipping the ID card in his hand back and forth.
"Custom-made… Might be more than just a trophy—could have other uses…"
Then a thought struck him.
"With someone like Hoshimi Miyabi, a 'trophy' like this would probably be a disgrace to her, right?"
"She'll probably say she doesn't want a new one, insists on getting the old one back… and just ends up stuck without an ID."
If that were the case, this ID card might come in handy later. He didn't need it now, but who knows about the future…
"'Hoshimi Miyabi, Hollow Special Operations Unit 6'—that's a name with weight."
With that, Zane tucked the card away. He looked down, gauging his current height.
"Tch… Blew up all the escape routes just to mess with her. Now I've got no way down either."
He had hoped to make a graceful exit, but now brute force would have to do.
Zane calculated the drop point, then jumped.
...
On the ground, beside a tall building at the edge of the battlefield.
The wind howled past her ears as Hoshimi Miyabi saw the ground clearly approaching. She knew it was time. Drawing her long sword, she stabbed it into one of the building's support columns.
The blade was sharp—it bit in, but the force of her fall dragged it down.
Frost spread out. A few seconds later, the momentum faded, and she stopped about halfway down the building.
Her legs braced against the wall, one hand gripping the sword hilt. She didn't descend right away but looked up at the sky.
"Fire Picker…"
"That's your 'spoils of war,' huh?"
"A trophy not earned in battle—I don't recognize it!"
"One day, I'll take it back with my own hands!"
Below, Tsukishiro Yanagi had already arrived with Harumasa, Soukaku and the rest of the Hare's House crew.
Seeing them, Hoshimi Miyabi pulled out her sword and landed lightly. She stood, then sheathed the blade.
"Section Chief, what's the situation?"
Harumasa spoke first. Soukaku looked at her eagerly.
Tsukishiro Yanagi glanced at her, then smiled.
"With the Section Chief this intact, isn't the answer obvious?"
"Chances of a confirmed kill are slim—but Nineveh and the Fire Picker were likely forced to retreat by the Section Chief, right?"
Hearing that, Nicole widened her eyes and looked at Hoshimi Miyabi, her expression growing serious.
She hadn't expected much from asking the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 to deal with Zane. After all, she had seen his strength firsthand.
But Hoshimi Miyabi actually pulled it off!
That's incredible...
Billy felt the same—and more. He'd always respected Zane as a powerful figure.
And now, someone even stronger had appeared.
Only Anby, standing quietly at the side, noticed the growing darkness in Hoshimi Miyabi's expression.
Something's… not right?
Shing!
Boom!
A flash of blue from a drawn blade—her sword slammed into a nearby wall, slicing it in half and leaving behind a scar lined with icy crystals.
Everyone immediately went silent.
Seeing her expression, Harumasa realized something was off. In his memory, Hoshimi Miyabi was always composed—a calmness that came from confidence in her power.
But now…
She suppressed her feelings, returned to a calm look, and said softly,
"Let's head back."
Under Eous's lead, the group moved toward the exit of Hollow Zero.
...
"Whew… finally over…"
Belle disconnected from the HDD, stretched lazily, working the stiffness out of her limbs. Her mind still replayed the events.
This trip had definitely been worth it!
Outside the camp, Eous had been brought back by members of the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6. The Hare's House team returned with her.
Seeing this, Belle immediately headed over.
No way she was missing out on the action.
Besides, now that Eous's identity had been revealed, she, as the investigation team's nominal leader, had to make an appearance.
Soon, she heard Harumasa's voice.
"This mission might've started suddenly, but at least it ended without any major accidents."
Harumasa crossed his arms and smiled slightly. Since the Section Chief hadn't said anything about what happened between the three groups, he'd just leave it at that.
Anyway, Nineveh really had been suppressed and forced to flee.
He looked at Eous, opened one hand, and chuckled.
"Whether it's route planning or adaptability, this little one outperforms our standard Anti-Hollow Division Bangboos."
"Equipped with exclusive carrot data? Or maybe its core was specially tuned? I'd love to meet your owner…"
Soukaku raised his hands and pointed one finger ahead, poking in the air as he hesitated.
"The Bangboos in our unit… might feel a bit hurt hearing that?"
Ray saw Belle approaching and quickly explained to the Special Operations folks.
"This is the investigation team's leader. That navigation Bangboo is her personal device."
Meeting Harumasa's curious gaze, Belle offered a polite smile but didn't plan to answer.
Exclusive carrot data? That was the AI, Fairy.
Adaptability? That was all her.
Seeing her expression, Harumasa understood and let out a soft sigh.
"Ah well… Seems like 'civilians' are more dependable than some of the fools in official positions…"
Just then, Miyabi suddenly spoke up.
"Next time… I won't let you get away."
She seemed to recall something and added,
"And that guy—I'm not letting him off either."
The sudden comment stunned Belle for a second. Harumasa quickly jumped in to explain.
"The Section Chief means she looks forward to working with you again."
As for the last line… he had no clue.
Belle nodded in realization. But thinking it over—
That last comment… was probably meant for Zane.
And as far as Belle was concerned, Zane was someone she still trusted deeply.