Belle had only just taken a few steps with Eous when Fairy's voice suddenly rang in her ears:
[Alert: Unknown Ether entity rapidly approaching—]
[Alert: Unknown Ether entity rapidly approaching! Master, run—]
Bang!
Belle crashed straight into the Traveler. She nearly toppled over, but the Traveler quickly reached out and steadied her.
"Thanks..."
Belle was about to ask why he had suddenly stopped—
But before she could get the words out, her eyes widened in shock.
Up ahead in the ruins—
A black, humanoid figure was blocking Keqing and the others' path.
"Wait... what is that?"
She stared in disbelief at the shadowy Ether entity. Combined with Fairy's earlier warning, she quickly pieced it together.
That was the Ether entity Fairy had just mentioned.
But...
Why did it look so familiar?
Long fox-like ears, perfectly trimmed bangs, a long blade in hand...
Suddenly, it hit her.
"That's... Hoshimi Miyabi from Unit 6! Why is she here?!"
But the moment the name left her mouth, Belle realized something was off.
This wasn't Hoshimi Miyabi.
It was an Ether entity that merely resembled her.
Hearing Belle mention the name,
Paimon, Keqing, the Traveler, and Hu Tao all recalled meeting Hoshimi Miyabi the day before.
And judging by the figure's outline—it was identical to her.
Xiao frowned and shook his head.
"It's not her. Its aura... it's just like the monsters we encountered earlier."
Paimon panicked.
"It's coming straight for us... I knew we shouldn't have come here!"
Before she could finish—
The clone moved.
It dashed forward at lightning speed—far faster than any Ethereal they'd encountered before.
Keqing quickly drew her sword.
"Get ready for battle!"
As the Traveler prepared to fight, he called back,
"Belle, Paimon! Find somewhere safe and stay back!"
The next instant—
The Hoshimi Miyabi clone was already upon them, swinging its blade toward the Traveler.
Hu Tao reacted quickly, raising her Staff of Homa to block the strike.
Bang!
She felt a massive force slam into her and was thrown backward through the air.
Twisting midair, she barely regained her balance, skidding several steps upon landing before steadying herself.
Hu Tao's eyes widened.
"It's that strong?!"
The clone wasn't even that big—just human-sized.
Compared to those towering seven- or eight-meter Ethereals they'd fought before, it seemed insignificant.
But its strength...
It was even greater than any high-tier Ethereal they'd faced so far.
The sudden blow had nearly caught Hu Tao off guard.
...
While the battle had already begun on their end,
back at the rebel research facility—roughly a kilometer away—
A group of researchers were gathered in front of a massive screen, watching the clone's battle play out.
When they saw Hu Tao sent flying over ten meters by a single strike, they erupted into laughter.
"See that? That's the power of the youngest Void Hunter—and now it's ours."
"With this clone, our plans for Hollow Zero will go so much smoother. Unless one of the old-generation Hunters shows up, no one's stopping this thing—not even Hoshimi Miyabi herself."
"Let's see how the Defense Force handles this."
"But why didn't it just kill her with one blow? Don't tell me it's holding back?"
"Probably testing them. Even as a clone, it was designed with some degree of autonomy."
"Just sit back. Let it toy with them for a while..."
...
All the researchers were supremely confident in the clone's strength—already preparing to report success to their leader.
But then—
One of them suddenly shouted,
"Look! It's going for the blonde girl now. This time, it'll be a clean kill!"
Hearing that,
the man called "Professor" looked up at the screen—just in time to see the clone's blade crashing down toward the blonde girl's sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the two weapons collided.
The girl was blasted back over ten meters—but so was the clone.
The researchers froze.
Not only had the clone failed to kill her, it had been forced back.
One researcher scowled.
"Are you sure it's using its full strength?"
Another replied slowly,
"It's still probing, I think..."
The Professor chuckled.
"Relax. It's just a test. No need to rush. Let's take the limiter off now..."
He began typing quickly, inputting a command.
In an instant—
Black energy flared up around the clone like fire. Its power surged, doubling on the spot.
"Get ready for the real show."
The Professor leaned back, calmly watching the screen again.
He didn't care about the outcome. In his eyes, the result was inevitable.
The clone would win.
What mattered was the process.
Like admiring a piece of art, he watched the unfolding fight with almost fanatical devotion.
...
Meanwhile, on Keqing and Hu Tao's side—
The clone's speed was unmatched, faster than even Keqing, Hu Tao, or the Traveler.
In mere moments, all three were forced on the defensive, dodging and parrying blow after blow.
Fortunately, they had come prepared.
None of them were injured—each had cleanly deflected the clone's attacks.
Then—
Xiao stepped forward, spear in hand.
Don't be fooled by his small frame.
With a single step, he blurred forward, crossing more than ten meters in an instant.
Two more steps—
And he was already in front of the clone.
Even faster than it had been before.
He struck first, driving his spear forward with overwhelming force.
Clang!
His spear met the clone's black blade in a fierce clash.
A single blow—
Xiao stood firm, unmoving.
The clone, on the other hand, was sent flying with a thunderous crash—slamming into the side of a ruined building.
It punched straight through a wall and crashed into the rubble behind it.
Neither the Traveler, Keqing, nor Hu Tao looked surprised.
This was the power of an Adeptus.
Xiao had guarded Liyue for a thousand years—with strength exactly like this.
But Belle—
She was completely stunned by what she had just witnessed.