But when it came to combat strength... the gap was enormous.
Back then, she had taken a high vantage point—still a considerable distance away from that monster.
And yet?
Her attack had no effect. She was pinpointed with precision. And then came a warning counterattack.
Even if it were a sniper of equal skill, maybe they could pull off that kind of targeting. But as for rendering her attack useless and retaliating like that? She didn't believe many could match her in those areas.
But that monster was different. He had nothing in common with a professionally trained sniper.
Sure, she'd let her guard down. She hadn't expected the monster to track or retaliate. After all, she'd never faced anything like that from an Ethereal before.
Still, the result was clear.
The two of them had been soundly defeated—utterly overwhelmed.
Seeing Soldier 11 fall silent, Trigger continued,
"Even if we tried to call for reinforcements, we don't have any real leverage. At most, we could ask a few teammates to help. But even then... I doubt it would change much."
That was her conclusion after analyzing both sides' strength.
"We have to find him."
Soldier 11 didn't answer Trigger directly—just muttered to herself.
At the very least, she had to get her goggles back.
"Alright, we'll do our best..."
Trigger shrugged, then suddenly paused mid-motion, turning around and propping herself up with her arms as she looked over at Soldier 11.
"Hey—do you still remember what happened with the Cretan Hollow?"
"Yeah. The Defense Force tried to surround and capture an Ethereal with human consciousness. But they failed. And the Cretan Hollow..."
Her voice trailed off. Then it hit her—Soldier 11's eyes widened in shock.
"That's right!"
"He might actually be that Ethereal!"
Trigger's eyes lit up. She immediately sat up, grabbed her portable terminal, and began typing rapidly as she said,
"Let me check something."
A moment later, she pulled up the military's file on Zane.
"It's him!"
Trigger pointed at the image, visibly stunned.
"That means he didn't disappear when the Cretan Hollow vanished. He turned into a human!"
"And he's living in New Eridu!"
The realization hit Trigger hard. Her voice grew animated, far from her usual composed tone. She didn't even notice Soldier 11 glancing over with a deepening frown.
"All of the Defense Force base's electronics were destroyed by him right at the start. Even our comms were severely impacted back then."
"So nothing recorded his image. There's no evidence to link him to the events."
Trigger just smiled and said,
"Come on, think. Sure, no devices recorded him."
"But…"
She tapped the side of her head, where her Ether Vision module rested.
"We have perception. Not perfect, but more reliable than nothing."
"Plenty of people were there when it happened. With enough Ether Vision-based analysis and witness accounts, we can confirm he's the same Ethereal from the Cretan Hollow."
The loss of digital data didn't mean humans were powerless.
Trigger turned back to the screen, continuing to scroll through Zane's Ethereal file as she said slowly,
"But honestly, I don't think he was trying to hide the fact that he and the Cretan Hollow Ethereal are the same being."
"He only destroyed the electronics to avoid leaking details—about his powers, movements, or any other traceable evidence."
Soldier 11 instantly understood—he wasn't trying to conceal his identity as an Ethereal. It was his human side he didn't want exposed.
Trigger sighed, tapping her forehead.
"We're stuck. Even if we know the truth, unless we find concrete proof, no one else will believe it."
"Eyewitnesses are helpful, sure. But they're still just human eyes. And human perception is flawed. People won't believe what you say you saw."
If not for her close connection with Soldier 11, even she might not have believed such an absurd thing—that an Ethereal could take human form.
"And there's another problem."
Trigger looked directly at Soldier 11, her expression turning serious.
"We don't know if that's his only face. We can't even be sure the face you saw was real. He's blending in with humans, and with that level of power, he's a huge threat."
"We need to be extra cautious. Don't make a scene. Keep the investigation quiet."
Compared to Zane's direct, patch-the-gaps mindset, Trigger—ever the sniper—took everything into account with careful precision.
"The only fortunate thing is... he doesn't seem to harbor hostility toward humans."
Trigger still didn't know why the Ethereal had appeared at the Defense Force base in Mars District, but at least the casualties had been minimal.
Even Soldier 11 had been spared.
"Still, we have to find him."
Listening to Trigger, Soldier 11's voice was calm but resolute. This time, it wasn't just about personal grudges—it was also about duty as a member of the Defense Force.
"I'll remember that he showed mercy... but someone this unstable can't be allowed to live among civilians."
"No one is unbeatable forever."
"Fire will burn everything."
Her tone was steady, her expression composed. Trigger looked at her and saw, once again, the determined swordswoman who had once joined the Defense Force full of passion—someone who only grew stronger with each setback.
Letting this go simply wasn't an option.
Soldier 11's resolve was complex. It was a kind of foolish "bravery"—a refusal to back down, even when facing overwhelming odds.
To her, Zane was an Ethereal wearing human skin—an incredibly dangerous existence. Trigger thought so too.
But in truth, Zane was a human... living in the body of an Ethereal. Neither of them knew that.
"Tch. Assigning ourselves this task... does this count as unpaid overtime?"
Trigger stretched her arms with a yawn. This kind of investigation couldn't be rushed.
They didn't have a single lead. It was a headache, to say the least.
Still, as Soldier 11 said—
It had to be done.
That was the job of the Defense Force.
The countless lights of New Eridu shone behind the backs of the Defense Force.
That's what gave their existence meaning.
It was what most of them had believed in from the very beginning.
...
Janus District, Sixth Street.
Completely unaware that someone now viewed him as a major threat, Zane wandered aimlessly along Sixth Street.
The video store was open, but only No. 18 was around. According to Ramen Chef Chop, Belle and Wise were both out.
No idea where they'd gone, but considering they were the legendary Proxies—Phaethon and Wise—they were probably handling something important.
Even after starting fresh under new identities, with their level of skill, business was definitely booming.