"Hiss... What the..."
The scholar watched the drifting plumes of smoke vanish one by one, his expression gradually settling. He lowered his head slightly, the gleam of his monocle dimming as his eyes locked onto Zane.
On the ground, the rebel soldiers and pilots who had fallen from the sky had fallen into complete disarray. Their already poor discipline had been utterly shattered by the surreal, almost terrifying turn of events.
Panic spread like wildfire. Most scattered in chaos like headless flies, and only a little less than half chose to stay, gravitating toward the scholar and the researchers near the rear.
Many cast their gaze toward Anomaly in the distance, pinning their hopes on the creature created by these mysterious partners.
Unbothered by the turmoil around him, the scholar kept his eyes fixed on Zane, his gaze deep.
"It's not that no one can defeat the rebels here, but this kind of power... it's far beyond what a human is capable of."
"You... you're not human, are you?"
In that instant, the scholar's mind flashed to New Eridu, the secrets buried deep within Hollow Zero, and countless other possibilities.
In the end, only one answer settled in his heart—an answer that didn't bring fear, but instead a spark of excitement.
"Lycaon… take your people and leave. This no longer concerns you."
Zane waved his hand lightly at Lycaon and spoke in a calm voice. Seeing that Lycaon was about to object, he added,
"There's nothing you can do here anyway. You'll only get caught in the crossfire. So go."
Then he smiled faintly.
"I'm not even sure what's about to happen myself."
"But if you leave too late… don't be surprised if none of you make it out."
Standing nearby, Rina smiled slightly. Why did a well-meaning warning sound so much like a threat when it came from Zane?
Lycaon gave the situation a quick assessment, then nodded and turned to Ellen, Corin, and Rina.
"Ellen, you're the strongest right now. Stay at the rear and protect the civilians. Corin and I will scout ahead and clear the path. Rina, you cover the flanks."
Ellen nodded. Still in the dark about the full situation and struggling with the realization that her best friend had a hidden identity, she led Ruby to rejoin the others gathered in the distance.
Soon, Victoria Housekeeping began their retreat operation. Watching her teammates disappear into the distance, Ellen started urging the civilians forward.
It was a matter of life and death, and with Ellen as their only anchor of safety, the civilians followed orders without protest. The evacuation went smoothly.
At the back of the group, Ellen turned for a final glance, her eyes falling on Zane, who remained calm as ever.
Her mind was full of questions. This man was simply too enigmatic—both his identity and his strength were beyond comprehension.
She shook her head slightly. She didn't know what Zane was planning, but since he had stayed behind while letting Victoria Housekeeping withdraw, he clearly had something to take care of—and the power to handle it.
"I still owe you for this... Hopefully, we'll meet again soon. I want to settle that debt properly…"
Her hostility toward Zane had completely faded. She turned to leave—just as a faint voice reached her ears.
Though the distance made it barely audible, she still caught the words clearly.
Her steps halted instinctively. Her pupils contracted slightly.
No way...
Those three soft words landed like a hammer in her chest—simple, but utterly shocking.
And yet, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Ellen lowered her eyes slightly.
So that's what it was...
A wave of clarity swept through her, dissolving many of the doubts she'd been holding onto.
Ruby, noticing Ellen frozen in place, hurried over and grabbed her arm, gently shaking her with concern.
"Ellen, are you okay?"
They were close—so even with Ellen's unusual identity now revealed, Ruby felt no distance between them.
She was still Ellen. That hadn't changed.
"I'm fine…"
Ellen snapped out of it and shook her head. Her eyes flickered with emotion as she gripped her weapon and quickly steadied herself.
Then she said quietly,
"Let's go."
Ruby didn't really understand, but still nodded.
"Okay."
...
"Fire Picker! Come! Our first clash—I'm sure it'll be spectacular!"
"Hahaha! I thought I'd missed my chance after waiting so long without seeing you, but here you are, showing up at the last second."
The scholar laughed loudly. His speculations had been confirmed—Dead End Hollow truly held a special significance for the Fire Picker.
And before that, the Cretan Hollow... the Lamia Hollow...
But why?
He cut off his thoughts. He didn't have the answer yet, but with the Fire Picker standing before him, there was nothing to fear.
He just needed to control him.
After the scholar spoke, the others around him fell into stunned silence. Most still believed the Fire Picker was just a special kind of Ethereal—they had no idea about his connection to humanity.
In fact, many of the rebels didn't even know what a Fire Picker was. They only sensed that this enemy's identity was far from ordinary.
Zane raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the scholar. With some curiosity, he asked,
"How did you confirm I'm the Fire Picker?"
If it had just been a hunch, he wouldn't have stated it so decisively—nor spoken in that tone.
"You were too calm. From the moment I said the first word, I saw your reaction and knew."
"And now, instead of denying it or acting confused, your first instinct is to ask me back—that only confirms it further."
The scholar smiled as he answered. He had hoped to see some kind of reaction from Zane after exposing his identity.
But to his disappointment, Zane's expression remained unchanged.
"Fire Picker or not… doesn't matter."
Zane slowly stepped forward. The rebels standing in his way instinctively stepped back. When they realized what they'd done and tried to advance again, their legs refused to move.
"You're all staying here anyway."
Zane's tone was casual, his expression unreadable. He lowered his gaze slightly and stopped about ten meters away from the scholar.
"But before that, I have a question for you."
The scholar's face tensed. Though part of him felt fear, he stood his ground, locking eyes with Zane as he waited for what was to come.