"Tsk... Forgotten me already? I even used this voice specifically..."
The woman's tone carried a faint note of displeasure, yet it only made her words feel more real.
"You can hear my voice—no need to be surprised... Besides, I don't have much time for this."
The voice continued to echo in his ears. Zane recognized it immediately—it belonged to the woman from that world that had seemed like a dream.
Whether she was the will of the world or something else was still debatable.
Even if she could pull him into a dream, Zane wasn't the type to believe everything she said without proof.
Everything had to be confirmed with his own eyes.
"That Ethereal has spent considerable time interacting with you. It carries significant traces of your 'information,' which is why it was drawn here... though it never anticipated you yourself would come looking."
Unaware of Zane's thoughts, the woman continued,
"This place will soon become a fierce battlefield. It will spare no expense to hunt you down."
As her words faded, the voice grew weaker, just as she had warned—she wouldn't last much longer.
"Stay alert. Leave this place immediately.
You're my child. If you fall here, it would break my heart..."
Her final words lingered, then disappeared entirely.
Zane remained composed, his gaze shifting downward.
The Ethereal before him had now transformed into a towering "giant," two to three hundred meters tall. Its body was sheathed in sharp, unyielding ethereal crystals, exuding overwhelming power.
"As expected, the void was just a delaying tactic."
He blinked, thoughts falling into place.
The woman's concern stirred little in him. Hollow Zero was indeed formidable, but his opponent couldn't wield its full power.
And this space—its energy seemed accessible to him as well, likely because the other side lacked full control.
That alone was enough.
Within seconds, black Ether welled not only from the ground but also began to surface in the air.
Zane finally moved.
Ether surged like a rising tide.
Four black spheres appeared—Cretan, Lamia, Dead End, and the Twins—lined up in sequence.
In the next moment, they gathered in his hand, linking end to end, slowly rotating.
"I can do this too."
Zane's voice was quiet, but the ground roared in response. Countless ethereal crystals erupted, forming in a frenzy as though conjured from nothing.
From them, a massive crystalline dragon emerged—jet black, its horns sharp and fierce.
It was nearly identical to the one he had once summoned in the Dead End Hollow. Dark. Majestic. Terrifying.
But this dragon was far larger. Simply coiling in midair, it rivaled the size of the colossal Ethereal giant.
Its immense form radiated suffocating pressure.
...
On the ground...
"Chief, the Ethereal are spawning way faster!"
Harumasa gripped his twin blades, tension etched into his face as he scanned their surroundings.
The Ethereal, glaring hungrily from every direction, pressed down with crushing weight. From the distant streets, from rooftops, even the skies—their numbers were swelling rapidly.
"Don't worry about it."
In contrast to Harumasa's nerves, Hoshimi Miyabi remained calm, regaining her composure. Any Ethereal foolish enough to approach was instantly torn apart by the hovering black sphere.
Relief settled over her—she knew that thing was a Hollow.
Raising her gaze, she looked at the distant clash of "giant" against "giant." But before she could even marvel, a tiny black speck shot toward them.
In an instant, the speck swelled in her vision—half of a building, torn from its foundation, hurtling directly at them.
"Whoa! Chief! That's—!"
Soukaku's heart leapt into her throat as he shouted, panic written across her face.
Beside him, Tsukishiro Yanagi gestured for him not to worry. Soon, shadows engulfed the group as the massive structure came crashing down.
But when the dust cleared, absorbed by the black sphere, they remained unharmed.
Soukaku, however, was still pale.
Dodging the impact was one thing—watching that building plummet was another.
She knew Zane was strong. But this strong? She hadn't imagined it.
Without his protections, this really would've been a case of mortals caught in a clash of gods.
...
The battle raged on in the distance.
"The space feels a lot more solid... afraid I'll escape?"
Zane smashed apart a massive ethereal crystal flying toward him, then descended onto the dragon's head.
"Wiping out every enemy here should be enough."
His eyes shone. It was the simplest, most direct method.
"Then let's have a little romance amidst the wind and snow..."
As his words fell, the four Hollows expanded, then shot into the sky. A sword materialized in Zane's grip as he charged the giant.
With the Hollows in position, torrents of Ether cascaded down. The crimson-stained world chilled as frost seeped into its bones.
And then—
The wind rose.
Snow fell.
"Is this... snow?"
On the ground, Hoshimi Miyabi raised her hand in surprise, catching a falling flake.
The four Hollows were impossible to miss. Soukaku had been pestering her with questions about them moments ago. Of course, she hadn't answered.
Watching the snowflake melt in her palm, a coolness spread through her body. Miyabi arched a brow.
Just ordinary snow?
She'd seen snow before, in the outside world. But why was Zane making this happen?
"Chief! Look!"
Soukaku's voice cut in. Miyabi lowered her hand and followed his pointing finger.
There—an Ethereal touched a snowflake.
And instantly, like fire meeting ice, it melted away.
Snow... melting Ethereal?
Miyabi glanced at the flakes resting on Soukaku's head, then at the rapidly thinning swarms around them. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
Alright… best not to overthink it.
From now on, she'd just tell herself, Zane must have his reasons.
So reliable.
...
While those on the ground found themselves bored enough to "admire the snowfall," at the heart of the battle Zane slashed open a canyon-like wound across the giant's body, then retreated back onto the dragon.
Time dragged on, and even he began to feel urgency.
Not because of the fight—at this pace, his victory was inevitable. It would cost him, yes—but the outcome was certain.
What pressed him was something else entirely.
If this dragged on any longer, he'd end up standing Qingyi up.
And that was far more dangerous than being trapped here.
"In that case..."
Zane exhaled softly, raising his sword.