Zane noticed Nineveh.
Hoshimi Miyabi, who had been quietly watching him from the corner of her eye, also picked up on Nineveh's pursuit through his reaction.
"Zane... what are you going to do?"
She hesitated for a moment before turning to face him, her voice soft.
Though the two of them had seemed at odds moments ago, it was nothing more than a brief clash of emotions—a fleeting ripple for both of them.
Now that Nineveh had appeared, that was the real matter to deal with. And Hoshimi Miyabi naturally put business first.
As for why she called it "discussing"...
She knew perfectly well where she stood.
There was no helping it—power dictated terms.
A little yielding wouldn't hurt. After all, even if Zane claimed to be part of Section 6, he would never stay long.
Yes... definitely not...
"I'll go see what's happening. You stay here and wait."
Zane spoke calmly, then leapt, descending swiftly toward Nineveh.
After he left, the ethereal crystal carrying the others continued its steady rise toward the edge of Hollow Zero.
Soukaku knelt on the crystal, leaning her head to the side as she watched Zane, worry flickering in her eyes.
It had nothing to do with power or strength. It was the natural concern one felt for a companion about to face something that didn't seem good.
Unlike Hoshimi Miyabi, who knew the truth and overthought it, Soukaku, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and Harumasa had all come to view Zane as a trustworthy ally.
To them, he was someone who had risked his life to save them, despite barely knowing them.
Unlike Hoshimi Miyabi, they had no knowledge of his identity or his true power.
Under those circumstances, they had no reason to believe his battles were "easy." It was only natural for them to assume that the chaos earlier had been just as dangerous for him as it looked.
And since the first thing Zane said upon meeting them was, "I came to rescue you,"...
The three now held him in very high regard.
...
As the ethereal crystal rose, Zane used spatial power to land securely on Nineveh's back.
Compared to his recent foes, Nineveh's size wasn't particularly large now—but carrying just one person like Zane was effortless for her.
Yes, carrying. When Zane deliberately approached, Nineveh didn't avoid him. Instead, she adjusted her body, catching him with the tentacles on her back.
Then, like a child clutching a beloved toy, she wrapped her arms around him from behind. The massive bud at her tail swayed with her movement, scattering shimmering light.
Nearly ten glowing cores pulsed faintly across her body. She halted her ascent, tilting her head slightly as if to study him.
Her arms tightened, ready to pull him closer.
Zane, who had been waiting to see what she would do, quickly waved his hand and slipped free of her embrace.
"If you want to leave, I can take you out another way. You can't go beyond the Hollow."
"Once you leave Hollow Zero, you'll disappear."
His voice was calm, though he wasn't sure if she understood his words. Still, surely she grasped his meaning.
Nineveh shifted, releasing that peculiar humming once again. She circled him once in the air, then resumed her course toward the crack in the sky.
Zane arched a brow and followed.
Sensing him, Nineveh gently extended two tentacles, lifting him close so that he could keep pace without needing to rely on spatial energy.
"If you truly don't want to deal with this... there is another way."
Zane could already guess what she was thinking.
She was running. Avoiding. Refusing to remain in Hollow Zero any longer.
What she was running from was obvious.
The two previous times she had been manipulated—and now this—Nineveh was at the heart of why Section 6 and Zane had come here at all.
As that woman had said: without Nineveh, the monster Ethereal wouldn't have appeared. Neither Section 6 nor he would have been drawn into this place.
In the end...
"Really, it's still my fault."
Zane sat cross-legged in the cradle of Nineveh's tentacles, looked up at her, and spoke softly.
But before the words even faded, Nineveh hummed again. This time it wasn't sorrowful. It carried a note of happiness.
She felt close to him.
The reason was clear. Without Zane, she never would have awakened her current consciousness. She would have remained nothing more than a dangerous Ethereal, destroyed sooner or later.
"I understand what you're saying, but..."
Zane shook his head slightly. Rationally, it made sense. But emotionally, he couldn't accept it.
Ever since that surreal experience with Qingyi, his feelings in this regard had only deepened.
His ties to people, his perspective on things... all of it had changed.
"Maybe you could come inside too."
Zane raised his hand. This time, it wasn't the Twin Hollow he summoned, but the Hive Master Hollow.
For Nineveh, the Hive Master Hollow would be far more suitable...
Though being compressed within it would certainly be unpleasant.
It hadn't mattered with the Twin Sisters—they had already lost consciousness. But Nineveh was different.
Before he could think of a solution, Nineveh simply sped upward. A tentacle wrapped gently around him, its core flickering faintly.
It pressed his hand down, forcing the Hive Master Hollow back into the void.
She seemed to sense what it was—but she rejected it.
Her tail fins fanned out, and she spiraled upward. Strange pulses rippled from her core, radiating outward.
The fissure of Hollow Zero drew closer.
Zane's eyes lowered slightly before he lifted his gaze skyward, a sudden thought striking him.
From the first moment he'd seen Nineveh, she had always been in the air. Unless forced down by outside conditions, she never set foot on the ground.
Obvious. And yet... not.
In a sense, the sky was her true home.
When she was still Ethereal, the skies of Hollow Zero were her domain.
But now, under his influence, Nineveh had changed.
Her home was no longer the skies of Hollow Zero.