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At this moment.
The researchers observing from afar were already stunned, staring at the data on their instruments as if their worldview were starting to collapse.
In just a short span, the core of the Withering Garden underwent multiple transformations.
From a ruin of collapsed buildings, it turned into a crimson pool of lava; then from a lava pool into a field of obsidian, and then a golden-red greatsword over a hundred meters tall appeared out of thin air, suppressing everything.
Even in New Eridu where bizarre occurrences were commonplace, today's events counted among the most shocking.
"Researcher Ray, did you see that? That sword is enormous—the energy reaction is so high!"
A researcher rubbed his eyes, speaking with utter disbelief.
The instrument used to measure energy indexes was already displaying rows of 999s, clearly exceeding its measurable range.
And this instrument had been specifically designed to monitor an ultra-massive Ethereal like Nineveh.
Even Nineveh at her absolute peak could be measured easily!
"This is normal. The sword that just annihilated Nineveh was already beyond the instrument's detectable range."
Ray's expression remained calm; she had been shocked to the point of numbness. Staring at the distant greatsword, she said, "The sword standing now is tens of thousands of times larger than the previous one. It's only natural that its power is equally overwhelming."
For anything beyond the measuring range, the numerical data was meaningless.
At this moment, the most reliable evaluation of that greatsword came from the simplest empirical judgment.
By volume, this sword was ten thousand times the size of the first one—and that initial strike had been enough to erase Nineveh instantly.
In other words, this greatsword likely stored enough power to annihilate ten thousand Ninevehs.
Ray's heart pounded as she gazed at the greatsword as though it were a world-ending divine artifact.
If this sword detonated, the entire Hollow Zero would be wiped out.
Even the nearby New Eridu would suffer catastrophic destruction.
Terrifying.
But this was not the greatest discovery of today's observation.
Not the mysterious woman who had appeared out of nowhere and embraced Hoshimi Miyabi, either.
The most important discovery was the door that the man stepped through at the very end.
The starry sky behind that door—so brilliant, so vast.
She was not an expert in astronomy, but her intuition told her that the boundless starfield behind that door bore no relation to any star chart observable from this planet.
Could it be… another world?
Would that world also have ether erosion and Hollow threats?
…
Moments later.
At the core of the Withering Garden, beneath the greatsword.
Hoshimi Miyabi and her mother finally separated. Though there were still countless emotions to express, they managed to calm down a little.
"Miyabi, how have you been lately? In life and in your career?"
The gentle, elegant woman eased her emotions, asking softly.
"In life, I've been training diligently every day." Miyabi thought for a moment, then said, "As for my career—I'm the youngest Void Hunter of this generation, directly managing Hollow Special Operations Section 6 under the Hollow Affairs & Neutralization Department."
"That's wonderful, Miyabi."
The woman smiled with relief, then blinked playfully. "Since my Miyabi is so amazing now… why don't you arrange a permanent residence for me outside Hollow Zero?"
"Why?"
Hoshimi Miyabi was puzzled for a moment, then asked nervously, "Is your return… restricted somehow?"
Restrictions were normal. After all, she was someone who had been dead for over a decade, now returned to the world of the living. Miracles always came with a price.
If the restriction was simply that she could not leave Hollow Zero for long, that was still manageable.
"No, dear. The price for this miracle of life has already been fully paid by that gentleman." Her mother gently ruffled Miyabi's hair. "Staying here is for my protection. He appointed me as the guardian of the holy sword—but in truth, the holy sword is guarding me. A resurrected soul cannot walk openly in the outside world."
She had crossed time to return, reenacting the miracle of resurrection.
But humans were greedy—some craved eternal life, some wished their loved ones could return. They would not give up on such a miracle.
Even the powerful Hoshimi Family, even Miyabi as a Void Hunter, could not stop those people's ambitions.
Only this holy sword, standing within Hollow Zero with the power to erase all obstacles, could protect her.
Staying outside Hollow Zero wouldn't cause too much trouble for Miyabi either.
"I see."
Miyabi was no fool; she quickly understood her mother's meaning. "I understand. I'll submit a request to the higher-ups. I'll make sure you receive the best arrangement."
So, Sol Mercer had even anticipated something like this.
However, Miyabi thought, her gentle mother—who had always been kind to her since childhood—must not be confined forever because of greedy people.
If her current strength wasn't enough, she would push her cultivation of the [Edge of Taixuan] to its highest realm and sweep away every evil spirit that stood in her way!
At this moment, seeing that both had stabilized emotionally—
Yanagi approached them, gesturing to the surroundings as she spoke softly. "Section Chief, this isn't a place to linger. Let's leave Hollow Zero first."
This was still inside Hollow Zero, where the ether concentration was very high. Even though Section 6 members had excellent Ether Aptitude, they could not stay too long.
And from what she knew, Miyabi's mother did not possess strong ether compatibility. Whether the resurrection had changed this was unknown—but caution was necessary.
If she were to Etherealize again, reenacting the tragedy of the past, it would be disastrous.
"Mm. I understand."
Miyabi snapped back to reality, looking at her mother anxiously. "Let's go."
She silently thanked Sol for granting them this reunion. If the tragedy of the past happened again—she would lose her mind.
Soon, the group made their way outward.
Passing by Ray's temporary research station, they paused.
Yanagi looked at the witnesses of these miracles and spoke solemnly: "Everyone, the data you observed this time is extremely important—top-secret information. Please hand over all materials to us for temporary custody. Once the higher-ups approve, everything will be returned."
"Of course, we will report your contributions truthfully and secure the highest rewards for you."
She was grateful—for the researchers' observations would grant them invaluable data.
Unfortunately, these materials were not something these researchers could be allowed to study freely.
She didn't want to take their achievements, but it was necessary.
"This…"
Many researchers hesitated, unwilling to hand over the data.
They had struggled so hard to obtain it—just two papers from this could guarantee several promotions.
Giving it up now felt unbearable.
Click!
Ray decisively removed the storage module and tossed it to Yanagi, swiftly deleting all temporary data. "Everything's been wiped. Please rest assured, Chief Yanagi."
"Researcher Ray! You—!"
The other researchers stared at her in confusion.
She had been the most stubborn one about staying—so why give up so easily now?
"You all know this. These materials aren't suitable for us to handle."
Ray swept her gaze across the group, speaking firmly.
Now she understood why the White Star Institute restricted certain knowledge. Some reasons were political, yes—but far more often, the knowledge itself was too dangerous.
For example—she now felt a strong desire to explore that starry sky.
And clearly, such a desire was not something New Eridu could afford right now.
Sol Mercer was extraordinary—unlike any of them.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Yanagi nodded to her, carefully storing the module away.
After a short exchange, they hastened their exit from Hollow Zero.
Hoshimi Miyabi's mother kept pace easily; she had once been Miyabi's first teacher, the previous wielder of the Cursed Blade—her combat strength was nothing to scoff at.
Finally, the five returned to the Section 6 office. Although Miyabi's mother required the protection of the Might of An-Utu, a short absence with Miyabi escorting her was no issue.
After settling her mother inside her training room for the moment, Miyabi turned to assist Yanagi and the others with processing the incident.
But seeing Miyabi's somewhat distracted state, Yanagi formed a thought.
Miyabi needed time alone with her mother—and time to cultivate Sol's divine techniques. Clearly, Section 6's workload was getting heavy for her.
Fortunately, Harumasa had fully recovered from his illness this time. No more worrying about him coughing up blood—and pretending wouldn't work anymore either.
If so, perhaps it was time to reduce Harumasa's excessively long sick leave… to free up more training time for Miyabi.