"Where's the controller for the explosives train?"
Phaga asked bluntly, not wasting words.
"I remember... I remember..."
Eous thought hard as he looked around.
If he recalled correctly, Nicole had put the controller inside her suitcase.
"Over there!"
Eous quickly spotted it, pointing toward a patch of empty ground.
Ever since the Dead End Butcher had smashed Nicole's briefcase, the controller had been flung right there!
Phaga glanced at it, then back at the Dead End Butcher.
A hundred meters away, the monster was still pinned under the wreckage, thrashing to break free. Judging by the way its body was shifting, it was only a matter of time before it escaped completely.
But no matter how fast it moved, it couldn't be quicker than Phaga flying over to grab the controller.
Click!
Phaga pressed the switch.
Boom!
A blinding red light burst from the carriage, followed by an earth-shattering roar that thundered across the entire Hollow!
...
Outside the Dead End Hollow.
Nekomata's ears twitched as she held Perlman, turning her head to look back toward the Hollow.
"The train exploded..."
Her eyes lit with hope. She whispered to herself, "The plan worked!"
Perlman seemed to sense it too. He thrashed violently, nearly slipping free of Nekomata's grip.
But bound tightly with ropes, he had no way to escape. With his mouth gagged by a filthy rag, he couldn't even speak.
He could only writhe, inching toward the Hollow, crying out muffled wails.
But the faint tremors in the ground told him the truth. His eyes squeezed shut in despair, his face etched with hopelessness.
He knew that Vision Industry had shattered the moment the train exploded.
Everything beyond this point was nothing but its death throes.
"Hey, kitty. Did you come to negotiate, or just to daydream?"
Some people still hadn't grasped the situation.
For example, the Vision Industry representative standing fifty meters away, facing Nekomata—the same secretary who had once appeared on New Eridu's Evening News alongside Perlman.
She adjusted her glasses, shot Perlman a disdainful look, sighed, and raised her hand.
Perlman's position in Vision Industry had always been awkward. He wasn't valuable enough to risk everything to save, but not so disposable that he could just be abandoned.
The secretary now found herself caught in a bind, unable to make a clean choice.
Fine. Hearing out the kitten's demands wouldn't hurt.
The hundreds of fake Officers at her back glanced at one another, then silently lowered their weapons.
"See? I've already told the Officers to put their guns down. That shows sincerity, doesn't it? State your terms, little kitten."
Her chest tightened with anxiety, but she made sure not to let it show. She thrust her chest forward, feigning nonchalance as she toyed with her manicured nails.
Standing atop Perlman's back, Nekomata—now convinced the plan had succeeded—shouted arrogantly, "Is New Eridu Public Security really that generous? Did their Superior Officer hand over command to you?"
"Tsk!"
Realizing she'd been exposed, the secretary clicked her tongue but forced herself to maintain composure. Lifting her chin with a show of pride, she declared,
"Children shouldn't meddle in adult affairs. If you hand over Perlman now, it'll prove you've come to your senses. We'll even issue a letter of leniency for you in court."
"Oh? Really?"
Nekomata's eyes sparkled with exaggerated interest, as though she might actually agree.
"Of course!"
The secretary thought victory was within her grasp. She placed a hand over her heart, speaking loudly and confidently:
"I swear in Mr. Perlman's name—he will forgive your youthful ignorance in court. Naturally, so long as you hand over your accomplices—"
"Do you have bluefin tuna?"
The secretary froze mid-sentence, cut off by Nekomata's sudden interruption.
"Blue... fin tuna?"
Her brow arched. Her instincts told her something was wrong, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
"Yes, kitty's favorite, meow!"
Nekomata swayed in delight at the thought, grinding her armored boot down into Perlman's back. He cried out in agony, eyes bulging with pain.
But the little kitty ignored him, her voice filled with bliss. "If you could airlift me a steaming, fragrant plate of bluefin tuna, then maybe I'll release Perlman, meow!"
Phaethon, that annoying vampire, the Cunning Hares… whoever you ar.
I've stalled them long enough. That should be plenty of time.
Keeping her adorable facade, Nekomata pressed her heel harder into Perlman, her thoughts sharp behind the act.
...
Phew.
The shockwave faded, leaving only the breeze.
Phaga slowly spread his wings, revealing Eous sheltered beneath them.
As for Cunning Hares, Phaga hadn't bothered protecting them directly.
Still, before the blast hit, he had erected a massive sheet of iron in front of them and placed Billy—toughest of the three—at the front.
Now, aside from Billy's red coat looking like it had been through a shredder, the others seemed unharmed.
But both were unconscious, unlikely to wake anytime soon.
Eous glanced at them worriedly, then turned toward the explosion site. Smoke and dust billowed, blotting everything out.
"Did the Dead End Butcher die?" Eous whispered.
"Not yet."
Phaga muttered, folding his wings close, ready to spring aloft again.
Through his vampire vision, he could see Ether activity raging violently beneath the smoke.
[Fairy: Large object detected approaching at high speed.]
"What?"
Eous froze, then screamed, "Phaga, look out!"
Boom!
A train car tore through the smoke, smashing through obstacles as it barreled straight toward Phaga!
He narrowed his eyes and beat his wings hard, soaring into the sky just as it whistled past.
But it wasn't alone.
The Dead End Butcher launched itself in a massive leap, crossing a hundred meters in a heartbeat.
Its colossal fist slammed down, leaving a deep crater where Phaga had stood seconds before!
The shockwave blasted outward like a hurricane, hurling the tiny Eous through the air. He scrambled to hide beside the unconscious Billy, not daring to move.
"ROOOAR!"
The Butcher's roar shook the Hollow. Now with four arms flailing, it pounded the ground furiously, hurling stone and dust in every direction.
Yes—four arms.
The explosion hadn't killed it, but it had paid a price.
Thanks to the blast, Phaga and the others—well, Phaga alone—had survived the Butcher's first phase unscathed.
"This Dead End Butcher is far stronger than the one I fought before. No wonder this Hollow bears its name."
Hovering in the storm, Phaga tilted his head toward the moon. Rain pelted his body in sheets.
Flashes of lightning lit his pale face, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.
"But this isn't daytime."
Phaga licked his lips. His wings beat hard, and he shot downward like an arrow. His dive ripped through the air, breaking into a sonic boom!
The Dead End Butcher spun its body at the sound, but in the narrow space, it was as clumsy as a truck trying to turn.
Clang!
The Butcher stumbled back, five claw marks carved across its chest, burning with crimson flame.
"Roooar!"
It growled like a beast, crouching low as its left hand gouged five deep trenches into the ground.
Phaga narrowed his eyes.
Then his eyes went wide.
The Dead End Butcher vanished in a blur, reappearing right before him.
A fist larger than Phaga himself swung down, the wind of its strike scorching across his face.
Boom!