With a hiss of compressed gas, streams of etheric fuel were pumped through the pipes—two brilliant, deadly jets of flame roared forth, igniting the advancing Ethereals.
These warped creatures had no minds of their own, driven only by the instinct to attack. The shockwave of fire knocked them off their feet, reducing them to piles of ash.
"Face the wrath of the Firedrakes!"
Ignis's roar, amplified through his vox array, shook Nicole's skull so hard she nearly lost balance.
All that noise over a small pack of Ethereals? Was that really necessary?
The boss of the Cunning Hares unfolded her cannon from its case, aimed briefly, and blew apart an Alpeca in the distance.
"The Starlight Knight—is here!"
Billy actually found shouting catchphrases in combat cool. It fit his idea of aesthetics perfectly.
The combat robot drew his twin pistols, spinning dramatically like a top as he fired in rapid succession—each shot hitting home, picking off the remaining long-range husks one by one.
When he stopped, he struck a pose, gun barrels raised to his intake vents as though blowing away smoke.
"Never miss a shot."
Ignis looked at him—posing there, clearly waiting for someone to respond—and was about to humor him with a line.
But a quick glance told him all three others, including their Proxy, were silently signaling don't. If anyone encouraged Billy, his "drama mode" would activate, and they'd never hear the end of it.
So, they all collectively ignored him and kept walking down the track.
"Hey, wait up!" After a long pause and nothing but retreating footsteps, Billy hurried after them.
"I figured you liked that pose so much you planned to stay here as a statue," Ignis said while scanning the ruins cautiously. His Fire-Sight and Lyman's Ear tuned to every shadow and crevice in the abandoned transit station.
"C'mon, in a proper tokusatsu finale, the hero's supposed to strike a badass pose and get a cool close-up shot," Billy explained, reloading with a spin of his gun cylinders.
"Billy, stop talking nonsense," Nicole cut him off quickly—she had no desire to listen to another of his long-winded special-effects monologues. "Just focus on finding my safe."
Billy nodded, but curiosity soon got the better of him. "By the way, Boss Nicole, who did you get the safe's location from?"
"Heh heh…" Nicole's eyes gleamed with pride. "That's a trade secret! I can't just hand out that info, you know?"
"But since we're all family here, I might share a little." She swept her sharp eyes across the group, clearly fishing for reactions.
"Nicole, you were planning to brag the whole time, weren't you?" Belle's voice cut through the comms from inside Eous, the Proxy's Bangboo body.
Nicole's face instantly turned red. She bit her lip, struggling to maintain composure.
"Please don't ruin it so fast. Nicole's surprisingly thin-skinned at times like this," Anby said, her expression unreadable—it was hard to tell whether she was defending Nicole or joining in on the teasing.
"Give the boss a break," Ignis interjected, cutting short the demolition duo and throwing Nicole a ladder to climb down gracefully. "So, Nicole—what's the lead?"
Seeing Ignis play along, Nicole cleared her throat and resumed her usual confident air. "It's actually simple! I've got a few contacts in the Hollow Investigative Association. They were tasked with the routine Hollow observation and ether resource mapping for this sector."
The Cunning Hares' boss smirked. "I gave them… let's say, an offer they couldn't refuse. They helped compare the anomaly data from two recent Hollow fluctuations—highlighting the irregular features. That let us pinpoint where the safe should be."
"The Dullahan transformed from Silver had an unusually strong activation," Anby nodded. "That level of etheric surge could definitely distort the entire Hollow environment."
"As expected of Boss Nicole!" Billy cheered right on cue.
"Comparing different temporal datasets to locate the change points, huh?" Ignis mused. "Smart move. So, what exactly was this 'offer they couldn't refuse'?"
"…Money. A lot of money…" Nicole's shoulders slumped, her eyes dimming instantly.
"Then let's move while the lead's still fresh." Ignis quickly steered the conversation away from her oncoming emo phase. "We find the safe, complete the job, and collect the final payment."
At the mention of payment, Nicole's spirit revived immediately. She rallied the team forward—but just then, Phaethon's Bangboo stopped moving.
"Proxy?" Nicole crouched, waving her hand in front of the bot's glassy eyes. "What's wrong? We're moving out. I know the general Hollow sector where the safe is, but we'll need you for the navigation."
The Bangboo—Phaethon's miniature avatar guiding them through the Hollow—remained motionless for a moment before stirring back to life.
"Follow the rail line," Belle's voice finally came through. "Not far ahead is a Hollow rift point. I need to go there to gather and calculate some data."
Ignis felt something off. Phaethon's responses were noticeably delayed compared to their past two operations, and his power armor's systems were warning of interference.
There was always etheric radiation in a Hollow, but this intensity felt excessive.
He didn't point it out, deciding it was probably just temporary comm disruption. Maybe it'd clear up soon—like a brief warp storm.
Staying alert, he took point, using his helmet's sensor-markers to sweep every corner for hidden Ethereals.
But the enemy had no intention of hiding. After a few hundred meters, rounding a derailed carriage, they came face to face with a horde.
"Looks like after the last incident, the etheric activity in this sector skyrocketed," Anby said, drawing her blade. "So many Ethereals…"
"Billy, mark the timer," Nicole commanded as she deployed her cannon. "Track our entry time so we can replenish anti-corrosion meds on schedule."
"Got it, Boss!" Billy detached an electronic timer from his belt and checked it. "Still within the first safe-activity window."
"In the name of Vulkan!"
Ignis charged straight into the pack, roaring loud enough to make the ground tremble.
The enemy mix was mainly Tyrfings and Satyrs, with several Alpecas spitting liquid ether.
Ignis activated his flamethrower mid-sprint. The moment they came into range, he unleashed twin torrents of blistering flame.
With a thought, two roaring fire-dragons surged forth. The blazing streams tore through the air, the thick ether-fuel igniting the Ethereals' flesh. The air itself shimmered under the heat.
The inferno devoured the husks—their limbs twisted, melted, and crumbled into charred slag before vanishing entirely.
Billy, unreliable as he often seemed, was still a marksman of the highest order. A few sharp gunshots rang out, each bullet slicing cleanly through the curtain of fire to destroy the Alpecas preparing to spit acid.
A few Ethereals, tougher than the rest, staggered forward engulfed in flames, lunging in a last act of defiance.
Ignis readied his Power Field to meet them head-on—but Anby was faster.
The white-haired girl streaked past him in a flash of blue lightning. Her blade swung once, twice—each motion splitting an Ethereal clean in two.
Ignis saw clearly how it worked: the power pack on her back surged, channeling massive current—half feeding into her blade, half supercharging her muscles and nerves for explosive bursts of speed.
"No major threats left," Nicole assessed the surroundings, holstering her cannon.
"All clear," Ignis confirmed, scanning the area.
"Proxy? Proxy?" Nicole called out, noticing Phaethon's Bangboo had stopped again. "What's up with her today?"
"Boss, the first safe window's up," Billy reported as the timer beeped. "Time for anti-corrosion meds."
Nicole rummaged through the crate, pulling out four vials—then hesitated, grabbing a few extras as she glanced at Ignis.
"My biological monitors show no abnormalities," Ignis said without removing his helmet. "You three take them. I don't need it."
"Alright…" Nicole conceded. Given the strange biology under that armor, she wasn't sure her meds would even work on him.
As they took their doses and munched on field rations, Phaethon's Bangboo suddenly moved again.
"The manager's moving on her own!" Billy tossed aside his wrapper and rushed after it. "Was she always this fast?"
Eous darted forward on all fours, moving far quicker than before—completely different from its usual waddling pace. In seconds, it vanished behind a wrecked carriage.
Like someone—or something—was calling it from afar.
"What's gotten into Proxy today?" Nicole grabbed her case and sprinted after it.
"Maybe she's upset about unpaid commissions?" Ignis suggested.
"Even if she were, this isn't the time for a tantrum." Nicole shook her head. "Either way, move! We've got no backup topside this time."
"Leave it to me," said Anby, breaking into a sprint.
Seconds later, a metallic clang echoed through the tunnel—followed by Anby's ragged breathing.
Not good.
The others rushed forward—only to find Anby surrounded by a swarm of Ethereals. Several panther-like Hati prowled the perimeter, circling for the kill.
And Phaethon's Bangboo was still moving deeper ahead, heedless of the chaos.
"I'll get her out. You stop the Bangboo!" Ignis activated his power fists and charged straight into the fray.