Blocking the Tyrfing's blade arm with a swift parry, Anby countered with a side kick, sending the creature staggering backward. As it lost balance, her follow-up slash cleaved its body clean in half.
Anby scanned her surroundings—dozens of Ethereals had encircled her completely. Meanwhile, Phaethon's Bangboo simply burrowed under their legs, wandering off on its own without a care.
She had no idea what was happening on Phaethon's end, but she knew one thing for certain—she couldn't let that Bangboo stray too far.
If it did, every member of the Cunning Hares would be lost forever in the Hollow.
She twisted aside, narrowly dodging a steel pipe swung by a Metro Goblin, and with a sharp spin, drove her blade through its torso.
A beastly roar echoed—Hati. Those panther-like Ethereals lived for the thrill of tearing prey apart.
Anby had seen their victims more than once inside the Hollow—the Ethereals didn't feed, yet they delighted in slashing open abdomens and ripping out entrails.
Forcing her focus back on the present, Anby weaved and ducked between enemies, dodging every strike.
She moved carefully, turning the encirclement into countless one-on-one engagements through sheer agility.
But as the Ethereals' formation tightened, her room to maneuver grew smaller and smaller.
"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"
The bellow of Ignis drew the attention of many Ethereals. The iron-clad giant charged forward, each thunderous step shaking the ground. Any foe in his path was either smashed aside or crushed beneath his boots.
Anby's situation was dire—and worse, Phaethon's Bangboo was slipping out of sight, its small frame moving fast.
Two Hatis turned toward the advancing giant, abandoning Anby to focus on the new threat.
Instinct made the beasts crouch low, preparing to leap, to pin the armored figure down and tear out his throat.
But the giant moved faster. In a blink, he was upon them.
One Hati opened its jaws to bite while the other raised a claw of etheric energy, eager to wound the intruder.
Ignis' reaction was faster still—his hands snapped out like iron clamps, seizing both by the throat and hoisting them into the air.
Before the creatures could even realize what had happened, their skulls collided with a crash as Ignis smashed them together like broken toys.
The brutal impacts left the beasts dazed but not dead.
So Ignis hurled the one in his left hand to the ground, stomping down before it could rise—a wet crunch followed.
The remaining Hati, seeing its comrade shattered, froze, clarity flickering in its eyes.
Two crushing blows from the Flamestorm Gauntlets, and it went limp as well. Before the corpse could dissolve, Ignis flung it like a projectile, scattering a cluster of Ethereals.
"Anby's in my care—go after Phaethon!" Ignis roared to Billy and Nicole, charging ahead.
The Ethereals tried to halt him, but Ignis didn't bother to fight—he simply bulldozed through, trampling weaker foes, shattering stronger ones, and clearing a path for the others.
Anby and Ignis turned back-to-back, forming a defensive line to cover Nicole and Billy's pursuit of Phaethon's Bangboo.
"Out of the way!"
Nicole swung her briefcase in a wide arc, knocking a Tyrfing aside—but three more swarmed her.
She swung again, forcing a narrow passage through sheer momentum.
"Boss, look out!" Billy shouted, pulling his triggers—two Ethereals ahead of Nicole dropped instantly.
But then one Tyrfing lunged at Billy himself. He slammed the gun's butt into its chest, knocking it back, and fired again at close range.
"Damn it, where did all these things come from?" Billy cursed, tapping his belt. Ammunition pods flew open, rounds floating into his pistols as he spun the cylinders and reloaded mid-motion.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! His twin pistols blazed, covering Nicole while keeping himself alive. His targeting system was impeccable—limited firepower, but always on time.
Anby and Ignis held back the bulk of the swarm. His power's fists crackled, arcs of blue lightning dancing wildly. The Power Field roared—any foe brushed by its edge turned to particles.
Ignis swept his arms wide, scattering Ethereals like dust. One reckless Hati leapt, jaws aimed at his neck—but it never reached him. Midair, his fist struck like a hammer, obliterating it instantly.
He was about to breathe when a metallic clang sounded beside his ear—another Hati, lunging from his blind spot.
Anby spotted it first. Grabbing Ignis' armor plating, she vaulted onto his back, raising her combat knife to block the incoming strike.
The impact knocked her off, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Ignis instantly deactivated the Disintegration Field and caught the white-haired girl with his gauntlets. Without a word, he spun and hurled her like a cannonball.
Anby adjusted midair—she understood. Nicole was entangled by Ethereals, her briefcase useless in close quarters.
Crackle! Lightning flared as Anby landed, slicing through every foe near Nicole in a single motion.
"You're not escaping this time!" Nicole dove under a derailed carriage, dragging Phaethon's Bangboo out by its casing.
"What's wrong with you, Proxy?" she demanded, flipping it to face her. "Talk to me!"
But the Bangboo didn't respond. Its eyes met hers, lifeless, as if all intelligence had vanished.
Fear crept up Nicole's spine. Around her, Anby was fending off Ethereals, Billy's pistols blazed nonstop, and Ignis—the giant—slammed a Hati into the ground, then used its corpse as a weapon.
She couldn't afford to lose focus. Everyone was counting on her.
Biting her lip until she tasted blood, Nicole forced herself calm.
She flipped a switch on her briefcase—a special gravity round was chambered. The recoil during charge-up would be immense; one hand alone wouldn't hold it.
With a sharp breath, she sat atop the weapon, bracing with her body to stabilize it.
"Group up! We're breaking out!" Nicole barked, forcing composure.
Billy turned, saw the glow of her charging weapon, and immediately cleared a path with rapid shots.
He knew what that gravity cannon could do—and he had no intention of being caught in its pull.
Ignis moved without hesitation, using his heavy armor to plow through the swarm, ignoring attacks entirely.
A few Ethereals clung to his frame, but there was no time to shake them off. The last place he wanted to be was in the line of Nicole's cannon.
Billy's expert shooting knocked the clingers loose.
Ignis reached the group just as Nicole fired. The blast's recoil sent her sprawling onto the ground.
A black sphere surged forward, consuming Ethereals as it went before detonating in the distance.
"Don't just stand there—move!" Nicole scrambled up, clutching Phaethon's Bangboo tightly, terrified it might run again.
Ignis scanned their surroundings—derailed trains blocked their escape, but across the tracks stood a warehouse. Only sheltering inside could buy them time.
"I'll clear the way!" Ignis activated the Power Field once more, tearing through the train cars.
Once everyone passed through, he dragged the wreckage together, kicked out the wheels, and made a makeshift barricade—barely enough to hold back pursuit.
Before anyone could catch their breath, Ignis noticed more Ethereals lurking within the warehouse.
"Close ranks!" Ignis bellowed. "We cover each other!"
...
Behind the counter of the videotape rental shop Random Play on Sixth Street sat the workspace of the legendary Proxy—Phaethon.
At that moment, their Hollow Deep Dive System (HDD) had been hijacked. The hacker demanded they turn on the television—to "show Phaethon what happens to those who disobey."
Wise switched it on, connecting the video feed.
The hacker's signal displayed the Cunning Hares locked in battle against Ethereals—filmed from a high, ominous angle.
The team fought back-to-back against the warehouse wall. Ignis stood at the front, shielding the others, while Anby and Billy covered the flanks. Nicole clutched Eous in the rear.
"See, Phaethon," droned the synthetic voice. "If you don't hand over the data disk, your friends will—"
He meant to say die inside.
But then he stopped. That green giant—what was it? One punch flattened an Ethereal as tall as itself.
When the swarm closed in, fire burst from its fists, engulfing them all.
"Doesn't look too dangerous to me," Belle muttered, watching the Cunning Hares coordinate seamlessly, their teamwork impeccable. The Ethereals couldn't even touch them.
"How long do you think their stamina will last?" the hacker snapped, cutting the feed. "Even if they survive the fight, they'll still be consumed by etheric radiation and become Ethereals themselves!"
"Make your choice, Phaethon," the hacker hissed. "Hand over the data—or watch your friends turn into monsters inside the Hollow."