The sudden appearance of the Thanatos threw Zhu Yuan into a brief panic, but her training quickly kicked in. She steadied herself and drew her sidearm from her waist.
As she pulled the trigger, a lightning-quick bullet shot straight toward the Thanatos' head.
However, in the very instant she fired, the creature sensed danger and vanished from its spot.
When it reappeared, it was already behind her, weapon raised high, crashing down toward the back of her skull.
Zhu Yuan had anticipated this. She was familiar with how Ethereals like a Thanatos fought, so the moment it disappeared, she spun around and fired again without hesitation.
The bullet struck Thanatos right on its core, staggering it for a split second.
That split second was all Nekomata needed. With twin blades drawn, she dashed forward and drove both weapons into the exposed core with all her strength.
The blades pierced deep, and the searing pain caused Thanatos to howl in agony.
It flung Nekomata aside with a vicious jerk, then teleported a short distance away.
Zhu Yuan wasn't about to waste the opportunity. She knew the threat these Ethereals posed. If it got away now, it would surely bring catastrophic consequences later.
Just as she aimed to finish it off, a sudden burst of red light to her side caught her attention.
Her eyes widened in shock as she turned. Another Thanatos had appeared except this one in its Energized Form, aiming a massive Ether-infused longbow directly at her.
Even with her quick reflexes, she couldn't overcome the inertia in time to dodge.
The arrow was already loose.
But at the critical moment, Nekomata surged forward again, her weapon intercepting the arrow just before it hit Zhu Yuan.
The impact was far greater than anticipated. Though she deflected it, the arrow still sliced past, grazing her arm and leaving a deep, bleeding wound.
The pain twisted Nekomata's expression in anguish.
Zhu Yuan immediately abandoned her pursuit of the first Thanatos and caught the falling Nekomata in her arms.
She glanced at the wounded one recovering, then at the energized variant still watching them with lethal intent.
Only then did she realize the truth—Nekomata had previously run into the investigator team, but they had all been wiped out by these two Thanatos-class Ethereals.
The realization brought a wave of despair, but her sense of duty as a Public Security officer pulled her back together.
Her mind raced. With their current weapons and physical state, defeating both Thanatoses was impossible.
There was only one choice: escape.
Zhu Yuan evaded the incoming attacks from the charged Thanatos while carrying Nekomata, sprinting back the way they had come.
After diving into a spatial node, she purposely ran in the opposite direction of the civilian safe zone, not wanting to lead the Ethereals back to the others.
Fortunately, the two Thanatos didn't follow, and only then did she exhale with relief. She immediately checked Nekomata's injuries.
Blood continued to pour from the gash on Nekomata's arm, and the pain drew soft groans from her lips.
Zhu Yuan's heart clenched. It had been her haste that led to this—if she hadn't charged ahead, Nekomata wouldn't have had to take the hit, nor suffer such a brutal wound.
Quickly, she removed her coat, tore strips from it, and, without any means of sterilization, bound the wound as best she could.
It wasn't a full fix, but at least it would stop her from bleeding out.
Even so, the bandaging was only a temporary measure. They had to return to the safe zone and hope someone there had proper medical supplies.
Zhu Yuan gently lifted Nekomata and, guided by memory, made her way back to the building.
But not long after they left, the two Thanatos silently passed through the spatial node.
Their eyes—if one could call them that—locked onto the trail of blood on the ground.
Even without intelligence, Ethereals knew how to track prey.
...
Rewind time slightly, elsewhere in the Hollow.
Following Uchiha's lead, Nicole and Belle stepped through a spatial node—only to see Zhong Yan and Anby not far ahead.
"We found them!"
Seeing them, the two women lit up with joy and rushed forward while Uchiha stayed behind.
Through his Sharingan, he noticed the space around them begin to ripple. The node was preparing to restructure.
But he didn't care. As a shadow clone, he knew exactly what he had to do.
With a single activation of Kamui, he vanished into the Kamui dimension—awaiting Zhong Yan's next command.
"Nicole, and... Proxy?"
Seeing the two approach, Anby blinked in surprise before joy took over. She slapped Zhong Yan's shoulder twice. "Yes! We're saved!"
Zhong Yan, playing along, put on an exaggeratedly shocked expression. "It's really them! Finally—out of this damn Hollow!"
As they closed the gap, Nicole rushed to embrace Anby, scanning her for wounds or signs of Ether corruption. Finding none, she finally exhaled in relief.
Belle, piloting Eous, did the same with Zhong Yan—though in her case, Eous launched into a full-on hug, and Zhong Yan responded by playfully rubbing the little bot's head.
While only sight and sound transmitted through sensory sync, far away in the video store, Belle felt her heart skip a beat.
Especially when she looked up and locked eyes with Zhong Yan. It brought back the vivid memory of Lumina Square—when he had pulled her away from the speeding car.
She would never forget that moment.
Nearby, Anby picked up on the shift in energy.
She broke free from Nicole's arms and, watching Zhong Yan play with Eous, narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then, without warning, she stepped forward, pulled Eous between them, and hugged Zhong Yan herself—pressing her head gently against his chest.
Her calm voice followed soon after.
"I'm just... really glad we're safe."