With little effort, Panta knocked the two unconscious. It could handle weaker Ethereals on its own, so dealing with two civilians was hardly a challenge.
"He's over there—no, wait, he's over here!"
"Hold on, he's behind you!"
"Attack! Attack now!!!"
"Captain, our weapons are completely ineffective!"
Voices echoed across the battlefield in rapid succession. Even these highly trained soldiers couldn't help but panic in the face of the unfolding situation.
Zane moved like a phantom, weaving through the surviving squad members. Each time he appeared, another soldier was incapacitated.
In mere seconds, only the squad captain remained conscious.
He looked around in disbelief, finally realizing just how terrifying it was for an Ethereal to not only possess immense strength but also human-like intelligence.
"Situation compromised! Situation compromised! The target Ethereal is extremely powerful—requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
The captain quickly activated the communicator on his helmet, calling for reinforcements. This mission had been ordered from above, and they weren't unprepared.
Zane made no move to stop him. Instead, he advanced step by step. The captain, surrounded by his fallen comrades, instinctively backed away as the Ethereal closed in.
"Go ahead. I'll give you time to call for reinforcements. Do your best—bring as many as you can."
"But before that, tell me—what exactly is your objective?"
Zane was both curious and puzzled. He could guess that the military wasn't targeting him just because he could talk. No, it was because, as an Ethereal, he possessed rational thought and autonomy—something unheard of.
Perhaps there was something more to it.
"I… I don't know."
Whether it was due to fear or the sheer hopelessness of the situation, the captain instinctively responded—but his answer offered nothing useful.
This was their first exchange since their encounter began.
"Then do your reinforcements know?"
Zane's tone remained unchanged.
The captain shook his head again. He only knew he could call for backup, but beyond his own squad, he had no further information—not even who would respond.
His orders came from above, and those in command had no obligation to explain anything to him.
…
Meanwhile, at the edge of the battlefield.
"So your name is Panta?"
"Mhm. (Yes.)"
Eous stood beside Panta, their Bangboo eyes locked in a silent stare—though in reality, Belle was controlling Eous.
Yesterday, after demonstrating extraordinary abilities during a few commissions, Fairy had arranged for Eous to accompany the members of the Hare's House into the Hollows today.
By the time they arrived, however, the battle was already nearing its conclusion. So rather than intervene, she simply took a moment to get acquainted with Panta, who was also lingering at the battlefield's edge.
"This Bangboo doesn't seem particularly special. Why is it following that Zane guy?"
Nicole crouched down and poked Panta's head, her curiosity evident.
Panta didn't resist—just tilted its head and looked up at her. It understood that, to Zane, these people weren't enemies.
"Maybe it's hiding some kind of powerful weapon inside its tiny body? Or perhaps there's something else unusual about it?"
Billy rested one hand on his chin and crossed his other arm, speculating.
As the three of them studied Panta, Anby remained focused on the battlefield, watching as the squad lost all ability to fight back.
"So strong…"
She could tell that this squad was undoubtedly among the military's elite. Yet, Zane's strength now seemed even greater than when he had fought against the Hare's House.
One thing hadn't changed, though—from start to finish, the battle felt more like a game to Zane. There was no challenge.
In other words, his opponents were simply too weak.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound echoed from the distance. Anby's expression tensed, and she quickly called out—
"Get down! It's the military's Autonomous Support Unit - Guardians and Breakers mechs!"
The group swiftly took cover, hiding the two Bangboo with them.
Moments later, two dark shapes appeared on the horizon, growing larger by the second.
Then—flashes of fire erupted, and over a dozen missiles arced gracefully toward Zane's position.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions roared across the battlefield.
Hiding in the shadows, Nicole flinched as debris rained down, instinctively inching closer to Anby.
"Can… can that guy even survive this?"
She turned to look at the tiny Eous in the corner, only to find that he seemed entirely unconcerned about the situation.
"Hey, Proxy, this is your investigation target. If you just report back that he's dead, do you think you'll still get paid?"
"Let's be clear—even if this mission turns out to be a bust, the Hare's House's commission fee stays exactly the same. Not a single Dennies less."
Eous shot Nicole a glance, offering a helpless smile. So that's what she's really worried about.
"Relax, Nicole. Zane is an Ethereal, and this is the Hollows—his home turf. And from what we've seen, he's been toying with his opponents. He's far from weak."
Sure enough, as the smoke and dust cleared, Zane's tall figure emerged.
He lowered his arm, shattering the massive Ether crystal shield that had blocked the attack. Then, he looked up at the approaching mechs and slowly raised his leg.
The next instant, the ground caved in beneath him—his dark figure launching upward like an arrow, straight toward the airborne mechs.
A black meteor streaked from the earth to the sky, like the world's reflection turned upside down, slamming directly into one of the colossal machines.
The impact sent the military mech reeling, its flight system flickering from the shock, struggling to stabilize.
Its companion hesitated—positioned too closely, it couldn't attack without risking its ally's life.
But in the split-second delay, Zane had already plunged his hand into the mech's core, tearing out both its control system and power source.
Sparks and electricity crackled across the machine's surface, its pilot already unconscious from the initial impact. The massive mech plummeted downward.
Zane didn't stop. Using the falling mech as a foothold, he propelled himself upward again, repeating the maneuver—crippling the second machine just as effortlessly.
Both mechs crashed to the ground in succession.
All of this had happened within seconds.
"Proxy… are you sure we want to make contact with this guy?"
Nicole clung to Eous, hesitation clear in her voice.
This guy… he didn't seem like the friendly type.
If something went wrong…
Sure, the money was good—but you had to be alive to spend it!
"Uh… well…"
Belle hesitated, momentarily unsure how to respond.
But backing out now?
Not a chance.