Seth swung his shield axe with all his strength, blow after blow, cutting down every Ethereal that charged at him.
In less than ten minutes, the dozens of Ethereals surrounding him lay in pieces across the ground.
Looking at the carnage, Seth finally let out a long breath.
"Captain Zhu Yuan, Senior Qingyi... I didn't let you down."
Just as he lowered his shield axe, a golden gemstone glowing with light slowly descended from above.
Seth reached out and caught it in his palm.
It was warm—
Just like the golden light from the statue earlier, comforting and calming.
Then, Seth turned toward the nearby statue.
"Geo... I remember now. The new attribute that just emerged is Geo. Was it you who gave me this power?"
Clutching the golden gem, Seth bowed deeply to the statue.
He didn't know who the god on the throne was, but from this moment forward, he was filled with gratitude—
And became the first follower of that god.
...
At that moment, the surviving young man came to his senses.
"Officer Seth, my sister... she's fading fast. Please, help us get out of the Hollow."
Seth nodded.
"Don't worry, we'll be out soon."
He walked to the base of the statue.
When he saw the young girl, her body corroded by Ether, he was shocked to find her symptoms had visibly lessened.
Could it be... the statue had healing properties too?
A sudden thought struck him. He quickly looked down at himself—
The wounds from the Ethereals were gone, healed without a trace. Only faint scars remained.
His hunch had been right.
Even so, this was still the Hollow—danger lingered everywhere.
He couldn't be sure whether the statue could cure Ether corrosion. If it couldn't, and they lost precious time, the consequences could be devastating.
After a moment's thought, Seth decided.
He would take the girl out of the Hollow.
With her current level of corruption, treatment in a New Eridu hospital would be manageable.
Seth fastened the golden gem to his waist and resumed escorting the two survivors toward the exit.
After just a few steps, something stirred in him. He turned back to glance at the statue once more.
There was something familiar about the god sitting on the throne.
But with the face still obscured, he couldn't quite place it.
No matter.
Getting the survivors out came first.
He'd return to pay his respects after the incident was over.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Hollow...
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, guided by the map and carrot, had arrived at North Fedler Street—
The very place where Soldier 11 and Anby had previously fought.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by collapsed buildings and craters torn into the ground.
Nearly everything around them had been devastated.
On the shattered ruins were enormous claw marks, clearly left by a powerful Ethereal.
Without a doubt—
These were signs of an Ethereal stronger than the Notoriety class.
Zhu Yuan's expression tightened as she scanned the area, alert for any signs of Ethereals—or the missing 11 and others.
Suddenly, Qingyi leapt down from a heap of rubble.
"The claw marks on the wall came from one Ethereal... and the deep pits in the ground? Those must be from another."
She took a few steps forward and spotted a petrified vine stretched across the street like a felled tree.
"This is the corpse of another Ethereal. Somehow petrified... likely another beyond-Notoriety-level creature."
With her vast knowledge, Qingyi recognized it instantly.
Nearby, Zhu Yuan frowned at the sight.
If even just a vine was this massive, how big was the Ethereal's full body?
She stood in the middle of the road and looked around.
Everywhere she looked bore the scars of battle.
Trying to picture what had happened, she grew more and more shocked.
If her assumptions were correct, then the members of the Obol Squad assigned here had likely been killed, buried under debris—or worse, devoured by Ethereals.
Zhu Yuan's voice was low.
"The Obol Squad couldn't hold the Ethereals back. If those things reach other areas, it'll be catastrophic. Senior Qingyi, we need to go help—"
But Qingyi didn't move.
She walked slowly to the vine and placed a hand gently on its surface.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuan rushed over and grabbed her arm.
"Senior, you can't eat that!"
Qingyi answered calmly, "I know. I wasn't going to. I just wanted to check for someone's presence."
Zhu Yuan blinked.
"Whose?"
Qingyi sighed.
"Who else but the one who controls rock? It must be Mr. Sam Li from Hare's House. If he had been here, the Obol team wouldn't have gone down so easily."
Realization dawned on Zhu Yuan.
"Petrification... Geo control... Sam Li—Senior, you're right. He must've passed through here. He's strong, but if he faced two beyond-Notoriety Ethereals, I don't know if he won. We have to go help!"
She turned to leave, then paused—unsure where to go next.
Looking around again, she muttered, "Which way would Sam Li have gone...?"
One thing she was sure of—Sam Li wouldn't die here.
Even against two beyond-Notoriety-class Ethereals, he'd at least be able to escape.
At her side, Qingyi made a show of thinking.
The ahoge (a stray hair atop her head) flopped sideways, as if pointing the way.
Qingyi raised her hand and pointed in the same direction.
"They went that way. Let's go."
Zhu Yuan stared, baffled.
"Senior... how do you know?"
Qingyi replied softly,
"Because... there are bloodstains left behind."
Zhu Yuan's eyes widened.
"I see... Senior, let's move out now!"
With that, the two of them rushed in the direction Qingyi had pointed.
...
At the same time, on the far side of the Hollow...
Inside a dilapidated building, two gravely injured members of the Obol Squad peered cautiously through a broken window.
Beside them, Soldier 11 lay unconscious.
Just a short while ago, they had followed Anby's orders and retreated from the battlefield with 11 in tow, aiming to get her out of the Hollow for treatment.
But as soon as they entered this street, they ran into more Ethereals.
Given their injuries, even carrying 11 was a challenge—
Let alone fighting again.
They had no choice but to hide inside the building and wait for the Ethereals to move on...
Only then could they try to escape.