Faced with Nineveh unleashing its full firepower, the recently arrived members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 froze in place.
"You've got to be kidding... That attack from earlier—it's really going to fire seven of those at once?" Harumasa's expression was bitter. Compared to Miyabi, the three of them were clearly weaker. Even combined, they probably couldn't withstand a single beam.
All they could do now was pray that Miyabi could somehow unleash seven sword waves like the one before. Otherwise, they were all going to fall here.
"Zhong Yan, get out of there—now!" Belle's voice burst through the comms, desperate. She could tell things were slipping out of control and tried to get him to safety while there was still time.
But there wasn't time. He wouldn't make it more than a few steps before Nineveh's lasers turned him to ash.
So instead, Zhong Yan stayed where he was.
And Hoshimi Miyabi stepped protectively in front of him—prepared to die if it meant shielding the one closest to her.
But just as everyone braced for the worst, three deep-blue magatama suddenly came spiraling in from the distance. They spun in unison, slicing through the air—then struck Nineveh dead center, right in its core.
The impact sent the massive Ethereal staggering backward. It let out a pained howl as its charging attack was forcibly interrupted.
Everyone turned in stunned silence toward the direction the magatama had come from.
Except Zhong Yan—his expression didn't change. Not even a blink.
"T-That's..." Soukaku gasped, her hand covering her mouth in disbelief.
Standing within a towering, armored form of Susanoo was Uchiha. The magatama he had launched—Yasaka Magatama—was one of his signature techniques.
"I can't believe it... Uchiha actually saved us. Not going after him earlier might've been the smartest decision we've ever made," Yanagi muttered, adjusting her glasses as a cold sweat rolled down her cheek.
The four members of Section 6 let out a collective sigh of relief. Far in the distance, Belle was also beginning to understand why Uchiha had shown up at such a critical moment.
He and Zhong Yan must've struck a deal—data in exchange for protection. It would explain how Zhong Yan had been able to summon Uchiha so quickly. Clearly, he had been watching from the shadows this whole time.
"So, we're safe now… right?" Belle whispered, though her tone betrayed uncertainty.
Uchiha was powerful—no doubt. But could he really overpower Nineveh?
That super-giant Ethereal radiated a pressure that felt beyond human comprehension.
Meanwhile, standing calmly amidst the group of survivors, Uchiha glanced at Zhong Yan first, then spoke coldly:
"Hollow Special Operations Section 6. Void Hunter. So, these are the elites New Eridu keeps bragging about? What a joke."
The sarcasm in his voice irritated the four agents, but they held their tongues. Now wasn't the time for arguments.
"Uchiha, I admit you're strong," Yanagi began cautiously, "but that Ethereal is far more dangerous than you realize. This isn't the time to grandstand. I suggest we—"
She didn't get to finish.
Uchiha's blood-red eyes gleamed from beneath the mask as he turned to her—cold, unwavering.
"You think you get to question me?" he asked, stepping forward. With a flick of his hand, his Susanoo swept away another swarm of hive Ethereals and strangling vines in an instant.
High above, Nineveh had regained its bearings. Spotting a new, dangerous opponent below, it let out a wary growl.
Though Ethereals lacked higher intelligence, instinct alone was enough. Nineveh sensed the threat this man posed.
It began to draw its drones back, forming a protective swarm. Then it started charging again—preparing to fire seven beams of destruction.
This time, Uchiha didn't respond with another magatama.
Instead, his Susanoo raised its arm, and in its grip formed a massive bow and a single arrow.
He nocked the arrow, pulled back the string—his movements calm, deliberate.
Compared to Nineveh's overwhelming aura, which warped the very air as it charged, this arrow seemed... unimpressive.
Even Miyabi readied herself to strike, just in case. If Uchiha faltered, she'd be ready to intervene.
But first, she'd let this arrogant man see for himself the true gap between giant and super-giant Ethereals.
Then it happened.
As Nineveh fired its seven beams in perfect synchronicity, Uchiha released his arrow.
It tore through the air with a shriek—a sonic boom trailing behind it. Too fast to track, the only thing anyone saw was a ripple in space and the roar of something splitting the sky.
The arrow met the beams.
But the anticipated collision never came.
Instead, the arrow ripped through the lasers like a blade through paper. It cleaved the combined attack apart and surged straight toward Nineveh at lightning speed.
The dissected beams splintered, scattering wild smaller rays across the battlefield. Where they landed, solid structures crumbled into nothing.
Everyone stood frozen.
Especially Section 6.
They had assumed they'd step in after Uchiha inevitably faltered. At worst, they expected a stalemate.
But what they witnessed was utterly one-sided—in Uchiha's favor.
Was he... even human?
Before they could process it further, a piercing cry broke the silence.
Nineveh had been hit.
Even under full output, its devastating beams couldn't stop the arrow. Uchiha had punched clean through its strongest defense like it was a joke.
The only good news was that the beams had absorbed some of the arrow's energy. While it pierced Nineveh's body, the wound wasn't fatal—just a significant blow.
"Still alive, huh..." Uchiha murmured.
That arrow had been his strongest strike to date. And yet—it hadn't finished the job.
No wonder this thing had even given a Void Hunter trouble. It was on a different level.
But... that was all.
Surviving one arrow was impressive.
But what if...
There was a second?