Uchiha's first arrow had wounded Nineveh—and that alone had left the four members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 in stunned disbelief. But what truly shook them to the core was what happened next:
Susanoo drew a second arrow.
Another one?! That last shot had been enough to destabilize Nineveh, whose body was already weakened from releasing its sevenfold laser barrage. It was clearly expending tremendous energy just to stay afloat.
And yet the one on the offensive—Uchiha—was barely winded?
That could mean only one thing: an overwhelming gap in raw power.
Uchiha paid no attention to their shock. Calmly, he nocked the second arrow to his ethereal bow. This time, he infused the tip with Amaterasu, the black flames that would not extinguish until they consumed their target completely.
Unless Nineveh was willing to shed its own flesh, it would burn until death.
Sensing the lethal danger, Nineveh roared. Its swarm of hive Ethereals rushed in to form a thick, buzzing shield in front of it. At the same time, it stopped trying to siphon energy from its surroundings—survival instincts had taken over.
Wings beating furiously, Nineveh attempted to flee.
Uchiha narrowed his eyes, then loosed the arrow before the beast could escape his range.
The Amaterasu-infused shot streaked through the air like a jet-black comet, tearing through the hive shield with devastating ease before piercing Nineveh's massive frame once again.
In the next instant, a mixture of black and dark-blue energy blossomed in midair.
The arrow drilled through Nineveh's body without mercy. Ether burst out from the wound in a torrent, like a ruptured dam.
But before that energy could even hit the ground, it disintegrated into tiny glowing particles—vanishing into the Hollow's atmosphere.
All around them, the Ether reactivity plummeted. Within moments, it had dropped to normal levels for Hollow Zero's outer zone.
Nineveh's body wavered—clearly on the brink of collapse. The hive and vines that had survived thus far began to wither and vanish, their source of power now depleted.
But Uchiha's second arrow had still not finished the job.
The others could only watch helplessly as Nineveh, critically wounded, retreated deeper into Hollow Zero—into zones the Association had never fully explored.
Even Section 6 wasn't permitted to enter those areas without direct authorization.
Only one person present could still give chase:
Uchiha.
And he had no intention of letting Nineveh get away.
Dismissing Susanoo, he activated Kamui, warping onto a rooftop ahead of Nineveh's flight path.
The Ethereal was barely holding together. A gaping hole had been punched through its torso. Black flames continued to burn across its battered frame. It couldn't even summon its hive for protection anymore.
Locking eyes with the man who had cornered it, Nineveh knew—this was the end.
Even at full strength, it hadn't stood a chance.
Now, in this near-death state?
No hope remained.
Driven by sheer desperation, it tried to escape.
But Susanoo reappeared behind Uchiha—and with it, a third arrow.
This time, he aimed not for the body—but for the core in Nineveh's head.
The world fell silent.
Then—crack.
The sound of something shattering echoed loud and clear.
In that instant, Nineveh froze. Its core had been pierced.
Within seconds, the immense, once-terrifying super-giant Ethereal disintegrated into particles of Ether and vanished into the air.
It was dead.
The last of its hive and vines disintegrated as well.
Everything had ended.
And yet, Section 6 couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Nineveh... is gone?
Just three arrows. That was all it took. Uchiha had obliterated one of the most dangerous threats the Association had ever recorded.
There were no words.
Even the third-generation head of the Hoshimi clan—famous for soloing the Archbishop of the Exaltists—probably couldn't have taken down Nineveh in three moves.
Had Uchiha already reached the level of the Seven?
"...Looks like starting today, people are going to have to redefine what they think they know about Uchiha," Yanagi murmured, adjusting her glasses. A cold sweat still clung to her temple.
They were lucky they hadn't tried to apprehend him.
Otherwise, they might've died before Nineveh had a chance to strike.
"Chief, with Nineveh down... I guess that means we overdelivered on the mission, huh?" Harumasa stepped up beside Miyabi with a wry grin.
Their original orders had simply been to investigate an energy spike and try to reduce Hollow Zero's activity if possible.
Not only had the activity dropped, but Nineveh had been eliminated.
They'd completed their mission—and then some.
...Even if they hadn't actually done the heavy lifting.
Miyabi didn't answer.
She was still staring at Uchiha, standing quietly atop the roof.
She had always thought of herself as a lone powerhouse, worthy of the title Void Hunter.
But today had proven otherwise.
Uchiha—a man officially labeled a wanted Hollow Raider—had just saved everyone. Again.
This victory alone would've been remarkable. But when you added the countless giant-class Ethereals he'd already slain...
The truth was clear:
Uchiha had done more for Hollow disaster suppression than she ever had.
The title of Void Hunter... suddenly felt hollow.
Her grip tightened around her weapon.
She had a long way to go.
From this moment forward, Uchiha would be her target.
Until she gained the strength to bring him to justice with her own hands, Miyabi would not stop training.
It was a noble sentiment.
But if she knew the truth—that the Uchiha she had just witnessed was merely a Shadow Clone of Zhong Yan, operating at only half the power of the original...
Her reaction would be priceless.
Zhong Yan kind of hoped he'd get to see that someday.
But let's be real—
Miyabi wasn't ready for that.
And likely... never would be.