The world around them was a desolate wasteland, silent as death itself. The city had long since perished, and from every corner of its corpse grew countless spires of ether crystal, jagged and lifeless.
Steel and concrete—buildings, roads, overpasses—were shattered and torn apart by these growths. Neon signs that once glowed with life were now unrecognizable, corroded by time and ether, a few barely showing traces of their former letters.
The small cargo buggy rolled down a fractured street, Eous sprawled across its roof while Ignis followed behind.
Through Fire-Sight, this was a frozen, lifeless world—no trace of heat, no flicker of energy. The only sounds were the spinning wheels of the buggy, Eous shifting on its frame, and Ignis's heavy, rhythmic footsteps.
A dead city in a dead world. Aside from the sprawling ether crystal spires, there was little of value anywhere in sight.
"Are you sure exploring Hollow Zero is actually worth the trouble?" Ignis finally broke the silence, speaking to Belle, who was remotely controlling Eous.
"Of course. You can find old-era tech relics or even artworks. But with your size, you probably won't fit into most buildings. If you force your way in, you'll likely destroy whatever's valuable," Belle replied. "Not long ago, someone on the Inter-Knot posted that they found an oil painting in Hollow Zero—untouched by ether corrosion—and sold it for a ridiculous amount."
"Then maybe tell me about something we can actually get our hands on." Ignis found that chatting with Belle noticeably improved his resistance to ether radiation. It seemed the radiation affected not only the body but also the mind when strong enough.
"Then let's hope we find a rich ether vein instead—that'd be worth even more. But we're in a high-radiation zone right now. Even if we did find valuable ether deposits, we couldn't harvest them safely. Usually, the best outcome is finding high-concentration, low-activity ether crystals in low-radiation areas. But those two factors rarely coexist—unless someone's destroyed a powerful Ethereal creature nearby, stabilizing the zone afterward."
"Ha, we're not here to hunt today." Ignis unhooked his autocannon from his waist. "But I'm already seeing a few Ethereals."
They bore vague human resemblance—gray-white ether crystals encrusting their bodies, pink energy lines coursing across their limbs and torsos. Shreds of clothing and armor were still visible, fused into their crystalline shells as grotesque mockeries of protection.
"They're Corrupted—quite a few of them," Belle observed through Eous's sensors.
They had split into two opposing groups. One side was led by an Ethereal with both arms transformed into blades, while the other had a shield-like left arm and a massive hammer-like right. The two groups snarled at each other but never struck—a quarrel frozen in eternity.
Judging from the tattered remnants of clothing, one side had once been gang members; the other, soldiers of the Defense Force.
"Records show that ether radiation here spiked suddenly. It was strong enough to destroy the nearby data pylon. The White Star Institute initially sent a Defense Force squad to recover it—but they vanished soon after entering."
"Looks like we've found them. Wonder if Lieutenant Roland's ready to hear this," Ignis muttered.
He knelt down on one knee, eyeing the targets at the far end of the street—roughly five hundred meters away. Normally, his autocannon could easily reach that range, but the shortened barrel meant reduced precision at long distances. Without a bipod, he had to rely solely on his arms for stability. Even with the aid of electromagnetic muscle bundles, maintaining accuracy in full-auto fire was a challenge.
Kneeling gave him better control of the recoil—enough to ensure that every shell landed within the effective zone.
Using the targeting data displayed on his HUD, Ignis aimed at the densest cluster of Ethereals. He knew he couldn't take down the two large ones yet, but thinning the smaller ones first was essential.
A system warning flashed—due to high etheric interference, targeting accuracy might be compromised.
Still, that was better than firing blind. Besides, the onboard system could auto-correct using shell impact data.
He pulled the bolt back. Clack. The shell chambered smoothly.
The autocannon roared to life. Despite the harsh radiation, the machine spirit within sang its deadly hymn, spitting out three rounds in rapid succession.
Two shells failed to detonate midair—VT fuzes disrupted by the ether field—but still exploded upon impact. Shrapnel tore through the clustered Ethereals, turning the street into a metallic storm. Dozens of smaller ones were shredded, their limbs torn off, cores shattered.
The HUD updated immediately, correcting the ballistic path and deducting three rounds from the ammo counter.
Ignis adjusted his aim slightly, left hand shifting the barrel upward before unleashing another burst—one long, one short—his wrists subtly moving to spread the impact into a wide cone.
The sustained barrage annihilated most of the horde. The surviving two—larger, thicker, more resilient—stood amidst the carnage.
Their ether crystals were too dense; without armor-piercing rounds, fragmentation alone couldn't damage their cores.
Would be nice to have some AP shells right now—sub-caliber or hardened-core, anything would do. Ignis reholstered his autocannon.
He couldn't afford to waste ammunition. Who knew what else waited ahead?
The three-meter-tall giant charged forward, his immense weight denting the ground beneath every step. Sparks flickered to life across his Flamestorm Gauntlets.
"Guess close combat's the only way to finish this." He bellowed, "By the Emperor!"
The blade-armed Ethereal moved first—fast and agile. It leaped when ten meters away, twin bladed arms slicing down toward Ignis's helmet.
To be honest, Ignis never understood such moves. Jumping mid-fight? That's suicide unless you've got a jetpack to adjust in midair.
He wasn't about to take the blow head-on. Raising his left arm, he unleashed a burst of flame, obscuring its vision. His right arm followed with a sweeping arc of fire toward the shield-bearing one that was lumbering closer.
One against two wasn't particularly difficult—but splitting the fight into two one-on-one battles made things cleaner.
Sticky ether fuel clung to the first Ethereal as it crashed down like a burning meteor. Ignis sidestepped easily—the suit's automation had already calculated its landing spot.
Before the creature could recover, Ignis struck—left fist straight to the face, right hand raised in a chopping motion.
The blows sent the Ethereal staggering, half its head crushed. The extreme radiation field here weakened the armor's disintegration field, but not enough to save it. Half its skull shattered, revealing a void-like black core where its brain should have been.
The impact destabilized that core, and the creature went berserk. Its twin blades lashed out in a frenzy—fast, savage, relentless. It must have been a skilled dual-wielder in life.
But to a Space Marine, its movements were sluggish. The ether blades carved deep scars into the ground, sharp but predictable.
Ignis leapt backward to dodge its wild swing. It lost balance completely, its left arm jamming into the ground. By the time it yanked free, Ignis was already upon it.
He stomped on its arm, clamped his left hand onto its shoulder, and brought his right palm down like a hammer.
The thick crystal plating cracked, but not enough—his fingers slipped into the fracture, seized the gap, and ripped. The head split open, exposing the glowing core.
At that instant, the hammer-armed Ethereal closed in, slamming down toward Ignis's head.
The Iron Halo flared to life. The shield expanded, deflecting the blow while trapping the first Ethereal inside its radius.
It struggled, but Ignis's sheer strength—amplified by the electromagnetic muscle bundles—pinned it in place. His gauntlet sparked violently before smashing down, snuffing out the core.
The body convulsed, then disintegrated into fragments of ether crystal that slowly faded into the air.
"Your turn!" Ignis lunged forward, using the momentum of his charge to drive a punch straight into the other's shield, leaving a crater-like dent.
This Ethereal was far more disciplined. It hid completely behind its massive crystal shield, lowering its stance while probing for an opening with the hammer in its right hand.
It wasn't rushing the attack, just shadowing Ignis's movements, occasionally testing him with light shield-bashes.
This one's tougher than the last—but that shield… definitely a problem. His fists left only shallow marks. The red energy veins running across it showed where most of its power was concentrated. No wonder it was so sturdy.
If I can't go through head-on, I'll just go around.
Ignis feinted left, slowing his step to bait the shield into turning. In that split second, he shifted his weight hard to the right—his massive body twisting with explosive core strength.
The rapid side-step feint completely disoriented the creature. Before it could realign, Ignis's left fist hooked deep into its exposed flank. The blow drove it back several steps, its body structure partially collapsing.
He didn't stop there—his right hand swung in a brutal cross, the punch landing with a thunderous crack that shattered its crystalline skull. Shards rained down, along with something metallic—a dog tag.
The creature reached for it, its hammer-hand trembling. Even as a monster, it still recognized that small token. The movement exposed its chest, and Ignis didn't hesitate—another punch, straight into its core, sending it flying backward.
Before it could recover, the giant was already upon it. Putting his full mass behind the strike, Ignis drove his fist through its head and core in one motion, ending it completely.
"Defense Force Obsidian Division, Yoke Squad… Sergeant Vincens Lestred," Eous reported, reading the name engraved on the tag it had picked up.
"One of the missing. We're on the right track," Belle said, guiding the cargo buggy closer. The rear compartment opened, and Eous gently placed the tag inside.
"May he rest in peace." Ignis deactivated his gauntlet's disintegration field and placed a hand over his chest in solemn respect.
The earlier battle had left several dog tags scattered among the fading ether remains. Eous picked them up one by one, placing each into the buggy.
"Almost the entire squad's here," Belle murmured, comparing the names. "Only a Private and a Corporal are still missing."
"Wait… what's this?" Eous picked up a fragment from the ground—a shard of ether crystal that hadn't faded. Magenta energy pulsed through silver-gray crystal, with scraps of dark green armor cloth still fused to it. The shape and decoration suggested it was once a shoulder patch.
"Looks like a sample. Must've been her work," Belle said, storing it away. "This piece alone could be worth a fortune."
"Her? You already know who did this?" Ignis asked, puzzled. Hollow Zero was still new territory to him.
"Nineveh—the ruler of this region." Belle confirmed the cargo was sealed, then continued. "We're close to the data pylon left by the White Star Institute. Let's recover it first, and I'll fill you in on the rest."
"Understood." Ignis glanced at the Bangboo perched on the buggy. "Lead the way."