Chapter 53: Clear the Area

“Uh... Fairy, aren’t you getting your priorities backwards?”

Belle muttered under her breath.

【Fairy: Not at all. For someone like Master, working the black market, profit should always come first.】
【Fairy: Only then can Master afford to sustain the AI he’s most proud of.】

“Since when was I proud of anything...”

Belle ran a hand through her hair, then refocused on guiding Eous. She crouched, perched herself back on Phaga’s arm, and patted it lightly.

“No time to waste. Let’s move!”

“Ho! Heading into the Hollow already? If trouble comes, I’ll take the lead!”

Anton laughed heartily, slapping the drill mounted on his left arm. “Brother, it’s time!”

“Grace, want to be a hot-blooded hero too?”

After pumping up his trusty drill, Anton glanced at Grace, who looked restless.

Originally, Belobog Heavy Industries had intended to explore the Hollow together with Phaethon. But once they heard he’d brought Victoria Housekeeping, they abandoned the thought. Better to use the time balancing the accounts.

That left only Anton, bursting with eagerness to dive headlong into danger. Grace was here as the voice of reason, seeing the group off.

But judging by her expression, she had other thoughts entirely. She gave a faint nod, murmured an almost inaudible “Mm,” and kept her eyes fixed squarely on Phaga. She didn’t even register Anton’s “hot-blooded warrior” remark.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Phaga gave a slight nod and stepped toward the Hollow. Anton hurried ahead of him, yelling, “Hot-blooded men lead the way!”

Ellen, holding an umbrella at the side, was about to follow when she caught the faint sound of laughter. Instinctively, she turned her head.

The sight made her pupils constrict.

Grace’s eyes curved like peach blossoms, sparkling with delight. Her lips curled into an unconscious smile, revealing clean white teeth, and every so often a syrupy little “hmhm~” slipped out.

She was practically lovestruck!

Then Ellen noticed the obvious: Grace’s gaze was fixed on Phaga.

He was strolling casually ahead, with Eous perched on his arm, happily swaying from side to side.

Phaga half-turned, frowning slightly. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Ellen shook her head quickly, forcing the thought aside, then hurried forward to hold the umbrella for him.

He wouldn’t die from sunlight, but being under it for long was still uncomfortable.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With that, Phaga adjusted his hold on Eous and stepped into the Hollow.

...

Inside, they immediately spotted Anton, completely surrounded by Ethereal. Yet he showed no fear. He brandished his drill as if he meant to pierce the earth’s core and shouted:

“Brother! Let’s fight together!”

Blue light flared across the drill, arcs of lightning crackling along its body. With a roar, he smashed it down onto a four-legged mechanical creature—a yellow-skinned Ethereal with a cannon strapped to its back.

Sizzle!

The mechanical Ethereal had no chance. Electric strikes were its natural bane, and Anton’s brute force pinned it flat to the ground.

Even so, the creature refused to relent. Its corruptive instincts drove it on, the cannon on its back glowing red as it gathered Ether Substance.

Anton noticed but only laughed harder, pouring more power into the drill. Its rotation grew faster and faster.

Clang!

A sharp crack rang out. Blue arcs burst through the Ethereal’s frame, its body convulsing violently as its parts clattered and sparked.

The cannon, already half-charged, abruptly fizzled out. The creature collapsed, twitching weakly.

Thud!

Moments later, it disintegrated into specks of light—only to be stomped out beneath Anton’s boot.

His blood was boiling. Grinning ear to ear, he charged the next wave, drill still glowing with leftover heat.

“Spin! Spin! Spin!”

Within minutes, the battlefield lay half-cleared.

Phaga set Eous down, took the parasol from Ellen, and gave Anton another look.

This guy was a hot-blooded monster.

He was the one surrounded, yet it felt more like the Ethereal were the rude ones—charging in without even waiting their turn to die.

But even so... he was too slow.

“Ellen, let’s finish this. If the noise grows, it’ll draw more of them.”

“We’re here to retrieve something, not waste time.”

Phaga spoke flatly, drawing a blade from within the parasol’s shaft. White fire clung to its edge.

“Mm.”

Ellen swung her massive scissors onto her shoulder, the blades snapping together with a sharp click.

The two stomped off the ground at the same instant, launching forward. Fire and frost erupted in tandem, sweeping around Anton from both flanks.

Anton barely had time to register two blurred shadows streaking past. Every Ethereal in their path was either wreathed in Wispfire or frozen solid, the devastation spreading to the far edge of the arena.

Clang!

The blade and giant scissors clamped together on the last Ethereal, hoisting it into the air.

The flames had burned away, the frost had melted off—only the steel edge remained.

Creak—

Slice!

The blade sank deeper and deeper into its body... until Phaga and Ellen struck together, cleaving the final round-bodied, two-legged Ethereal clean in half.

It fell, scattering into glittering light.

Seven seconds. Clear.

Phaga calmly sheathed his blade and raised the umbrella again to block the sun.

Ellen planted her giant scissors in the ground, tapping her shoes idly. She tore open another wrapper and popped a fresh lollipop into her mouth.

At the same time, she offered one to Phaga, who shook his head.

“Tsk, fine, suit yourself.”

She unwrapped it anyway. Soon, two lollipop sticks poked out from her lips as she crunched away loudly.

Nobody paid the little scene any mind. Eous trotted through the fallen Ethereal with his short legs.

Behind them, dozens of blazing Ethereal collapsed in heaps, their frozen comrades shattering apart to reveal long-dead shells. Eous flinched as he passed.

He saw their fragile lives, flickering like candles, drift upward with Ether Substance—until they burst into showers of light across the sky.

Like fireworks flowing against the current.

Grace, trailing at the rear, still looked dazed. She came up beside Anton, hands on her hips.

“With Victoria Housekeeping this strong, how smooth must Phaethon’s tongue be to rope them in for such a cheap fee?”

After all, Belobog Heavy Industries had only promised two million dennies. Even if Phaethon handed it all over, that wouldn’t be enough to hire them... would it?

But Anton ignored her question. Instead, he turned, pointing at Phaga.

“Grace, how many days of training would it take for me to become a man as strong as him?”

“No idea. Maybe your DNA’s just stubborn. Who knows, if you touch it deep enough, maybe it’ll rearrange itself and turn you into a vampire.”

Grace scratched her head, looking thoroughly exasperated.