There was no loud bang, no explosion or smoke—just a small white light shield.
In that instant, the entire underground black market fell into an eerie silence. Time itself seemed to slow.
The next second, the shield expanded at lightning speed.
Dense, chaotic, conflicting, destructive—two incompatible elemental energies clashed, grinding everything they touched into dust.
Everything was devoured.
...
Above ground.
"Hm?"
By the roadside, an old man in a conical hat squinted into the distance at a dilapidated Ferris wheel.
It was an abandoned amusement park, now privately owned.
Beneath it lay the Janus District's underground black market.
"An earthquake? Feels like the ground's shaking a bit…"
The old man stood up, scanned his surroundings under the starlight, and found nothing unusual—until a bright white light lit up the area.
The light was so intense it turned night into day. As he watched the cup on his table shake violently, realization struck.
"It really is an earthquake!"
He rushed out of the shop, looking for an open space to take cover. But when his eyes landed back on the amusement park, now engulfed by a white dome of light, he froze.
At that moment, only one thought crossed his mind—
The sun had fallen to the earth.
It was daylight.
...
"Why does this feel way more powerful than I expected…"
Zane stood on an Ether Crystal platform, watching the white light shield slowly fade as he raised an eyebrow.
He had a rough idea now of his combat capabilities in human form.
Overall, he was somewhere between four or five Nicoles and two Zhu Yuans.
But his destructive power? That was definitely Void Hunter level.
Pretty decent for a walking cannon.
"Mm-hmm! (Boss is the best!)"
Panta didn't understand explosions. All it knew was—its boss was the strongest.
"You little punk, all you know how to do is kiss up…"
"Mm-hmm! Mm-mm-hmm! (That's not kissing up, it's true! Boss is just that amazing!)"
While Zane and Panta chatted casually, elsewhere...
"Shit, almost got myself killed just watching the damn thing…"
"What the hell happened? Why did the whole black market collapse out of nowhere? Can someone explain?!"
"I swear, I'm done getting involved in other people's business."
"Damn it, all the goods are gone, the shop's gone, a whole year wasted. Might as well have died…"
Survivors clambered out, voicing their frustration in a chaotic chorus. Some just stood in stunned silence, still trying to process what had happened.
At another edge of the collapsed area, Jane crawled out with difficulty, filthy and covered in dust.
As soon as she made it up, she collapsed onto the ground, motionless, staring blankly at the night sky.
The first step of her undercover mission had nearly sent her straight to the underworld.
What terrible luck…
Just who was that guy? How could he cause so much destruction?
She'd only seen that kind of power in files and footage—and those incidents were caused by terrifying Ethereals from Hollow Zero.
That guy was basically a humanoid Ethereal…
As Jane savored the relief of surviving, footsteps approached, drawing nearer.
She instinctively gripped the dagger hidden at her waist, tensing slightly as her eyes shifted toward the sound.
A figure approached—wearing a mask.
Jane quietly loosened her grip on the dagger.
Against him, it would be useless.
After what she'd just been through, even Jane, usually calm under pressure, gave up any pretense of composure when she saw his mask.
"Is lying on the ground that comfortable?"
Zane looked down at her, her face smudged like a painted cat, and asked curiously.
"No. It's not."
Jane shook her head, speaking as casually as if chatting with a friend. She propped herself up with one hand, the aches from dodging the shockwave still lingering.
When his gaze dropped to her tail, Jane instinctively grabbed it and pulled it back, covering it.
"W-What are you trying to do?"
Sensing his gaze turning questionable, she asked warily.
"That slash we traded counts as a fight. So technically, you're a defeated opponent."
Zane said something Jane didn't quite follow. Before she could ask, he continued.
"Can that spike on your tail be removed?"
Though she had tried to hide it, he had already seen it—and it clearly wasn't a natural part of her body.
Jane quickly shook her head, ears twitching in protest.
Something like that couldn't just be removed at will.
"No? Then what about the blade on your boot?"
Jane was confused by his questions, but with the clear power gap between them, she decided to play it safe.
She shook her head and replied softly.
"The blades are built into the boots. You'd have to replace the whole boot…"
Zane raised an eyebrow.
That didn't work either?
He looked her over, and under his gaze, Jane shrank back slightly, clutching her hands to her chest, fingers nervously hooked on the straps of her outfit.
Zane looked away, feeling a bit annoyed.
There really wasn't anything on her worth taking?
No iconic gear, no loot-worthy item.
Torn stockings?
That would just be creepy.
He sighed, then stuck out a hand toward Panta.
"Go take off her boots."
Panta didn't hesitate. He rushed over, grabbed Jane's boots with both hands, and started pulling like he was yanking up a carrot.
"Wait—what? Why are you—?!"
Jane froze in confusion, but by the time she came to her senses, one boot was already halfway off.
She instinctively curled her foot, loosening the last bit—Panta tumbled backward and rolled a few times.
He got up, hugged the boot like a prize, and held it high toward Zane.
"Mm-hmm! (Boss, I got it!)"
"Alright, let's go."
Zane gave a nod and turned to leave, as if he'd never been there.
Panta followed close behind, while Jane, now flustered, scrambled up on one foot, shouting,
"Hey! Why did you steal my boot?!"
"Spoils of war."
"What the hell?! What kind of spoils?! That doesn't count! Give it back—I'll give you something else!"
"Wait! Come back!"
There was no way she could keep up hopping on one foot. Even if she caught up, she couldn't win.
All she could do was watch him disappear.
"Y-You bastard!"
"Who the hell steals someone's boot as a trophy?! And I thought he was some mysterious, cold, powerful type!"
"Ughhh!!!"
The night wind brushed her bare foot, sending a chill through her. The more she thought about it, the more humiliated she felt. Her face flushed with red as she gritted her teeth.
"Damn you! Don't think that mask will protect you! I'll find you, and I will get even!"