At the same time that Belle and the others were rescued, on the other side of the stronghold—
Zhong Yan's shadow clone who was disguised as Tobi, replaced the Uchiha and swaggered right into the base long before the main body made a move.
His appearance immediately drew the attention of the guards stationed within the stronghold.
But these small fries couldn't pique his interest at all. Using Kamui's intangibility, he effortlessly dodged all their attacks, and with a swift swing of his blade, he cut them down in an instant.
Soon after, more guards rushed in, and someone had triggered the alarm. The entire base descended into chaos.
Inside the command room, the two individuals who had previously attacked the Cunning Hares and Victoria Housekeeping Co. also took note of the sudden upheaval.
"Looks like a rat's slipped inside." The alluring woman put down the foundation she was applying, stretched lazily, and spoke nonchalantly.
The middle-aged man beside her wore a more serious expression. Staring at the monitor displaying Tobi, he said in a low voice, "The front gate alarm wasn't triggered. That means he didn't come through the main entrance... Strange guy. We'll need to be more cautious."
As he spoke, he stood up, ready to confront the intruder. But just then, the languid woman casually raised her pale, slender index finger and pointed at another surveillance screen.
"Looks like there's more than one rat. And they've stolen our rations too."
That other screen showed the entire process of Belle and the others being rescued. It also revealed how the two intruders had appeared.
Spatial teleportation...
Such an ability did exist among the Ethereals, but none had ever managed to completely bypass the entrance's security system like this.
Their uniqueness became evident through this.
"They've already rescued the prisoners, but it doesn't look like they intend to leave just yet. Seems like they're planning to wipe us out," the middle-aged man said, frowning slightly as he looked at the two on the screen.
Then, glancing at the seductive woman who had risen from her chair, he added, "One each. Let's make it quick. Bring them back alive. They might have greater research value. My God would certainly be pleased."
With that, they quickly agreed on their targets. The middle-aged man chose the one in the white mask, while the alluring woman went after Tobi.
...
By the time the middle-aged man reached the prison cells, Zhong Yan had already vanished along with Belle and the others.
Seeing this, he assumed the enemy had no intention of staying to fight—but that notion was swiftly dispelled when a spatial vortex suddenly opened behind him.
A hand shot out from the vortex, attempting to grab him, but he reacted swiftly and dodged. At the same time, his body became encased in visible ether crystals.
In just a moment, the crystals covered his entire body. From afar, he resembled a crystalline figure stepped out of a fantasy realm.
At the same time, the etheric energy radiating from his body generated a crushing pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Of course, this was meaningless to Zhong Yan.
"Uchiha... I've heard of you. I just didn't expect you'd have the guts to come knocking on our door. Looks like taking out those other guys gave you a false sense of confidence."
From his outfit and appearance, the middle-aged man quickly identified him as the legendary figure of New Eridu.
Others might feel pressure facing him, but to this man, a mere tunneler wasn't even worth fearing.
Unless it was Void Hunter who came, there were few in New Eridu who could make him take them seriously.
But what he didn't know was that another name Zhong Yan carried was the Unofficial Void Hunter.
"You people talk a good game, but that's all you've got." As Zhong Yan spoke, his pupils widened beneath the mask.
Then—Amaterasu activated.
In an instant, the middle-aged man felt a chilling, skin-prickling cold. He tried to dodge, but time wasn't on his side. All he could do was raise his ether-crystal-covered arm in defense.
The next second, a raging black flame ignited his arm. Even with the ether crystal shielding it, he could still feel the terrifying heat.
What shocked him even more was that this black flame seemed impossible to extinguish—no wonder the two guards burned to death earlier despite all their struggling.
"To unleash such a technique, there must be a medium..." Watching the ether crystals gradually melt under the black flames, he started analyzing how Zhong Yan had summoned the fire.
But before he could come to a conclusion, a spinning weapon came crashing toward him.
He barely managed to raise his arm in defense before it smashed into him, the impact echoing through the air—it was a massive war fan.
On the fan, two different energies—flame and lightning—swirled violently.
And then, under his shocked gaze, the two forces detonated.
In the blink of an eye, the entire cell was obliterated by the explosion caused by the contact of flame and lightning. The underground base shook violently.
Debris and dust rained from above. Thick smoke rolled out, completely engulfing both figures.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tobi took down another grunt with a clean slash, then confronted the seductive woman who had previously attacked the video store.
Zhong Yan and she had clashed once before, but back then she had only used a clone, revealing little of her true abilities.
Similarly, she knew little about his capabilities. Just a small test would be enough to bait out some of her tricks.
With that in mind, Zhong Yan activated Kamui. The moment the spatial vortex appeared, two chains shot out and quickly bound the woman just as she tried to speak.
Without hesitation, Zhong Yan yanked the chains, pulling her into Kamui's space.
However, when he followed her in, intending to use the terrain to his advantage, he was forced back out moments later—looking worse for wear.
It had been a self-destructing clone. Because it too was saturated with ether, even the Sharingan had trouble telling real from fake.
Her real body had reappeared at her original location.
She had assumed this usual tactic would be enough to take Zhong Yan out, but now it seemed this man really did have some skill.
Just then, the ground began to shake ominously.
She instantly realized something was wrong—her partner... could he have already been defeated?