Chapter 5: Hoshimi Miyabi: Come Home with Me! (Patreon)

Once Musachi got a clear look at his surroundings, he understood exactly where he'd ended up.

This was deep inside Delin Hollow, not far from the spot where he'd once lain asleep for ten years. But right now, Musachi wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings — he was more curious about the Ethereal that had dragged him here.

The creature was pale all over, its scales arranged in neat, orderly rows that gleamed with a metallic sheen. Even after the rough landing it had just put Musachi through, not a single scale showed so much as a scratch.

Its overall shape was that of a massive serpent, with a hideous, triangular snake's head — except it had three eyes.

No — or rather, where the third eye should have been, between its brows, there was no eyeball at all, just a massive core.

Part of its body was still hidden inside the Ether Singularity, but by Musachi's estimate, the creature had to be at least a hundred meters long.

That already put it well beyond an ordinary Notorious Ethereal.

It was even edging close to the level of a being that could dominate an entire Hollow.

Still, seeing the aggression in the creature's eyes directed at him, Musachi felt a flicker of confusion.

He was certain he'd never crossed paths with this Ethereal before. So why did it hate him with such intensity?

And how had it even come into being?

After all, before he'd fallen asleep, Musachi had wiped out every high-tier Ethereal in Delin Hollow specifically to keep from being disturbed. Otherwise, he never would have managed ten peaceful years of sleep.

But how long had he even been gone? And already this place had spawned another Ethereal on the verge of Tier 6?

A Tier 6 Ethereal's strength already fell within Void Hunter territory.

Ethereals of that level only came into being through years, even decades, of accumulation — after all, only by absorbing enough Ether could one grow to that strength.

And Musachi was certain that no Ethereal of that caliber had existed here before he left.

Even as Musachi sized the creature up, it was sizing him up right back.

An Ethereal at this level had already developed rudimentary intelligence. Its triangular eyes glinted with malice, fixed on Musachi with naked greed and excitement.

Musachi frowned, and Ether energy began gathering in his hand, nearly coalescing into the shape of a greatsword.

But the next instant, he seemed to sense something and let the power in his hand dissipate.

In that same instant, the serpent Ethereal lunged straight at him, jaws splitting wide to swallow him whole.

As the creature's body fully emerged from the Ether Singularity, Musachi got a clear look at it — countless dense scars crisscrossed its massive body, the kind left by blades. Two of the wounds were especially severe, spanning nearly half the diameter of its body, still leaking high-concentration Ether — clearly fresh injuries.

Wounds of that severity should have left it badly weakened, needing a long recovery.

It must have been fighting someone just before this — and upon sensing Musachi, it had forced its way through the pain to snatch him away through the Ether Singularity.

Just as the creature's jaws were about to close on Musachi, an Ether Singularity rapidly opened overhead, right between them — and a lithe figure emerged from within.

She wore a uniform, her long, lustrous black hair tousled by the fierce wind of her own speed. But what drew the eye far more were the pair of huge fox ears atop her head, and the cool, composed look on her face.

In the space of an instant, she flashed onto the top of the serpent's head, and a katana wreathed in blue flame swept down!

Musachi caught only a flash of light — a blade of pure force erupted from the katana and sheared clean through the serpent's head. But even with the head severed, she didn't stop. She planted both feet on its skull, took aim at the core inside its third eye, and drove the blade straight down.

"Hisss!!!"

The Ethereal let out an instant howl of agony.

But pinned under the blade, the giant serpent had no way left to fight back.

It could only lie there, nailed to the ground.

"Notorious Ethereal, Jörmungandr — eliminated."

Hoshimi Miyabi said quietly, then drew out her blade and slid it slowly back into its sheath.

Once the dust settled, she turned slowly to look at Musachi.

"Civilian caught up in this by accident — no, wait, Delin Hollow's been sealed off for a while now. A Hollow raider, then? Or a Proxy?"

She gave her ears a little twitch, murmuring to herself as she studied him.

"Lady Hoshimi Miyabi... I never expected to run into a Void Hunter here. If you hadn't shown up, I'd be done for!"

Musachi put on a show of excitement, saying nothing at all about his real identity.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Hoshimi Miyabi asked, one hand propped under her chin, eyeing him with suspicion.

For some reason, looking at Musachi felt oddly familiar to her.

"I'm a huge fan of yours, Lady Hoshimi Miyabi! Maybe you saw me outside Hollow Special Operations Section 6 sometime?"

Musachi said, perfectly straight-faced.

Of course he knew exactly when she'd seen him before.

Ten years ago, on his way into Hollow Zero, he'd saved a mother and daughter from the Hoshimi family. Ten years had passed since then, and the little girl of back then had grown into a young woman.

Musachi had no intention of revealing who he was — a Void Hunter drew far too much public attention. He'd seen enough on TV to know how the Hoshimi family felt about him. If his identity ever came out, neither Miyabi nor her parents would be able to sit still about it, and every eye currently fixed on her as a Void Hunter would turn his way as well.

His identity wouldn't survive close scrutiny — if anyone truly dug into it, the truth would come out easily enough.

"I see. In that case, come with me."

Hoshimi Miyabi said, slowly pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

Musachi: ?

"That... that really isn't necessary, is it?"

"Illegal entry into a Hollow — whether you're a raider or a Proxy, I'm obligated to bring you in. Come with me back to the Hoshimi estate."

With that, Hoshimi Miyabi reached to cuff him.

The Hoshimi estate? Shouldn't this be a trip to the police station?

Musachi thought, silently unconvinced.

Just then, Musachi's eyes went wide. He stared past her shoulder, his face a mask of terror:

"He's not dead! This monster is still alive!!!"

At his words, Hoshimi Miyabi frowned and spun to look behind her — but there was no danger there at all.

Jörmungandr's massive body, its core destroyed, was still slowly dissolving away — as dead as dead could be.

Realizing she'd been tricked, Hoshimi Miyabi turned back around — but by then, Musachi had vanished without a trace.

Left standing there dumbfounded, she puffed out her cheeks, then walked away with a blank expression.

But anyone watching closely would have noticed the faint downward curve at the corners of her mouth.

She was clearly not entirely pleased.