NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: "I'll kill as many people you want if you save her,"
The fight lasted far shorter than Anby expected, all the upgrades Belle gave them made them a bit too overpowered against this boss. Billy couldn't even finish his heroic monologue before Nicole accidentally crippled the monster and smacked them away. What's left of Silver Tear vanished into motes of colorful light.
Anby took a moment to kneel and press F while Nicole already discussed Belle about the situation.
"Hmmm..." Belle's voice came from Eous. "She got Ether Resistance..." Eous began to pace around, tumbling a little, and roll on the ground. "Hmmmmmm...." her voice sounds like she's really thinking about it. "You think you can convince her to join our side?"
"Sweetie, we killed her dad,"
"Ah, you're right..." Eous straightened back up. "But what if... we didn't?"
"She heard the bit about firework," Anby said. "Despite what she appears, Nekomiya is rather perceptive, even more than Nicole..."
"Huh? What was that?"
"Nyaaa~" Eous flipped back and rolled around some more. "But come on~" Belle said. "I want her in on this little group of us! She got the power, the spirit, think about how strong she can become if she listens to us!!!" the Bangboo backflipped and struck a pose. "Nekomiya Mana, the 4th Member of the Cunning Hares!"
There was a moment of awkward silence.
The reason for that silence is the strange girl who just so happens to walk up on them. Long green hair, a teddy bear on her back, and wearing a maid uniform. The girl quickly looked down, twiddling her hands nervously. While at the same time holding a chainsaw. "S-sorry... A-Am I interrupting something...?"
"Umm, no, not really," Eous turned around and waved its hand. "Hi~ Who are you miss?"
"Oh! M-my name is Corin and... I'm a bit lost..." she said nervously, waving around her chainsaw like a broom. "I got separated from my teammates and I met this cat girl, I helped her out but she seems to be in a hurry and left..." she played around with her feet. "D-do you mind if you show me the way out?"
Nicole blinked, taking a closer look at the girl. "Okay, first thing first, why are you in a Hollow?"
"Eh!? Umm..." she shifted around nervously. "It, it's my job as a maid... the client requested some things..." she hugged her chainsaw. Why she hugs a chainsaw when there's a teddy bear behind her back, is up to anyone's guess.
"Alright, we'll help you out," Belle said suddenly. "Team, change of plans, we're helping miss Corin out of the Hollow,"
The Cunning Hares turned to Eous as if it was just hacked and Belle lost control of it. "Really? You're gonna abandon the mission to help her?" Nicole asked.
"The kitty won't get far with that thing, besides, what's wrong with making some good Karma, hmm?" Belle replied, walking closer towards Corin. "Come on, let's get you out of here!"
"Th-thank you! You're too kind!" Corin said in relief. "Gosh my friends are going to be so mad at me for being late though..." she muttered as the group followed Eous to the nearest exit out of the Hollow.
"We're here!" Eous said suddenly, pointing at a solid wall. "Don't worry, that's your exit, just run up to it, believe in yourself, and yell 'Platform number four twenty!' and you'll be back in the New Metro in no time!"
"Oh, okay! I'm... not good at yelling, but I'll do my best!" Corin took a deep breath and ran into the wall. "P-platform four twenty!!!" she exclaimed breathlessly before disappearing into the wall.
Meanwhile the rest of the Cunning Hares just watched in confusion. "I didn't know there's a Hollow Exit that works like that?" Nicole said.
"No, I just think it's funny if she yells that out loud," Belle replied simply. Then Eous turned around. "Anyway, we've saved Corin. Let's continue with our mission, we got a cat to catch!"
[LINE BREAK]
Part of Anby wants to believe that Belle was being a good person and rescued Corin out of the goodness of her heart. But another, more aware part of her, knew the real reason. Belle knows who Corin is and who she worked for, saving her may as well be another plan in her grand scheme. Whatever that may be.
"Anby, I found this neat flashlight!" Billy said, waving a strange cylindrical object. "Look!" with a trademark hum, it turned into a blue blade made out of pure light. "It's also quite warm," he tried touching the light, sparks came flying out of it.
"Don't play with Hollow Artifact Billy, it's corrupted," Anby told him, prompting him to throw the lightsaber into the nearest open portal. "Belle, how long have we been in the Hollow?" she asked.
"Hmm? Give or take, an hour," Belle replied.
"Really?" Nicole said. "It felt like we've been here for a whole day! How long did that fight last?"
"Two minutes," Belle replied. "Give yourself some credit, you're all far more powerful now!" she said with a wave from Eous. "You can wipe out most ethereals without breaking a sweat, trust me, nothing really poses a threat here!"
The moment she said that, the sky began to darken. The sound a hundred trains howling out their sirens like a pack of wolves came echoing from a distance. Rain began to fall from a sky of static, each drop carrying with it a single bit of possibilities.
"Belle, sweetie," Nicole said, gulping nervously. "That 'nothing really poses a threat' you mean that literally, right?" her eyes widen as she came across a silhouette in the distance. A gigantic hulking figure carrying a gigantic cleaver. "Be-because, that looks like something that poses a threat to me..."
Abandoned trains, cars, and building formed a wall around them, creating a gigantic colosseum made out of what was an old metro. Blackened spire burst forth from the ground, pulsating in neon green and pure black. Thunder crashes above them, sending out shards of glass and debris.
"Oh yeah, that's the [Dead-End Butcher], a calamity class ethereal," Belle explained nonchalantly. "It's part of the reason why HIA marked this Hollow as forbidden you see?" the monster came charging towards them, each step sending ripples through the ground. "That guy's power level is equivalent to a few dozen... hundred... thousand... million... ethereals."
"Is it a threat to us?" Nicole repeated her question.
"Well... It really depends..." Belle began. "Do you want to kill it? Or save the cat?"
Anby froze the moment Belle said that. "Save the cat? Nekomiya!" she stepped forward, eyes darting around. "Where is she!?"
"To your right,"
Nicole groaned a little, watching the girl blitzed off towards a rubble nearby. "Anby, think about yourself before you... Ugh!" she took out her suitcase gun and shot at the gigantic ethereal. "Over here you overgrown pile of rock!" she yelled, getting its attention. "Billy, help me distract it!"
"Leave it to Billy!!!" the robot came charging in, guns blazing.
Meanwhile, Anby retrieved Nekomiya out of a pile of rubble and hard drives. She's barely breathing, a gigantic gash on her chest and blood trickling down her mouth. "She's not corrupted, but she need medical back up," she turned to Eous who's already running towards her as fast as its little foot can take it. "Belle,"
"The nearest exit is..." Belle paused. "It's too far, she won't make it..."
Anby clenched her fist. "Belle, please..."
"Anby, I also don't want her dead, but..."
"I'll kill as many people you want, if you save her,"
Eous froze and then looked around. "There is a way, the safe that she stole contains something that could save her life... All of your life, actually," a blast came from a train nearby, followed by a gigantic laser beam shooting at it. Then, just faintly, they can hear Billy's voice yelling 'I'm okay!'.
"Where's the safe?" Anby turned to Nekomiya. "Listen, Nekomiya, we are here to save your life, just tell me, where is the safe?"
Nekomiya weakly raised her hand towards somewhere in the corner. Eous went towards it before Anby could and pulled out the safe. She watched as the Bangboo easily open the safe and took out a strange chip of sort. "Okay, I don't know what will happen to me after this," Belle yelled. "But please follow Eous out! I've made sure that they'll take you to safety!!! Also, just in case, do visit me at the video store..."
Eous inserted the strange chip into its head and a bright light shines forth. Like a beacon of light, shining from the corrupted skies of the hollow. Even the gigantic ethereal stopped in its track, gazing as Eous began to float up to the sky.
Then, the Bangboo fell and start walking towards a wall, disappearing.
Anby wasted no time following suit, carrying Nekomiya through the wall.