"Master, an abnormal situation has been detected!"
After bringing the rescued goofball… staff member—back, Yiji urgently reported, clearly having sensed something.
"What is it?"
Arden remained calm and unflustered.
Ever since transmigrating here, Arden had experienced far too many things. There was basically nothing left that could shake his heart—unless Master Yixuan suddenly sent him a message saying she was willing to marry him.
"There are violent Ether fluctuations in the surrounding environment. The concentration is rising sharply… a dangerous Ethereal is likely approaching, or something extremely bad has happened," Yiji reported while looking at the readings on her instrument.
"Oh?"
Arden raised an eyebrow.
The internal space of Hollow Zero was extremely complex. Even at the periphery, it wouldn't be strange for a dangerous Ethereal to suddenly appear.
"Let's ret—"
KIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!
Before Arden could finish his sentence, a massive roar from the distant sky interrupted him.
Bzzzz… BOOM!
The Ether concentration spiked violently, and Yiji's measuring device exploded after exceeding its upper limit.
Huff… huff…
Immediately after, a massive shadow enveloped them.
"!!"
The four of them looked up, only to see a colossal figure emerging on the horizon.
A gigantic body over a hundred meters long, four wings slowly flapping like a dragon's—except instead of a dragon's head, there was an enormous sphere of Ether at the end of its neck.
"That is… Overlord-class Ethereal: Nidhogg?!"
Arden's expression turned solemn. He had seen this dragon-shaped Ethereal in the Hollow Investigative Association's Ethereal compendium, classified as Overlord-class.
An Overlord-class Ethereal ranked even higher than a Notorious Ethereal.
Neither Arden nor Ju Fufu had ever fought something of this level. With their strength, escaping might be possible—but defeating Nidhogg was pure fantasy. Perhaps only Master Yixuan personally arriving could manage it.
The optimal strategy at present was to avoid its edge, retreat, escape, and then return to Scott Outpost to report the situation.
Arden wasn't a hotheaded fool. He wouldn't do something stupid like charging in despite a clear gap in strength.
"Follow me—this way!"
Arden wisely chose to evade.
.....
Like the entrance to a metro station, the four of them hid beneath a flight of stairs.
"My life is over… as expected, if I'm going to die, I have to die full!"
Despite her legs trembling in fear, the female staff member still pulled out the remaining half of her lunchbox and started eating. "Nom nom~!"
"..."
Watching her bury her head in food, Arden twitched at the corner of his mouth and complained, "Thinking about eating at a time like this—you like food even more than Fufu does!"
"Master, we'll be okay… right?"
Yiji was also badly frightened. She had only just been reborn, with a beautiful future ahead of her—she didn't want it to end here.
"It's fine. It's probably just passing by."
This wasn't just reassurance. Arden truly didn't believe an Overlord-class Ethereal would mobilize itself just for four insignificant small fries.
"Relax. Even if there's danger, I can get everyone out."
Ju Fufu spoke with full confidence.
She might not be able to fly, but she was fast. If Nidhogg really tried to eat them, Ju Fufu was confident she could carry the other three and escape.
"Shh… be quiet!"
Sensing Nidhogg drawing closer, Arden made a silencing gesture.
"..."
Holding their breath—even the female staff member stopped eating—the four of them avoided making the slightest sound.
KIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!
Just as Arden expected, when Nidhogg passed over the abandoned metro station where they were hiding, it merely turned its head to "look" once before continuing on its way.
A moment later.
"Rawr~!"
Ju Fufu's cute tiger head cautiously peeked out from the metro entrance, looking in the direction Nidhogg had departed.
"Phew… it finally left. My happy life!"
Yiji was the second to poke her head out, stacked on top of Ju Fufu, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
"Nom nom!"
Next came the female staff member, who had resumed eating and was stacked on top of Yiji.
"See? I told you—Nidhogg was just passing by. It wouldn't care about small fries like us."
Finally came the tallest one—Arden—his head stacked at the very top.
Thus, four heads arranged top to bottom, staring at the gradually receding Nidhogg, completely unaware of a figure quietly approaching from behind.
"Daoist Arden? Daoist Fufu?"
A familiar female voice rang out. "What are you doing here—some kind of cultivation practice?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi looked at the four people stacked like a totem pole, her expression strange. Thinking of her own section chief, she tentatively guessed.
"Who's there?!"
"Oof!"
Startled by the voice, Ju Fufu—at the very bottom—suddenly turned around, causing the stack to lose balance. The four of them tumbled into a heap.
"Uh… Sister Yanagi, you caught us at a bad moment, hahaha!"
Arden stood up. After a brief pause upon seeing Tsukishiro Yanagi, he scratched his head awkwardly and laughed it off. "Hollow Special Operations Section 6 is here… is it because of Nidhogg?"
Not only Tsukishiro Yanagi—Arden also saw Asaba Harumasa and Soukaku running over. Hoshimi Miyabi was nowhere to be seen; she had likely already chased after it.
"Yes. We're carrying out an emergency suppression operation."
Yanagi confirmed his guess, then asked, "And the four of you are…?"
"This is Yiji. We're accompanying her for an assessment mission…"
Arden briefly explained the situation.
"Sigh~ I can't keep up with the section chief at full speed at all!"
"Brother Arden, Sister Fufu—hello!"
At that moment, Harumasa and Soukaku caught up.
"Mm."
Arden nodded to Harumasa, then reached out and patted the oni horn on Soukaku's head. "You're doing well, little Soukaku. It's only been a few days—you've grown taller already."
"Really? That's great!"
Soukaku was delighted by the praise. "Sister Fufu too—you've grown as well."
Soukaku held her hands in front of her chest, making a "this big" gesture.
"Soukaku!"
Not wanting her "daughter" to be led astray, Yanagi pulled Soukaku back. Then she turned her gaze to Yiji. "A Proxy assessment, huh… In our upcoming operation, we happen to need a guide. Daoist Arden, may we borrow her?"
"Please! I'll protect this big sister!"
Soukaku waved the door-slab greatsword in her hand.
In some sense, Soukaku and Ju Fufu were quite similar—both small but incredibly strong, both carefully looked after by someone, and both… flat.
"Mas—Senior Brother Arden?"
Yiji looked at Arden, silently asking for his opinion.
Without her master's consent, she wouldn't dare agree on her own. Otherwise, she'd definitely be punished after returning—and as for the punishment itself… Yiji didn't want to recall it. It was too embarrassing!
"Hmm…"
Arden pondered as everyone's gaze focused on him, waiting for his decision.
"Alright."
Arden smiled as he gave his answer. "Not just Yiji—Ju Fufu and I will help as well."
If it were just them, Arden wouldn't take the risk. But since Hoshimi Miyabi, a Void Hunter, was also involved, there was nothing to worry about.
Whether it was broadening his horizons, enriching combat experience, or earning system achievements with points and rewards, Arden wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Of course, there was also the chance to interact with Miyabi.
After all, Arden had coveted Hoshimi Miyabi for a long time—yes, ever since before transmigrating.
"That's great!"
Soukaku cheered.
"Many thanks. With the help of the three Daoists, the suppression operation should proceed much more smoothly."
Compared to Soukaku, Yanagi had a far deeper understanding of Arden and Ju Fufu's strength. As for Yiji—since the three were acting together, her Proxy skills and other abilities were surely nothing to scoff at.