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As the affairs of Penacony gradually came to an end, the Interastral Peace Corporation was left with a headache as it tried to reclaim the cornerstone, while Big Herta was already on her way, driven by curiosity.
There were ripples, but overall, things remained calm.
Far beyond this vast universe, in another world's apocalyptic city.
New Eridu, Janus Quarter.
In Hollow Zero, Nineveh had been eliminated, and the Judgement of Shamash Monument now stood in the Hall of Obsidian. Half a month had already passed.
Not far from Hollow Zero, at Scott Outpost, a gentle and intellectual beauty had joined the ranks.
Her face always wore a kind smile, and her manners left others feeling refreshed, while her work was meticulous and flawless.
Not only that, her mastery of swordsmanship was also superb, making her one of the rare elites in the New Eridu Defense Force.
She was also very close to the youngest Void Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi, and it was not uncommon to see the two similarly beautiful women strolling together.
Many speculated about her identity—perhaps she was a hidden daughter of the Hoshimi family?
Careful now, careful now, she was the one Miyabi often rested her head on during breaks.
But who cared? The youngest Void Hunter didn't have time to worry about the opinions of outsiders.
"..."
Miyabi sat in the back seat of the dedicated vehicle for Hollow Special Operations Section 6, her body upright and eyes closed, her fair, smooth face full of concentration.
She was comprehending the mysteries of the [Edge of Taixuan], a profound sword manual passed on to her by Sol, whose sword techniques were so exquisite that they inspired awe.
Each time she meditated on it, she gained substantial insights.
At this moment, Miyabi furrowed her brows.
She had encountered a difficult point that required careful consideration to grasp its essence.
After much thought and repeated mental practice, she finally resolved this obstacle.
Having cleared this difficulty, she did not continue further.
She had possessed this secret manual for some time, and with Sol's previous guidance, she had long passed the introductory stage and was now entering the intermediate levels.
Even with her talent in swordsmanship, she did not dare claim she could fully master [Edge of Taixuan] in such a short time.
And now, with a mission to carry out, it would be impolite to continue meditating until reaching their destination.
Miyabi's eyelashes quivered as she opened her eyes and whispered softly: "After digesting Sol's guidance, if I want to walk this path on my own, I'll definitely need to work harder."
"Captain, even you can't manage it!?"
Soukaku, sitting beside Miyabi, could not help but be surprised.
Half a month ago, before Sol left, he had led all of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 to the Withered Garden to eliminate Nineveh. The sword energy unleashed along the way was wild, making Ethereals seem like paper.
She herself had insights and wanted to upgrade her Pudding Slash to become stronger.
Unfortunately, it only improved by a factor of two, and she could no longer grasp the feeling. Even though she still had room for improvement, she simply couldn't understand it.
This frustrating in-between feeling made her eat only three pounds of rice a day for several days. It was only thanks to the captain's guidance that she recovered.
Now, even a genius like the captain couldn't comprehend it either?
"Hmm, it is indeed a bit difficult. It's an exceptionally profound sword technique. Understanding it is like climbing a mountain—the higher you go, the harder it gets," Miyabi nodded calmly. "But I will work hard to overcome it and cultivate the [Edge of Taixuan] to a higher level as soon as possible."
She had once tightly grasped the Cursed Blade [Tailless] due to her mother's passing, diligently training without pause, vowing to bring all evil to justice, especially the hidden hand behind the Fall of the Old Capital.
Now, with her mother resurrected, she had recovered her greatest loss and could feel the warmth of maternal love once again.
For this reason, she was even more determined to cultivate, fighting to protect this newfound happiness. Having lost once, she did not want to lose it again.
Even Sol could not perform a resurrection twice, right?
But speaking of Sol, she wondered if he might face danger in that mysterious starry expanse…
Thinking of the figure who had returned her mother's love, Miyabi couldn't help but worry.
That vast starry sky was surely far more spectacular than New Eridu, but undoubtedly countless times more dangerous. Even the incredibly powerful Sol could encounter risks there.
But he had said he would return in one or two months. Enough time had passed; he should be returning soon.
When they met again, she would report her cultivation progress and Miyabi's younger apprentice Belle's huge improvement—perhaps even embark on a second journey of love cultivation?
Soukaku didn't detect Miyabi's inner thoughts and simply praised: "Captain, you really work hard!"
Miyabi thought for a moment, then replied seriously: "You're great too. In the chicken leg speed-eating contest, I'm far behind you."
"Hehe, you flatter me."
Soukaku's ice-blue skin flushed slightly, a little shy.
In the chicken leg contest, no matter how hard the captain tried, she would be defeated, right?
She must train harder—she could not be surpassed in chicken legs!
Chicken legs, chicken legs~
"Eh!? Chicken legs!" Soukaku exclaimed upon spotting food outside the window.
It was a mobile food truck, operated by a Bangboo chef named Chef, whom she had ordered from several times. The taste was excellent.
"..."
Yanagi, sitting in the driver's seat, slightly curved her lips.
This kid was never satisfied with food—no matter how much she ate, she wanted more.
But recently, her appetite seemed to have grown.
Could it be that her intense cultivation was consuming more energy, requiring extra nourishment?
If so, she would need to cook more meals each day.
"Oh ah oh!" Harumasa stretched in the passenger seat, just waking from a nap, his eyes still slightly hazy. "Are we at Lumina Square?"
Ever since Hollow Zero, the kind Mr. Mercer had given him an injection that completely removed his body's latent issues.
The pains that had once weighed on him had completely vanished.
This period had been one of the rare joyful times in his life—when a person feels comfortable, it's particularly easy to fall asleep!
"Harumasa, if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Sol's serum should have fully healed you," Yanagi sighed, her expression helpless. "So why do you still take weekly leave and appear listless at work?"
"Haha, being listless at work—that's a common trait of all part-timers, isn't it?" Harumasa scratched his head, speaking cheerfully and casually. "Employees like Yanagi, full of energy every day, are the true exceptions among us."
"See, even the captain slacks off sometimes."
Slacking off at work was a worker's instinct—he would never abandon the tradition.
Moreover, he had a valid reason for weekly leave, even if he was healed, it still needed long-term maintenance.
Miyabi remained calm, speaking seriously: "Correction, I am using my spare time to practice swordsmanship."
"It's all the same, all the same…"
Harumasa waved his hand, smiling and squinting his eyes.
"Sigh."
Yanagi sighed, then continued seriously: "We're almost at the HIA Club. Many fans of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 will be gathered there, so let's stay alert and handle things properly."
"Understood, Sister Yanagi!"
Soukaku responded energetically.
"Hmm."
Miyabi and Harumasa also straightened up and nodded.
"This time, Hollow Special Operations Section 6 is participating in testing HIA's newly developed next-generation VR combat simulation. Though it's not a real combat mission, it still holds extraordinary significance."
Watching everyone so serious, Yanagi couldn't help but smile: "Their invitation to us is also a recognition of Hollow Special Operations Section 6's capabilities."
"Mm, I understand," Harumasa nodded casually. "The next-generation VR combat system is highly realistic, reproducing many high-risk ethereal combat scenarios. Ordinary combatants can't extract effective data."
"Only the strong and experienced elite can test the limits of the next-gen VR and provide improvement suggestions."
"Putting it in Hollow Special Operations Section 6's hands increases our workload, but it also shows good judgment—they chose the right people."
"Especially since it helps me skip the regular meeting, perfect timing!"
Compared to sitting in the office listening to superiors drone on, testing VR was definitely more relaxed.
Next-gen VR isn't hard—just a more realistic action game, right?
He trusted Hollow Special Operations Section 6's strength; with the captain and the three of them, they could clear the next-gen VR within an hour, then enjoy a delightful time of slacking off!
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