I Was Reborn This Time

(This chapter is just a joke. Don't take it seriously.)

Hello, dear readers!

I'm the first Sacrificial Ghost to make a dazzling entrance in the story of Zenless Zone Zero. You can call me Sacrificial Ghost No. 1!

I possess earth-shattering destructive power, and my killing efficiency is off the charts.

Electronic devices?

Intelligent Constructs?

They're all child's play to me. I can infect them without even trying!

In my last life, I'd barely been born when that wretched Hors and his Prototype Machine mercilessly crushed me.

So I lay low for over a decade. At last, I broke free of the seal again and absorbed three Intelligent Constructs in one go. That settled my blood feud with Hors for sealing me away!

But fate had other plans. I ran into Hors's daughter, Koleda!

Damn it!

Once this woman was beaten down, couldn't she just lie there and die?

She was piloting that same Prototype Machine, chanting things like "bonds," "family," and "don't underestimate me" as if they were magic spells...

Then she went supernova and slammed me against the monument!

A huge spike pierced straight through my kidney...

No, wait, my Ether Core!

It hurt so much I died on the spot...

But this time, I was reborn!

To avoid making the same mistake, I even broke out of the seal a few days early. I swore to myself: I'll take back everything that belongs to me!

But... why did something feel off?

I still ran into that bunch of annoying brats.

Strictly speaking, though, there was one more little girl this time, and two fewer Intelligent Constructs.

Whatever. None of that mattered!

What mattered was, could someone tell me what the hell these three Ethereals in front of me were?!

The one in front was hunched over and ugly as sin. What kind of Ethereal looked that hideous?

It was a whole new level of ugly. I wanted to gouge my own eyes out!

The one behind it—now she was pretty nice-looking. Just my type! ...But why did she look so much like Fumina? (One of the Ballet Tower twins.)

Wait. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

Was that long thing flying overhead Gepetto?

No, that made no sense. What was Gepetto doing here?

There was someone riding on its back, too. Who was that?

Its new partner?

What a bizarre combination!

Enough talk. I was going to take back everything that belonged to me and show them Sacrificial Ghost No. 1 was not to be messed with!

"What kind of Ethereal is that?"

The moment the Sacrificial Ghost appeared, Grace raised her tablet to scan it. The Ether reading instantly went off the charts.

"It doesn't look like an Ethereal, but it isn't an ordinary corrupted human, either."

Belle frowned and shook her head. Clearly, she couldn't identify it right away.

"What a disgusting monster. This must be the calamity my mentor spoke of." Friday leaped out, came before Griseo, and spoke with fervor.

"Your Highness, cast down your arrows of divine judgment and destroy this nightmare that dares defile the Nethernight Pure Land!"

Griseo heard Friday's plea and nodded. She really did hate the color of this ugly monster.

Then Griseo looked ahead, her expression solemn, and issued her command in grandiose fashion!

"I hear Fate whispering, softly calling my revered name..."

"My loyal companions... in the name of the Stars."

"Bring me eternal night, sing me a song of victory, and sound the death knell of its destruction!"

As Griseo's words fell, the Ether Energy around her three summons surged.

If Grace had taken a reading then, it would surely have been higher than the Sacrificial Ghost's.

The Wheat Reaper straightened its hunched body with a jerk. Its claws glinted coldly as it charged the Sacrificial Ghost first.

The Girl with a Wide-Brimmed Hat followed a step behind and bowed to the Sacrificial Ghost.

That was what it meant to offer courtesy before drawing blades. Then her twin blades flashed, and she slipped around behind the Sacrificial Ghost like a phantom to deliver a killing blow.

Madame Mallier on a Sheep's Back rose into the air as her mount spread its wings.

Her lance and several orbs of light beneath her mount's wings kept gathering power. At last, every attack came plunging down like a meteor.

The Sacrificial Ghost was struck by fierce attacks from every direction at once.

Light blazed across the memorial plaza, and Ether Energy sprayed everywhere... Sensing danger, the Sacrificial Ghost let out a piercing shriek.

It flickered away, somehow escaping what should have been certain death. But several long wounds remained on its body, leaking purple Ether Energy.

The Sacrificial Ghost threw back its head and shrieked again. (Damn it! Fighting dirty with a sneak attack!)

"No way! That monster dodged all that?" Anton stared in disbelief. If it had been him, he would have been reduced to dust.

Grace's face was grave as she explained.

"That's not surprising. This monster's Ether concentration is abnormally high. There has to be something unusual about it. I don't know exactly what happened, but Uncle Hors probably left to seal it away."

"So, boss, can she beat it?" Anton looked toward Eous. "Should we help?"

"Um, Anton. Are you sure we wouldn't just get in the way?" Ben asked.

"Uncle Ben, Uncle Anton, you don't need to help. I can do it!"

Griseo shook her head to reassure those behind her. She gently patted Mr. Knight beneath her, then leaped down.

She was clearly getting serious.

"All I think and feel rests beneath my brush; all my heart desires dwells within its colors."

"Colors spread across my painted dream and weave my world."

Griseo's Stars shone.

Mr. Knight drove his greatsword into the ground. Colors seeped outward, like a painting unfurling across reality, all the way to the Hollow's edge.

At the center of the plaza, the Sacrificial Ghost sensed intense danger and tried to turn and flee, but it was too late.

The painted domain had already surrounded it. Within that domain, it had no chance to dodge.

"Now!" Griseo shouted, giving the final command.

The Wheat Reaper leaped high and raked its claws toward the Sacrificial Ghost's head.

The Girl with a Wide-Brimmed Hat crossed her scissor blades and cut toward its chest.

Madame Mallier on a Sheep's Back climbed higher on her mount once more, then dived with her lance.

Under their combined assault, the Sacrificial Ghost could only let out a despairing shriek. Its body slowly collapsed, and its Ether Particles scattered!

"We won! As expected of Your Highness!" Friday jumped for joy, waving his arms and shouting.

Behind them, Grace, Belle, and the others breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Koleda watched the Sacrificial Ghost fall, then gave her orders. "Anton, Ben, check the area for any other threats. Sis, get Friday to help you haul the Prototype Machine back."

"Proxy, thanks for your help. Send me the coordinates here. We'll take care of the rest!"

"Sure!"

Belle nodded through Eous. Bringing Griseo back came before prying into Koleda's personal affairs.

Using her power so relentlessly had taken a considerable toll on her body.

As Phaethon's direct agent, Griseo had never given Belle and Wise any reason to doubt her combat ability. They only worried about the strain on her body.

So, across successive commissions, the siblings had steadily raised their assessment of what Griseo could handle, but they would not rush it.

Unless circumstances were exceptional, once her condition dropped past a certain point, Belle or her brother would suspend her commissions as soon as possible.

All right, the book has officially reached 80,000 words and entered recommendation review.

Let's play a little game to get a rating going. Before the rating appears, I'll add one extra chapter for every ten new valid reviews. We're at 58 now.

I haven't settled on any other extra-chapter rewards yet. After 100,000 words, I'll discuss them with the group.