Dead End Butcher

As Griseo hurried after the train with Eous, Eous's eyes suddenly began flashing rapidly, and Fairy's electronic voice sounded.

[Master, a small-scale explosion has been detected on the train tracks.]

[Analysis suggests Nicole and her companions encountered difficulties during their attack and came into conflict with Perlman.]

"What?" In the video store, Belle and Wise looked at each other sharply, worry in both their eyes.

With Eous accompanying Griseo, neither of them could contact the Cunning Hares directly. They had no idea what was happening aboard the train.

"What do we do, Wise?"

An anxious edge crept into Belle's voice.

"Don't panic."

Wise studied the data on the screen, quickly assessing the situation.

Judging by the number of fake security officers Griseo had just dealt with, there shouldn't be many guards near the center of the explosion.

Nicole and the others were capable enough to avoid serious danger.

Most likely, Vision Corporation had been backed into a corner and blown up part of the area to stop the train from leaving.

[Calculating contingency plan—]

[Based on the current situation, the optimal contingency plan is to reduce the affected area of Dead End Hollow.]

"Reduce the affected area of Dead End Hollow?"

Belle stared at the words on the screen, stunned for a moment before it clicked. "Fairy, you mean—kill Dead End Butcher?!"

[Affirmative.]

Fairy placed a crimson marker on the electronic display, labeled "Notorious Ethereal: Dead End Butcher."

Fairy continued her explanation.

[Master, the train tracks from Canvas Harbor District to New Eridu were taken out of service because Dead End Hollow kept expanding.]

[If the Hollow's affected area is reduced, the tracks can be reopened.]

[And the most direct, effective method at present is to eliminate Dead End Hollow's ruler... Dead End Butcher.]

Belle fell silent. She looked at Griseo's live status display on the screen.

Griseo's Ether Energy fluctuations were no longer as stable as they had been when she first entered the Hollow. The curve was steadily declining.

"But... can Griseo's body take it?"

They had a contingency plan now, but could Griseo, already so drained, still face Dead End Butcher?

It was nothing like the small fry she had fought earlier.

Notorious Ethereal: Dead End Butcher, ruler of Dead End Hollow.

The highest-level Ethereal currently recorded by the official Whista Society was Nineveh, level 6 [suspected]—an entity that required a Void Hunter to confront.

And among Hollow Raiders, the level-four Dead End Butcher was synonymous with a one-way trip.

Griseo had already summoned Qianjie and Kosma in succession, at tremendous cost.

Could she still fight?

Wise said nothing. Neither he nor his sister doubted that Griseo had the strength to defeat Dead End Butcher.

As the siblings sat in silence, Griseo spoke up. "Wise, let's go! I can do it."

At the heart of Dead End Hollow lay what had once been a construction site.

Thousands of tons of reinforced concrete had collapsed into ruins. Twisted rebar jutted from the wreckage like the ribs of some enormous beast, and layers of ruined buildings piled up like an abandoned housing development in some eastern country.

"Brush, submit to me."

Griseo sat on Mr. Knight's shoulder and swept her brush through the air. Red, blue, and yellow paint surged around her, then rushed toward the surrounding low-level Ethereals.

Not a single Ethereal survived in its path.

After all, killing a thousand low-level Ethereals could achieve the same result as killing Dead End Butcher.

"Eh-nah, eh-nah!" (Why are they all just small fry?)

Eous chattered excitedly. Standing in Griseo's arms like a hero, it let its scarf snap in the Hollow wind.

Back in the video store.

"Belle, stop messing around and sit still!"

Wise hauled Belle out of the chair. While he'd been in the bathroom, she had seized his seat and linked up with Eous, having the time of her life.

"Hmph." Belle stuck out her tongue, looking thoroughly unconvinced. "And you say you're not obsessed with little girls? You want Griseo's hugs all to yourself."

"...Fine, you take over. I'll watch."

As the two bickered, suddenly—

Boom!

Thunder cracked over the Hollow. Then a low, oppressive piece of background music began to play.

"Of course the boss gets its own entrance music. How thoughtful!"

Belle couldn't resist a jab. She knew this cheesy routine too well—in movies, villains always got their own theme before the final showdown.

"Belle, I know this one. While his theme is playing, he's invincible!"

"Exactly, Griseo! Let's turn the tables and hit him with everything we've got while he's posing to the music!"

"Okay, Belle."

Wise covered his face. Griseo had picked up Belle's train of thought, and the two traded lines like a comedy duo. Suddenly, he felt a little unnecessary.

But—

Dead End Butcher seemed to have read up on tactics. It didn't follow the script.

Before it even appeared, it struck. A massive battle-axe, concealed by a flash of lightning, spun straight toward Griseo!

Yes, a sneak attack. It meant to crush the tiny insect that had dared trespass in its territory.

Below her, Mr. Knight, who had been on guard all along, moved instantly.

His greatsword left its sheath. The silver-gray blade carved a cold arc through the air and met the giant axe head-on.

Clang!!!

Metal crashed against metal, and the force of the collision sent dust billowing into the sky.

Thunder followed the lightning. A towering, oppressive figure slowly emerged from the dust.

Dead End Butcher had arrived, its body covered in dark-purple armor.

It looked down at Griseo and let out a deafening roar—then froze.

Around Griseo, Ether Energy erupted into turmoil. Waves of force rolled outward as a huge phantom began to take shape above her head.

More than eight meters long. Hideous, uncanny, beyond description.

On closer inspection, it was a noblewoman covered in scales, riding a horse. Her skirts trailed through the air, and Ether Energy condensed into tangible form around her.

It was none other than Lady Marler on the Sheep's Back.

Dead End Butcher stared at the monster, even larger than itself, and went still.

If it could speak, it might have asked one question from the depths of its soul.

"Hold on, buddy... which one of us is the Ethereal? Which one's the monster?"

"Roar!!!"

Dead End Butcher bellowed. Savage wounds covered its body, more than half its dark-purple armor had shattered, and Ether Energy kept spilling from the cracks.

The armor it had taken such pride in might as well have been paper against Griseo's summons.

A full ten minutes of "righteous" two-on-one combat.

Dead End Butcher had never suffered such humiliation in its life.

It swung its giant axe in a tactical sweep, driving back the enemies before it, then began gathering the last of the power in its core.

"That's—Ether Frenzy! Griseo! Stop it!"

"Explosions are Patrick Star... Oh, I got that wrong. They're art!"

Griseo raised her brush and gave it a gentle sweep.

Mr. Knight and Lady Marler on the Sheep's Back retreated together, shielding her and Eous completely.

As it turned out, while Dead End Butcher had been gathering Ether Energy in its core, she had taken the chance to inject it with a large amount of red paint.

The instant Dead End Butcher entered its second phase, the altered Ether Energy detonated inside its core, sending its Ether Energy surging exponentially.

Boom!!!

A mushroom cloud rose from the heart of Dead End Hollow. Purple lightning tore through the dust, and the shockwave flattened a whole ring of surrounding ruins.

But two enormous figures shielded Griseo and Eous, leaving them unharmed.

The white light faded, and the sky cleared. Dead End Butcher had been defeated.

Wind blew through the fissures in the Hollow, stirring the last few motes of dust. Griseo looked at Eous in her arms and said, "Wise, it's over."

"Eh-nah, eh-nah!!"

Eous wobbled in disbelief. Back in the video store, the siblings still hadn't come to their senses.

Tomorrow is April 1. I'll post 100,000 Chinese characters.