He should have realized it sooner—Soldier 11 was stationed at this Defense Force base. If he invaded the place, a clash between them was inevitable.
Strands of Ether energy drifted around him as cold-element energy split off, instantly freezing the fire oil on his arm and extinguishing the flames at the source.
Zane shook his arm, flicking off the frozen fire oil to prevent it from reigniting during the next exchange.
"You're trying to stop me?"
His voice was calm, but carried a clear warning—one that Soldier 11 could easily pick up on.
She didn't respond. Her long blade remained leveled at him, her gaze sharp and locked on Zane beneath her goggles.
The very next moment, a piercing sound cut through the air as Soldier 11 moved. A low hum rose from the special backpack behind her, and the Ether energy surging through her long blade flared at full output, intensifying the flames.
She lunged at Zane with incredible speed. As she closed in, her feet planted firmly. Her arms swung the flaming blade upward as her entire body leapt into the air.
"Flames! Obey me!"
At that very moment, a piercing frost-tipped armor-piercing round screamed through the air—heading straight for Zane's face.
Two powerful attacks closed in within mere seconds!
But Zane remained composed. His overwhelming power gave him all the confidence he needed.
He raised his palm. Ether surged across the crystal-coated surface, thickening as it rapidly solidified. His hand expanded in size.
Boom!
A deep thud echoed out as the bullet made contact. Zane's palm trembled with heat from the impact and friction.
Then the fiery crescent came slashing down, striking him full-on and throwing up a shower of blinding sparks.
Roaring flames engulfed his body.
Even Soldier 11 had to fall back due to the intense heat. Her backpack rattled under the strain—just one strike had drained nearly half her reserves.
Moments later, the flames died down.
Zane stood where he was, calmly opening his hand. Shattered Ether crystals fell like snow, and his palm returned to normal.
A bullet as thick as a grown man's thumb lay in his hand, its tip crushed and warped.
He let it drop to the ground and turned toward Soldier 11, blue eyes unshaken.
On his left shoulder, a deep gash oozed a vivid stream of rainbow-colored liquid—an eye-catching contrast against his pitch-black body.
The wound closed up quickly. Within a few breaths, it was fully healed.
Soldier 11's pupils narrowed slightly.
"You're the first person to land a real hit on me."
"Didn't do much, but you can be proud of that."
His voice hit a nerve. Despite the calm, it carried a smugness that made her expression go cold.
As one of the Defense Force's elite, she had her own pride.
Her earpiece buzzed with her teammate's voice.
'He looks almost identical to an Ethereal. I can't confirm visually, but based on Ether fluctuations, we should treat him like one.'
'I haven't sensed a core—or any obvious weak point. He's humanoid, but that first shot didn't work. I'll aim for the chest next.'
'Try to get his attention!'"
Hearing that, Soldier 11 pushed her emotions aside and focused on the fight, analyzing everything coldly, looking for an opening.
But...
This wasn't some bullet-time moment out of a movie.
And Zane wasn't in the mood to play.
The towering black figure closed the distance in an instant. Before she could react, a fist drove into her—
Soldier 11 went flying.
Zane charged after her without pause. Before she could even ready her next defense, his hand opened, fingers spread, reaching toward her.
But just then—a bullet tore through the air!
Her teammate had sensed the danger and, abandoning the plan, pulled the trigger without hesitation!
Zane retracted his hand and deflected the shot the same way he had before.
It was fast.
But to someone like Zane, whose senses were enhanced in battle, it was easy to intercept.
Still, the shot bought just enough time.
Soldier 11 landed hard, staggered back two steps, then broke into a run, weaving toward the side to use the garrison's terrain to her advantage.
But Zane didn't move.
He looked toward the direction the bullet had come from.
"A sniper, huh... What an annoying little fly."
He reached into his gear and pulled out a Dennies. Its metallic surface glinted in the light.
His arm drew back—then whipped forward.
The coin shot out like a razor-sharp arrow or a streaking silver meteor, trailing a gleaming arc.
Far away, on a raised vantage point, Trigger activated her Ether Vision to lock onto her target, lining up another shot to cover Soldier 11
Then—her senses flared. An overwhelming surge of Ether energy was coming.
Before she could react—boom! A deafening crash.
Her body tensed up, frozen in place.
Stray strands of white hair drifted past her cheek.
Behind her, the wall cracked with a thunderous impact. A web-like crater spread outward—and embedded deep at the center was that same Dennies.
Silence.
If it had been aimed at her head just now...
Trigger swallowed hard.
Back on the battlefield, Zane turned to chase Soldier 11 again.
But contrary to her expectations, the terrain did nothing to stop him. Walls, towers, stone pillars—he smashed through them all.
He charged straight at her.
Damn it!
Soldier 11 veered off, retreating to buy time for her backpack's engine to recharge.
But the moment all obstacles were gone, Zane stopped.
She noticed—but had no idea what he was about to do.
Zane pulled out another Dennies, looked at her, and grinned.
"I picked up a new trick recently."
"Let's test it out on you."
Ding—
A clear metallic ping rang out as the Dennies bounced into the air, spinning.
Ether surged around it—electric-element energy separating as the rest dissipated.
Blue-violet arcs of lightning danced around the floating coin, crackling as they coiled in the air.
Soldier 11 turned and caught sight of it.
Her eyes, behind her visor, finally showed a flash of panic.
No—I need to move!
The coin didn't fall. It hovered in midair, held aloft by the energy.
In the blink of an eye, the arcs gathered tighter and brighter—forming a brilliant mass of pure lightning.
"What was this move called again...?"
The coin spun toward Soldier 11 as Zane muttered to himself.
"Ah, right..."
"Electromagnetic Cannon."