Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

"Anton! Remember what I told you!"

"The Starlight Knight's ultimate move—Knight Flying Kick! It even has a no-damage landing bonus!"

"Bro! Let's do it together!"

Anton lit up with excitement. He still had no idea what Billy meant by the Starlight Knight, but that didn't stop him from getting fired up by Billy's enthusiasm!

Billy sprang up from a cracked section of ground and met up with Anton.

"Let's shout the name of our finishing move together!"

"Knight's United Flying Kick!"

Billy dropped down with one leg extended, while Anton aimed his electric drill at the ground.

One half was fire from burning engine oil, the other was electric arcs from the spinning drill. Red and blue intertwined—like a two-colored meteor streaking through the sky!

Above, Zane descended rapidly, stepping through space, while the others each used their own methods. Even the pile driver stabilized itself using its body.

Except Nicole.

But she wasn't without options.

With a whoosh, a parachute burst from her briefcase. Its wide canopy and the slower descent gave her a brief moment of relief.

"Good thing I went with the pricier all-in-one model when I replaced my briefcase back then, otherwise..."

Before she could finish, a few stones struck the parachute, making it sway.

Among them was a chunk of concrete with exposed rebar that slid along the canopy and tore a huge gash in it.

Nicole's fall suddenly accelerated.

Down below, Billy—who had just climbed out of the pit with Anton and was shielding against debris—noticed and shouted,

"This is bad! Nicole's falling!"

Anby's eyes sharpened. In an instant, she dashed forward, drew her long blade, and in a few swift slashes, she cut through both the falling debris and the parachute cords tethered to Nicole's briefcase.

She then leapt, legs bent forward and back, and landed firmly—catching Nicole in her arms.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

A round of applause rang out nearby. Zane smiled and said,

"Clean and quick. Impressive."

The calm expression on Anby's face vanished. Her usual demeanor returned, and she let go of Nicole with an embarrassed smile.

Nicole, who had just felt relieved after being caught, was abruptly dropped to the ground.

"Nicole, are you okay..."

Anby quickly knelt to help her up, but before Nicole could speak, Zane's voice rang out again.

"Let's go—they're already catching up."

The pile driver wasn't going to wait, and Belobog Heavy Industries' team was already pursuing it. Anby nodded, let go of Nicole, and rushed forward with Zane.

"Wait, seriously?!"

Nicole bit her lip in frustration, sighed, and hurried after the group.

...

Moments later, the team caught up with the pile driver at another high point. As it repeated the same trick again, Billy skidded to a stop.

"Hmph! The Starlight Knights won't fall for the same trick twice!"

But unexpectedly, this time the fractured ground spread rapidly and engulfed everyone.

"What the—?!"

Billy cried out. Anton replied beside him,

"Billy, you're not even a Starlight Knight!"

As his words fell, they all began free-falling again...

"Arghhh! Just wait—when I catch you, I'm tearing you apart!"

Koleda charged at the pile driver, weapon in hand, clearly furious.

Behind her, Grace's eyes lit up.

"Little one, you've finally come around to my hobbies!"

"Aaah, what is even happening?!"

...

Eventually, the pile driver was cornered and could no longer rely on its agility to escape.

"Alright! We've got you now!"

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson..."

Anton caught his breath, raised his drill arm, and gave the pile driver a flashy wave.

Behind them, Eous finally caught up, panting hard. Right on cue, Fairy's voice chimed in.

"Master, target heavy machinery has been successfully surrounded."

"Would you like me to broadcast some trash talk to insult it?"

Before Belle could respond, Fairy continued,

"Please choose a trash talk style: vicious, vulgar, perverted... I can broadcast them in 18 known languages, one after the other."

"Geez! Who would even want that?!"

While Fairy continued listing off her trash talk modes, Koleda had already stepped forward to confront the pile driver.

"Type III Hollow-Class Industrial Pile Driver—Friday!"

"You're not getting away!"

Ben, watching from the side, shook his head.

"Sigh, I wonder what kind of personality this one ended up with..."

Anton spun his drill with a grin.

"No worries! We've already talked down two problem children!"

"This one won't be a problem either!"

"Let's see what it has to say!"

But before Anton could get a word out, the pile driver charged straight at them on its four mechanical legs like a beast.

"No hesitation, just charging?!"

Koleda tensed and got into a battle stance, but to her surprise, the pile driver leapt straight over their heads.

Anton stared, his fighting spirit faltering, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"It... ran away?"

"What are you waiting for?! After it!"

Koleda dashed off. As soon as she gave the word, the rest followed. Up ahead, the pile driver barreled toward the people at Hare's House.

"Hey, it looks like we're in its path. Should we move?"

Seeing the massive machine hurtling toward them without slowing down, Nicole quickly spoke up. Zane didn't answer—he just sidestepped.

Seeing this, Billy and Anby, who had been ready to stop it, also silently stepped aside. If Zane wasn't acting, he must have a reason. They just had to follow his lead.

But as the pile driver passed, Zane casually stuck out a foot.

With a loud crash, the spider-like machine tripped, rolled several times across the ground, and lay motionless.

"Tch, such a waste of time. Thought I'd lend a hand."

Zane withdrew his foot and spoke calmly.

Behind him, Koleda's face filled with surprise.

How did the pile driver just trip on its own?