"Still, even if you catch up... you probably won't find me."
"There are people everywhere."
"I just need to mask my aura properly."
As he landed, the middle-aged man activated In, cloaking his presence. He quickly gave himself some basic first aid, wrapped his wounds with loose clothes, and kept moving.
(T/N: In "By keeping some of your Aura Nodes partially closed, you can mask your true strength or hide your attack intentions. It's ideal for deception, allowing you to catch an enemy off guard.")
He glanced back a few times—no sign of Kaizen.
Relieved, he turned a corner.
"Looks like... I really lost him."
"Still alive."
"Damn bastard."
"The next time we meet... I'll kill him with my own hands."
His eyes darkened with hatred.
He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"It's me."
"My lord... I'm sorry. We failed."
"Hm?"
"That guy's strength... it was beyond what we anticipated. His abilities, his aura, his tactics—he completely outclassed us."
Silence on the other end.
The man continued. "He has several Nen Beasts. And they're not weak."
"One beast uses fire attacks—definitely A-rank."
"Another is defensive. Also A-rank."
"There's a fog-type for large-scale coverage. B-rank."
"And one that launches tracking bombs. Also B, but the blasts are deadly. I got hit once and nearly died... but I think there's a limit to how often he can use it."
"Das and Neil are dead."
"He's still chasing me."
"At least four A-rank Hunters would be needed to bring him down."
The man spoke plainly, knowing well the temperament of his superior. Sugarcoating anything would only make his own fate worse.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
Thud! Thpft!
The sound of multiple needles piercing flesh.
"Found you."
Kaizen's figure materialized behind him.
The man turned his head slowly, disbelief written across his face.
"How... how did you find me...?"
Kaizen looked up at the blood butterfly resting on the man's forehead.
He followed Kaizen's gaze.
"This butterfly...? Is it a Nen Beast? No, it's... just a monster?"
"Right," Kaizen said. "Just a normal species. But it loves blood—and it's got excellent tracking instincts. Once it catches a scent, it can follow it from miles away."
"Tch... in a city this bloody, how could it have tracked just me...?"
That much was true. A blood butterfly alone wouldn't be enough.
But Kaizen hadn't worked alone. With Altan hacking into every surveillance feed in the city, and cross-referencing them with the swarm's flight pattern, they had triangulated the man's location.
The poison had already begun draining the man's vitality.
Thud!
He collapsed.
But he wasn't dead yet.
He slumped against a wall, glaring at Kaizen with eyes full of rage.
"Damn it... Who the hell are you...?"
Kaizen didn't answer.
He gestured to Altan, who walked forward and picked up the man's phone.
A voice came from the speaker.
"So... Das's dead, then."
"That was impressive. Honestly, beyond what I expected."
"Interested in working for me?"
"I can offer you things no one else can."
Kaizen remained silent.
Then Altan crushed the phone with one hand.
Click... beep... beep...
...
In a quiet study, a man with a refined, elegant look listened to the dead tone on his phone. His expression didn't change. He placed the phone gently on the table.
"What a shame..."
A graceful woman beside him nodded.
"Yes... a shame. A man like that, under your guidance, could have gone far."
But the man shook his head.
"I wasn't talking about that."
She looked confused.
"I pity him," he said, eyes turning sharp. "He had the potential for a brilliant future... but now the only path left to him is death."
He turned to her.
"Come here."
"Kneel."
She obeyed, and he placed a hand on her head.
Then he took out his phone and dialed another number.
"The three dogs are dead. Release the Four Beasts."
"Yes, my lord."
...
Kaizen's eyes narrowed.
"Three dogs... Four Beasts, huh?"
"But once I leave the United States of Saherta, what can you actually do? How far are you willing to chase me?"
...
That evening, Kaizen reached the airship's central deck and entered the lounge.
He raised his hand—an aura-forged door appeared in the wall.
He stepped inside.
The door vanished behind him.
But the anchor remained, so he could return at any time.
...
"Team Leader."
Ponzu greeted him as he entered.
"What happened back there?"
Kaizen gave her a brief summary.
"The person who caused the destruction in your village appeared. Gogus-san turned into a monster... all his team were wiped out."
"Those attackers were sent by someone tied to him."
"Someone with power in Saherta."
Ponzu went pale.
"Captain... I'm so sorry. I got you involved. This is all my fault..."
"Maybe I should leave. If I go, they'll stop chasing you—"
Kaizen shook his head.
"They're not after us because of you. It's because we visited your village. We learned something they didn't want anyone else to know—those insects."
"If they're that desperate to silence people, it means this is serious."
"And if it gets out, they're in trouble."
Kaizen wasn't especially concerned.
Yes, the enemy was strong—sending a B-rank and two A-rank operatives without hesitation.
But Kaizen wasn't without backing.
More importantly, the key detail was what he had just discussed with Ponzu.
"Back then, the Hunter Association took responsibility for the Kute Gang of Thieves incident in Meteor City."
"Logically, the Association should be involved in something like this."
"Even if that man holds power in the United States of Saherta..."
"This world doesn't revolve around that country."
"This smells like another incident like what happened in Taris—and we're not about to let that slide."
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