A perfectly coordinated pincer attack orchestrated by the two Zoldyck Family's butlers was unexpectedly countered by Saiyu.
The materialized Nyoi Bo, infused with a substantial amount of Nen, extended forward with ease, piercing through one butler's Nen Defense and killing him instantly.
With most of his Nen allocated to offense, Saiyu's own defenses were inevitably weakened.
Seizing this opportunity, the other butler attacking from the front swiftly drew a glint of cold steel from his sleeve.
A dagger wrapped in Nen was driven straight toward Saiyu's unprotected face by the butler's arm. Just as the sharp tip was about to plunge into Saiyu's eye, his body suddenly jerked backward as if pulled by an invisible force, narrowly evading the fatal strike.
Looking closely, it turned out that the extended Nyoi Bo had retracted abruptly, defying conventional physics to yank Saiyu's body out of harm's way.
The butler's dagger struck empty air, but he remained composed, refraining from further pursuit and instead retreating to create distance.
He was acutely aware that his duty was to protect Killua. Having assessed the enemy's overwhelming strength, his initial intent to kill Saiyu instantly shifted to buying time.
With his comrade dead, he was now the only one left to hold off Saiyu. Faced with slim odds of victory, his priority was to stall as long as possible to increase Killua's chances of escape.
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the butler's body stiffened abruptly. His sharp instincts alerted him to something wrong with his ears… he could no longer hear.
"What...?"
His expression shifted slightly as he suddenly noticed a large-eared yellow monkey beside him, grinning at him with a mocking, almost human-like expression.
Swish!
The dagger sliced through the air, aiming for the monkey, but the creature nimbly dodged and retreated several meters toward Saiyu.
"Surprised, trash~"
Saiyu's eyelids drooped lazily, though a sharp glint flickered incessantly in his eyes.
'Can't hear anymore?'
The butler's face remained cold. His well-trained body immediately registered the impairment. Covering his ears, he frowned and retreated further.
"This is my Nen Beast. Just now, when I dodged your attack, I used In to conceal its presence. It's a pretty crude application, but against small fry like you, it works just fine."
Saiyu shpwed an enigmatic smile, his eyes gleaming with Aura as he took a deliberate step forward, exerting pressure, "The Aura on your dagger is solid and stable, while the Aura on your body is evenly distributed across your right arm and legs. So, you're most likely an Enhancer."
At this point, Saiyu casually rested the Nyoi Bo on his shoulder and added flatly, "Unfortunately, my Nen Ability works particularly well against Enhancers. Though, to be fair, that's mostly because you're just too weak."
Were these two butlers weak?
Their impeccably timed ambush, calm demeanor, swift and precise attacks, and solid Nen Techniques all indicated that they were competent Nen Users… far from weak.
However, the moment they launched their assault, their chances of victory had already been halved. Saiyu's primary objective wasn't capturing Killua alive but eliminating the two of them first.
This was a counterattack meticulously planned based on clear intelligence, supplemented by a pre-deployed Nen Beast, ensuring the situation remained firmly in Saiyu's favor.
Faced with Saiyu's barrage of demeaning remarks, the butler didn't react. He recognized his mouth moving as nothing more than a tactic to pressure him.
His focus never wavered as he continued retreating slowly, his mind steadfastly fixed on buying time.
"Hmm?"
The butler's expression shifted again as he suddenly raised his hand and thrust his dagger to the side. There, a wide-mouthed yellow monkey grinned cheekily before dodging the strike and retreating toward Saiyu.
"You're really not getting it, are you, trash?" Saiyu lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice cold. "I even explained how I set it up, so how did you fall for it again?"
The butler opened his mouth slightly, a subtle attempt confirming his suspicions, then he realized he could no longer speak.
'When I was touched by the monkey Nen Beast with big ears, I could not hear anything, and when I was touched by the monkey Nen Beast with big mouth, I could not speak.''
'If these were the only effects, they wouldn't significantly impact my combat ability.'
The butler thought calmly, but then saw Saiyu continue, " orry, sorry. It's only natural you fell for it a second time… after all, I conveniently left out the fact that I have two Nen Beasts."
"You might be thinking, So what if I can't hear or speak? It's not that big a deal, right?"
"Trash, why don't you test that theory for yourself?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Saiyu moved. At the same time, the Nen Beasts beside him sprang into action… one of the monkey Nen Beasts rushed ahead of Saiyu, charging straight at the butler.
Gritting his teeth, the butler retreated cautiously, keeping an eye on both the visible monkey and any potential hidden ones.
Logically, if there were monkeys that could steal hearing and speech, there should also be ones capable of taking sight, smell, or even touch. That was something he had to guard against.
The charging monkey Nen Beast lunged recklessly, like a berserker, drawing part of the butler's attention while obscuring much of his vision.
Then, the body of the monkey Nen Beast suddenly exploded, and the tip of a staff shot through its shattered form.
'To use his own Nen Beast as a decoy?!'
The butler's heart lurched as he barely dodged the lethal strike. But what he saw next shocked him even more.
'The one holding the staff… is the other monkey? Then…'
Before the thought could fully form, a chilling sensation crawled up his spine. In his silent world, darkness swallowed him in an instant.
Crack!
Saiyu cleanly snapped the butler's neck and sighed, "Didn't I say it? There are only two Nen Beasts. What the hell were you guarding against, trash?"
Having effortlessly eliminated two skilled Nen Users, Saiyu dispersed his conjured monkey Nen Beasts and the Nyoi Bo, allowing the Aura to return to his body.
"See? This is what happens when you can't hear. Tough luck, trash."
A trace of malice flickered deep in Saiyu's eyes as he delivered his final taunt before leaving the corridor, heading in the direction Killua had fled.
Did he really only have two Nen Beasts? Was all that chatter in battle just part of his nature?
The corridor bore no traces of battle, save for two corpses. Their plan to buy time had failed. But every word Saiyu had spoken during the fight had been transmitted directly to the Zoldyck Family through hidden surveillance.
At the same time, Law received a call from Killua. But when he answered, the voice on the other end wasn't Killua's… it was a sharp, unmistakably mocking male voice.
"I've broken this brat's arms and legs. Are you interested in coming and admiring them?"
Law's expression instantly turned cold. In a tone colder than winter itself, he uttered the shortest possible response, "Location."
On the other end of the line, Saiyu smirked, his foot pressing down on the unconscious Killua. Hearing Law's emotionless, clipped reply, his eyebrow arched slightly.
'From this moment on… I'm officially dealing with that troublesome bastard, Law.'