Upon arriving, Baise gazed upon the desolate landscape with a sigh of resignation. "While this place is perfect for evading pursuit, living
Upon arriving, Baise gazed upon the desolate landscape with a sigh of resignation.
"While this place is perfect for evading pursuit, living without any electronic devices is practically like being a caveman."
She had been reluctant to come here, but the money had persuaded her to compromise.
"Regardless, I need to find a secluded place to stay first!"
Mounting her horse, Baise rode towards the heart of the area.
At the same time, the extermination team, having left Greed Island, was on their way back to the Hunter Association.
Aboard their airship, everyone felt as if they had been given a new lease on life after escaping Greed Island.
After a long sleep, Kite went up to the airship's observation deck, the high-altitude wind whipping around him. He pulled out his phone to contact Ging.
"The mission failed, Mr. Ging."
"Failed, yet you all survived? Not bad, Kite!"
Upon hearing of the mission's failure, Ging showed no disappointment; instead, he praised Kite.
"Mr. Ging seemed to have anticipated this outcome."
"Hmm, not entirely!" Ging chuckled. "While the Hunter Association's analysis was excellent, and the battle plan had a high probability of success, battles between Nen users are inherently unpredictable."
"Tell me, how were you defeated?"
At this question, Kite's expression turned serious. After a long pause, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice low and grave.
"That… person, Loki, he can turn his body into flames!"
"Isn't that something we already—"
Mid-sentence, Ging stopped.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
"He can turn his body into flames, making him immune to all physical attacks."
After Kite's confirmation, Ging, currently lounging on a hotel bed, sat bolt upright!
"Immune to all physical attacks?!"
Ging's brow furrowed deeply; his eyes widened slowly. If anyone were present, they would have found his expression unbelievable.
Ging, the usually unflappable Ging, was actually showing shock.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy with silence. Everyone remained tight-lipped.
Transmutation! It's not an ability mastered overnight. At least, in the understanding of the Twelve Zodiacs, such an ability requires an immense amount of time to cultivate.
Loki's talent, however, is beyond words.
This practically godlike ability was mastered by Loki in a short period.
Such a feat truly lives up to his moniker of "monster."
He likely mastered his flame-body transformation long ago.
During his previous attack on the Hunter Association and his fight with Netero, Loki hadn't used this ability.
Had he not been using his full power back then?
Ultimately, the meeting was adjourned.
Regarding this newly discovered ability, Transmutation, the Twelve Zodiacs couldn't devise any countermeasures.
This is an enemy possessing a terrifying Nen capacity and strength that borders on despair.
Nen users with mental attack abilities are exceptionally rare.
While there are Nen users with manipulation-type abilities, their strength is nowhere near Loki's level.
After everyone had left, Cheadle emerged from the meeting room, her head hung low. A Bean Man at the door handed her a slip of paper without waiting for a response, then went inside to clean the room.
Cheadle opened the note and then went to the roof of the Association building.
Opening the door to the stairwell, she found Ging standing by the railing.
"What is it?"
Ging, hands in his pockets, glanced back at Cheadle. "It's certainly a troublesome ability."
"Immunity to all physical attacks. How is such an ability possible, especially for someone so young?" Cheadle's voice was laced with weariness.
Ging smiled. "No need to be so pessimistic."
"You have a solution?"
"When I first heard about this ability, I felt the same way. Such a monstrous ability is beyond imagination."
Ging gazed into the distance. "But!"
"Regardless of the ability type, it cannot be without weaknesses." He turned back to Cheadle. "Think carefully."
Cheadle didn't follow Ging's instructions to think; instead, she quickly grabbed his clothes. "Just tell me what you're thinking."
Sighing, Ging gently freed himself from Cheadle's grasp, straightened his clothes, and looked back at her.
"Time!"
Just two words, yet Cheadle couldn't grasp their meaning.
"Have you considered the time it takes to maintain the ability?"
Ging smiled confidently. "Such a monstrous ability, even for someone called a monster, cannot be sustained indefinitely."
"I imagine maintaining this state for even a single second consumes an unimaginable amount of Nen."
After hearing Ging's words, Cheadle felt a sense of clarity.
"So, who should we send to hunt Loki this time?"
Ging shook his head. "We won't be sending anyone."
"Not sending anyone?"
"Are we just going to let it go? two members of the Twelve Zodiacs, were killed by him."
"Botobai died at the hands of someone else, didn't he?" Ging said calmly.
Cheadle hadn't expected Ging to still be fixated on this point. "Regardless, if he hadn't attacked the Hunter Association, Botobai and Kanzai wouldn't have died."
"Kanzai's death, I don't consider a bad thing. That guy seemed… problematic."
"Ging, you're also a member of the Twelve Zodiacs. Even if you disliked Kanzai, you shouldn't—"
"Alright, no need to say more. That wasn't what I meant." Ging raised his hands in surrender. Cheadle, when serious, was a significant headache.
Seeing Ging's impatience, Cheadle didn't want to continue this argument; she knew he was impossible to reason with.
"Ging, if you were to face that kid, would you be confident?"
The sudden change of topic caught Ging off guard. After a few seconds of serious consideration, he replied,
"Hard to say. I haven't truly witnessed that kid's abilities firsthand." He scratched his head. "Perhaps the probability of my defeat is higher."
Cheadle hadn't expected even Ging to say that. Although Ging is often unpredictable, he is still one of the world's five strongest Nen users.
If even Ging says this… does Loki's strength rival the world's top five? Even if he hasn't reached that level yet, he's probably not far off.
"Leave it to this old man!"
A deep, raspy voice suddenly echoed.
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