With the mine fully analyzed, Auren stops using En and readies himself for the upcoming assault.
Let's do this!
He briefly glances at Goreinu and relays his findings. "A bunch of children, all caged up together. A small child is lying down on a bed, and our target is sitting in a chair. There is a little problem, however..."
"What problem?" Goreinu asks, showing a hint of concern.
"All of them are inside a small shaft that's blocked by a large door. It doesn't look like something durable—just a door probably built to block off a section of the mine or keep people out. However, the fact remains, the entrance is blocked."
"Ah... that is a problem," Goreinu notes. "We might not be able to use our tactic immediately then, as Black Goreinu has a few conditions... the target must be within fifteen meters, a distance I'm steadily training to improve, but more importantly, it requires a direct line of sight to the target. If they are hiding behind a door, we need to break it down first. Should we retreat and come up with a tactic?"
"We are hunters. We can't be scared because of something ridiculous like a door. We're going to change plans. I'm doing it alone—I'll use my Hatsu, Hiding in Mist, to fill the entire section of the mine with thick fog, and then I'll finish it by quickly taking the witch down. It will hinder your Hatsu, but it should be safe enough, I can do this alone," Auren states.
"Can I disagree for once, Auren?" Goreinu asks, looking serious, as he stares him into the eyes.
"Sure... I'm open to better suggestions," Auren replies, surprised by his colleague's change in tone.
Goreinu thinks for a second before speaking. "I'll kick the door open with my Nen beasts, then rush forward, using White and Black Goreinu as a shield. Exactly one second after I snap my fingers, I'll use Black Goreinu's ability. That's your cue. It's less risky and shouldn't give the witch any option to trick us or catch us with her Hatsu. Trust me, people like her, who are at the very top of the most-wanted list of international criminals, are never weak. Her insane bounty is reason enough to do it like I said."
Frankly speaking, I think my plan will work as well, but I have no good reason to decline his suggestion, and this way we can use our combination tactic. Fine, no reason to refuse.
"Sure, let's do it your way," Auren says. "Good thinking."
With their plan set, they descend the small hill, briefly glancing at the Mafia members in the distance who watch them in confusion. Zenji and a few others rush over to meet them.
"Excuse me... Hunter Auren! We prepared some gear... You rushed out so fast we forgot about it."
Auren looks at the men holding out flashlights, ropes, grenades, and firearms.
"Not bad," Auren says, grabbing a flashlight and a belt with four grenades.
Might as well take them... if I don't need them, they might come in handy later.
Goreinu takes a flashlight and comments, "I don't like weapons. This will suffice."
With flashlights in hand, they enter the mine.
Along with the beams from their flashlights, Auren uses Gyo from time to time to check for anything hidden. After a while, he senses something nearby.
"There's something on the rock to the left," Auren says, switching to Gyo again. "At first I thought it might be a grenade, but that's silly... I probably only think that because I picked up a few of my own. Looks like a radio?"
"It looks more like a phone," Goreinu replies. "Our targets are still a little way off, so we should be safe to approach. I don't sense Aura on the object, but its placement is suspicious."
As the two of them move closer, they suddenly hear a muffled sound.
It's the voice of an older woman, echoing faintly through the mine.
"Have you come for this old woman? Can't you people just leave me alone?"
It's not a phone... It's an old transceiver.
"Please listen to me... back off. I am promising you, I'll soon stop, I have a very good reaso—"
Auren glances at Goreinu, who decisively nods at him. Without hesitation, Auren uses Limitless Waters to spit out a water bullet, blasting the transceiver apart in an instant, the sound of splintering metal echoing down the shaft.
They continue deeper until they spot the door. It's wooden, looking almost ancient—the planks half-rotten, with crude sheets of metal hammered onto it here and there to keep it intact.
This cockroach has created a sturdy and foul nest inside this old mine...
Auren puts a hand on Eternity, his fingers tightening on the hilt, ready to strike at any second. He steadies his stance, preparing to use an Iai technique—the fastest and most decisive one taught to him by Lidor.
Let's do this... only the strongest Nen users can evade this attack!
"Stop!" the voice calls again, echoing through the cracks of the door. "Let's negotiate! Please!"
What is this... I feel strange...
Using Gyo, Auren finally sees it: his Aura is slowly leaking away from his body, being drawn through the gaps in the wood and rusted metal.
"I feel my Aura weakening... she's draining it!" Auren yells in panic. "Do it now!"
Goreinu doesn't hesitate. He stretches out both hands, releasing two glowing drops of Aura onto the ground. In the next moment, two muscular gorillas erupt into being, as tall as himself—one with pure white hair, the other with black hair.
Auren, meanwhile, notices in panic that not only his Aura and Goreinu's, but even the gorillas themselves are being drained, more and more Aura leaving their bodies.
"Please! I can give you more money than whoever is paying you!" the woman's voice shrieks, frantic. "You fools! I'll make you rich! Listen to me!"
Ignoring her desperate bargaining, Goreinu charges forward. He coordinates with his apes—the two gorillas hurl their massive bodies against the door, while he himself kicks forward in a single coordinated motion.
The rotten door instantly gives in and begins to weaken. It tears free from its hinges with a loud crack, splinters scattering as it gets blown into the room.
Goreinu and his Nen beasts immediately rush forward, his gorillas leading, their huge bodies serving as his shield.
Auren, meanwhile, unleashes his strongest Ren, his Aura flaring violently around him. He combines it with Limitless Waters, then channels every last bit of it into the still sheathed Eternity, using Ko.
"Please! I beg you! I need to finish it! I'll do anything—listen to me, please!" the woman screams, her voice sounding desperate.
But then, Auren hears it—the sharp snap of Goreinu's fingers.
Now!
Exactly one second later, Auren prepares his attack. It's his strongest technique: Limitless Waters combined with Ko, while Eternity, still in its sheath, is wrapped in a torrent of high-pressure water rotating like a small storm around the blade.
He finally draws Eternity, aiming directly at the body of Black Goreinu.
Before his attack lands, the black gorilla suddenly disappears, and a small, elderly woman in a black cloak appears in front of him, only to be immediately cut in half.
As Eternity cuts through her body at a vertical angle, Auren does not hesitate and spins around, unleashing more slashes—just for good measure—cutting her body multiple times until it is cleanly cut into dozens of parts.
The pieces of her body scatter across the stone floor, wet and glistening under the dim lights of the mine, making even Auren grimace in disgust.
Good riddance... looks like we are done.
For just a moment, he senses a flash of Nen, then feels it vanish—sucked away into the space beyond the door they just kicked open.
"Clear!" Auren yells.
Goreinu responds immediately, rubbing his head in pain. "The inside is clear as well, but I still feel a little... weak."
"I feel it too!" Auren yells, suddenly noticing his Aura is still being rapidly drained, even faster than before.
I need to do something... Zetsu!
He instantly uses Zetsu, forcefully closing his Aura nodes, trying to prevent it from leaking. To his relief, the draining sensation stops the moment he uses it.
"Use Zetsu!" Auren calls out, hurrying toward Goreinu. The man collapses onto the floor, his two gorillas vanishing in a flash, before he finally manages to activate Zetsu himself. He exhales sharply, still breathing heavily.
"Damn..." he curses.
"What is this?!" Auren mutters, his eyes scanning the room. "Is there one more enemy nearby? Was that a clone? A copy? Are we being manipulated?"
He rushes to the corpse. With Zetsu heightening his senses, he immediately notices something strange, relying not on his eyes but his senses. There's still a lingering Aura around her body, and it's being rapidly absorbed by something, exactly like his own Aura before he used Zetsu. He switches to Gyo for just a second, knowing the risk, and instantly feels his body weaken again. Still, his eyes light up as he notices the flow of Aura—both his own and the target's—rapidly drifts toward a corner of the room.
That's not all, I see traces of more Aura coming from further down the mine! The missing kids. I'm suddenly losing so much more Aura, and it happened right after I killed her. Don't tell me this is... Post-Mortem Nen?! We're seriously screwed now. Goreinu and I should be fine, but everyone else will quickly die at this right. Where is this drain coming from?!
Despite the toll Gyo takes on his body, as his Aura is drained, Auren finally grins as he spots the source of the Aura absorption. He's finally pinpointed the source in a corner of the now open shaft. Without hesitation, Auren dashes into the open space, heading straight for a large object covered with a black tarp.
He yanks the tarp away—and instantly recoils from the revolting stench. Beneath it sits a massive, foul-smelling cauldron, filled with a glowing light green liquid, slightly thick and gooey, also releasing gas into the air. Even with Zetsu active, he can feel the dense, overwhelming Aura radiating from it.
What is this cursed nightmare cauldron? No wonder they call her the Soup Witch.
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