Chapter 4: Special Delivery
Let's rewind the clock just a little...
About a kilometer away from the shipwreck, the battle between two men in black suits was reaching its end.
Both were exhausted, and the ground around them was scarred from their fight. One man was on his knees, multiple bones broken, his Aura completely depleted. He coughed up blood, his voice full of disbelief.
"How... you should be out of Aura too! Why do you still have any left...?"
The man opposite him raised his pistol, his face blank. "Why would I explain my ability to a dead man?"
CRACK!
The muzzle flashed. A spray of blood erupted from the kneeling man's forehead, and he collapsed, dead.
The gunshot echoed in the night.
The victor, Muser, waited a moment. He watched to make sure the dead Hunter's body didn't suddenly move, or that his Nen didn't flare up in a more powerful, post-mortem curse. When nothing happened, he finally relaxed.
He holstered his pistol and walked over. "Why did I have extra Aura? You idiot. If you'd just thought for a second, you would have realized... I simply reabsorbed the Nen Beast I released at the start of the fight."
I'm a Manipulator. And any competent Manipulator knows to keep an ability active on themselves at all times...
Muser used the last dregs of his Aura to form a small, bird-shaped Nen Beast that hovered at his side.
As it appeared, Muser's left eye was forced wide open, while his right eye remained normal—a bizarre, uncontrolled tic.
—Manipulation Ability: Rear Window Bird!
Muser could create three bird-shaped Nen Beasts for reconnaissance. As long as he had touched a target, he could attach one of the invisible birds to them for surveillance, feeding him information via telepathy.
He almost always kept one of these three birds attached to himself as a constant defense against other Manipulators.
It was this "extra" Nen Beast that had caused his opponent to make a fatal miscalculation. Muser had simply reabsorbed the Aura sustaining that bird, giving him just enough for one last, decisive counter-attack.
"Enhancers... nothing but simple-minded brutes."
Muser searched the corpse. "Still, your Enhancer's healing factor was tough. You did well to push me this far."
He soon found what he was looking for: a special, credit-card-sized license in the man's pocket.
It was printed with the unique logo of the Hunter Association. With this Hunter License, one could gain access to 90% of countries that forbid entry to normal people and 75% of special restricted zones. It also granted free use of 95% of all public facilities and a credit line equal to a major corporation.
Muser sneered at the "privileges."
Official Hunters were all Nen users. And any real Nen user could get into those countries and restricted zones on their own. Normal society was just a flock of sheep before the power of Nen. 95%? Please. They could take 100% of whatever they wanted.
The Hunter Association, backed by the world's largest political organization, the V5, used this License for one thing: to put a physical "stamp" on a Nen user's power and, using its benefits as bait, register and track as many of them as possible.
"You were just a Hunter she hired. A bodyguard. You weren't even a soldier, yet you threw your life away..."
Muser pocketed the license and closed the dead man's eyes. "That's... respectable."
"But I'm sorry. I have my own mission."
Muser turned and left. He had to go back and confirm. That woman, and her child... he had to exterminate them, root and stem.
Although Muser's remaining Aura was now tied up in his Rear Window Bird, he was still a highly trained operative. Despite his exhaustion, he moved quickly across the dark wasteland, heading back to the site of the original chaotic battle.
When he arrived, his eyes narrowed. He stopped, staring at the tall, messy pile of grass that stood out so starkly on the flat ground.
When did this get here? He slowed his pace, circling it suspiciously.
He was the last survivor of his squad. He had to be careful.
After a moment of tense silence, he saw nothing but two dead wolves on the ground.
He used his gun to part the grass. He immediately saw the bodies piled within.
It didn't take him long to find the woman.
She was dead. Good.
What was not good was that the swaddling blanket in her arms was empty.
Where is the damned infant?
Muser tore through the pile of corpses but found nothing. The baby had vanished.
He stepped out of the tall grass, staring south toward the island's center. Did someone pass by and take the child?
Before he could search for that bastard child, he had to find a place to treat his wounds, eat, and rest. And he had to report to the Prince.
He didn't have the energy to deal with the bodies. He got his bearings and, while pulling out a new, untraceable phone, began walking toward the shore where the woman's cruise ship had wrecked.
...The steady, dignified voice on the other end of the line finished: "...You must find that bastard. The mother who defiled the royal bloodline and her child must both be eliminated. If necessary, you have permission to reveal your identity. If you need extraction from the Ochima Federation afterward, I will personally negotiate with their government."
"Yes. Understood."
Muser waited for the call to disconnect, pocketed the phone, and looked up at the wrecked ship. In a few lithe movements, he crossed the rocks and hopped onto the deck.
He entered the cabin, and his foot landed on something with a crunch.
He froze.
He moved his foot. His left eye, wide and unblinking from the effect of his Rear Window Bird, examined the object on the floor.
It was a small branch, still covered in fresh leaves.
This cabin should be empty. Why is there a fresh branch here?
While under the effect of Rear Window Bird, Muser's left eye was in a constant state of Gyo. His vision and perception were superhuman.
Could it be... that the missing infant was brought here by someone?
His guard went up. He drew his pistol, checking the magazine. Two bullets left.
Enough.
With his elite training and two bullets, taking out a baby and whatever random person found it would be more than enough.
He did not, however, dispel his Rear Window Bird.
Precisely because he was a Manipulator, he was paranoid about other abilities of the same type. He could never let his guard down.
Click. Click. Muser moved silently, his senses on high alert.
With his Gyo-enhanced eye, he could see perfectly in the faint moonlight. He spotted a pile of empty snack wrappers, biscuit crumbs, and a small cake box. There were also bloodstains. And an empty cup.
A cup?
And the branch...
Muser's blood ran cold. Someone was here... and they performed Water Divination!
That meant there was, at this very
moment, at least one other Nen user hiding on this ship.
He rounded a corner in the hallway and stopped. His wide left eye locked onto the end of the passage. In front of a doorway, there was a large box. And behind it... someone was hiding.
"Who's there? Come out," Muser barked, his gun raised as he slowly advanced.
His nerves were stretched taut. Just as he was about to round the box and see who was hiding... a powerful force slammed into him from behind!
Muser instinctively tucked and rolled, spinning to face his attacker. It was a tiger—a massive tiger with glowing patterns!
"A Pale Moon Tiger?"
Muser didn't hesitate. He fired.
CRACK!
The muzzle flashed. He'd aimed for the head, but the tiger was too fast. The bullet grazed its skull, tearing an eye from its socket.
The shot was off! He'd been trying to conserve his last two bullets and had made a mistake.
There was no time for regret. The Pale Moon Tiger, all eight hundred pounds of muscle and rage, roared and pounced, slamming him to the floor.
Muser, already exhausted from a life-or-death battle, couldn't push the monstrous beast off him.
I have to... I have to dispel the Rear Window Bird...
The instant that thought crossed his mind, the person who had been "hiding" behind the box suddenly sprang to life. It was a sneak attack.
Kai slapped his palm, which he had already coated in a blood-drawn pentagram, directly onto Muser's left temple.
Muser finally saw his attacker. It was a little kid, no older than five!
"Huh?" Kai's face registered surprise. His ability... had failed to activate.
This guy... is also a Manipulator?!
Kai and Muser had the exact same realization at the exact same second.
"ROAR!" The Pale Moon Tiger pressed down with all its weight, pinning Muser. It opened its jaws, its long, sharp fangs descending toward Muser's sweat-drenched face.
Muser's wide left eye darted around. What do I do? Dispel the bird?
If he didn't dispel it and reabsorb the Aura, he had no strength to escape the tiger.
If he did dispel it, this kid's Manipulation ability would take him instantly.
He had no time. Muser made his choice. He dispelled the Rear Window Bird!
The Aura wasn't much, but it flooded his body, and his strength surged.
"GRRAAAH!" The tiger bit down.
Muser, pinned to the floor, jammed his elbow into the beast's maw. With his other hand, he twisted his wrist—an awkward, but fast—maneuver, aimed his pistol at the kid, and fired his last shot.
CRACK!
The bullet hit Kai square in the neck, passing clean through.
Blood gushed.
It had all happened in a fraction of a second, and he'd done it. Muser was flooded with the sheer, manic joy of survival.
The impact sent Kai's small body flying back against the doorframe. He clutched his throat as blood pumped between his fingers. His vision went black as his strength drained away.
"In the end... just a kid," Muser panted, finally allowing himself to relax.
But in his moment of triumph, he failed to notice...
In another room down the hall, a door had opened just a crack. Behind it, a pair of green, lupine eyes watched him.
Fooled you, idiot. I've got a spare.
"Kai-Wolf" stared from the darkness. It focused on Muser, who was just beginning to push the tiger off him.
It stared at the bloodstain Kai had left on Muser's temple.
The blood-red pentagram flared, instantly transforming into a shining, rose-gold Star Marker.
Manipulation: successful.
(End of Chapter)