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Chapter 39: Shalnark's Choice
"Rental complete. Please return the aura within three days, or it will be forcibly collected!"
The abstract Rental Demon appeared beside Ronin with a reminder.
Ronin frowned. Not a great time.
Shalnark's eyes lit up. He seemed to figure something out.
But just as the pieces clicked, a figure appeared behind him.
A woman in a sharp black pant-suit and red-soled heels.
Those beautiful hands Ronin admired were clenched into fists, hammering toward Shalnark's heart!
Milia!
Bam!
The punch landed—not on the heart, but on Shalnark's arms as he turned to block.
The immense force slammed him into the tunnel wall.
"Go!"
Without explaining, Milia pressed the attack, shouting at Ronin.
Ronin hesitated for a split second, then exploded into speed, rushing past Shalnark with his Shadow Clone.
"Watch out for the antenna!" he yelled.
Blocking Milia's attacks, Shalnark kept his eyes mostly on Ronin.
The stick-figure demon was a distraction.
Hearing Ronin's warning, Shalnark confirmed something.
At the airport, he didn't just sense something wrong. He saw the antenna on the policeman!
How?
Did my intel leak? Or is it those eyes?
The woman in front of him was a good fighter, but not a fatal threat. However, with Ronin's warning, his chance of sticking her with an antenna dropped significantly.
Her appearance gave Ronin a perfect escape route. Shalnark had to decide whether to go all-in to stop him.
Machi and the others hadn't arrived, meaning something happened in the arena.
Shalnark also noticed Ronin's clone preparing a Jutsu, clearly guarding against him.
And he felt a gaze watching him from outside the tunnel.
Who is it?
What was certain was that Ronin was prepared. He had people blocking Machi and Franklin.
If no external force—another Spider—broke Ronin's setup, Shalnark acting now would be meaningless.
Shalnark hesitated with the antenna in his hand.
As Ronin ran past him, he didn't stab himself.
He actively opened the distance, ending the skirmish with Milia.
Shalnark's retreat surprised Ronin. He expected Autopilot.
He was ready to cast Jutsu and use Genjutsu.
Seeing Shalnark back down, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if Shalnark had a plan, not fighting was the best outcome.
Leaving the clone as a rear guard, Ronin and Milia fled the tunnel.
"Can I pass a message to your main body?" Shalnark didn't move, speaking calmly to the clone.
His tone was probing, his mind calculating.
The clone didn't answer. A minute later, it vanished.
Machi appeared in the tunnel.
"You're okay." Machi relaxed slightly. "Is that Ronin really a newbie who learned Nen a month ago?"
She was skeptical.
His abilities in the ring exceeded her expectations.
She had seen Transmuters turn aura into fire, but never on that scale.
Engulfing the whole ring? Terrifying.
"How's Uvogin?" Shalnark asked, ignoring her question.
"Bad. He'll lose an arm for sure. Even if he survives, I don't know if he can fight like before. The burns are severe."
Machi knew human anatomy well. She had assessed Uvogin's condition immediately.
"Go to the security room, then meet the others," Shalnark said.
He wanted the tapes. Ronin was a formidable enemy.
Especially since the Troupe massacred his clan. This wasn't a grudge that could be resolved; it was a death match.
Now, they were the hunters.
But Shalnark felt that roles might reverse soon.
Ronin's potential and strange abilities were a massive threat.
They had to kill him early!
But when they reached the security room, the tapes of Arena 227 were gone.
"That woman!" Shalnark realized.
He had seen Milia's photo. She was Ronin's agent.
The ads, the commentary bias—it all pointed to her influence.
His judgment was spot on.
...
"I thought you'd go straight to Mordin City," Ronin said, back in Room 188 with Milia.
This safehouse was still compromised.
Leaving the arena, he had texted Usamen and the mercenaries.
No need to meet; the money would be wired.
He kept their contacts. Hiring them again would be expensive—1.7 billion for one protection job—but worth it.
Though he doubted they'd work for that price again.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. You can only return the rented aura early if I'm present. Otherwise, you have to wait for the deadline or forced collection," Milia said casually.
Seeing Ronin's calm expression, she realized, "You guessed?"
"Intuition mostly," Ronin said.
He had considered it after renting. It was why he didn't finish off Uvogin.
Risk vs. Reward. Milia's aura was too valuable.
Even knowing the constraint, he would still rent from her.
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