The Terror Lord kept his eyes locked on Killer Queen, watching it warily. But at that moment, Natsu clapped his hands together.
"Position Swap!"
In an instant, his position and the Terror Lord's were exchanged. The Killer Queen, who had been some distance away, suddenly appeared right behind the Terror Lord. The abrupt change caught him completely off guard.
Just as Ron lacked detailed information on the Terror Lord, the Terror Lord knew nothing about Ron. Killer Queen's strike landed cleanly.
Bang!
The first bomb triggered. Everything it touched vanished in a silent explosion. The Terror Lord's expression shifted as he quickly pulled back.
Ron narrowed his eyes. "Not injured?"
Killer Queen's explosive power was formidable, especially when utilising its second detonation method—a strange and difficult-to-guard-against technique. But the Terror Lord looked completely unaffected, without so much as a scratch.
"A defense that even the first bomb can't harm? This is the first time I've seen that. It's a little too unreasonable."
If the opponent had known about Killer Queen in advance and developed an ability to counter it, Ron could have understood. But the Terror Lord definitely knew nothing about Killer Queen's powers. For an A-rank Nen user to possess such defense was absurd. Even Oster couldn't manage it. And Ron was certain Killer Queen's attack had hit true—and not some phantom, but the real body.
"Then let's try this."
At his thought, Killer Queen vanished, replaced by Akame, who closed the distance at blinding speed. Natsu repeated the same move.
"Position Swap!"
This time, the Terror Lord was ready, but Akame was faster than Killer Queen and her swordsmanship was on another level.
Clang!
Metal struck metal, and the Terror Lord's face shifted again before he retreated. Ron kept his gaze on the ground—he had just seen something drop.
"Ponzu!"
"Yes, Captain."
At his command, Ponzu ordered her bees to swoop in, retrieve the golden object, and deliver it to Ron. He crouched to inspect it.
"A golden insect's corpse. So this is the Terror Lord's defense. Golden cockroaches? His body is completely covered in them."
Ron's eyes narrowed. "That means Killer Queen's attacks aren't without effect—they're just being blocked by these golden cockroaches, which die in place of his body, giving him time to retreat."
"Then what happens if I go straight for the head?"
This time, Ron joined the offensive himself. Natsu pressed in for close-range combat, Sasuke harried from the side, and Ron attacked from range.
"Lampent!"
The ghostly form appeared.
"Oil Mist!"
A thick, clinging fog spread through the area. Akame took the chance to circle behind the Terror Lord.
The battle continued in a cycle of attack and retreat. Akame's blade cut through the mist time and again, forcing the Terror Lord to twist his body to evade, while Natsu's position swaps and Sasuke's flanking strikes kept him from finding any opening to counter. Shattered fragments of golden cockroach shells scattered across the ground, evidence of every close strike, yet his defense remained unbroken. Ron kept the pressure from range, while Akame was waiting to deliver her final strike.
"Now!"
She lunged, thrusting her blade forward.
Puchi!
The strike landed. Ron's eyes lit up in anticipation. "Got him!"
The Terror Lord's body stiffened, but only for an instant. He pulled his head free from Akame's blade and retreated. On the sword's edge remained a trail of golden cockroach corpses.
"No blood? Even his brain is full of golden cockroaches? This Spirit has possessed the body of a normal human, but he was still able to alter it to this extent?"
Nen users were certainly different from ordinary humans, and Ron had seen plenty of strange ones. But nothing like this. "Even the Aburame clan from the Naruto world isn't this disgusting."
He looked to Akame. "In that case, I'll just have to use Killer Queen as it's the only way to whittle down those golden cockroaches. His defense is too unusual—normal attacks can't kill them. Killer Queen will be more convenient."
Akame vanished and Killer Queen reappeared.
"Deadly Queen: Sheer Heart Attack!"
Killer Queen immediately unleashed its strongest attack available. A shell fired straight toward the Terror Lord, who, hidden in the mist, sensed the danger but was too late to react.
A silent blast erupted. The ground shook, the air trembled, the mist rippled. Ron waved his hand, recalling Lampent and dispersing the fog.
The Terror Lord's body lay on the ground, shriveled compared to before, eyes locked on Ron.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking me? Do we have some kind of grudge?"
From the start, he had not spoken to Ron, choosing only to retaliate. He had thought killing Ron would be the simplest solution. But now, he realized he might not be able to kill Ron at all—and might be the one to die.
"I'm an assassin. I took a contract to kill you, that's all."
"Assassin?" The Terror Lord's expression tightened. "Zoldyck? With that level of strength, there's only one possibility. Was it those old fools in the Church who hired you? Pathetic! It's an internal holy war, a civil war, and they actually hired an outsider. Cowards! Have they really sunk this low?"
Ron's brow furrowed slightly. The Terror Lord's words had revealed plenty: an internal holy war within the Church—meaning the Terror Lord himself was part of it.
"Will you call off the job? I can pay you double the fee."
"Sorry, that goes against my principles. I have to kill you. But before that, if you're willing to pay in advance, you can hire me for a separate job."
"....What?!"