"That's right,"
Sound Witch continued. "I'm not sure of his current state, but in the past, he was an Enhancement-type Nen user, and his main ability was related to food—enhancing his digestive ability."
Ron withdrew his gaze. The information from Sound Witch was not useless, but it was extremely limited. In that case, before the actual fight, he would have to probe the target through other people.
"Nina, come here."
"Yes, Captain."
Ron brought out a prisoner from the library prison and had Nina use her ability to control him. Once she had taken control, he ordered the puppet to approach the Spirit, who was hiding among ordinary people.
The puppet was an A-rank Nen user with an ice-based ability. At the first strike, a wave of frost appeared, freezing the area where the Spirit was hiding. Ordinary people could not withstand such an attack—one hit meant instant death.
The Spirit's expression darkened, and he lunged at Nina's puppet, aura coiling thickly around him, his presence fierce and oppressive.
Bang!
They collided. Ron observed from a hidden corner. In terms of raw strength, the Spirit held the advantage. However, Nina's puppet's frost ability restricted his movements, and after several exchanges, the Spirit was gradually forced onto the defensive.
Ron knew it wouldn't be that simple. If the Spirit were so easily dealt with, they wouldn't have made the archbishops and cardinals wary enough to hire an outsider.
Soon, the Spirit changed tactics. His body swelled visibly, and he opened his mouth to bite down on a nearby civilian, swallowing them whole. His aura surged, and the wounds from fighting Nina's puppet instantly healed.
Ron noticed that after swallowing the victim, a human face appeared on the Spirit's body, alive and expressive as though it still had its own thoughts.
"This ability is… unpleasant," Ron thought. "So that's it—he can replenish his aura by consuming ordinary people. As long as they're around, he'll never run dry."
He wondered what other abilities the Spirit had. He gave Ponzu an order, and a swarm of bees flew out to drive away the civilians nearby.
The Spirit's expression shifted slightly when he saw this. Nina's puppet pressed the attack, and Ron could tell the enemy was starting to feel pressured.
"It seems his dependence on ordinary people is quite high," Ron judged.
Nina increased the puppet's offensive. First, her control time was limited—if the fight dragged on, the puppet would break free and flee. Second, losing the puppet was acceptable only if it meant forcing the Spirit to reveal his second ability.
Sure enough, when the assault grew fiercer, the Spirit made his move. He appeared behind another civilian, devoured them in one bite, and another face appeared on his body. His aura surged again.
Then, one of the faces vanished. At that exact moment, a special mass of aura formed in the Spirit's hand. It struck Nina's puppet with a single punch.
Bang!
The puppet froze in place.
"Captain, my control was forcibly broken," Nina said, her expression grim.
Black aura erupted from the puppet's body, transforming into countless small snakes that burrowed in and out repeatedly.
Boom!
The puppet exploded entirely.
Ron's eyes narrowed. "That attack is extremely lethal. It costs him one human face to use, but if it lands, it's more devastating than any other strike he has. In a real fight, I absolutely can't let him hit me with that."
The puppet was gone. The Spirit seemed to notice Ron's location and began driving a horde of infected toward him while advancing himself.
Ron didn't retreat. The fight between them would happen sooner or later, and he had already confirmed two of the Spirit's abilities. His goal was met.
"Natsu."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
The two Nen Beasts appeared, heading for the Spirit. Ron took a high vantage point, holding the Six-Harmony Sphere. His plan was to clear the surrounding area entirely—no ordinary people left—to limit the Spirits power as much as possible.
Both of his revealed abilities relied on civilians.
"Storm Nen Blast!"
"Corrosion Nen Blast!"
"Frost Nen Blast!"
Three blasts in quick succession swept the area, eradicating all remaining bystanders. Nina and the others continued clearing infected outside.
Facing Natsu's assault, the Spirit swelled even larger. He seemed to have anticipated this tactic, preparing for the loss of nearby civilians by moving quickly toward a tall building.
Crash!
One punch smashed a hole in the wall, and over a dozen figures stepped out—ordinary people the Spirit had hidden away beforehand.
His mouth opened wide. One bite per person.
A dozen more faces appeared on his body, and his aura rose to an even higher peak. Even Natsu could no longer match his strength; only Sasuke attacking at the same time could keep him contained.
From his performance, the Spirit was no weaker than the Sound Witch—perhaps even stronger.
But when Ron saw his opponent's now massive body, an idea struck. Sasuke immediately pulled back to create distance.