Outside, Misty and the others had not yet reacted. During the earlier ambush, they had been nearly helpless before the attackers and were forced to use their cards to retreat into the ark's core. Misty had endured two blows before she could no longer hold out, and only Machi had been able to resist slightly, though she too returned to the ark's core under Ron's command.
Now, however, the situation had completely reversed. Nina had used her ability to directly control one of the attackers, while Machi, Misty, and the others cooperated to restrain another. The two remaining attackers quickly fell under Ron's assault.
"In Nen battles, intelligence really is the most important factor," Nina remarked. Previously, the four attackers had the advantage of observing from the shadows and learning Ron's abilities, while Ron's group knew nothing of theirs. But once Ron and the others retreated into the ark's core, they used the surveillance system to study the situation outside, and soon the balance of intelligence shifted. From that point, their actions became smooth and efficient.
"Still, our Nen levels are lacking," Misty said. "If we were all at A-rank, we wouldn't have been so passive."
"This time, it was mainly thanks to the captain," Nina added.
After Ron had finished off the attackers, he left Sumas's space.
"Captain, where do we go next?"
"To the Church," Ron answered, his eyes turning in its direction. "It's our turn now. Claude plotted against me—I'm not going to just leave without doing anything." He looked to Ponzu. "Use your bees to scout inside the Church."
"Yes, captain," Ponzu replied, sending out hundreds of bees that flew swiftly toward the structure.
Next, Ron turned to Nina. "The infiltration of the Church is your task."
"Understood."
They moved toward the Church but halted before reaching it. Soon Ponzu's scouting revealed that the number of people inside was far fewer than Ron had expected.
"According to the Spirit's intelligence, the Church where Claude resides should have had more people. The fact that only these are here means the Church must be split into two factions. Claude commands only one of them—the other group is missing. Either he has already eliminated them, or they are elsewhere. But they are certainly not with Claude. If I clash with him, those others will either hide in the shadows to watch or seize the opportunity to attack him. Either way, it benefits me."
On the bee radar, dozens of red dots appeared, each representing an individual. Yet most of their aura levels were only average. Ron compared them against what he knew: the Nen users of the Sahelta United States, the strength of Fiora's three great dojos, and the thirteen Churches of Begrossé. One was the seat of the archbishop, while the other twelve belonged to the red cardinals.
Their collective strength could not surpass even one of Fiora's great dojos, and certainly not Oster's resources. From what he had gathered, there were fewer A-ranked and they were not combat-priented anyway.
Now that Claude's faction had lost four core members, Ron judged that his own team's overall power was not inferior.
"We move in small squads, infiltrating slowly. Don't rush. If anything happens, return to the ark base immediately. This Church is Claude's domain—there will be traps, just like Oster's manor or the Zoldyck estate."
A figure entered Nina's sight. She used her ability and turned him into a puppet. The group slipped into the Church without sound. Chii had already hacked the outer surveillance systems; deeper inside, there were no cameras.
One after another, enemies fell to Ron's group, and Claude remained unaware, still believing Ron must have lost after his four subordinates acted.
"Zoldyck…" Claude muttered in his study, gazing out the window. "Then we'll start with Ron Zoldyck. I won't spare even one. When my parents were abandoned, when they could have been saved but were left to die, you treated them like strangers.
What use are such clansmen?
You call yourselves family, but you are my enemies. You didn't expect me to still be alive, did you? If you saw me now, would you regret it?
But it's too late for that. Your vision was too narrow, clinging to the title of the world's top assassin family without knowing what true strength is. If you had accepted my parents choice, the Zoldyck family would be far stronger than it is today."
Suddenly, a scream rang out, pulling Claude from his thoughts. He stepped outside in a flash, ascending to the highest point of the Church and looking down. At the same time, Ron sensed his movement.
"Good enough," Ron thought. "We've lasted this long before Claude noticed. Now it's time for a direct fight. Claude!"
Ron stepped forward. Claude's gaze locked on him, his expression dark.
"Ron. So you've survived and made it here. My subordinates must already be dead. At your age, to have such strength—you are indeed impressive. But to come here right after a fierce battle, should I call you a fool, or are you really so confident in your power?" He paused, his tone sinking. "It's a pity. You've made the worst possible choice."
----------------------------------------------
You can read up to 120 Advanced chapters!
Patreon(.)com/IDKjust