Ron did not speak. He simply lifted the Six-Harmony Sphere. Two Nen bullets fused together in his hands.
"Storm Bullet."
"Flame Bullet."
The two merged, and when they fell, the entire area nearby seemed to have its moisture evaporated in an instant.
Claude retreated quickly, but Natsu was already there, appearing behind him in advance. Uchiha Sasuke stood at Ron's side.
Ron had just gone through an intense battle earlier and expended a great deal of aura, but thanks to the effect of his Gourmet Cells, food had already replenished much of his strength. And when it came to aura reserves, that was Ron's absolute advantage. Among Nen users of the same level, few could compare to him.
Elsewhere, Misty, Machi, Shizuku, Elita, and Nina worked together in concert. Misty and Elita stood at the front, clashing directly with the church priests. Machi used her Nen threads to manipulate the terrain, preventing the priests from attacking too easily, turning the battlefield into a zone filled with traps, easy to defend and hard to attack.
Shizuku held Blinky-chan in one hand while using the Ice Dragon ability. The strong suction pulled at the priests bodies, locking onto their wounds. At once, blood streamed from the injuries, drawn straight toward Blinky-chan. The loss of blood caused the priests condition to deteriorate rapidly.
Ponzu remained hidden in the shadows. One after another, her bees shot out toward the priests and exploded in bursts around them. Nina, watching carefully, recorded the priests habitual speech patterns. Without drawing attention, she slipped close to one priest, and before he could even speak, she uttered the very words he was about to say. Instantly, that priest fell under her control.
At the same time, one of Ponzu's bees shot into the man's ear canal and exploded inside his body.
Bang!
The blast shook him violently. Blood gushed from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. An explosion inside the body dealt devastating damage.
Misty and Elita immediately shifted their focus. They no longer wasted time on priests who had already been injured, instead targeting those who were still unscathed. Machi's threads wound around them both, ready to provide support at any moment.
More and more priests suffered injuries. Their strength was far inferior to the four attackers faced earlier; only two among them had reached the level of A-rank Nen users. In direct combat they could still hold an advantage, but Misty's group avoided straight fights, adopting guerrilla tactics instead. The priests were unable to pin them down and could only watch as the weaker ones among them were wounded one after another.
Once a priest was hurt, Blinky-chan would draw in his blood. Soon, more than ten priests had lines of blood streaming from their bodies, floating in midair and pulling toward the conjured vacuum.
At that moment, a figure appeared near Shizuku. A blade flashed.
With a single stroke, the priests whose blood was flowing out abruptly changed expression.
"Demon Blade Murasame: One-Cut Kill."
Flesh and blood alone could never withstand Murasame's ability. The instant-kill effect took hold.
Bang!
One priest collapsed. Then another. Then two, three, four more. In moments, over ten priests had all fallen.
The survivors recoiled in alarm, scattering back.
"What was that ability?"
"It was only a bit of blood loss—why did they suddenly die?"
"Whose ability was that?"
They exchanged uneasy looks, deep dread filling their eyes. Such a bizarre death was beyond their expectations.
Claude also noticed, his expression darkening. Soon, however, he pieced it together and turned to Ron.
"That was your Nen beast's ability, wasn't it? As long as it touches someone's blood, it can kill? Developing something like that must have cost a great deal of time and effort. What kind of restrictions and vows did you set?"
"But you used that ability not on me, but on ordinary priests instead. Ron, do you value your companions so much? Enough to let yourself face more danger just to protect them?"
He gave a cold snort.
"Foolish. Foolish to the extreme. When I saw your strength, I thought you might be worthwhile, but I didn't expect you to be this stupid."
Ron gave him a calm glance and remained silent. Akame's ability was powerful, but killing Claude with it would not be easy. Against Claude, Killer Queen could accomplish nearly everything Akame could, and Claude would be even more guarded against Akame. Using her ability against the priests was a practical choice.
By eliminating the priests, Nina and the others would be free to join the fight. With everyone's strength combined, the chance of defeating Claude would be far greater. While Ron was confident to kill him on his own, why take any chances?
A card appeared in Ron's hand—the Pig Zodiac Card. Two guns materialized. He raised them toward the priests still at a distance and pulled the triggers.
An endless stream of bullets poured out.
The priests, who had just drawn back, were forced once more into range, and Misty's group seized the chance to close in again. Even though the remaining priests were stronger, after witnessing what had happened, their fear only grew.
They did not know how Akame's ability had killed their comrades, but they dared not take the risk of being injured themselves. They could not gamble that a wound would not mean instant death.
From this moment, they stood on uneven ground. Misty's side could fight without fear of being hurt, but the priests could not afford even the smallest injury. Though their raw strength was greater, hesitation shackled them, plunging them into a severe disadvantage.
Claude's expression twisted further.
"Even while fighting me, you still have the energy to deal with others? Is this what has become of the Zoldyck family's style? You are performing worse and worse. Soon enough, I'll make you understand what regret truly means."
He halted, and a powerful aura began to swell from his body.