"Young Master Illumi!"
"Focus!"
A flash of steel split the bullet aimed at Wutong down the middle.
Clang—the shell hit the ground. Roy, gripping his cane-sword, spun it with a flourish, then lunged forward without pause—
Straight for the woman's face.
Wutong cursed himself for being distracted by Illumi's sudden appearance. He couldn't believe the young master had to save him at such a crucial moment. Furious, he pulled a handful of coins from his pocket, snapped his fingers, and fired them off like a machine gun—each one charged with Nen.
In less than two seconds, he'd turned the cabin into a sieve.
The disguised terrorist dropped. The girl dodged Illumi's thrown fork with a tilt of her head.
"That one's mine." Illumi, having missed, kicked open the cabin door and stepped in, brushing past Wutong and thrusting a knifehand strike at the girl's chest.
Too slow.
At over seven steps, the gun was faster. Within seven steps—still fast, and more accurate.
"I'm gonna blow you to pieces!"
The girl conjured another gun with her left hand and opened fire wildly at Illumi.
Bullets poured like rain, suppressing him completely. He was forced to withdraw his strike and dive behind the overturned table.
So this is what you meant by 'you can't manage without me'?
"If only your skills matched your mouth."
Thirty thousand daily thrusts gave Roy speed beyond Illumi's. In a flash, he drove his cane-sword straight into the woman's brow, killing the Jester's puppet before it could react.
"So fast!"
Jester hadn't even had time to activate his Nen ability. In a panic, he began manipulating dozens of children to rush Roy.
"Roy Zoldyck, we didn't want to oppose you. You appeared out of nowhere and disrupted everything."
"Be smart. Leave now, or I'll kill them!"
Jester's possession had two forms: deep and shallow. Deep erased consciousness. Shallow took control temporarily. He was counting on the Zoldycks' infamous reputation for avoiding collateral damage—
But even meat shields need to withstand the blade.
Roy's eyes glowed with Nen. He saw clearly that all the children had eaten the candy—each one moving like a marionette, controlled by threads of aura. Tracing them back… the source lay in the upper deck!
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
Cane-sword in hand, it sliced through the air, igniting a circle of flame that scorched the aura threads away.
Roy didn't look back. With a sweeping arc, he dashed out of the cabin, sword aimed at the upper deck.
Behind him, Wutong unleashed a storm of Nen-charged coins to cover him from the girl's gunfire.
Illumi, crouched behind the table, watched in a daze.
What about me? What am I even doing here?
It felt like he no longer had a place in this battle.
Bang bang bang! Gunfire and coins clashed. Conjuration versus Emission.
"You could guard the pilot if you're really that useless, Young Master Illumi."
Wutong's voice floated over calmly. Illumi froze for two seconds, about to protest—
Then Zeno walked in, hands behind his back. "No need. Someone's already protecting the cockpit."
He'd finally arrived, having spent a tenth of his Nen hurrying back on Zippo Nian. He'd left the pilot to her and cleared out the small fry on the way.
Illumi: "..."
Frozen like a stunned goose.
Zeno passed him, brushing shoulders. Without mercy, he asked, "Where's Roy?"
Then flicked a Nen bullet that struck the girl—her head exploded into a mist of blood.
Thud! Her body hit the floor. Blood splattered.
Wutong exhaled, pointing to the ceiling above.
The two exited the cabin, leaving Illumi alone in the wreckage, frozen.
Moments later, he curled into a corner, hugging his knees, fading into the shadows.
...
In the not-so-distant future, a certain fruit farmer once evaluated:
"Enhancers": Simple-minded, physically strong.
"Transmuters": Unstable, compulsive liars.
"Emitters": Hot-tempered, impatient.
"Manipulators": Self-righteous, love to preach.
So, as a Manipulator himself, Brandon, realizing his side was losing, tried to "reason" with Roy.
Unfortunately, Roy's blade was far too fast and sharp to give him that chance.
Which left only one path—battle!
Whirrr—
The propeller tore the air above the airship. On the upper deck, Brandon stood ready as Roy approached, cane-sword in hand.
He had already withdrawn all Nen from his puppets.
With a flick of thumb and finger, he shot a Nen bullet straight at Roy's heart.
Manipulation was adjacent to Emission and Specialization. With training, he could output 80% of Emission's power. This bullet was fast—blistering fast.
Cling—
Roy cleaved it in two with his Nen-coated cane-sword.
Then another. And another.
Cling… Cling… Cling…
Each strike fluid. Brandon's bullets weakened with each shot. Roy closed the distance with graceful precision.
Then he stopped.
Brandon followed suit, frowning.
"Within three meters, your blade's faster. What's this? The great Zoldyck finally showing mercy?"
He tore open his shirt, exposing his chest. "Do it! Right here!"
Odd behavior for a Manipulator. More like an Impatient Emitter.
"It's too hairy. Might dirty my sword."
Brandon's chest hair was thick—obscenely thick. Unpleasant to look at.
Roy rested the cane-sword against the ground. "I know what you're planning."
"You're going to take the hit, get injured, and use my blade as a medium to possess me, right?"
"So what if I am?" Brandon didn't flinch. "If you won't strike, I'm leaving."
"Three meters. That's the limit I've set. Those are the rules."
He began backing away—
Shing!
A slash flew through the air.
His head flew too.
A moment later, he saw his own neck spewing blood.
"Sorry—I forgot to mention, my slash range exceeds three meters."
T/n:
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