Chapter 54: Illumi the Superfluous x The Flying Slash
"Young Master Illumi!"
"Focus!"
A brilliant flash of a blade sliced through the air, splitting the bullet aimed at Gotoh perfectly in two along its tip.
Clatter~ The shell casings hit the floor. Roy, holding the cane sword in one hand, gave it a flourish. Without pausing, he lunged forward again in a thrust—
—aimed directly at the woman's face.
Gotoh, momentarily distracted by Illumi's sudden appearance, cursed himself for his foolishness. To be saved by the Young Master at such a critical moment... Enraged, he pulled a handful of coins from his pocket, flicked his thumb against his index finger, and launched them. The coins, enveloped in Aura, shot out in a mad fusillade.
In less than two seconds, the entire cabin was riddled with holes like a sieve.
The terrorist disguised as a passenger fell, leaving only the girl, who tilted her head to dodge the steel fork Illumi had thrown.
"That one's my prey." His first attack having missed, Illumi kicked the door open and strode in. Brushing past Gotoh's shoulder, he formed a hand-blade and thrust it viciously toward the girl's chest.
Slow... too slow. Beyond seven steps, a gun is fast. Within seven steps, a gun is faster and more accurate.
"Let's see if I don't blow you to bits!" The girl conjured another pistol in her left hand and unleashed a crazy barrage at Illumi.
A torrent of bullets rained down, the sheer pressure giving Illumi no opportunity to get close. The boy was forced to retract his hand-blade mid-attack, diving behind the overturned table for cover.
This is... 'you can't handle it without me'?
"If only your strength was as big as your talk." A thrust, practiced thirty thousand times a day, pierced the woman's brow like a thunderbolt. Roy's figure flickered, moving with a speed that far surpassed Illumi's, and he slaughtered the "Joker's" manipulated body.
"So fast!" The "Joker" didn't even have time to react before activating his Nen ability again, manipulating dozens of children to swarm Roy. "Roy Zoldyck, we had no intention of making an enemy of you! You're the one who showed up and ruined our plans!"
"Be smart and leave on your own, or I'll kill them all!"
The "Joker's" possession had two levels: "deep" and "shallow." Deep possession destroyed the consciousness, while shallow possession was a temporary takeover that left the host unharmed. The Zoldycks had a worldwide reputation for rarely harming innocents outside of their targets.
The terrorist, Brandon, was banking on this very psychological trait, using ordinary people as human shields.
But a shield is only useful if it can actually block the blade!
Coating his eyes with a layer of Aura, Roy saw it clearly. All the children had eaten the candy and were being moved like marionettes by thin "Nen threads." Tracing them back, he found their source: the upper deck of the airship.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!" The cane sword in his hand ignited as it cut through the air, creating a circular ring of fire that seared the atmosphere and incinerated the Nen threads. Roy swung his arm in a full circle, and without looking back, he took two long strides, blade in hand, and rushed out of the cabin, heading straight for the deck.
He left Gotoh behind to furiously unleash a storm of coins against the girl's bullet rain, providing cover fire.
Illumi watched this from behind the table, a sudden sense of bewilderment washing over him. And me? What can I do? It seems like there's no need for me here anymore...
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bullets against coins. Conjuration against Emission.
"Young Master Illumi, if you're not going to do anything, you could go to the cockpit and protect the pilot..."
Gotoh's voice drifted over. Illumi froze for two seconds, wanting to refuse. But then he saw his grandfather, Zeno, walk in with his hands clasped behind his back. "He's not needed. The cockpit is being guarded."
Having expended a tenth of his aura, Zeno had finally arrived, riding Tsubone at full speed. He had left Tsubone to guard the pilot and prevent the airship from crashing. He had cleaned up the small fry on his own and come up.
Illumi: "..."
He stood frozen, like a deer in headlights.
Zeno walked past his shoulder and asked a heart-stabbing question, "Where's Roy?"
He raised a hand and fired a Nen bullet, hitting the girl and blowing her head into a bloody mist.
Thump~ The girl's body slammed heavily onto the floor, blood spraying everywhere. Gotoh let out a breath of relief and pointed toward the deck.
The two of them left the cabin, one after the other, leaving the boy alone amidst the wreckage, unable to process what had just happened for a long time.
After a moment, he found a clean corner, slid down against the wall, and hugged his knees, melting into the shadows.
In the not-so-distant future, a certain fruit-loving magician once made an assessment:
Enhancers are simple-minded and straightforward.
Transmuters are whimsical and prone to deceit.
Emitters are impatient and hot-tempered.
Manipulators are logical and do things their own way.
And so, as a Manipulator, the moment Brandon realized his side was losing, he attempted to persuade Roy with "logic."
Unfortunately, his opponent's blade was too fast and too sharp, giving him no opportunity to be persuasive.
That only left one option... fight!
Voom... The propellers shredded the air, kicking up a fierce wind.
On the upper deck of the airship, Brandon stood ready. He watched Roy approach at a steady pace, cane sword in hand. He gave up on manipulation, recalling all the Nen he had invested in his other "puppets." He flicked his thumb against his index finger, firing a "Nen bullet."
A Manipulator's adjacent Nen types are Emission and Specialization. With dedicated training, they can achieve 80% of an Emitter's power. This Nen bullet was fast and sharp, flying straight for Roy's heart.
Ting—! With a crisp sound, the Nen bullet was split in two by Roy's Aura-enveloped blade.
Then came another, and another, and another. Ting... ting... ting... ting... The sword moved with effortless grace.
Brandon's Nen bullets grew weaker as his aura drained, while Roy, relying on his swordsmanship, handled them with ease, getting closer and closer.
At a certain point, he stopped.
Brandon followed suit, his expression tensing.
"Within three meters, your sword is faster. What's the matter? Has the noble Zoldyck finally decided to spare my life now that it's come to this?" Brandon tore open his collar, baring his chest. "Come on," he roared, "stab me right here!"
He didn't seem like a logical Manipulator, but more like an impatient Emitter.
"Too hairy. I'm afraid it'll get my sword dirty." Brandon's chest hair was a dense, dark forest, an unsightly view.
Roy rested his cane sword on the deck. "I know what you're thinking," he said simply.
"You plan to take my strike, endure a serious injury, and then use my 'sword' as a medium to possess me... right?"
"So what if I am?" Brandon showed no shame at having his plan exposed. He stared at Roy, his eyes burning. "If you don't dare to come, I'll leave."
"Three meters is the line. That's the rule I've set!"
As he spoke, Brandon slowly began to back away. He was completely unaware as a flying slash of energy flashed through the air. The next thing he saw was his own head flying, and a fountain of blood erupting from his neck.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you. My blade's reach is longer than three meters."