Chapter 59: Endless Assassination
At the easternmost border of the Kukan'yu Kingdom, in the frontier city of Tiance.
A train slowly pulled into the station.
On the platform stood a man, rigid and unmoving as if cast from iron!
He wore a blue cloth robe with wide, flowing sleeves—so long that it would drag on anyone else, but on him, the fabric barely reached past his knees.
His exposed muscles bulged, veins prominently visible.
His face was fierce and menacing, and with a hat perched on his head, he looked like a solid tower at first glance.
Pedestrians gave him a wide berth.
A station worker in the distance watched him and muttered, "He's been standing there for three days now. He must be waiting for someone extremely important in his life."
"I wonder if the person he's waiting for will arrive today."
Just as he spoke, the train's arrival whistle sounded.
The doors opened, and passengers streamed out. Amid the crowd, Mord immediately spotted the man across the platform.
The other's aura was completely unconcealed—it was clearly directed at him.
The two stood facing each other across the platform, watching intently.
People flowed past them, exiting the station, until soon only the two of them remained.
This assassin is quite interesting.
Clearly an assassin, yet he shows himself so boldly and even considers the lives of these ordinary people.
Mord looked at him and said, "Well, shall we begin now?"
"After your death, I will personally chant sutras to guide your soul."
The large man across from him raised his head, meeting Mord's gaze, and slowly lowered his clasped hands.
Before the words faded, he stomped his right foot hard on the ground, shattering the green brick pavement, and charged at Mord like a wild beast.
His strides were enormous, covering the distance in a few leaps until he was right in front of Mord.
He raised his massive fist and threw a fierce punch.
The force of the punch swept forward, whipping Mord's hair back.
An Enhancement-type Nen user.
His Ten is highly refined, and his physical body is exceptionally tempered.
The power behind that punch was terrifying, the air itself groaning in protest—but even more frightening were his eyes, which seemed inhuman.
They were pale, ghostly orbs.
As Mord stepped back, he swung his Zanpakutō upward in a reverse slash.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed as the spot where Mord had stood was pulverized into a deep crater by the punch.
Simultaneously, a blade light flashed.
The man's blue cloth robe, along with the hat on his head, was cleanly sliced in two.
Beneath the robe was a monstrously muscular body, and under the hat, a gleaming bald head.
"A monk?"
Defrocked Monk Nichtchi, a rising star active in the assassin world in recent years.
Hah, a monk assassin.
Nichtchi stared intently at Mord in the distance, his expression grave. Had that slash been just a bit closer, he would have been dead on the spot.
In the distance, a station staff member initially intended to approach and inquire about the situation, but as soon as he leaned his head out, he immediately pulled it back, his lips already somewhat pale.
He clutched the handle of the security booth door with a death grip.
His forehead was drenched in sweat.
This was the person he had anxiously awaited for three days.
It turns out that besides friends, enemies are equally worth waiting for.
"As expected of a bounty worth 1 billion Jenny—truly no ordinary individual."
Nichtchi stared intently at the blade in Mord's hand. When he had disembarked from the train earlier, he hadn't spotted this sword on him, indicating the wielder was likely a Conjuration-type Nen user.
The blade was terrifyingly sharp, with other abilities yet unknown.
Noticing Nichtchi's gaze, Mord raised his sword slightly and chuckled, "It's just an ordinary blade. No need to pay it much mind."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Nichtchi realized his opponent had vanished from his line of sight.
So fast!
His Gyo could only capture a faint afterimage.
A gleam of steel flashed.
Nichtchi swiftly retreated, but the blade pursued relentlessly. A chilling cold surged toward him. Without hesitation, he raised both arms to shield his throat.
Crimson blossoms of blood sprayed into the air.
The blade had bitten deep into Nichtchi's fearsome muscles, which were now swelling and clamping down on the steel, preventing Mord from withdrawing his weapon.
This was Nichtchi's Nen Ability—the power to control every muscle group in his body.
"Got you!"
He glared at Mord, a demonic grin spreading across his face. Tilting his head back, he launched a fierce headbutt forward.
His training in En had already begun to show results.
Mord could clearly perceive every movement his opponent made. The moment Nichtchi leaned his head back, Mord dispelled his Nen, causing the Zanpakutō in his hand to vanish.
Yet instead of dodging, Mord shifted his weight forward, sidestepping as his Zanpakutō rematerialized. Harnessing the downward momentum of the headbutt, he swung upward in a counter-slash.
Nichtchi saw only a golden lightning flash before his eyes—then felt the blade slice clean through his throat.
Mord's figure reappeared.
Two silhouettes, one large and one small, stood motionless on the train platform as a mountain breeze swept past.
Abruptly, Nichtchi's towering frame crumpled to its knees. His head slid from his neck and thudded heavily onto the ground.
Mord sheathed his blade, stepped forward, and placed the head back onto the body.
"Monks should stick to chanting sutras and eating vegetarian meals. Don't you folks always preach about the Buddha's mercy?"
...
Mord had already encountered several waves of pursuers along his journey, honing his En through these relentless trials.
Whether eating, sleeping, or even using the restroom, an ambush could come at any moment. This level of constant vigilance was more than most could endure.
No matter how powerful a Nen user might be, without Nen protection, conventional firearms could still easily claim their life.
He'd already faced sniper rifles with massive caliber destructive power earlier, and now Nen-wielding assassins were joining the hunt.
Though this battle ended swiftly and Mord emerged unscathed, it didn't mean the Defrocked Monk was weak.
On the contrary, Nichtchi possessed formidable strength.
His terrifying brute force coupled with incredible defensive capabilities posed a genuine threat to Mord.
It was simply that the present Mord was stronger.
Still, considering the staggering 1 billion Jenny bounty, it was no wonder these hunters were motivated. The enemies would only grow stronger from here.
If the opponents were at the level of the Shadow Beasts, he could still handle them. But if they were any stronger and managed to invite those guys to come out, things would truly be bad. Fortunately, he were about to leave the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Once that happened, it would be like a drop of water merging into the ocean, and finding Mord again would become much more difficult.
After all, Mord had only offended the Terrio family, one of the ten major crime syndicates, not the entire underworld.
After leaving the station, Mord didn't linger. He crossed the city directly, riding a temporarily purchased motorcycle toward the agreed-upon location.
There, a ship was waiting for him.
As for the grudge with the Terrio family, Mord believed it would soon be settled.
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